What does the winner of worlds get?

General Yo-Yo
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What do I do?

Computer and data consulting, including WAN/LAN, WIFI, dial-switched, digital and analog circuits, broadband, data encryption, security, builds, repairs and integration/turk-key products and much more.
Media transfers, including FILM, slides, photos, videotapes(over 10 formats), Reel to reel(3 formats of 1/4-inch), recorded wire, 8-track, micro-cassette, mini-cassette, cassette, MiniDisc, DAT, LP and 78’s.
Video editing, audio editing, custom compilations and one-off projects, including full DVD projects and record albums.
Audio work is focused on live sound production(concerts), which includes mains, monitors and lighting. But I also have done television, radio, theater, on-site recording and capture, multi-track recording, mixing, mastering, CD authoring. I have been involved with a couple of projects from talk of concept through recording, mixdown, mastering, duplication and distribution.

I have to have multiple ways of making money. When concerts go slow, media transfers tend to pick up. When those die down, computer consulting takes off.

Some of the people who take yoyo seriously have to have a real job to pay their bills. I’m most likely going to be doing work at Worlds this year, and my plane ticket will most likely cost around $600. I’m VOLUNTEERING my services for the benefit of the community. I’d like the guy doing Cal State Finals to get it contact with me as he won’t reply to my emails and I’ve emailed him my phone number so I can provide him with what he needs for Cal State finals.

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Glory and pride anyone?

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winner gets prize money and a swift kick in the rear… and a youtube video with a large number of views

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_* _

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the right to be rude with other people and get away with it ;D ;D ;D

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I think hiroyki has a living of yoyoing with clothes and stuff.

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*Y yo?2 yo. blinks in everwhelmance

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I like Studio42 am in the entertainment production business and I’m the official production company of the 2012 World YoYo Contest! Woo Hoo! This year is going to be sick, we are doing it up way way better than it has been in the past couple of years from a sound and video and production stand point. Can’t wait. If you want to see some of the stuff that I do you can check out my youtube account at:

www.youtube.com/nvisionproduction

From a world yoyo standpoint that was a discussion I was having with Greg the person who puts on the contest. One thing a lot of people do not know is that there is a limit as to what you can give away as prizes in the State of Florida. I forget the exact wording of the law but there is something preventing large sums of cash for certain types of events. I’ll have to research it better. The triple crown of yoyo event was making a statement about how they award more money than worlds and it is true, but it is not because Greg would not want to, it is something along the lines of a law. The other thing is that the hotel costs and room rentals are much much higher than any other event. Greg pays for that ballroom to be open 24 hours and if you have never been in there, there are people throwing 24/7! Which is awesome. I remember two of the nights I didn’t leave to go home (I live like 15 minutes away) till like 4am. This year I have taken off 5 days to make sure I can recover after it. I’m starting my red bull stash early! haha.

But I remember talking about how the winnings didn’t even cover Marcus Koh’s plane ticket let alone food his father’s trip, hotel, and all of that. So even if you win…you lose…however I don’t think anyone goes to win the money. I’m making $600.00 today just Dj’ing so I certainly wouldn’t do it for just the money. But for the fun, for the status, and for the youtube hits! For sure! I would say the main thing is honestly the status of being the world champion and the celebrity aspect of it.

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You get a dog-pile, pat on the back, a trophy, some money.

If you’re a guy, a hug from Ann Connolly and if you’re a girl, hug from Gentry Stein. No, scratch that, you don’t get hugs, you already got dog-piled.

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if you do somehow win, then all your years of yo-yoing which consisted of hours upon hours of practicing, buying yo-yos, breaking yo-yos, modding yo-yos, and basically your whole life’s work awards you with…

…maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad props and a free yyf green string

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I need to win worlds!!! I just snapped my last string lol

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Now the real question is…are we content with the prizes? I know I’m not one to really talk because I’ll never compete but why shouldn’t competitors make money? Look at skateboarding, it was nothing back in the 80’s and early 90’s but now extreme sports are everywhere and people are making a living off of it. Why shouldn’t that be the same for yoyoing? $600 and bragging right just doesn’t cut it in my book. 10k for winning worlds…now we are talking!

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And that is downright shameful, IMO. The lack of any real prize money only makes competitive yo-yoing look like the Rodney Dangerfield of sports to the rest of the world.

I think it’s funny when people who have never competed try to tell everyone else what the sport should be about. To be fair though, that is what this sport is all about at this point in time. However, I don’t agree with selling ourselves short and settling for things as they are now, when we’ve barely even scratched the surface of the sport’s long term potential. Competitive yo-yoing would be so much bigger if there was actual money in it.

Also, if winning contests could pay the bills for the best of the best, we wouldn’t see the greats giving up on the sport before they even reach their full potential. Personally, I’d love to see legends like Yuuki and Jensen earning a living off of competitive yo-yoing, even if it means that yo-yo purists will whine incessantly about how money is gonna ruin the sport.

Wow. So when you factor in the entry fee, flight costs, car rental, hotel, and food, the top prize for 1A won’t even cover all of the travel costs for US players, let alone international competitors. That’s pretty sad.

Awesome! Worlds could definitely benefit from better production quality. 8)

I’m interested in knowing more about this. If Florida law prohibits larger cash prizes at contests, that is all the more reason to move Worlds out of Orlando. If chump change is all that will ever be offered at the biggest yo-yo contest on the planet, it will only reflect poorly on the entire sport.

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@JuanHero:

While the monetary earnings may be “shameful”, “pathetic” or perhaps even “insultingly low”, I don’t think anyone at the contest is there to get serious bank. Based on what I saw of the environment, this was pure celebration of the sport at an event designed around a contest. Clearly, people who compete are after the prize, but they are also doing this because they love it. The thrill of victory and those bragging rights are sufficient to justify the expense.

For example, just naming one name, only because it kinda makes sense: Hiroyuko Suzuki is out probably over close to $2000 in hotel and travel, although he did place, I think. Another name: Jensen Kimmit, well, not sure what his trip was(all of them), but he wasn’t there to win or place, but rather “show up”. I’m not saying I disliked Jensen’s performance(I actually liked it), but he wasn’t in it to win it. But, that’s between him and his sponsors, or maybe just him.

If this was about money, this contest wouldn’t still be running. Clearly, the prize is being ranked #1 and the cash is a nice bonus. Isn’t it nice to see a sport where it’s truly about love of the sport? There’s not a whole lot out there these days where it isn’t about the money.

I’m trying to figure out my expenses so I can get myself down there at Worlds in 2012 and run sound properly for this event, and I intend to do so out of my pocket. Why? Because I love doing sound. While I’d rather use my rig, it will be 3200 miles away sitting at my house, but I’ll be bringing some choice bits of gear that I can’t live without to help make my “transition” easier. I’m also going to have to invest into a modest DJ-style rig to help with playback of material, and I’m NOT a DJ, I’m an audio engineer. Again, why? I love what I do. I love sound, I really enjoy the yoyo. Put them together and well, it’s gonna be 3 days of non-stop fun. Oh sure, it’s gonna darn near kill me, but for a once a year thing? Sure, it’s worth it. Who benefits? Well, oddly enough, me, because I get to do what I love. Also, the yoyo community benefits. because things on the back-end are being run by professionals who know what they are doing and love what they are doing.

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Would a yoyo video game be as successful as a Skateboarding video game like Tony Hawk? I doubt it.

The only way to get better prizes are to charge more for entering the competition. Until you get big name sponsors, and I’m not talking about yoyo companies, you’re not going to see big prizes. I don’t think you’re going to see Pepsi Co sponsoring yoyoing anytime soon.

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Contest entrance fees are often insanely low. Worlds seem s a but “unreasonable” by comparison.

Would major corporations dump money into this? Only if they see themselves getting 10X their investment back. If it’s not being carried by mainstream TV via major networks, at least for the finals, there’s no motivation to dive into it because their marketing dollars won’t see the number of eyes they want it on. It seems the community is into supporting itself, which is fantastic.

Personally speaking, I think a lot of this X-games stuff is pure garbage, yet, regardless of what I think, it draws big numbers in attendance and advertiser dollars(due to mainstream coverage). It’s NOT for everyone to do, but it’s exciting to watch. Yoyo can be exciting to watch, but it’s too niche and off the mainstream.

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Want to support professionalism in yoyo? Buy more signature yoyos and support brands who support players.

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You might get respect from a little scrappy fetus

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about a thousand crappy videos of you all over youtube with comments saying “wow I’m so much better”

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I’m skater and to us the x-games are garbage too, the only thing good is that we know the pros are getting paid big time now :slight_smile: