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Author Topic: What's your story?  (Read 4068 times)

Greaves504

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What's your story?
« on: May 12, 2010, 09:21:38 AM »

Hey everyone :)
Since I'm new to tops, naturally, it's all I can think about. The tricks, the physics of it all, designs for my own, etc.
Then I started wondering if everyone got this excited at on point so I figured why not ask. I think it'd be cool to know a little more about everyone's story and figured it'd make a good topic.

So here's what I came up with:
How did you first discover tops?
Why did you start spinning?
How did you get your first top and what type of top was it?
How old were you and how many years have you been spinning?


I first saw a top when I was in elementary school on TV. They were playing My Summer Story.

About a week or so ago I came across a video on youtube with someone turning a top on a lathe and then a video of Gerardo Montero. Instantly needed to try for myself.

I don't have a top yet, but I'll be getting a few soon from Ta0. I can tell I'm gonna be spending a lot of time with the Turbo Pro and Aztec

I am 17, and the age I will start spinning for no doubt years to come. (possibly to the annoyance to my future wife :P)
« Last Edit: May 12, 2010, 10:31:28 AM by Greaves504 »
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MatiasStuntMan

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #1 on: May 12, 2010, 12:04:37 PM »

Good topic Greaves, here is my story:

How did you first discover tops?
I played with tops when I was a kid, my father played with them and he tought me how to throw. I used to play at school, Tops came in waves, one month it was Tops, the next Yo-Yos, the next marbles and so on.

Why did you start spinning?

I rediscover Tops last christmas (2009), when I bought a Top from an artesan to teach my 7 year old boy how to throw them, and I got hooked again, after more than 25 years of not touching one. Jorge's (Master Ta0) videos really motivated me to learn the tricks, I can say that I owe Jorge that motivation, I hope to meet him sometime. Then this forum and all the good people that post here, like Chris Neff, Pulp, Salvador, Mike, MountainTop, Jim, etc

How did you get your first top and what type of top was it?

I had many wooden made colombian Tops when I was a kid, but I started to buy Tops to learn "Artistic Tops" on January of 2010, my first one was an useless Duncan Imperial from Amazon, then I bought a Sidewinder from Amazon and that is when I really started to enjoy the game, I learned to do the boomerang with it, the next one was a Duncan Rip Cord from Amazon, it was tough to throw but started me into modifications. Then I found the Gladiator and it really kick start my learning, that one from Speintastics.com. Regenerations started with the Trompo Grande and the Premier Jumbo from Ta0.

How old were you and how many years have you been spinning?
My "Artistic Top" journey started on January 2010 at age 38.
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hemingsoft

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #2 on: May 12, 2010, 12:44:56 PM »


So here's what I came up with:
How did you first discover tops?

I had several types of tops when I was a child.  Most were simple finger tops.  The plastic "battle tops" were slightly after my youth.

Why did you start spinning?


I became involved in spin tops after a group of people here at the University of Cincinnati made a large "tippy-top" for a lecture demonstration.  Next thing I knew, someone asked if I had ever thrown a top.  I then saw a wooden top with string wrapped around it.  None of us had any guidance so we started throwing this wooden top all across the hallway.  After weeks we figured out how to get it to spin consistently.  Then came the youtube videos and we were absolutely amazed at people's skill level.

How did you get your first top and what type of top was it?

The first top I ever threw was an old pegtop.  JohnM then began to make wooden tops on a lathe.  My first "official" tops were trompo grande, sidewinder, and trompo bearing.

How old were you and how many years have you been spinning?

I was 24 when I first began to throw.  So, it seems to be about two years of throwing.

(possibly to the annoyance to my future wife :P)

My wife thinks it's a little weird, but I guess there's worse things I could be doing with my time  :o
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"Could switching to GEICO really save you 15 percent or more on car insurance?"

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RunBMC

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #3 on: May 12, 2010, 03:42:12 PM »

First i just discovered tops about a year ago around today, i had a field trip to williamsburg, virginia and went to a gift shop and found a wodden top, and had no i dea what it was.
I started spinning because the second i threw the top, i didnt just want it to spin on the ground, i want to do tricks. so, i youtubed ''spin top tricks'' and got ta0's video, which led me to topspinning(DOT)com.after going there for a few months, the website broke down, and our salvation for top discussion was here, now the awesome itopspin(dot)com.thats where it lead me to doing the tricks i can do now.
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Every jam we play, we break two needles
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My name is Beau, you can call him B
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Well I just told you.

Java

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #4 on: May 12, 2010, 10:33:34 PM »

I had an Imperial back in the '60s, but I never learned to spin it very well. Rediscovered tops through yoyo websites last year, and found ta0 dot com and topspinning dot com. I sort of collect examples of what we used to do to entertain ourselves back before video games were invented. I ordered three tops at once, so my "first" tops were an Imperial, a Sidewinder, and a Ripcord. That was last year at age 49. Got completely hooked. Now I've got a couple dozen tops, and I don't plan to quit buying them soon............Wife of 25 years gives me funny looks every once in a while, but when she does, I remind her what it would cost if I were collecting bass guitars or motorcycles instead. Oh, and one word of advice; if/when you do get married, and she catches you ordering more tops and asks you how many tops you can use at once, DO NOT ask her how many pairs of shoes she can wear at once.........

Have Fun,
Java
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MatiasStuntMan

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #5 on: May 12, 2010, 11:31:12 PM »

DO NOT ask her how many pairs of shoes she can wear at once.........

Oh... wise Java; as once Niccolo Machiavelli said on the Prince
"Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful."


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ta0

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #6 on: May 12, 2010, 11:37:48 PM »

It is great to hear each one's story.

You can find the story of many of us on this old thread: Spintop Lineages
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SpinQueen

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #7 on: May 13, 2010, 12:14:59 AM »

Ahhh, thanks for that Jorge.  I knew our stories were out there somewhere.
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the Earl of Whirl

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #8 on: May 13, 2010, 04:34:02 AM »

When can I use that line about how many shoes can you wear at once?  That sure fits life around this house!  I have got to be able to use it sometime.
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Happiness runs in a circular motion!!!

Greaves504

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Re: What's your story?
« Reply #9 on: May 13, 2010, 09:27:12 AM »

if/when you do get married, and she catches you ordering more tops and asks you how many tops you can use at once, DO NOT ask her how many pairs of shoes she can wear at once.........

haha I have a feeling if I say that to even my girlfriend she'd try to show me her own more painful version of a boomerang with one of her shoes
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