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[ta0]

As you all know the world yo-yo contest will take place in Tokyo, Japan, next year (www.tokyo15.com).
We have discussed if we should also have the world spintop contest there, the main issue being if there would be spintop competitors that would be able to attend.

This morning I received an email from Hiro, asking for help judging a spintop contest in Tokyo and also inquiring about the possibility of including koma. Obviously, having Japanese players, either traditional koma or modern spintop, competing at worlds would be a great leap for the community.  In addition, I hear possible interest from YYF and Cometa in having spintop players competing in Japan, so it is possible (but not certain) that we would have an adequate (or even significant) contingent of players.

It seems to me that all the stars are aligning for having the 2015 World Spintop Contest in Tokyo. It is risky and challenging, but could be a great opportunity to expand our community.

[Jack]

i wonder if theyll have a kendama competition there aswell?

[studio42]

They might have a kendama exhibition, but they already have major kendama contests earlier in the year from what I understand.

It would make sense to just roll all the skill toy stuff into one mega competition. But, wouldn't it be up to the IYYC to decide what they'll allow?

[Hrosik]

In my opinion is best to have spintop together with yoyo worlds and never divide them into two separate contests. I like the yoyo community and what I always heard from Czech (and other) yoyo players, they always enjoy spintop division. Only problem is having enough players, but I doubt that separating spintop from yoyo contests make it better. Only if Worlds would be held in Columbia, like Jorge said, number of players wouldn't be a problem. But I like the style of Worlds where every year Worlds are located on different place (continent).

And me and Jakub would like to travel to Tokyo too, but I'm not sure if we'll have enough money, it's pretty expensive way over there to Japan. But we would like to compete in Tokyo too for sure.

[ta0]

If you or Jakub could come it would be fantastic. Perhaps Energia would want to sponsor the next world champion? 

I do think that eventually we will have to separate from the yo-yo contest. I dream of a really large top contest with many styles and divisions, plus battles, etc.    We will see . . .

[Jack]

If you or Jakub could come it would be fantastic. Perhaps Energia would want to sponsor the next world champion? 

if him or jakub did come to japan......... no one would have a chance against them @-@

[studio42]

I haven't been able to go to a Worlds contest, and unless I'm running sound production for it, I doubt I will make it.

All I can compare it to is US Nationals. I went to the yoyo contest in 2012 and 2013. I could not go in 2014 as I had a gig in my home town so I was unable to attend. I go for the yoyo contest, but my interest in spintops has been rising steadily.

The spintop contest is sort of shoved in the back. Not cool. I'm strongly tempted to drive my truck up to Chico and load in a full concert grade PA and give the spintop contest the full on rock-star treatment. Odds are I'd end up using a smaller PA I use for prelims at CalStates and BAC as it would be sufficient.

I think spintop should just piggy-back on the yoyo contest. It saves costs and expenses. At least at Worlds, Spintop takes mains stage. For all the efforts these people do, it's shouldn't be any other way.

[Dick Stohr]

The main problem for US Nationals is time during a one day event. Since it us during the school year another day is just not available. So one day, limited stage time, a lot of yo-yo competitors, it is THE yo-yo event, put on by the US National Yo-Yo Museum folks. Giving spin tops another stage is about the best they can do.

[Dale]

As far as should we have the 2015 top contest in Tokyo, without a doubt. The only way to build the top event to sustainable levels is to have the help of the yo-yo community.
We should have some sort of combined/separate division for the traditional Koma players just as we had for the Columbian players. I have seen some Koma performances and they are quite good.

[Dick Stohr]

In the 1990's World Yo-Yo contest was a part of IJA. Yo-Yoing got too big and had other problems with IJA and split off for its own event. When the time comes that Spin Top needs to be a separate event we will know and will have the resources and leadership to move on. Until Spin Top gets too big and can not be accommodated buy the Yo-Yo events it needs to say thank you very much and be supportive of the host events.

[Neff]

Nationals is anything but accommodating to the spin top element.  I'm not sure about the new and improved World Contest, but it sure did not seem like the crowd was into those amazing freestyles that were delivered.

I do not object to Japan 2015, but I honestly feel the yo-yo audience is the wrong audience for spin tops.  Growth has been so, so slow.  I believe it is because so few players manage to look cool while spinning tops.  It just looks hard most of the time. Nobody wants to look a fool. The only place you will get a descent audience is where kids already play tops, like in Mexico.

Spin top players within the yo-yo community have done many things for spin tops, in and out of the events, but it is hard for me to see what yo-yoing in general does to support spin tops.  The only reason spin top contests are at yo-yo events is because in the U.S. spin tops are only made by yo-yo manufacturers.

[ta0]

I basically agree with Neff that in the long term the yo-yo community limits our growth. It has been great to piggy back on their contests and I am very thankful for that. But there is a glass ceiling we will never be able to break. Who travels to a major yo-yo contest? Players who have committed to the toy thousands upon thousand of hours. Very few will be interested in seriously taking another skill toy (with some notable exceptions, like Tyler). I bet no kendama champions have come from the (serious) yo-yo community.

At Chico I feel the support has been mixed. Last year it was wonderful that we were supplied with our own backdrop. But this year I felt we were "penalized".

I am not sure what will happen in Tokyo. It could be disappointing or it could be a break through with Japanese players competing.  We will see.

There is chicken-egg problem involved. We need enough players to organize great contests and great contest to attract players. My vision for a great spintop meet is one that combines many forms of spintop play, the freestyles being the star show, but also having top battles and lots of other spintop challenges. That is something unlikely to happen inside a yo-yo contest.

I am aware of some spintop promotion campaigns in new markets for 2015 and I am optimistic about the future.

[jim in paris]

hi all

worlds 2015 in japan is OK i do not see any other possibility in the next few months
but we know that very few of us will be able/can afford a trip to Japan
over the past years the W YY contest has inflated a lot : number of players, management etc....whereas for tops we have not grown!difficult to complain:--)
at the same time we know how much bigger tops are worldwide with the incredible variety of practises and contests: duration,battles,precision,sport,team games etc...
with this perspective , our format of a 3mn freestyle on music is marginal

it's the goal of ITSA, to try and create a different pattern
 2015 will be a  gap-year

jim

[ta0]

We have made contact with the Japanese koma association and the group around the Nagoya museum. They are very interested in participating.
We still need to figure out how that is going to happen (if they will freestyle with us like the Colombians did or have a separate contest).

Taka is also very interested in having tops there. I don't know if he would compete and, if he does, if he would use modern tops or traditional komas. But he is taking classes from Fujita-san himself.

[CUPER]

q tal zaludoz a los del foro  yo te comento jorge mi idea es asistir a tokio estoy en la idea de ir,ojala di a dia ball creziendo el evento ke para esto faltan muchos detalles  que se tendran q afinar ....