Top names in yo-yo circuit go for gold at S.F. championship
Jill Tucker
Updated 5:28 pm, Saturday, May 24, 2014
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Matt Loeun (left), Tim Althoff, Ty Goldman and Ryan Gee practice their routines before the 2014 Bay Area Yo-Yo Championship. Photo: Michael Macor, The Chronicle | Buy this photo
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Star-struck kids clamored for autographs as they pointed at the stars.
Uh, who?
Try some of the biggest names on the competitive yo-yo circuit, gathered at the Golden Gate Park band shell Saturday for the 2014 Bay Area Yo-Yo Championship.
It's one of the biggest regional yo-yo competitions in the country, with more than 100 competitors and a $1,500 cash prize for the winner of the competitive Division 1A.
And for those who think it's about walking the dog or rocking the baby with a 'round the world flourish, think again.
Yo-yos have come a long way since the early Duncan days.
With a ball bearing inside, modern yo-yos can spin indefinitely, allowing aficionados to perform string-twisting tricks, vision-blurring tricks.
Jordan Urabe, 10, traveled from Santa Cruz with family and friends to watch the competition and collect autographs of the yo-yo pros he has watched repeatedly on YouTube.
As he casually performed tricks with his yo-yo, he scoped out his future competition.
"At first I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life," Jordan said. "But ever since I started yo-yoing, I know what I want to do."
He wants to go pro.
"I've been yo-yoing for some time now," he said of his five months of experience. "I'm really looking forward to being a competitor."
Collectible autographs
And then his attention was diverted as Paolo Bueno walked by and Jordan asked for his autograph on his professional player card, something like a collectible baseball card.
"I get it a lot," said Paolo, 16, a YoYoFactory-sponsored professional who traveled from San Diego to compete. "This (competition) is considered really prestigious."
Across the country, about 3,000 to 5,000 players regularly compete, said Johnnie DelValle, one of the contest organizers.
A decade ago, the 27-year-old DelValle was among the very best of the best in the yo-yo world, and is still considered among the greatest ever in Division 1A, which requires competitors to do fast-paced string and looping tricks using one yo-yo.
DelValle started playing yo-yo in 1999, watching professional videos through dial-up Internet access.
"I've never stopped," he said.
He eventually became a regional, national and world champion, success he said just took time and practice.
And a hobby that led to a distinct lack of girlfriends in his teen years?
"How'd you know?" he said, laughing. "It's more of a business for me now."
'It's a rush'
For the 26-year-old Harris, it's still about competing, and frequently winning.
He's a three-time and current national champion in Division 2A and will head in August to the World Yo-Yo Contest, held in Prague.
"It's a rush," said Harris, of San Francisco, after competing Saturday morning in the 2A finals, which is limited to large looping tricks with two yo-yos, not to be confused with Division 3A, which requires string tricks using two yo-yos. All routines in each division are performed to music.
Getting in the swing
Tessa, 17, was among the few female contestants Saturday. The Castro Valley teen is sponsored by the YoYoJam company and also has her own player card. She competed in Division 1A.
Tessa started playing in 2009 after she found an old yo-yo.
"I went on YouTube and found it was this whole world," she said, adding she doesn't understand why more girls don't compete. "Anyone can do it."
Online: See video of the competition at http://tinyurl.com/mgxqrjk.
Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jtucker@sfchronicle.com
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