Welc☆me t☆ Y☆Y☆ heaven

MY AWESOME BUSY SATURDAY; NOV 20TH

2010-11-21T01:11:00.000-08:00

A blog post on my blog! That's how the day started followed by YoYo club in Alameda then off to San Jose for a non-yoyo related dinner.

Great day...what made my day even better was when I get a text from Grant saying

GRANT 933PM: Your yoyo sold out within minutes here at 44clash. Congrats!

Yup. Let's keep the momentum going baby! Check out the blog post below...if you live in the city, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY CHECK IT OUT!!!! IT CLOSES AT THE END OF THE MONTH SO GO NOW.

Live and In Person! Saturday at SOMArts, 2-4pm
Posted: November 19th, 2010 | Author: julie | Filed under: Uncategorized | No Comments »

from Rick Prelinger’s Lost Landscapes of San Francisco Vol. 4, now playing in the video annex as part of the I Live Here:SF show @ SOMArts

***

One of the best parts of doing this photo/portrait project has been the exposure to the incredible array of talent and stories and experience that my subjects have to share. When I found that I had been accepted at SOMArts as the first recipient of their Commons Curatorial Grant, my thought was how I could bring as many of these people to meet a new audience? Several events were planned, besides, the opening and closing receptions, to take advantage of this wealth of true San Franciscan character.

An extremely special part of this exhibit has been the constant screening in the video annex, generously provided by film archivist Rick Prelinger. His amazing montages of collected ephemeral films, the Lost Landscapes of San Francisco series, generally can only be seen for one or two night a year. I have felt extremely fortunate that Rick has so graciously given his most recent film to be seen and enjoyed during the entire month that I Live Here:SF is installed in the main gallery at SOMArts. The film plays continuously so you can watch it for as long as you like.

What’s even better is that Rick will be speaking about his work this Saturday, November 20 in the main gallery, as part of a panel. I am thrilled to have you all visit the gallery, and hear Rick and the other panelists talk about their personal San Francisco, what they’re doing now and you can ask them questions and get to know them.

Also scheduled to present are Mark Bitter, whom you’ll remember as the subject of the wonderful documentary The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, cyclist/fashionista/coffee expert Meli of Bikes and the City, community advocates who work in a variety of places in the city and with diverse populations: Colleen, Valerie, Morgan and Jose-Luis, and even National Yo-Yo champion Joseph Harris. I hope Wardell the Wonder will make an appearance and talk about his car, the Star One.

All in all, it should be a great afternoon. I hope you can join us, and please, bring a friend!

Date: Saturday, November 20, 2-4pm in the Main Gallery

SOMArts
934 Brannan Street

UNLEASHED TEASER

2010-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

Thank you Gabe, Johnny, James, and YoYoJam for making this possible.

Enjoy! And good luck to Team YoYoJam at 44 clash this weekend, I wish I could be there...

Unleashed Teaser from Sector Y on Vimeo.

YoYoJam's new 2A yoyo is debuting at 44 Clash. It is Joseph Harris' signature model, "Unleashed."

Another email

2010-10-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

I enjoy going through old accounts to see encouraging words about my yoyo prowess.

3rd in the nation!

2010-10-03T21:34:00.001-07:00

I placed third this year in the nation. Not bad.

BUT Grant deserved the title more than ever. He KILLED IT!

This made me smile though as I went through my emails...

Videos from past performances and demonstrations!

2010-09-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

The first video below is from August at the Go Toys and Games store. The 2nd video was from the Dragon Boat Festival yesterday. Great performances and great times.

**EDIT: The 3rd video is my 2nd performance at the festival on Sunday...the FINALE!**

Enjoy!

VIDEOS AND PERFORMANCES!

2010-09-26T20:36:00.001-07:00

Uploading soon when I download them properly before I upload them again...

I realize it's easier that way in case someone takes down the video from whatever video site available.

2010 San Francisco International Dragon Boat Festival

2010-09-20T23:14:00.000-07:00

2010 Festival Entertainment Schedule

Saturday September 25th Festival Entertainment Schedule
Entertainment Emcees: Carolyn Wong, Tabitha Wong, Valerie Foo & Anna Lisa Matias

Time Performance Type Performance Group

Morning
10 AM to 11:30 AM

Tai Chi Chen Tai Chi
Ribbon and Fan Dance West Portal Chinese Performing Arts Program
Magic Performance The Magic of Chin Chin
Hip Hop Dance Groove Against The Machine
Filipino Folk Dance Parangal Dance Company
Vocal Performance Cynthia Lin

Opening Ceremony 11:30AM to 1:00 PM

Dragon and Lion Dance Dragon Horse Lion Dance Group
Official Blessing Ceremony Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale
Dragon Head Eye Dotting Ceremony Chung Tai Zen Center of Sunnyvale
National Anthem Cynthia Lin & Marine Color Guard

Afternoon
1:00PM to 5:00 PM
Chinese Acrobatics Red Panda Acrobats
Wu Shu Performance National Chinese Wu Shu Team
Chinese Folk Dance Chinese Folk Dance Association
Extreme Yo Yo Performance Yo Yo Jo
Modern Dance Reincarnation Performance Group
Taiko Drumming Maikaze Daiko
Hawaiian / Tahitian Dance and Music Touch of Polynesia
Novice Teams Award Ceremony California Dragon Boat Association

Sunday September 26th Festival Entertainment Schedule
Entertainment Emcees: Betty Hsu, Sarah Liu, Steve Cho & Beverly Yip

Time Performance Type Performance Group

Morning
10 AM to 12 Noon
Tai Chi Chen Tai Chi
Chinese Dance Chung Ngai Dance Troupe
Vocal Performance & Dance Those Kids
Chinese Acrobatics Red Panda Arcobats

Afternoon 12 Noon to 4:30 PM
Lion Dance Yau Kung Moon Martial Arts
Martial Arts Performance World Kung Fu Association
Extreme Yo Yo Performance Yo Yo Jo
Marital Arts The Company
Tahitian Dance Te Orama
Children's Music Andy Z
Magic Performance The Magic of Chin Chin
Chinese Folk Dance Chinese Folk Dance Association
Taiko Drumming Emeryville Taiko Group

5:00 PM
Closing and Award Ceremony California Dragon Boat Association

Fall is coming; be excited!

2010-09-19T18:29:00.001-07:00

What a busy summer of yoyoing!

I placed 6th at the world yoyo competition with my BEST world yoyo performance to date. Disappointed for dropping one place from last year but still satisfied w/ my performance.

With that said, a quick glance backwards in my calendar, here are all the demonstrations/gigs over the summer:

JUNE:
-23rd bday on 6/19
-BLC CONTEST in Los Angeles on 6/25-27 (2nd place)
-Vallejo performance on 6/27 (that's right, came back from LA and had a demo!)

JULY:
-GO OHANA! performance in Berkeley on 7/15 (a full set this time, thanks to Mike and Bianca for showing up and hanging out w/ me afterwards!)
-Chinese Progressive Association performance (CPA) at Chinatown Cultural Center on 7/22
-Yoshi arrives in SF to hangout 7/23-7/25
-Spindox Yoyo club in Berkeley on 7/24

AUGUST:
-WORLD YOYO COMPETITION, 6th place, 8/10-8/15 (missed my flight there!)
-Go Toys Demo in SF Westfield Mall on 8/21 (great demo, cool flier w/ POSTERS OF ME IN THE STORE!)
-Max's bday demo in Piedmont on 8/28 (my dad's and Aunty's bday too!)

SEPTEMBER:
-West Palm Beach, Florida to visit the Yoyojam factory on 9/3-9/7

Things are going by super quick in my yoyo life...I LOVE EVERY SECOND OF IT. Nationals is 2 weeks away and I'm as prepared as I'm going to be when that first Saturday of October arrives! I'll definitely come with something new...that's a guarantee!

-YoYoJo out!

Getting closer to accomplishing my YoYo Mission

2010-06-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I'm trying to change lives with a yoyo. That's the penultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to make yoyos MAINSTREAM. I was one step closer this past Sunday at the St. Claire Fair in Santa Clara. I can't belive I forgot to get his business card so I can ask him to perform at a halftime show or even pregame!!!!!!!!!!! DOH!!!

Check out the email:

to: Joseph Harris
dateTue, Jun 8, 2010 at 8:56 PM
subjectRe: yo-yo demonstration (fwd)
signed-bysbcglobal.net

hide details 8:56 PM (21 hours ago)

Joseph, sorry for the delayed response. I would once again like to thank you for your involvement in the St. Clare festival. Your demonstration & time spent with the kids went far beyond any expectations I could have had. I hope you found the time worthwhile. If nothing else, you can tell people you sold one of your DVD's to John York, owner of the 49ers. I will keep your business card & hope I get the chance to ask you to participate in some event in the not to distant future! Once again, thanks for your exemplary effort last Sunday. You were a big hit!

DVD Trailer is almost out~CHECK IT!

2010-06-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here's the next version we're working on:

**UPDATE 6/14/2010**

One of the last versions:

SF Chronicle Article in the paper today!

2010-05-30T12:31:00.001-07:00

Spirited competition at yo-yo championships

Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/05/30/BA9A1DMJDT.DTL#ixzz0pRWm8mQY

As Joseph Harris, one of the country's top-ranked yo-yo competitors, waited his turn to compete in the Bay Area Classic in San Francisco on Saturday afternoon, a kid watched Harris warm up and asked a familiar question: Are you Yuuki?

Yuuki Spencer - known only as Yuuki - is the reigning U.S. Yo-Yo Champion and he carries a mysterious, Bobby Fischer-like status among fans.

Harris was good.

But he was not Yuuki good. And it was unclear if the champ would even show.

Harris, an Ingleside district resident, works in an investment management firm and performs in what was described as an old-school style: He casts a yo-yo from each hand in a variety of long, looping movements, which he considers more visually appealing than some of today's more technical tricks.

Onstage, one of the modern-era performers maneuvered his yo-yo quickly, in small boxy actions, swinging it over his hands and between his forearms.

"It looks like he's going to tangle it in a knot," Harris joked.

The state of modern yo-yoing is in transition, said several of the enthusiasts who gathered in Golden Gate Park for a regional competition, the third-largest yo-yo gathering in the country. The winner was to be selected Saturday night.

Leo Qin, an 18-year-old from Portland, was representative of the new yo-yo chic. He wore black and flannel, and carried a 64-gram aluminum yo-yo. His two-minute performance - set to Common's hip-hop hit "The Game" - was judged on creativity, technical difficulty, and stage presence.

Afterward, Qin felt like he'd done well, yet when the question turned to Yuuki, he paused before he gave praise. "Yeah, he's a personality ... Yuuki single-handedly redefined modern yo-yoing."

Off near the trees, a skinny kid with curly hair, glasses and a Vans baseball cap effortlessly whipped a blue yo-yo around, then snapped it back into his palm.

It was Yuuki.

He was standing off to the side, out of the main hum - but the fans soon found him and clustered.

The craft master said he'd gone three months without picking up a yo-yo, and he wasn't thrilled about performing, but the $750 first-prize money was attractive.

"I could use some cash for the summer," he said, as he continued to whip the yo-yo around.

Yuuki was a little shy, very gracious, but not unaware of his talent.

"Competitions are weird because you don't have to be the best yo-yoer to win," he said. "You just have to know how to play within the system of judging."

He was asked if he'd ever won a World Yo-Yo Championship.

One of his friends with black baseball cap and a nose ring spoke for Yuuki. "Won that ... twice."

But then Yuuki took a year off from competitions altogether. "I just wasn't feelin' it for a year or so," Yuuki said.

Yuuki obliged a few autograph hounds, then went back to his practicing. A woman in the crowd shouted a question: "Who's your big rival?"

"Rival?" Yuuki asked without looking up.

"Well, who's better than you?" she clarified.

"No one's better than Yuuki!" cried a kid's voice from the crowd.

Yuuki kept an eye on his yo-yo and dismissed the notion that his sport carried such grudges among competitors.

"I don't have beef with anyone," he said.

E-mail Justin Berton at jberton@sfchronicle.com.

BAC~Bay Area Classic Results!

2010-05-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

What a great contest. Here are the results!

2010 Bay Area Classic 2A Finals Results
Place Players Name City State Tech Perf Final Score
1 Patrick Mitchell Phoenix AZ 71.20 13.00 84.20
2 Joseph Harris San Francisco CA 69.87 13.00 82.87
3 Yoshi Mikamoto Lomita CA 36.15 10.00 46.15
4 Joey Vitalari Goleta CA 15.61 7.00 22.61
5 Josh Yee San Francisco CA 13.49 4.33 17.82
6 Jacob Jensen La Grande OR 1.93 - 1.93

Since the last time I updated, I had 2 gigs. The Asian Hertiage Street Celebration held in Little Saigon in San Francisco was absolutely FUN! Thank you to RAMA and Vive SF for allowing me to hype up my performance at their booths before I performed at one of the main stages.

The following week I had the birthday party in Piedmont which was absolutely successful and fun! Paul, the birthday boy, said "this is the best birthday ever."

Yesterday, was the BAC. I placed 2nd and proud of it. It was tough competition espeically in the 1A and 5A division! I'll add the article in the paper in another post. Here's a few pictures from the article in the local paper (SF Chronicle):

Joseph Harris of San Francisco keeps his yo-yos spinning during practice for the Bay Area Classic yo-yo competition at Golden Gate Park.

Joseph Harris of San Francisco practices for the Bay Area Classic yo-yo competition at Golden Gate Park.

Joseph Harris of San Francisco keeps his yo-yos moving during practice for the Bay Area Classic yo-yo competition at Golden Gate Park.

Busy with Gigs!

2010-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while, but the title does explain it all! I had a few gigs since the last time I updated.

April 24-St. Louis, Missouri for the MOYO state contest. I judged that contest. Extremely fun.

May 1st- Oakland Museum of California demonstration with DAZZLING DAVE! Lots of fun that day...

May 8th- Video below:

MORE GIGS COMING UP THIS MONTH! TO finish it off, there will be the BAY AREA CLASSIC on May 29th here in San Francisco. Wow, talk about PLENTY OF YOYO EVENTS FOR ME!

OHANA event

2010-03-19T11:54:00.000-07:00

It went extremely well last night. It was the first time I did a set for 15 minutes. I showcased everything except for 3A. And did the quarter trick on a lucky volunteer who walked with with a Sunset NXG. Pretty awesome...

Here's the press release below:

Dear RAMA family,.

Just a friendly reminder that the 2nd installment of OHANA! is coming up THIS thursday, March 18th, at 7:30pm (doors open at 7) at La Pena Cultural Center in Berkeley, and we have a few very exciting updates to the show schedule for you...

*****Uncle Dougie's New York Style Italian Heroes has generously donated 50 sandwiches for us to give out for FREE. Check out Uncle Dougie's deli at 362 17th Street in Oakland: http://www.uncledougiesheroes.com/

*****We'll also have some delicious homemade Samosas available as well! All the food is first come/first serve, so make sure to get there when the doors open at 7:00pm!

*****And lastly, at OHANA! we'll be introducing the very talented Joseph Harris aka THE YoYo Joe, a Yo-yo competitor who has appeared on the hit TV show America's Got Talent! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ99VaoUsi0)

OHANA!
An evening of music and poetry, brought to you by RAMA
Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Doors open at 7:00pm / Show starts at 7:30pm
La Pena Cultural Center (3105 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, Three blocks from Ashby BART station, 18 Bus to Woolsey)

$8 General Admission / $5 with valid Student ID
Snacks available for sale! Drinks available at the La Pena bar!

Password: cbs

2009-10-31T02:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, the producer sent me the DVD copy which is now available online!

Does it work? from Yo Mama on Vimeo.

CBS Sunday Morning News

2009-10-18T10:34:00.000-07:00

ENDER: The Ins and Outs of Yo-Yos
The National Yo-Yo Contest in Chico, Calif., draws fans from around the country to a fierce competition that is far different from yo-yo contests of yore. "What you know about yo-yos, throw out of your head," says defending two-handed style champion Joseph Harris.

Paul Yath, another player seeking to defend his championship title, shows Rita Braver just how contemporary yoyos are different from the older ones with which most of us grew up. As National Yo-Yo Museum director Bob Malowney points out, yoyos date back to ancient times, but the sport is taking a new, dynamic turn. Next stop, the Olympics?
============================================
Clip will be posted soon once I see it online. I think I will just use this blog as a PR tool from now on. All things related to YoYoJoe. =)
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Southpole® National Model Search II

Sponsored by Southpole®

More PR stuff

2009-07-02T00:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1902638/americas_got_talent_auditions_day_3.html?cat=2

America's Got Talent Auditions Day 3

July 01, 2009 by

Valerie David

Published Content: 56
Total Views: 127,798
Fans: 7

Singing, Dancing, and Yo-Yoing Their Way to Vegas

Day three's auditions took America's Got Talent to New York and Chicago. Judges David Hasselhoff, Sharon Osbourne, and Piers Morgan once again got to sit through painful performances, quirky numbers, and true talents. While there was genuine talent tonight, these auditions included some contestants that were passed through on mostly charm, rather than million dollar talent.

America's Got Talent also seemed a little heavy on the editing again, not focusing enough on some of the acts. I like Nick Cannon, and think he's funny, but often the show cuts to him in the middle of someone's performance. When the audition is not worth seeing, it's not that big a deal, but some America's Got Talent acts that were given the green light for Vegas were similarly interrupted.

America's Got Talent Auditions: Is Unique Enough for a Million Dollars?

Enter Carol Lugo, a 62-year-old cashier who wants to be a dancer. While Carol had talent, I'm not sure if the America's Got Talent judges were as impressed by her routine as they were by her age. The quick cuts and constant focusing on her face also didn't help the home viewer decide if she was worth watching. Carol's act seemed to be channeling Charlie Chaplin, with the silent film melodramatic facial expressions and short pants. Yes, she has talent, but is it million dollar talent?

America's Got Talent Auditions: Surprises Are Good.

We see a lot of acts, and the America's Got Talent judges see even more, and all of us start to get a sense of when someone is going to be just awful--or at least, not that interesting. So when Yo-Yo Joe hits the stage, you can see on Piers' face that he's not ready to be impressed. We're all cringing, waiting for a moment that Web Soup would dub "That's Un-Incredible!"

Yo-Yo Joe really brought it, though, combining moves akin to break-dancing as he shot double yo-yos around his flying body. It was fun, exciting, and a total surprise.

(EDIT: Another long article cut short)
==================================================
http://www.examiner.com/x-11363-Dallas-TV-Examiner~y2009m6d30-Americas-Got-Talent-auditions-does-America-have-its-Susan-Boyle

'America's Got Talent' auditions: does America have its Susan Boyle?

Matt Carter

June 30, 9:31 PM

NBC really tried to build up Kevin Skinner throughout the show: they aired him during the promos, teased him throughout the commercial previews, and even played some goofy bluegrass music upon his introduction to the show. His outfit was questionable; his occupation, a "chicken catcher," was even more questionable. By the time the guy was set to perform, everyone expected this guy to be dud.

America, meet your new sensation...maybe. While the producers of "America's Got Talent" obviously wanted Skinner to be the next Susan Boyle, we actually really don't know exactly how much talent he has. Country music is a very comfortable genre to sing, meaning that it is easy on the voice. I fully enjoyed Skinner's performance of Garth Brooks' "Tomorrow Never Comes" and even found it quite moving; but was he actually, as judge Piers Morgan put it, a candidate to win the competition? He certainly has the likability factor if nothing else.

As much as it's difficult to praise singers on this show (mainly because there's a million singing competitions out there), one of the other top performers of the night was 14-year old Thia Megia. Unlike Skinner, she chose a very difficult Jennifer Holliday song and sang it soulfully and wonderfully. However, this show is just as much about your personal story, and hers just isn't as exciting.

Thankfully, there were two other variety performers of the night who were equally brilliant. Magician Jay Matiolli was even better than last week's Drew Thomas, doing two tricks that I honestly have no idea how he did. In addition, there was Joseph Harris (a.k.a. Yo-yo Joe), who had a brilliant yo-yo act but very little time to actually show it. One of the things that makes watching this show frustrating from time to time is the insistence on showing some of the wackier acts. Was watching a court judge embarrass himself really more important than seeing an impressive act? Apparently the show already answered the question for us.

So now we're three shows in and there are starting to be some solid contenders. Do you have a favorite? Let me know with a comment. Check back tomorrow for some more video content in addition to some other TV news and commentary.

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http://www.popculturekitty.com/?p=2922

Aired 6/30/09

America’s Got Talent 4 - Episode 3

Posted on July 1st, 2009 by Princess Kitty in America's Got Talent

We joined host Nick Cannon and judges Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and David Hasselhoff as the New York and Chicago auditions continued:

New York

Carol Lugo - Goofy 62 year old dancer. Ok, she was entertaining and I did laugh but the reality is that this woman would have been booed off the stage if she’d been 30 years old. She’s agile but the few real steps she did weren’t executed particularly well. The judges sent her on to Vegas but her AGT trip should end there.

Carol was followed by a succession of Vegas bound acts including a dance group lead by four drag queens (The Diva League), and a guy who eats glass and gushes fake blood from his mouth (Chris Allison - and, by the way, YUCK!). The standout of the group was Joseph Harris a.k.a. Yo-Yo Joe. He did a bunch of Yo-Yo stunts that were really flashy.

Jay Mattioli - Magician (pictured above). I agreed with Piers that we’d seen stuff like Jay’s disappearing box trick before but the levitating microphone stand was very, very good. The kid also had a nice bravado about him so he was definitely worth another look in Vegas. I also liked that, while he followed the new tradition of the “rock & roll” magician, it was toned way down from the Cris Angel excess. (EDIT: SAME OLE SAME OLE')

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http://personalmoneystore.com/moneyblog/2009/07/01/americas-got-talent-chicken/

REVELATION! “America’s Got Talent’s” Chicken Catcher

By Steven Tarlow, your America s Got Talent chicken catcher news source

Another underdog for us to chew on

The world likes to pretend that it loves the underdog. Susan Boyle of “Britain’s Got Talent” is a great example. When she appeared on the television program and sang “Climb Every Mountain” or whatever song it was that she sang (See? Memorable), the response was overwhelming. She was a great story: a housewife from a small town, with dreams of becoming somebody. People were swept up in the hysteria, claiming that her performance filled them with strong emotions. It was “the most amazing” thing they’d heard in some time. It made them weep and take out no fax payday loans and no fax cash advances for soft Kleenex. For what, I won’t say.

I didn’t buy it then, and I don’t buy it now. And mind you, I’m an idealist who likes to believe in happy endings. But I encourage fans of Susan Boyle to take a look at themselves in the mirror. Not long after Boyle was voted off the show, signs that she is a normal person began to emerge… she became belligerent and was hospitalized due to exhaustion. Where are her fans now? Most have disappeared, writing the woman off as another flash in the pan. It’s cynical and it proves that such fans are hypocrites hypnotized by the flashing of their own media screens. Be realistic, people. Susan Boyle was a regular person with some vocal talent. I wish her the best.

So who’s the next Susan Boyle?(because you know you want one)

That would perhaps be Kevin Skinner, the “America’s Got Talent” chicken catcher. Isabelle Carreau blogs for TV Squad that America “definitely got some magic” during the recent “America’s Got Talent” audition show. Kevin Skinner had a lot to do with that, although Carreau claims that overall, the performances were good. Here are a few of the highlights (lowlights?), capped by the Kevin Skinner performance of Garth Brooks’ “If Tomorrow Never Comes.”

Jeffrey Johns, the Singing Librarian - Here we have a tiny librarian (5-foot-3). The man had good stage presence and energy, but his voice didn’t quite captivate. Subscribing to my underdog theory (that people pretend to love them when they really don’t care), this guy would be kept around long past the time he should be
Carol Lugo, the Dancing Sexagenarian - She’s 62 and loves to flit about with lots of oomph. Gotta have that oomph to draw in the audience, particularly when the rest of your show doesn’t follow any definite plan. I love how judge David Hasselhoff said she had “amazing” talent. Of course we all know the Hoff has “amazing” talent, otherwise he wouldn’t be one of the best-selling pop artists in Germany
Joseph Harris, the Yo-Yo Yenta: Well, I don’t truly know whether he’s a gossip monger or not, but clearly he bounded all around the stage. Gotta do the old razzle-dazzle if you’re going to rise above Tom Smothers’ old “Yo-Yo Man” act. Next time, bring along Y0-Yo Ma to play Bach cello suite number one behind your act. It’s infinitely hopeful, and you need hope
Thia Megia, the Singing Teen - She’s 19 and has that big voice that can knock you out of the box at first. Then you get up and realize you wouldn’t buy her albums. If she proves me wrong, great. Carreau thinks this girl is a front runner on the show
Kevin Skinner, the Man of the Hour - Give him the Susan Boyle treatment immediately, so that people other than me have something to blog about. Oh, wait… I’m a hypocrite. That’s right.

"Go for it, chicken catcher!"

Kevin Skinner appears to be a simple unemployed chicken farmer who’s looking to make more of his life. I applaud the effort and must say that I didn’t find his Garth Brooks take to be unpleasant. Over length, the holes become apparent, but he certainly did a better job than I would have been able to do approximating Neko Case. Carreau thinks his looks and accent were “a barrier” to her appreciation of this man, but I say “Fah!” You probably loved Susan Boyle, and she had plenty of both of those.

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http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20090701-ENTERTAIN-90701019

'America's Got Talent' recap: Kevin Skinner is our Susan Boyle!

Former chicken catcher from back woods of Kentucky can really sing

By Fred Dame Jr.

July 01, 2009 1:38 PM

Editor’s note: The following TV recap was written by musician Fred Dame Jr. of York, Maine, who auditioned in Boston for this season of “America’s Got Talent.”

Last night's edition of “America's Got Talent” started off in New York City on a good note, with the likes of 62-year-old supermarket cashier Carol Lugo.

Led by a dream of being a dancer, Lugo started the night's auditions with a bang, her wild and sometimes possessed dance routine whipped audience and judges alike into a excited state to push her through to the next round!

Lugo also gave a tribute to the late Michael Jackson by working the King of Pop's patented move into her routine known as the Moonwalk (note: This segment was recorded before the news of Jackson's death hit the media).

Following Lugo's performance, a string of competent and formidable acts lit up the stage. Such acts included Joseph Harris a yo-yo technician, The Diva League-drag queen dancers who delighted David Hasselhoff and Chris Allison-Geek magician extraordinaire! (The rest can be read found on the link)

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http://www.examiner.com/x-12169-Americas-Got-Talent-Examiner~y2009m7d1-Episode-3-June-30th-the-passed-acts-reviewed

Episode 3, June 30th: the passed acts reviewed

July 1, 12:03 PM · Michael Ross - America’s Got Talent Examiner

The producers seem to have taken the criticism of its viewers to heart. At the end of the hour-long third episode of AGT's open calls, only five rejects were given airtime. The presence of these rejects is actually so sparse that I almost feel as if I do not have enough to justify a separate article about them yet.

Eight more acts were revealed to have passed into Vegas, bringing their three-episode total to thirty-two. The criteria used to judge these eight acts is still the same: talent, excitement, variety, appeal to spoiler voters, chances of flopping in Vegas, and potential for an hour long show. They are as follows:

1) Carol Lugo

(text cut out...)

2) Joseph Harris

Act: Yo-yo artist

Passed with: Unrevealed

Talent: High

Harris could not have made it through to Vegas as a yo-yo artist if he was not one of the absolute best in his trade. AGT has had yo-yo acts in the past, all of which were made a mockery of in elimination montages. The very fact that Harris made it through to Vegas at all speaks wonders of his talent.

Excitement: Moderate

The reason no yo-yo act has ever made it through to Vegas until now is because the effort that goes into the performance does not always translate to the audience. In theory, Harris could have performed as a twirler with similar results.

Variety: Very high

In four seasons, AGT has never had a yo-yo artist in Vegas.

Spoiler Appeal: Moderate

Once again, Harris gets extra consideration for being a non-musical performer. This is an optimistic level, however, as many viewers may be skeptical about putting their support behind a yo-yo artist.

Potential to flop: Very high

Harris’s potential pitfalls are twofold. On one hand, his performance can fall apart in an instant if his yo-yo falls short of a return. On the other hand, the actual toss and return of the yo-yo is not where the actual entertainment is derived, so Harris will need to push the limits of his yo-yo just to survive Vegas week.

Potential for an hour-long show: None

Eventually the judges, if not America, will have to ask just how much can one man possibly do with a yo-yo.

Chances of advancing overall: Moderate

(as the title suggests, the rest of the article is a review of the other acts)

==============================================

http://www.gameshownewsnet.com/prime/agt4/

Auditions: New York City/Chicago
June 30

Last week, the talent came back with a vengeance, but we're nowhere near done yet, as the search for the million-dollar act continues in...

NEW YORK CITY

Back in the Big Apple (and home of the original Trouble Triangle), we begin again with a 62-year-old mother of three, Carol Lugo of Jersey City. She's a cashier, but tonight, all she wants to dance. She believes in following your dreams no matter what. Tonight, her dreams take her (and us, by proxy) to moonwalking, shaking, and doing jigs. Talk about entertaining... The judges think that she's amazing. She's off to Vegas.

Will Joseph Harris (aka Yo-Yo Joe) join him? The things he does with Duncans are legendary. So the answer... yes.

(EDIT; cut short again...check article for the rest)

*CONTINUED, JULY 13*

http://www.tvgasm.com/shows/americas-got-talent/americas-got-ta-2-10068.php

"Time for Joseph Harris, the college student. He wants to be called Yo-Yo Joe, which prompts an embarrassingly dated reaction from the judges. He throws some yo-yos around and everyone freaks out, and a minor stir is caused when David fails to catch the yo-yo Joe tosses to him. Sharon thinks that both yo-yo fanatics in America should be represented by Joe and he's joining Carol in the short-term Winner's Circle."

============================(CONTINUING TO ADD TO THIS ARCHIVE, JULY 13, 2009)

http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=article10303.art&page=1

America's Got Talent 4, June 30: Ad Nauseam

by Tyler Sandersfeld -- 07/01/2009

Some of the good acts in this episode could really surprise you. Or at least they could have if NBC hadn't shoved them down our gullets through the commercials. We've seen the chicken catcher, the super-leaning magician (right), and the 62-year-old dancer impress the crowd already, but what about a really short librarian and a light-bulb eater?

Of course, Carol isn't the only performer to surprise the judges. Joseph Harris and his yo-yo skills get three yo's from the judges.

In any case, Kevin is through to Vegas and will probably get second place. Here's who all made it in this episode, along with my rankings.

Full Acts

1: Jay Mattioli, illusionist
2: Thia Megia, singer
3: Carol Lugo, dancer
4: The Fab Five, cloggers
5: Kevin Skinner, country musician

Brief Acts

1: The Diva League, drag queen dance troupe
2: Joseph Harris, yo-yo artist
3: Chris Allison, sideshow comedian

(EDIT some out to get to the point)

AMERICA'S GOT TALENT!

2009-06-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

I WAS ON FOR A GOOD 15 SECONDS! If you follow the show, I AM GOING TO VEGAS! HAHA...

Thanks everyone for tolerating my spam emails, texts, and phone calls. Now let's see if anyone finds my blog now that I'm on National TV for the 2nd time ^_^

EDIT 10 minutes later: Googling "America's Got Talent yoyo" here's some text of the results!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

http://www.yoyoskills.com/?p=1011

Joseph Harris to be on America’s Got Talent TONIGHT!

Current reigning US National 2a champion Joseph Harris is expected to be on America’s Got Talent tonight. The extent of his appearence is not known yet. Will the judges just “Not get it” like when the incredible John and Rebecca Higby performed for them (they got totally ripped off), or Luke Roberts who killed with awesomeness, but was killed by the judges, or will Joseph be able to impress the judges to move ahead?
Tune in tonight to NBC at 9/8c and find out!

Joseph Harris seen here at IYYO 2008

Joseph’s credentials include -
Member of the AYYA Board of Directors
1st Place - 2A Division - 2008 National Yo-Yo Contest
1st Place - Open Division - 2008 California State Yo-Yo Contest
5th Place - 1A Division - 2008 California State Yo-Yo Contest
5th Place - Open Division - 2008 International Yoyo Open Contest
7th Place - 2A Division - 2008 World Yo-Yo Contest
1st Place - 2A Division - 2008 Pacific Northwest Regional Contest
2007 YoyoJam Scholarship Recipient
2006 Most Inspirational Player Award
2001-2003 Hawaii State Champion
6th Place - 2A Division - 2001 World Yo-Yo Contest
2nd Place - 2A Division - 2000 National Yo-Yo Contest
11th Place - 2A Division - 1999 World Yo-Yo Contest
4th Place - 2A Division - 1999 National Yo-Yo Contest

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://blog.zap2it.com/ithappenedlastnight/2009/06/americas-got-talent-thea-megia-and-kevin-skinner-are-amazing.html

'America's Got Talent': Thea Megia and Kevin Skinner are amazing

By Andrea ReiherJune 30, 2009 9:04 PM Welcome back to "America's Got Talent." Thea Megia and Kevin Skinner just absolutely kill it tonight.

We kick things off tonight in NYC with 62 year-old Carol Lugo, a grocery cashier from New Jersey who dances. Could this be our Susan Boyle? As she starts weirdly gyrating to "I Can't Help Myself," I am alternately horrified and completely delighted. The woman moonwalks! She is strangely charming. The judges just adore her and send her through unanimously as the strains of "Flashdance" come up in the background.

Good Montage. YoYo Joe dances with a yoyo (it's no "Air on a G String" but it's pretty awesome); *SNIP, long article cut short*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/blog/2009/06/30/americas-got-talent-063009-new-york-and-chicago-auditions/

America’s Got Talent 06/30/09: New York and Chicago Auditions

June 30, 2009 07:11:15 by Paulene Hinds

Nick Cannon began America’s Got Talent by introducing the esteemed judges; Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne, and David Hasselhoff to New York city. Thousands of people arrived to show America that they have what it takes to win the big prize.

Nick said it was time to take a bite out of the big apple and see if New York has talent. First up was 62 year old grandmother Carol who came to dance tonight. Aside from the neck flailing, she was awesome. Sharon Osbourne thought that she was wonderfully bizarre. She was off to Vegas.

The rest of New York hoped to surprise the judges with their talent including Joseph the yoyo king, the Diva League drag queen dancers and Chris who ate a light bulb and all made their way to Vegas tonight. (EDIT; another long article...)

====================================================
http://www.reality-tv-online.com/blog/america%E2%80%99s-got-talent-the-auditions-continue/

America’s Got Talent: The Auditions Continue

Tonight’s episode of “America’s Got Talent” focused mostly on people who DID have talent. Moving on in the competition are the following: Carol Lugo (who looked like a school teacher, but her dance was deemed “wonderfully bizarre” by Sharon), Joseph “YoYo Jo” Harris (whose yo-yoing was incredible), The Diva League (I think each season is required to have a drag queen act), Chris “Coney Island Chris” Allison (I want to see more of his act!), Jay Mattioli (now THIS is an act that could go over big in Vegas), and The Fab Five (clogging sisters).

(EDIT...LONG ARTICLE AGAIN)
==============================================
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/americas-got-talent/americas-got-talent-recap-yo-y-29704.aspx?pollid=500000251&answer=500000861#poll500000251

'America's Got Talent' Recap: Yo Yos, Drag Queens and a Country-Fried Singer

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

It's time to start week two of the dumbest show on Earth, America's Got Talent. I say dumbest not because it isn't entertaining, but because there's no point. The judges are allegedly looking to give someone one million dollars and an act in Las Vegas. If that's the case, why would a 62-year-old woman dancing make the cut? It's amusing, but I can pay two dollars at any state fair to see that kind of generic bland entertainment.

When David Hasselhoff expresses amazement when the old woman can dance without being out of breath, we' as a country have lowered the standard by which we judge talent. In the old days, you had to have a demonstrable skill to become famous and acclaimed. Now all you need is a big butt, a sex tape, or a catchphrase like "That's hot."

And if those things fail, you can go on one of the billion reality shows, act like a buffoon, and pretend that 15 minutes of fame is someone validation for your existence. On talk shows I frequently hear Dr. Drew Pinsky comment on the fact that, for the first time as a species, achieving fame is now the primary engine for actions, not for the sake of accomplishing something.

Fame has become a drug, one which addicts like Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag can't live without. Sadly, America's Got Talent has become this nation's top drug dealer, even outshining Tommy, the white guy with dreadlocks who lives down the hall from me and doesn't wake up until 3pm.

American Idol may spend a disproportionate amount of time on the bad auditions, but they don't put people like William Hung through to Hollywood. On America's Got Talent, those same desperate fame whores willing to sacrifice their integrity for a chance to be on TV are rewarded with trips to Las Vegas.

Am I being too harsh? Judge for yourself, because here are the acts that made it through during the third episode of auditions.

Carol Lugo: A 62-year-old checkout lady who does funky dancing while gyrating her hips.

Joseph Harris: A guy who does yo yo tricks.

The Diva League: A dance troupe which features four large drag queens.

"Coney Island" Chris Allison: A comedian who eats light bulbs.

Jay Matteoli: A 27-year-old magician who is trying to rival Criss Angel for the title of "World's Douchiest Magician." He does for magic what Dane Cook does for stand-up comedy.

Thea Megia: A 14-year-old girl with a rhyming name who sings. She has a great voice, but does anyone think a 14-year-old girl should really be headlining an act in Vegas?

The Fab Five: Five Utah-born tap dancing sisters who are all quite MILF-y.

Kevin Skinner: A genuinely great country singer who acts like a country-fried idiot, talking about his past life as a chicken catcher who didn't know how many chickens he caught because he wasn't too good at the math. Sharon calls him genuine, but I'm 100 percent certain his country twang and "aw shucks" attitude is a huge fake act.

So one of those eight acts could get a show in Las Vegas and earn one million dollars. John Edwards always talked about the two Americas, so at least I know I have someplace else to go if one of them actually wins.

Which of these performers was your favorite?

Carol Lugo

Joseph Harris

17%

The Diva League

Coney Island Chris Allison

Jay Matteoli

Thea Megia

13%

The Fab Five

46%

Kevin Skinner

Carol Lugo

Joseph Harris

17%

The Diva League

Coney Island Chris Allison

Jay Matteoli

Thea Megia

13%

The Fab Five

46%

Kevin Skinner

-John Kubicek, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image courtesy of NBC)
===========================================================
http://thetvlegion.com/2009/06/30/americas-got-talent-june-30th-2009-auditions/

America’s Got Talent: June 30th, 2009 Auditions

eric

Published: June 30, 2009Posted in: America's Got Talent, Episode ReviewsTags: America's Got Talent, America's Got Talent Auditions

Three episodes in and I am already starting to worry about this season. Once again it appears that the singers are going to take over the show once again. I do have to admit though one of the best performers of this season so far was tonight along with another interesting act which was relegated to 20-30 seconds of screentime. Without further ado let’s get into today’s act and hope that future auditions have more original acts.

Carol Lugo (Elder Dancer): She’s not a bad dancer but not nearly good enough to win the competition in my opinion. Somewhat entertaining even though I personally wouldn’t have moved her on. C+ Moved On

Also moved on: Joseph Harris (Yo-Yo Performer), The Diva League (drag queen dancing group), and Chris Allison (Eats glass/variety act). (EDIT: more text about other acts...though I like the part about singers which I think is worth reading:

Thia Megia (Singer): She’s a pretty good singer but I will reiterate that I don’t root for singers on America’s Got Talent. Most of these singers can showcase their singing on other reality shows. For example in a year or two she could just go on American Idol, get more publicity, and most likely have a better career. That opportunity is not available for these other acts. I really think America’s Got Talent needs to institute an individual singing title or I fear we will have a singing final showdown once again this season. I don’t mind singing acts moving on, I don’t like 75% of the acts moved on being singers though. B Moved On

================================================

http://bigdaddybs-main.blogspot.com/2009/06/americas-got-talent-2009-06302009.html

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

America's Got Talent 2009 - 06/30/2009

Starting in New York

62yo mother of three, Carol Lugo, Cashier - Dancer - to "Sugar Pie Honey Bun" Fun... She dances VERY hard. Sharon: You're very bizarre, but wonderfully bizarre. David: You deserve to be here... You're terrific! Piers: There's just so much to say about you. David: Absolutely Yes. Sharon: Yes. Piers: Your dream lives on with three Yeses.

Joseph Harris, aka: Yo-yo Joe. Dances with two yo-yos doing tricks. Yes, all the way.

The Diva League - Drag queen dancers - They're in.
(EDIT: describes other acts...)
============================================
http://gskingdom.blogspot.com/2009/06/americas-got-talent-630.html

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

"America's Got Talent" 6/30

NYC:

WINNERS:
Carol Lugo (62-year-old dancer)
Joseph Harris (dances with yo-yos)
The Diva League (variety act)
Chris Allison (magician)
Jay Mattioli (magician)

Chicago:

WINNNERS:
Thia Megia (14-year-old singer)
The Fab Five (female dancing group)
Kevin Skinner (singer/guitarist)

NOTABLE DUDS:
Franklin Sane (singer that works in real life as a juvenile court judge)
Jeffrey Johns (a man who sings on a high chair)
===========================================
EDIT: MORE!
http://www.tvsquad.com/2009/07/01/americas-got-talent-audition-show-3/

America's Got Talent: Audition show 3

Posted Jul 1st 2009 12:28AM by Isabelle Carreau
Filed under: OpEd, Episode Reviews, America's Got Talent

(S04E03) "America's Got Magic." - Read on the magic box used by a contestant

America definitely got some magic tonight, as this was the first episode of the season where there were more good acts and not-so-bad ones than there were bad acts.

Before I give my two cents about the performances and let you comment on them, as well, I need to raise the issue of sponsoring. It looks like Orville Redenbacher is now sponsoring America's Got Talent. So far, it was done with some taste -- just a sort of "pop corn" ad telling us to watch the show -- but I'm afraid it may become as intrusive as the "Gone Completely Crakers" were last season. Let's hope we won't get a "Poppin' It" segment similar to the "Crakers" one, as they were boring and used good air time that could have been given to good performances.

Some of the acts I didn't enjoy:

Frank inSane, singer: What was he thinking? As Piers said, his job as a county judge demands that he be serious, yet he comes to AGT and gives a bad performance. People coming to his court and who saw the show will not be able to take him seriously anymore.
Jeffrey Johns, singing: This 5' 3'' librarian should definitely not quit his day job. Having fun on stage is key to connect with the crowd, but you also need to have the talent and, Jeffrey doesn't. However, I think he could be a clown. He seems to love the stage and be a fun guy. Mix that with a wacky voice and you could get a small clown.
Witches in Bikinis, singing: Just the name of the group is scary and weird. No surprise that their act turned out to be, well, scary and weird!
Robert Meyers, impressions: I didn't get his impressions but what really killed his act was the fact the costume changes took way too long. If he wants to try out again next year -- you know the show will get renewed for a fifth season, right? -- I suggest he meet with Season 1 contestants "Quick Change".
Samba, Samba, Samba, dancing: We didn't see much of that act but they didn't look like they were having fun dancing the samba, and the act wasn't energetic enough to win the crowd. After three seasons of the show, I'm still surprised that the dance numbers don't know they have to be energetic, have rhythm and be in sync to move to the next round.

Some of the acts I don't know what to think about:

Carol Lugo, dancing: This 62-year-old woman did give us a fun performance. She had loads of fun on stage and her energy was contagious. Her moves were not too bad but it's clear she didn't really know what she was doing, as there was no real routine. I get that the crowd and the judged loved her because she did amazing for her age and was fun, but the Hoff went way too far when claiming she had amazing talent and was terrific. She was good. Period. They sent packing better dancers than Carol. I don't see her going very far in the competition.
Chris Allison, magician(?): Weird. You'll have to tell me what you think about this act because I have no idea what to think of it other than say that it was cool and weird at the same time.
Kevin Skinner, singing and playing guitar: The "touching story" of the night... then again, it looks like AGT is not only doing touching stories as the last act of the episode but also underdog stories such as last week's Arcadian Broad. Kevin Skinner falls in the underdog category with his farmer look and his "I was a chicken catcher" background. I must admit that the guy sang well and his guitar playing was good. However, he did not move me as he did the crowd. After thinking about it while writing this posts, I think his looks and his accent were a barrier to me, so I couldn't really enjoy his performance. Do you share the same opinion?

Some of the acts I enjoyed/loved:

Joseph Harris, yo-yo: Wow! I've seen a few cool yo-yo acts before but most of the performers were standing still. Joseph was moving all over the place, which made the act even more daring and impressive. Will we get a flamed yo-yo during his next performance?
The Diva League, dancing: I was expecting them to give a terrible performance when I saw how they were dressed. But you have to admit that they were entertaining and had a good choreography. They are not the best dancers we've seen so far but they gave a good enough performance to move on to Vegas for sure.
Jay Mattioli, magician: Very impressive act even if, as some of the judges mentioned, the second part contained a trick seen time and time again. You have to admit that the box was really well built and worked like magic during the trick. I really enjoyed the rocky and hip side of his performance. Making his acts young and fun will definitely win him votes in the upcoming rounds. I can't wait to see what else he has in store for us.
Thia Megia, singing: What a voice this 19-year-old girl has. When she walked on stage, I had no idea such a deep and huge voice filled with emotion could come out her. She is definitely one of the front runners.
The Fab Five, tap dancing: The outfits were too shiny for TV, but their act was really cool. Good tap dancing routine, well choreographed, in sync, energetic, etc. Sadly for them, that type of dancing group doesn't usually go very far in the competition so let's hope they add lots of daring stuff and new moves in the next round.

What did you think of tonight's performances? Do you think there were more good acts than bad? Do you think This is a front runner or do you think someone else is? Share your ideas, theories, musings, in the comment section below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's the end for now. Another post with all the PR stuff on here later! So happy I interned at a PR firm this past semester. This is what they did practically in addition to other things!

-YoYoJo

EXCLUSIVELY 2A now that BAC IS OVER!

2009-05-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

BAC WAS GREAT! I focused mainly on 1A for this contest because I know I will practice exclusively 2A the next 3 months until World's.

Here is a video of my PRELIMS IN 1A:

Joseph Harris-BAC 09-1a Prelims from ittuzed on Vimeo.

The results:

1A Prelims:
1 Jensen KIMMITT 100.00
2 Charles HAYCOCK 77.34
3 Alex BERENGUEL 64.21
4 Joseph HARRIS 60.60
5 Trent FRANKS 53.86
6 Zach GORMLEY 53.27
7 Mark ALLEN 50.70
8 Masanobu IWATA 49.95
9 Gentry STEIN 46.69
10 Vncent DEZUTTI 46.33
11 Josh YEE 38.46
12 Ian BAILEY 36.91
13 Travis OWEN 34.46
14 Boyd SETH 34.04
15 Alex KIM 33.99
16 Vincent ARECELLANA 32.56
17 Sam UNGERER 31.07
18 Juan RENTERIA 30.68
19 Sam LOPEZ 30.29
20 Tyler GOLDENBERG 25.21
21 Dalan KERR 24.77
22 Joseph LIU 24.25
23 Sean VANZANDT 24.02
24 Everett CADAY 23.19
25 Paul DANG 21.58
26 Jared TISHER 21.47
27 Luke ROMERO 16.67
28 Joe BENSON 14.76
29 Mateo OLIVENCIA 8.70

1A:
1 Jensen KIMMITT 93.76
2 Sebastian BROCK 93.07
3 Paul HAN 85.49
4 John CHOW 77.31
5 Augie FASH 74.25
6 Mark ALLEN 73.40
7 Alex BERENGUEL 69.96
8 Grant JOHNSON 66.18
9 Zach GORMLEY 62.97
10 Paul YATH 61.28
11 Andrew BERGEN 60.41
12 Vincent DEZUTTI 57.97
13 Charles HAYCOCK 56.40
14 Joseph HARRIS 51.94
15 Gentry STEIN 50.81
16 Masanobu IWATA 46.08
17 Trent FRANKS 32.48

A YOYO RELATED SCHOLARSHIP BLOG ENTRY! VOTE!!!!!!

2009-05-06T11:50:00.000-07:00

Show Us Your Summer Sport!
Brickfish

Another entry going for VIRAL!

2009-04-11T23:51:00.001-07:00

Show Us a Smile 2
Brickfish

This is it; GLAMOUR TV (PLEASE VOTE)

2009-04-06T09:35:00.000-07:00

You know what to do, click on that Green button that says "VOTE" please.

-Joseph

Be the Next Glamour.TV Star!

Sponsored by Watch your new favorite shows!

Teaching yoyos in the Dominican Republic and Haiti

2009-04-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

Long time again since I updated! But I have been busy. If pictures are worth a thousand words, what about a video and some pictures? This was an immersion trip dealing with social justice issues in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

I had 4 yoyos when I arrived. When I left, I had 1. These kids needed it more than I did. The trip humbled me. But I still managed to "change lives with a yoyo!" (That should be my slogan!)

Redondo Contest is over and was FUN!

2009-03-14T00:34:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've updated...but there has been a lot of things going on! I worked with Grant Johnson last weekend and I have to say, he is going to be a good 2A player if he wants to be. You can see a lot of character when you teach somebody something. I see a lot of potential with Grant.

In a way, I feel like I've grown and moved on from the "competitor-looking-for-a-mentor" aspect to actually becoming the mentor now. After all, if it wasn't for all my experience working with others who guided me in the yoyo community, I could not be able to pass it down to Grant last weekend, or to anyone for that matter.

Anyway, I almost have $0 in my name. I really want to go to Santa Cruz for Stu's yoyo club! I'll see if Dad feels better and I can drag him along...or maybe he could just lend me the car! Or I could find someone to give a ride there and back? Who would be interested? Hmm...I don't want to ruin the 3 consecutive weeks doing something yoyo related.

February 21 - Pacific Northwest Competition
February 28- Spindox Yoyo club
March 7----- Redondo Beach contest and Grant's house
March 14--- Santa Cruz yoyo club?????

Alright, enough updating. Time for some videos! This is what I mean by Grant can be AMAZING in 2A if he wants to be:

Redondo Beach Contest this SUNDAY

2009-03-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

I was done tutoring and decided to submit my online timesheet. I watched some new yoyo contest videos in Japan then stumbled across yoyonation (www.yoyonation.com) for no reason at all. I hardly check any yoyo board except for Greg's board (www.yoyoing.com)

Anyway, on the yoyonation board there was a quote that made my ENTIRE WEEK better;

I feel nervous when meeting pros. When I was talking to Joseph Harris, I was stuttering like crazy!

There was a lot going on with me this week aside from the regular school (midterm), work, internship, tutor. There were some personal issues that affected me this week but after I read what the person wrote, my face lit up. ^_^

The Redondo yoyo contest is this Sunday, I'll be leaving after my class ends at 9PM once again. Can you believe this is my 4-5th (I lost count!) time back in SoCal the past two months? Talk about being a dedicated yoyo pro. What's funny about it all is that I am a YOUNG pro yoyoer that only does performances PART-time. If I could make a living out of this, that would be great. Let me rephrase that and shoot for the moon;

If I can make a GOOD living out of being a professional yoyo player, that would be great.

Because everybody in the world knows that the label of a professional yoyo player falls under the category of 'starving artist.' That's why I'll have 2 bachelor's degrees to fall back on. Once I am accepted into Business school and earn my MBA, I'll have that to fall back on too. That is of course, if the 'PRO YOYO PERFORMER' thing never works out. =P

That's called having a plan. That's my plan...Other than that, this yoyo pro is out. Oh, here's the most recent yoyo performance of me; it was my 1st place freestyle at the Pacific Northwest Regional

PNWR 09 - 2A - Joseph Harris from Box thor on Vimeo.

THANK YOU BOXTHOR (aka Matt) for the video. Great quality! Enjoy.

Joseph Harris. American Yoyo Association Board of Director

2009-02-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

Sounds good! I am using that title to make some changes in the yoyo community right now!

Also, the gig was great last night! Loads of fun, I even had my OWN TSHIRT JUST FOR THE EVENT!

Not only that, it was a success all around. The email when I came back to SF;

You were amazing!!! Thanks so much for being there and jazzing everyone. Good to meet you too. You were easy and charming to work with. Best of success.

Yeah, that's a good look;

National yoyo champion.

Board of Director for the American Yoyo Association.

More Scholarships that need VIRAL ATTENTION!

2009-02-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

Who is Your Hero?
Brickfish

What Tempts You?
Brickfish

Moving up in the 1A ranks...

2009-02-23T04:04:00.000-08:00

Here are the results from the 2009 PACIFIC NORTHWEST REGIONAL COMPETITION

2009 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships Offstring Results

Place Players Name State Final Score
1 Bryan Figueroa CA 100.00
2 Connor Swan AZ 71.95
3 Ryan Lai HI 50.91
4 Kyle Hedges WA 39.90
5 Jacob Jensen OR 4.47
6 Joseph Harris CA (0.36)

2009 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships 3A Results
Place Players Name State Final Score
1 Ryan Lai HI 100.00
2 Josh Yee CA 57.43
3 Joseph Harris CA (4.59)
4 Jacob Jensen OR (8.74)

2009 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships 1A-Prelims Results
Place Players Name State Final Score
1 Jensen Kimmitt AB 100.00
2 Tyler Severance DE 69.51
3 Joseph Harris CA 58.87
4 Miguel Correa TX 48.22
5 Charles Haycock BC 47.79
6 Ryan Lai HI 45.07
7 Chris Mikulan AB 40.53
8 Mark Allen TN 38.87
9 Josh Yee CA 36.31
10 Kyle Hedges WA 34.00
11 Jacob Jensen OR 32.34
12 Kyler Burnett WA 31.17
13 Sean Vanzandt LA 27.50
14 Reed Smith AZ 25.65
15 Branden Moreau WA 23.13
16 Ben McPhee AZ 16.30
17 Carson Sablan WA 15.16
18 Jeromy Nguyen OR 14.91
19 Dalan Kerr ID 14.66
20 Paul Dang OR 11.24
21 Clint Armstrong OR 6.89
22 Clifton Crimefighter OR 3.42

2009 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships 1A Results
Place Players Name State Final Score
1 Jensen Kimmitt AB 99.81
2 Tyler Severance DE 81.49
3 Grant Johnson CA 69.01
4 Joseph Harris CA 53.75
5 Miguel Correa TX 52.66
6 Ryan Lai HI 51.00
7 Charles Haycock BC 45.62
8 Josh Yee CA 42.94
9 Sterling Quinn WA 42.61
10 Mark Allen TN 41.81
11 Boyd Seth OR 34.08
12 Justin Deal ID 33.36
13 Chris Mikulan AB 32.46
14 Kyle Hedges WA 31.55
15 Jacob Jensen OR 29.93
16 Kyler Burnett WA 15.67

2009 Pacific Northwest Yo-Yo Championships 2A Results
Place Players Name State Final Score
1 Joseph Harris CA 100.00
2 Grant Johnson CA 56.14
3 Ryan Lai HI 54.74
4 Dave Bazan ID 34.45
5 Josh Yee CA 25.63
6 Kyler Burnett WA 5.74
7 Jacob Jensen OR 1.23

Yes, I did receive negative scores (the parenthesis indicates a negative score) but I did not prepare routines for those divisions. Only my 1-hand and double hand freestyles were prepared. It takes a lot of effort to appear effortless. Offstring would be cool to work on...

Anyway, yoyo gig on Wed. So I have to be a college student for a few days until the next yoyo get-away! I'm gone...

LUCK

2009-01-29T12:25:00.000-08:00

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. I *FINALLY* received the phone call. It's going to be held in LA. Tickets have been bought. $45 RT SF to LA after I submit that mystery greyhound rider survey. I have no clue how many yoyoers are going to be there but I do have that private audition time lined up so we'll see. On top of that, I won't know how I did (if I get through to the next round) until probably MARCH if they contact me again. Good thing I'll have my Grandma and Dad there for support after I'm finished! Amazing timing.

Other than that, I have to add some crazy crowd-pleasing tricks to my performance. I am allowed 1.5 minutes MAX! I'm traveling all that way to show 1.5 minutes?!?! Talk about a risky investment. As I learned in school (Finance class) and through yoyo competition;

The greater the risk, the greater the reward

So I'm pulling out the stops on this audition in 2 days. We'll wait and see what happens. Until then, hopefully the road to fame has begun...

Private Audition w/ America's Got Talent AND the Miami trip!

2009-01-26T10:28:00.000-08:00

I received the email from the casting director just now...they received it and they said

"It's great-I'm going to have the team call you to give you the audition time for the 31st either today or tomorrow.

Cheers,"

I had a great time in Miami with the first ever female National and World yoyo champion, Jennifer Baybrook this past week. We even performed for her company! I had an informal introduction to her boss and boy was that a great networking opportunity that I was no where near prepared for >_<

Anyway, we had a yoyo slumber party on a FRIDAY NIGHT in Miami! Haha, she has these video clips from WAY BACK and it was a trip down memory lane. Instead of going out and spending money in Miami on a beautiful yet cold Fri. night, we made a 2A page, played yoyos, shared stories, and had laughs all around. I want to start a yoyo slumber party! It would be fun, exciting, and a great way to give back to the community! I have a handful of old yoyo videos but they are all at home on the islands. I'm sure it's not that hard to do a slumber party! This will spark 2A once again, perhaps even the next yoyo boom. OK, maybe not the next yoyo boom but if I do receive that BOD position for the American Yo-Yo Association (AYYA), I'm sure I'm in a better position of power and credibility. Then, I can start a yoyo boom and start touring again like I talked to Jenn and James about in Miami. That would be ideal...only time will tell. We'll see.

School begins today but I look forward to traveling to SoCal twice in a week. Once for the auditions and the 2nd time for the SoCal Championships where I will be a judge. Then off to Seattle I go for the Pacific Northwest Regional Contest.

Jan 30-Feb 1 = Los Angeles Convention Center
Feb 6- Feb 9 = Santa Barabara
Feb 14-Feb 22 = Seattle

This looks like a very active yoyo semester the upcoming months. Time to learn submarine to impress America's Got Talent!

Board of Director; Joseph Harris

2009-01-16T00:52:00.000-08:00

That has a nice ring to it doesn't it? A quick update from Tokyo, Japan! I was recently emailed about applying to be a part of the Board of Directors for the American Yoyo Association (AYYA). My sponsor said it would be good for me and my resume. The voting doesn't start until next week so we'll see what happens.

In other yoyo news, once I'm back in the city, the call will be made to America's Got Talent casting director. I think I still have time but we'll see what happens. I can't believe I couldn't find it sooner, what a great opportunity!

Yoyo JOE is gone!

MORE VIRAL VOTES NEEDED!

2009-01-10T09:38:00.001-08:00

Haute Hair

Sponsored by Learn more about Frédéric Fekkai

VOTE!

2009-01-07T02:09:00.001-08:00

Best of the Best 2008
Brickfish

VOTE me for the scholarship!

2008-12-13T13:21:00.000-08:00

CLICK ON "VOTE" and leave a 5star review please. =)

Southpole® National Model Search

Sponsored by View the collection!

I don't normally do this but I am confident the other scholarship entries will make it to the finals. This one is a long shot so I might as well focus on it.

In other yoyo news, I have the gig with Desired Temptations. I found out last night. =) So after all my finals, I will be able to blow off steam by performing and clubbing it up!

The Mexican Contest is OVER!

2008-11-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

What's Your Favorite Toy?
Brickfish

***EDIT: I posted my scholarship entry above but the original post is below***
I am so exhausted. I judged, performed, and taught all weekend long starting from the moment I arrived in Mexico city. Once I was off the plane, we were heading straight to a cafe where 2 yoyoers were hanging out. Since then, it was nonstop teaching and learning tricks.

On Saturday, the yoyo contest was held at the park. Then it moved to the mall where the stage was somewhat in the center of everything. The contest was great and there were amazing yoyo perofermances all around. I was particularly impressed with the several girl yoyo players because they went up on stage and FREESTYLED! I have no idea how much experience they have in the performing arts but that was VERY impressive to me.

I finished that day with my freestyle. Isaac mentioned this later that evening, "did you see the audiences´ faces? They never saw anything like that before!" That is one thing I absolutely miss about going on tour; THE CHANCE TO CHANGE SOMEONE´S LIFE

As corny as that may sound, all it took was a professional yoyo player to come to my school. Now look what I´m doing...I am doing exactly what that professional did 10 years ago; touring the world and changing people´s lives one at a time with the greatest toy of the 21st century.

As for today, after a LONG day we wrapped it up and awareded Paul 1st place in the 1A division and Javier won the Combined division. Judging is tough when it comes to 3 minutes because there are so many elements it´s frustrating to give points to a trick you think you´ve seen but not sure of. Or you should have given more/less points to a particular trick. Nonetheless, the results were accurate. We agreed on who the winner was and who placed top 5.

After I performed, after the awards were given, after the pictures were taken, I remembered what it was like to be on tour again as a professional yoyo demonstrator. All the kids lined up for my signature. They all lined up to take pictures with me. They all admired me. That´s when I knew I was changing people´s lives. It´s one thing to teach someone to do a trick and hope they retain what we tell them. It´s another thing when you make an impact in their lives. It´s another thing when they place their winning trophy for decoration, and they remember your signature because you inspired them to continue to play.

It´s amazing how people can underestimate how a yoyo changes lives. Mine has been forever changed because of it. I am forever in debt to the yoyo. How do I start to pay back what the yoyo has given to me? I spread my love and passion for the yoyo to OTHER´S in hopes that they do the same. Today proved that my mission has been accomplished. When more and more yoyo players come out of Mexico, I know I helped. Whenever I see the trick I taught them in their freestyle, I know I inspired them.

I guess that´s why I won the 2006 most inspirational player award. I INSPIRE people. That should be the story of my life. Not just my yoyo life. ^_^

Audition TONIGHT for Desired Temptations!

2008-11-26T14:14:00.000-08:00

You have to love Craig for inventing CRAIGSLIST! I was on the computer at work (like right now) looking at CL ads in the gigs section. I replied to a handful and lo and behold, one of them called me back interested in having me audition TONIGHT at 10PM. I gather we will finish the negotiations regarding how long I perform, how much I charge, etc.

However...

I never performed at a NIGHT VENUE before. This place is a straight up CLUB/LOUNGE. Not only do I have to LOOK SHARP, I have to BE SHARP. I'm bringing my resume and sending photos to them since they requested it. Now the real question is; WHAT SONG DO I USE? *scratches head*

I have to figure this out especially since this is MY AGE GROUP that I'm performing for. I've freestyled to many different genere's of music. I'm guessing I'll use what Brendan mixed up for me when I won the talent show last year; DJ Stylewise Bay Area mix. Little outdated but definitely bay music will hit the spot. =)

My BAC freestyle the week after I won the talent show using the song:

Fan mail

2008-11-21T23:35:00.001-08:00

Little outdated but I was clearing up my mailbox and thought this would be a waste if I deleted it. There's evidence that I am a big deal. =)

To: josephharris@yoyojam.com
Date: September 6, 2008 911PM
Subject: GREAT JOB!

So my Mom and I were chatting on the phone and she starts talking about this amazing young man who is a yo-yo champion.. and low and beyond it was you.. my lil bro! Congrats on a great weekend.. and my Mom says you have great presence on the TV. She will be around on Monday, if you are going to be by the office, she wants you to autograph her yo-yo! She's never known a yo-yo champ in her 65 years!

Take care and good job.. GO NINERS!!
.. Big Sis...

My first business card!

2008-11-20T22:02:00.001-08:00

Yeah boy! ;-D I wonder who my first customer will be.

Mexican Yoyo Clinic

2008-11-10T00:54:00.000-08:00

I have never been to Mexico before (unless you count when I was an infant) but the opportunity has presented itself! I will be going to Mexico city once I book the flight later today with confirmation from the one and only YOYOJAM! They rock. I can't wait to see the scene there.

Other than that, enjoy some pics from the yoyo gig I had a few weeks back!!!

Photo Shoot @ The Exploratorium

2008-10-21T06:12:00.000-07:00

I had a another photo shoot with Amy from the Exploratorium. It was the usual and the first time I've been back there since I won the California State Contest. It was soo cool to know I was the PosterBoy! I saw the Oct. Calender of events outside of the exploratorium. For the ENTIRE month of September, I was ON THAT POSTER!

Now it's time to work on that YOYO CAMP! Joseph is gone...

2008 National Yoyo Champion is...JOSEPH HARRIS

2008-10-05T23:32:00.000-07:00

I feel guilty about this. After all the politics behind the scenes, I know deep down I was not suppose to compete. I just want this to be clear; I did not intend to offend anyone in the Japanese Yoyo community nor do I "not care" about the rules in Japan. It's a long story and like I said, most of it is behind the scenes so there is no reason why it should be mentioned publicly. That's the last time I'm going to talk about it publicly.

My 9th National yoyo competition. My 9th time going to Chico. It has finally happened. I never felt better about my routine when I finished my performance. I gave it all I got and left it up to the judges. They agreed that I was the best double-handed player in the Nation that 1st weekend of October 2008. Thank you judges. That means the world to me.

Of course, thank you to my sponsor YOYOJAM who provided for me everything I needed to win this contest. Thank you to all the yoyo companies that sponsored the contest as well as the other sponsors. None of this would have been as great as it was without their help. And of course, thank you to Bob and the Bird in Hand gang for running this competition since 1993. It was the first year it rained!!! I couldn't believe it. The rain and the results! Just like that I am now the National Champion.

Life is calling...back to being a college student at the University of San Francisco. (^_^)

*EDIT 10 minutes later*

That was quick! Someone uploaded my freestyle ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU RYAN GEE! There's a youtube below AND vimeo link (thanks Matt! aka Boxthor)

2008 Nationals - 2A - Joseph Harris from Box thor on Vimeo.

Nationals has come

2008-10-03T05:25:00.000-07:00

Ryan Lai should be arriving in SF anytime soon. I have one class to go to and then I'm off to Chico with James and Ryan. Just the 3 of us! I have my routine ready and it's been awhile since I performed in front of a live audience. CA states was the last time. =/ Anyway, it's 530AM and I'm going to get SOME sleep hopefully before Ryan calls and tells me he's here.

BRING IT HOME BABY!!!!!! =)

5 days until Nationals!

2008-09-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a relaxing YOYO weekend. Saturday was my first Spindox yoyo club meeting in almost 1 and a half years! They had new shirts, check it here:

Anyway, I've prohibited myself from watching TV until Wednesday, after my math midterm. I want to practice for Nationals and get in at least an hour everyday this week for practicing my routine. It was good seeing everyone, especially the old school yoyoers;

Bill DeBoisblanc, Paul Escolar, Gary Longoria, Jeff Longoria, Cappy, Stu, Nathan, and some of the newer yoyoers like Bryan aka figtree, Spencer Berry (maybe not old school but "midschool") and some new faces I didn't catch. I yoyoed the Saturday away and had a good time at the dinner after the club meeting in the Indian restaurant.

Other than that, today was very chill. I didn't touch a yoyo all day but watched football all day! >_< write in my journal as much anymore...technology...what is it going to bring in the future in terms of yoyos? Alright people, alohas!

-Joseph

"Hey, I know this is random but..."

2008-09-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

"My friend's dad saw a TV show and said there was a guy doing yoyo who was really good that goes to USF. Was that you?"

*slight grin* Yes, that was. *smiles* She was giving me my care package that my East Coast Family (The Dietz family ROCKS!) sent me. I love you guys!

I guess fame does last for more than 15 minutes (^.^) I found out I can compete in the 2008 US National Contest. I've been practicing at least an hour everyday. Let's just hope it pays off. Off to do some chores and play some YOYOS! How do I upload videos on this thing? *scratches head* Never mind, I figured it out. Enjoy watching me practicing my freestyle for Nationals ^_-

Sep. 18, 2008-Playing for my neighbors from Mojo Yojo on Vimeo.

I might not compete at the National Competition in Chico

2008-09-20T00:05:00.000-07:00

This sucks. I have to wait until I receive a reply about being able to compete at Nationals this year. I've been practicing and actually have some new double-handed stuff too!

Anyway, I'll keep things posted. Thanks for the support people!

-Joseph

The results...not BAD for a veteran

2008-09-09T10:39:00.000-07:00

2008 California State yoyo contest-1A 5th place-Joseph Harris from Mojo Yojo on Vimeo.

That was the highest placing one handed routine I ever performed! Thank you Megan for recording that.

ON TO THE IMPORTANT STUFF...

As always, thanks to my sponsor Yoyojam for providing me with the yoyos and string! THe contest went great. Cappy, Stu, everyone who helped out with the event, the exploratorium, you guys are truly awesome. My 15 mintues of fame is now over...

Here's the link: http://www.yoyocontest.com/detail.php?ContestID=118

Text below;

2008 California State Yo-Yo Championship

Date
Saturday, September 6th 2008

Promoter:
Stu Branoff & David Capurro

Contest Website
http://www.calstateyoyo.com

Venue
Exploratorium Museum

3601 Lyon Street

San Francisco CA 94123

2008 California State Yo-Yo Championship Results

1A Freestyle Results

Place	Players Name	City	State	Overall Score
1	Augie Fash	Chico	CA	100
2	Paul Yath	Lakewood	CA	68.14
3	John Chow	San Jose	CA	66.81
4	Paul Han	Cupertino	CA	65.05
5	Joseph Harris		CA	62.31
6	Anthony Rojas	Riverside	CA	57.08
7	Alex Kim	Torrance	CA	55.17
8	Evan Geller	Emerald Hills	CA	49.33
9	Joshua Yee	San Francisco	CA	49.24
10	Gerard Amento	Cherry Valley	CA	40.47
11	David Philip	Santa Barbara	CA	36.91
12	Bernardo Preciado	Hacienda Heights	CA	35.37
13	Ian Bailey	Alameda	CA	34.65
14	Sam Ungerer	Roseville	CA	33.35
15	Bryan Figueroa	Oakley	CA	32.79
16	Gary Couch	Bakersfield	CA	30.91
17	Luke Romero	Hercules	CA	30.76
18	McLeod Benson	Hermosa Beach	CA	29.79
19	Matthew Fernandez	San Francisco	CA	28.26
20	Nathan Crissey	Sunnyvale	CA	27.45
21	Tyler Hsieh	San Jose	CA	27.33
22	David Ju	San Jose	CA	26.35
23	Benjamin Ross	San Diego	CA	24.73
24	Vincent Dezutti	Redwood City	CA	22.52
25	Trent Franks	Penn Valley	CA	22.01
26	Pasquale Baldi	Cherry Valley	CA	21.87
27	Omri Levia	Sunnyvale	CA	18.29
28	Joe Benson	Carmichael	CA	15.41
29	Joey Vitalari	Goleta	CA	8.8
30	Tin Nguyen	San Francisco	CA	7.19
31	Zachary Lytle	Chico	CA	4.67
32	Nick Honnold	Folsom	CA	3.33

Open Freestyle

Place	Name
Score
1	Joseph Harris	97.39
2	Bryan Figueroa	94.41
3	Paul Yath	75.99
4	Anthony Rojas	60.87
5	David Mellons	60.61
6	Doc Pop	55.06
7	Matthew Fernandez	50.46
8	Joshua Yee	44.7
9	Zachary Lytle	40.45
10	Tyler Hsieh	37.24
11	Nathan Crissey	33.35
12	Caroline David	26.49
13	Joey Vitalari	23.65
14	Tin Nguyen	22.95
15	McCleod Benson	15.02
16	Rick Cobb	4.04

Fixed Axle Freestyle

1	Joseph Harris		CA	100
2	Bill deBoisblanc	Oakland	CA	67.1
3	Alex Kim	Torrance	CA	48.84
4	David Capurro	Berkeley	CA	42.27
5	Nathan Crissey	Sunnyvale	CA	31.1
6	Joshua Yee	San Francisco	CA	30.9
7	Rick Cobb	San Francisco	CA	15.27
8	McLeod Benson	Hermosa Beach	CA	3.41
9	Chris Allen	Lincoln	CA	1.67

2008 California State Champion in the HOUSE!

2008-09-09T01:05:00.000-07:00

AND...

Check out the press I've been getting recently (^.^):

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/video?id=6374083

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/04/NSHS12L6G6.DTL&hw=exploratorium&sn=001&sc=1000

http://www.asianweek.com/2008/09/05/toy-story-gravity-defying-yo-yo-tricks-on-display-at-california-state-yo-yo-championships/

Thank you EVERYONE in the yoyo community for making this possible. Especially David Capurro, aka "Cappy." He recommended me to the media. And thanks to Joshua Yee for recording my first ever California State Championship routine!