How I Got Started: It all started for me about a year and a half ago, one of the employee’s I work with was selling some yoyo stuff for his son on ebay, I was bored so I asked to buy one. I instantly found Andre Boulay’s instructional videos and learned as much as I could, I knew right then I wanted to be like Andre and teach the community. I began documenting my progress on youtube and here we are today, running an instructional site.
My Style: I think I have a unique style that makes people think “Hey I can do that” my style or lack of is achievable with a little work and practice. I am not a fan of fast tricks, or super technical tricks, I like simple tricks that look good, or at least I think so.
Favorite YoYo’er: Guy Wright with out a doubt he is so smooth and innovative in his tricks he inspires me daily to get better. Alex Love is another person who has had a main influence on me, we became great friends and he still gives me hints and help to this day. I am always watching videos but those two stand out the most for me.
How I Got Started: Hmmm….Which time?
The original reason I started yo-yoing is like most others, my dad got me into it. He bought me my first yo-yo, a GITD Duncan Imperial back in the summer of 1984. I was 7 at the time. From there I learned as much as I could and took the yo-yo everywhere. I still have the Duncan but don’t throw it anymore because the axle has come loose on one side. I may have Landon Balk restore it for me and add a bearing to it. For me back then the yo-yo was a way to stay focused, I was a hyperactive child and having something in my hand helped me focus and think. Stems from the fact that I am a visual/kinesthetic learner. Over the years the interest in yo-yos waned as my attentions turned to comic books, science fiction novels, computers, and then girls.
The reigniting of my interest in yo-yos came a couple of years back and i blame my students. I was teaching my third grade class about forces and motion as a part of a simple machines unit. They were struggling on the concept of pushes and pulls so while at home I pulled out a Yomega Fireball that I got from a vendor at CompUSA when I was an employee there. I brought it in to school to show the students pushes and pulls, how the yo-yo was pushed to the ground and how I had to pull in order to bring it back up. Without those pushes and pulls there was no movement, it just slept at the bottom of the string. That got me playing again and I began looping a little bit and just having fun. Knowing that Youtube had videos of everything on it, I decided to just check it out and see what people were doing with this toy. That was early last year. When I did my little search I came across names like Andre Boulay and Johnnie DelValle. They were doing things that I thought was out of this world. At that point I researched what was going on, what the different types of play are, and then settled on a good 1A yo-yo for beginners. At fist I picked up a YYF Velocity and then I found a Lyn Fury and fell in love with the play that the Lyn gave me. I researched modding it and making it dead unresponsive. After a couple of months of plastics and swearing that I would never pay that much for a metal yo-yo, One Drop came out with the affordable M1. I contacted the guys at OD and asked them if it would be possible to reserve a red and pewter M1 and the rest was history.
Now I yo-yo just for fun and find it very relaxing. I will never boast to be anything but an amateur who is having fun. There are many out there who are worlds better than me, including my fellow players at High Speed YoYo. I just have a flair for writing and the vocabulary to back it up.
What keeps me throwing is the community that revolves around this incredible toy.
My Style:Whatever is fun to do. i really don’t have a defined style.
Favorite Players: Ed Haponik is a personal favorite of mine. His style is fun to watch, he blends old and new together seamlessly, and he ALWAYS looks like he is having fun while throwing. I find his videos to be some of the most entertaining on the internet. I have to say that my absolute favorite players are the young kids that go out there and give it their all. They may not have the skills yet but they are excited about throwing and are having blast, even if they can’t walk the dog yet.
How I Got Started: Back in march of 2010 I was cleaning out my closet and found my trusty yomega x-brain. I messed around with if for a few days and decided to try and look up some new tricks on the web. I was shocked with what I found, the new unresponsive play was just shocking to me. It was nothing like my rock the baby and around the worlds that I was working on. I ordered myself a yyj speedmaker and that lead to my new hobby/obsession.
My Style: I haven’t been playing long enough to develop something that I would declare as my style yet. I am still learning and have much more learning ahead of me. So far I have a preference toward slack and whip tricks. I enjoy tricks that have a nice flow and direction, ones that aren’t just what seem to be bouncing from one sting to the next.
Favorite Players: I really like the style that Guy Wright plays. His tricks are great, they are usually focused on slack and they are what some would consider slow, This allows you to see what is happening, while some might think his tricks are easy at first glance. I assure you they aren’t and many of his tricks must be smooth and at the right speed to be completed. I am not a big fan of watching many professional yoyo’ers but Guy Wright is the one that I can watch his videos to the end and usually watch them multiple times to try and get ideas for my own tricks.
High in the North-East corner of Oregon nestled in a small college town in the mountains lives Mack Finley. Mack, also known on several forums as “RebelThrow” has been throwing the Yoyo for roughly 2 years. Born and raised his whole life in Oregon, Mack has always enjoyed skill toy’s of all types, But yoyo reigned supreme and it seems to have captivated him quite thoroughly. Mack used to enjoy 1A and 5A early on but since February of last year his main focus has been on Triple-A or “3A” which has quickly become his favorite style. This is especially odd considering only handfull of people in the Pacific Northwest dabble in this style. Early in his “yoyo career”, Mack had represented such companies as Double-Take Industries and Chaos Yoyo String and has attended several contests and competitions in the last year, competing at his first contest the Pacific Northwest Regionals last year, taking 4th in the Sports Ladder Division for ages 21+. Mack is proud to now be able to represent Toxic Strings and hopes to have a great year of competition and fun ahead of him. Look out for Mack Finley in the coming year!
can’t wait till Christmas because i will get some money to buy toxic strings 100 pack
