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!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Getting closer to accomplishing my YoYo Mission
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!
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!
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!
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