I am relatively new to modern yoyo-ing after a long layoff since the 70’s. This is probably a naive topic - but it was one that had me thinking a bit this weekend.
I was at the (PNWR) Pacific Northwest Regionals and had a great time watching some amazing yoyo-ers. A grand total of 71 competitors vied for the 1A championship - none of them female (at least while I was there). None of the finalists for each of the divisions were female. There were lots of females in attendance as spectators - a few even yoyo-ing.; which made me ask if there needs to be a female division recognized in formal competition?
While I certainly recognize that the nature of yo-yoing is gender neutral - I wonder if we are being too politically correct by not recognizing the differences between male/female yoyo-ers? Somehow, the culture of yo-yoing seems to favor the adolescent/young-adult male over the female when it comes to high-level yoyo competition.
So, should there be:
1. Open Division (Anyone can compete)
2. Female Division (Women/Girls)
3. Youth Open (Boys/Girls)
4. Girls Division (Girls)
I don’t see a reason for a female division. There just aren’t that many girls who yoyo, compared to how many guys yoyo. Also, there are girls who can perform on the same level as some of the top guys, like Ann connely or corli du toit
i dont c a reason 2 do this. both boys and girls can compete and win in any regular contest, even though boys are more common. A female division may encourage girls to yoyo and that is good, so i think that may happen
It’s not that big of a word. And I don’t see a reason for a new division. It is not like girls are inherently better at yoyo-ing than boys so they need a new division. It is an even playing field.
In a sport like yoyoing, there is no advantage for whichever gender you happen to be. So I see no reason for you to create a new division for girls. I think that girls can compete at just a high level as boys. Im not trying to be offensive or rude, but creating a new division for a “minority”( yes there are fewer girl yoyoers than boys, lets be mature), is not needed. This would be like creating a new group for Blonds because “none of the blonds got into the finals last compitition”. Blonds have no advantage, or disadvantage in yoyoing, so creating a new dividion, i feel, is uneccesary.
I am not trying to be mean or single anyone out, this is just my view on the topic.
I see what you mean by the idea of a female division.
In my opinion opening up a new division for a minority will only cause more confusion amongst the yo-yoing world. If you think about it, the champions of divisions are awarded seeding in higher contests. How can the winner of the female divisions get seeded in the next competition without some kind of confusion. You can only have 1 champion for each style of play. An example is: if a girl wins the 1A division in the female part of say… worlds, but Jensen wins the 1A division in the male dominated part then who is the true champion? I have nothing against this idea but my opinion is that it will cause too much trouble.
Another thing to point out is that creating another division is like saying “Girls aren’t on the level of the male dominated competition.” There is only 1 division necessary for each style of play in order to determine who is the true best freestyler of that time. Can a do we need a children division as well since a huge majority of champion yo-yoers are teenagers and adults?
Yo-yoing is a universal spobby that requires no need for special treatment. Everybody has the potential to be equal and everybody has an equal chance of being a true champ in competition.
This may look a bit confusing but I hope that I put my thoughts out in a clear, appropriate, non-offensive way.
I would like to clarify my position on the purpose of the female category. I think it might be a good idea to have their own division to encourage women to participate and compete in the sport.
I do not wonder about a female division because of ANY perceived difference in the innate ability of women vs. men in yo-yoing. Obviously, yo-yoing is a gender neutral sport where any woman has the potential to be as good or better than any man (and vice-versa). If a woman is ready to challenge the best - then she can compete in the Open division. Clearly; the Open division Champion would be the “Champion”.
I was observing the fact that there were no female competitors at PNWR; on a planet where the population is roughly split 55% female - 45% male.
So why is the majority of the human population not even represented in a yoyo contest?
Could it be that they are intimidated by an all-male club?
Do they feel that they have “no chance”?
Or is the challenge of yo-yoing something that is inherently male-oriented?
Does our culture somehow discourage women from yo-yoing?
This question would be of intense interest if I owned YoyoJam or YoyoFactory. Answering it could potentially double my sales.
I can see where this could go.IN my case, I would never enter any contest no matter how good I got to be. Why you may ask? Well I’ll tell you. I’m 50 years, I’ve just started yoing a few months ago. I really enjoy playing and i will stick with this for awhile. I’ll get better through time, but if i had to compete in a contest with an all age group, i’d have no chance just due to the age difference that younger people learn easier than the old. Now if there was an old folks group, then i would have interest in competing. The same for the girls, if they knew that they were playing against just girls, then there may be an increase in female throwers. As in all most every sport, there is a mens/womens group. The argument about who would really be the world champion between a man or woman is not the issue. It is the fact that there is a mens champion and a womens champion. A good idea in my mind.
