"The contestant is only allowed to bring yo-yos, strings, counter-weights, gloves (or equivalent items), a backup music CD for competition, and a tray provided by contest officials onto the stage. Maintenance tools, performance props, and any other items are strictly prohibited. This includes (but is not limited to) items such as bags, cases, cloth, jackets, extra clothing (other than what the contestant is already wearing), and tables. Contestants bringing prohibited items to the stage are subject to disqualification. "
Found this when skimming through the 2014 WYYC rules page.
According to this, Paul shouldn’t have been allowed to use his hat…
It says in the WYYC rules that if any clothing brought onto stage while not in use is picked up and put on points will be taken off.
If Paul would have wore the hat during his FS it would have been ok
I don’t think Paul would have been foolish enough not to discuss it with the judges beforehand and confirm that it was all allowed. When it comes to stepping on stage at worlds, I don’t think anyone is taking any chances like that.
Speaking of disqualifications, Iori was very lucky that his Draupnir didn’t fly off the stage when his string broke, otherwise he could have been disqualified and missed out on coming 3rd… which would have sucked.
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I think that’s it
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He might have worn it coming on stage and then taken it off?
Wait when did his string break I didn’t see it happen in the YouTube video I watch
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Exactly my point
@1:09
He brought it with him on stage inhand, placing it down in position so he could kick it up to himself
hm
i hope some day i can lose a draupnir and not worry about it.
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He got it back 
(And he’s sponsored so he’d just get another one)
Again, I have to re-emphasise my point.
Nobody is going to spend months working out and perfecting a routine, fly half way around the world and get all the way to finals only to walk on stage and think “yeh I know I’m not supposed to have a hat as a prop… but I think I can get away with it because insert loophole here.”
Considering how much is at stake do you really think Paul would be so bold? I’m sure that he discussed it with the judges beforehand and they agreed to let him use it. Yes it’s in the rules as a general rule to stop people turning the 1A finals into the AP division, but if one of the best yoyoers in the world asks them if he can use his hat for the end of his routine (which they would have already seen used at EYYC), then I can’t see them being so militant as to refuse him. Most of them are yoyoers themselves, who love a good performance as much as the rest of us.
It’s like these guys that spend all this time practicing for contests only to be disqualified due to expletives in their music. It’s foolish to take any chances when it comes to contests if you actually want to do well.
This is what i was looking for.
No doubt that if he made it this far, he would know the rules/risks about taking stuff onto stage.
Before I even started the topic, it was in the back of my mind that maybe the judges allowed him to use the hat.
But i also thought, if they would allow it, why make it a rule not to? Just because he is a great player and can put on an amazing show, should he be the only one allowed to use the hat?
It will be subject for dq. The judges discuss it afterwards. I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t dq when you can see it’s 100% unintentional.
paul is a bad*** and he drinks tequila from his horizon while fingerspinning. end of discussion!
ok
It was probably never their intention to keep people from using hats with the rule, especially since a hat would normally be something the player would already be wearing. There is a history of hats being used in contest freestyles, so it is generally more accepted than other props in a non-AP setting (in fact, the Orlando Worlds rules used to explicitly state that hats were exempt from the rule that all props had to be pre-approved by the judges). The 2014 rules also make a casual reference that takes players using hats for granted:
Which is an indication they probably didn’t intend for that rule to stop people from using hats. It would still be a good idea for Paul (or anyone else) to get clarification before using a hat, but I can see why they didn’t consider that against the spirit of the rule, and I would assume they would have allowed it from any player who asked.
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I’m gonna have to disagree. I don’t really think they take into account whether or not it is intentional. I think it’s more like whether or not it’s dangerous.
That makes zero sense. Whether or not it is dangerous is completely out of the players hands once it leaves the string, how it left the string is far more important. Not his fault if a string breaks, yoyo bounces off the stage and hits someone in the head. Unless of course the string broke intentionally.
And I think Palli knows a little more about how judges evaluate situations like that than you do.
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Here is what the 2014 rules stated:
“A Yo-Yo jumping into the audience with enough speed, height or dangerous trajectory will be subject. Even if the yo-yo bounces on the stage once, it will be seen as the same. A Yo-Yo rolling off from the stage will be allowed without disqualification.”
It makes no mention of intentions. The judges discuss afterwards whether or not to disqualify the person. What are they discussing. I think they are discussing whether or not the yoyo was dangerous because that is the only thing the rules really talk about.
Even if I’m wrong, you certainly aren’t correct in saying that it makes “zero sense”. If it didn’t make any sense at all, I wouldn’t have said it unless I were joking, which I wasn’t, or unless I myself didn’t have any sense, which isn’t true.
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