The Figaro Gallery of Top Players

Figaro travels around the world and gets pictured with the Top Spintop Players and other People who are

Pictures in chronological order. Click on the images for uncroped and larger or different pictures
Name: Jorge Alcoz Alias: ta0 Location: San Antonio, Texas Fav trick: Staircase to Heaven Main tools: Modded HP, Figaro Top facts: Zen Master of this site, World (09 ft) and US (08) Champion
Name: Hamilton Yokota Alias: Titi Freak Location: Sao Paulo, Brazil Fav trick:   Main tools: Bearing King Top facts: World-renowned graffiti and mural artist Website: www.tfreak.com
Name: Mike Hout Alias: Spin Preacher Location: Miamisburg, Ohio Fav trick: Head spin while juggling bowling balls Main tools: Spintastics Trompo Top facts: World (11 ft) Champion Website: Whirled Festival of Tops
Name: Dave Bazan Alias: Buzzon Location: Dallas, Texas Fav trick: Multiple one-handed trapezes Main tools: HP, Elite, Blizzard Top facts: World (02, 05) & National (01, 06) champion Website:
Name: Miguel Correa Alias: Miggy Location: Dallas, Texas Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts: World (03) & US (03) Champion
Name: Dale Oliver Alias: Grand Master Location: Dallas, Texas Fav trick:   Main tools: Quick Silver Top facts: 92 World Yo-Yo Champion, owner Spintastics, spintop judge Website: www.spintastics.com
Name: Valery Oliver Alias: Val Location: Dallas, Texas Fav trick:   Main tools: Trompo Top facts: Top ranked female player Website: www.spintastics.com
Name: Alan Gray Alias:   Location: Omaha, Nebraska Fav trick: Master of the one-handed lasso Main tools: Self-made 6-inch wood tops Top facts: Creator of Figaro and other fine-crafted tops. Judge Website www.woodtops.com
Name: Takeshi Alias: Mitchell Thomas Red-Cloud Kamisato Location: Indianapolis, Indiana Fav trick: Takeshi's Top Tangler (t3) Main tools: Bearing King Top facts: Yoyo moder, videographer and skateboarder
Name: Boyd Thomas Alias: Boyd Seth Location: Oregon Fav trick: Cliffhanger Main tools: Mjolnir Top facts:
Name: Robert Gray Alias:   Location: Nebraska Fav trick:   Main tools: Alan's custom tops Top facts:
Name: Cliff Coleman Alias: CliffSlider Location: California Fav trick: Long combos Main tools: YYJ Gates Top facts: Skateboarding pioneer
Name: Matt Ritter Alias:   Location: Tallahassee, Florida Fav trick: Ghost catch Main tools: Bearing King Top facts: World champion (04, 06, 07) and US (04) Champion
Name: Dick Stohr Alias:   Location: Springfield, Virginia Fav trick:   Main tools: Sidewinder, Blizzard Top facts: Top judge at worlds and nats
Name: David Buhrmester Alias:   Location:   Fav trick: Magnetic wire Main tools: HP, King-Me moded Trompo Top facts: Sculptor and maker of super-glue tops Website: youtube.com/user/daveid777
Name: Chris Oneil Alias:   Location:   Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts:
Name: Alex Ayers Alias: Apex Location:   Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts:
Name: Tom Connolly Alias:   Location: Washington DC area Fav trick:   Main tools: Cozmo Top facts: Dad of a great yoyoing girl
Name: Jeff Smith Alias:   Location: Kalamazoo, Michigan Fav trick:   Main tools: YYJ Topdog Top facts: Has dominated the ladder in his age group
Name: Jon Gates Alias:   Location: Denver, Colorado Fav trick:   Main tools: Anything with rotational symmetry, specially a YYJ Gates Top facts: World (00,08) and US (02,05,07) Champion Website www.yo-motion.com
Name: Joe Fielding-Purdy Alias: mtntop Location: Denver, Colorado Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts: Two-time Colorado champion
Name: Darren Kim Alias:   Location: Denver, Colorado Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts: World (10) and US (09, 10) Champion
Name: Catherine Sampietro Alias:   Location: San Francisco, California Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts: Spintop Mama at The Academy Website youtube.com/user/cowgirlSam
Name: Mark Hayward Alias:   Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Fav trick:   Main tools: Topdog, Chubby Top facts: Creator of the Ultimate Battletop Contest of the Universe Website www.markhaywardismyhero.com and www.markhayward.net
Name: Eric Wolff Alias:   Location: Chicago Fav trick:   Main tools: His superbly crafted tops (and a lathe) Top facts: Leader of renowned Chicago Fire Kite Team Website
Name: André Boulay Alias:   Location:   Fav trick:   Main tools:   Top facts: National Yo-Yo Master
Name: John Buechele Alias:   Location: Ohio Fav trick:   Main tools: Spintastics Trompo Top facts: Tours the country with his guitar and tops
Name:	Jean-Marie (Jim) Boehm
Alias:	Lord Jim
Location:	Paris, France
Fav trick:	chin stall
Main tools:
Top facts:
Name:	Ronan Lelievre
Alias:	Lapin
Location:	Paris, France
Fav trick:	hand curl
Main tools:
Top facts:
Name:	Cyril Mermilloid
Alias:	Le Collectionneur
Location:	near Paris, France
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	has one of the biggest antique top collections in the world
Name:	Clement Bertaux
Alias:	Paris, France
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	France national yo-yo champion
Name:	Philippe D.
Alias:
Location:	Sigy le Châtel, Bourgogne, France
Fav trick:
Main tools:	wood lathe
Top facts:	unusual working and artistic wooden tops
Name:	Jorge Sanjuan
Alias:	Pulpo
Location:	Madrid, Spain
Fav trick:	elevator
Main tools:
Top facts:	main top hombre at yoyo4all.com
Name:	Didier Malherbe
Alias:
Location:	Paris, France
Fav trick:	real drumb-beat
Main tools:	drum, flute, sound making stuff
Top facts:	makes music with tops and also collects them
Website	www.didiermalherbe.com
Name:	Chris Sandt
Alias:	Secret Agent
Location:	Raeford, NC
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Felix Avellana
Alias:	Fee-Fee
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	World (01, 09 bt) Champion
Website
Name:	Chris Neff
Alias:	yophosis
Location:	Jefferson City, Missouri
Fav trick:	Zorro, Whippersnapper
Main tools:	Strummol8, homemade Project 213
Top facts:	World (11 bt) Champion, How to be a Player DVD
Website
Name:	Tyler Severance
Alias:
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	World (08) and Nat yo-yo champion, counter-weight division
Website
Name:	Takahiko Hasegawa
Alias:	Taka
Location:	Japan
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	World (02, 05, 11) yo-yo champion, artistic performance division
Website
Name:	Bob Rule
Alias:	Mr. Yo-yo
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Duncan demonstrator; at one time he was also known as Mr. Spintop
Website	www.mryoyo.com
Name:	Rick Osbourne
Alias:
Location:	Tampa, Florida
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Royal national yo-yo & spintop champion, Duncan demonstrator
Website
Name:	Steve Brown
Alias:	Elvis
Location:	Cleveland Heights, OH
Fav trick:	Bermuda Triangle
Main tools:	10" SB2
Top facts:	National Yo-Yo master. How to Be a Player DVD
Website
Name:	Omar Garza
Alias:	Mexico
Location:	Orlando, FL
Fav trick:	Regens, wire walking
Main tools:	Custom Hybrid QS, 5 estrellas
Top facts:	Invented "corkscrew sandwich"
Website
Name:	Rob Tsou
Alias:	robtsou, Dr. Nick
Location:	Atlanta, GA
Fav trick:
Main tools:	Lathe
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Dave Schulte
Alias:	Dazzling Dave
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:	battling tops
Top facts:	Ultimate Battletop of the Universe & 1st lightbulb battletop winner
Website	www.dazzlingdave.com
Name:	Kevin McKlusky
Alias:	yocephus
Location:	Raleigh, NC
Fav trick:
Main tools:	camera, diet rc
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Kevin Newell
Alias:
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	freestyled at worlds 2010
Website
Name:	Sam Niemeier
Alias:
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Pizza spinner
Website
Name:	Stu Branoff
Alias:	Stupendous
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:	diabolo
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Petr Kavka
Alias:
Location:	Czech Republic
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Seth
Alias:	waxyaxle
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	John Higby
Alias:	half of the Yo-Yo People
Location:	Amherst, Massachussetts
Fav trick:	Yoyoing while unicycling
Main tools:
Top facts:	Tours the world with Rebecca performing with skill toys
Website	www.yoyopeople.com
Name:	Beau Compton
Alias:	runBMC
Location:	Nashville, Tennessee
Fav trick:	Roadrunner
Main tools:	Strummol8
Top facts:	youngest player to throw Figaro
Website
Name:	Chris
Alias:
Location:
Fav trick:
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Top facts:
Website
Name:	Hank Freeman
Alias:
Location:	Cleveland, OH
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Yo-yo 3A US national champion
Website
Name:	Bryan Hemingway
Alias:	hemingsoft
Location:	Cincinnati, OH
Fav trick:	Whip
Main tools:	UC HDPE top
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Tai-Min Liu
Alias:	TML
Location:	Cincinnati, OH / Taiwan
Fav trick:
Main tools:	UC HDPE top
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Aaron Wade
Alias:
Location:	Cincinnati, OH / Florida
Fav trick:	regenerating suns
Main tools:	UC HDPE top
Top facts:
Website
Name:	John Markus
Alias:
Location:	Cincinnati, OH
Fav trick:
Main tools:	Lathe, 10" tops
Top facts:	builder of the Cincy giant tops
Website
Name:	Patrick Malsom
Alias:
Location:	Cincinnati, OH  (Michigan-bred )
Fav trick:
Main tools:	UC HDPE top
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Javier Fortes
Alias:
Location:	Mollina (Andalucía), Spain
Fav trick:	barrel rolls
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Sebastián del Pino
Alias:
Location:	Antequera (Andalucía), Spain
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Top collector and popularizer
Website
Name:	Jack Ringca
Alias:
Location:	Jacksonville, FL
Fav trick:
Main tools:	Bearing King
Top facts:	Duncan pro-demonstrator, 95 yo-yo nats champ (5A), musician
Website
Name:	Hans Van Dan Elzen
Alias:	YoHans
Location:	Phoenix, AZ
Fav trick:
Main tools:	Throwback
Top facts:	Founder of Yoyofactory. Top collector
Website	Yoyofactory.
Name:	Brian Caster
Alias:
Location:	Salinas, CA
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Paul Kyprie
Alias:	Zeemo
Location:	Whitmore Lake, Michigan
Fav trick:	getting rebooked for a show!
Main tools:
Top facts:	professional performer
Website	www.zeemoshows.com
Name:	Rick Prevett
Alias:
Location:	Lincoln, Nebraska
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	force behind Flatland
Website
Name:	Chad Lunders
Alias:
Location:	Lincoln, Nebraska
Fav trick:	Saturn Rings
Main tools:	string epoxi shell with hard foam core top
Top facts:	makes own tops, films in 3D
Website
Name:	Jek Kelly
Alias:
Location:	Omaha, Nebraska
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:	Founder of Flatland Festival, (Australian) boomerang ace
Website
Name:	Mike Hickerson
Alias:	shootist
Location:	Cropwell, Alabama
Fav trick:
Main tools:	Strummol8 Giulia
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Austen Hickerson
Alias:	Cropwell, Alabama
Location:
Fav trick:
Main tools:
Top facts:
Website
Name:	Jared
Alias:	Bucsfan
Location:	Orlando, Florida
Fav trick:
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Top facts:
Website
Name:	Tim Simca
Alias:
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Name:
Alias:	Free
Location:
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Website
Name:	Branden
Alias:
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Name:	Orlando
Alias:
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Website
Name:	Zac
Alias:
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Name:	Noah
Alias:
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Website
Name:	Drew
Alias:
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Top facts:
Website
Name:	Justin Goss
Alias:	SirBoot32
Location:	San Antonio, Texas
Fav trick:	One hand lasso to Texas Cowpoke
Main tools:	Trompo Grande (Salvador tip), Cuper 360 (Ti tip) and Diet BK
Top facts:	Lucky guy
Website