Monday, June 7, 2010
DVD Trailer is almost out~CHECK IT!
Here's the next version we're working on:
**UPDATE 6/14/2010**
One of the last versions:
Sunday, May 30, 2010
SF Chronicle Article in the paper today!
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.
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!
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.
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.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Busy with Gigs!
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!
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!
Friday, March 19, 2010
OHANA event
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:
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!
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!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.
*****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?
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)
Snacks available for sale! Drinks available at the La Pena bar!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Password: cbs
Finally, the producer sent me the DVD copy which is now available online!
Does it work? from Yo Mama on Vimeo.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
CBS Sunday Morning News
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. =)
============================================
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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