Mexico City 2025 World Contest

[ta0]

The International Board of Directors approved by unanimity a proposal by Trompos Chido for having the 2025 ITSA World Spintop Contest in Mexico City. As is well known, Mexico has the largest community of players in the world and has been very important in developing the current style of play. In particular, the group of young players around Trompos Chido is extremely talented and active.

The dates of the contest would be the weekend of October 11th. It's likely that Cuper's festival in Guadalajara will be the weekend before, so players can visit both if they so wish.

Thanks to contacts from Trompos Chido, the government of Mexico City has offered free use of multipurpose facilities for sporting and cultural events around the city, called Utopías. In particular, the Utopía Meyehualco and Barco Utopía
They include indoor stages for the freestyle finals plus plenty of outdoor areas.

Utopía Meyehualco :







I'm sure this will be fantastic with a record number of competitors. Don't miss it!

[Eleazar]

Agradezco la confianza que nos brinda ITSA y toda la comunidad del trompo alrededor del mundo para llevar a cabo este importante evento en la Ciudad de México.

Todos los que puedan estar presentes, siéntanse bienvenidos.

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Players in front of an electronic screen showing an earlier version of the poster:

[jim in paris]

wahou thats a great poster
Quetzalcoatl very colorful

thanx for showing

jim

ps : if you plan to come , contact the association ITSA well in advance...
we plan to help players for accomodation and maybe a bit for travel expenses
spin on !

[ta0]

We are working hard preparing for this. We are in talks with the government of Mexico City and the Institute of Sports. In addition, we are talking to a possible private sponsor.

It appears that we will have a good representation from Japan (Jun, Kanta, Ichi, Taka) and also from France (Quentin, possible Mermouy, Ludo, Emmanuel, Sham). The group Nutar, Emerson (Brazil), Matias (Chile) and Valentin (Argentina), is trying to come. So are Jader and Esteban (and likely others) from Colombia.

ITSA is looking into obtaining support the international players. If you think you could come (even conditional to getting support), please contact me. We need to submit a list of potential players coming from out of the country.

[ta0]

Here is a draft of the rules for the contest. Registration page will be up soon.
New Youth Division (1 minute, light top) and first in-person Artistic Showcase Division.
Open Division (World Champion Title) remains the same.

https://spintops.org/rules-world-mexico-2025/

[Jun]

Thank you for sharing the draft rules for the 2025 World Spintop Contest. As a player, I deeply respect the ambitious and wonderful initiative of establishing the new "Youth Division."

To make this new division the best it can be, I would like to ask a few questions. My goal is to better understand the philosophy and purpose behind the rules you have created.

1. Regarding the main goal of the Youth Division:

First, what is the primary goal or vision you hope to achieve with the Youth Division? For example, is it to expand the community of players, to develop future top-level competitors, or to promote international friendship through spintops?

2. Regarding the music rule:

I was wondering about the purpose of the rule that music will be provided by the organizers. Could you please explain the reason behind this? For instance, was it to ensure fairness, to prevent the use of inappropriate songs, or to make it easier for young participants to prepare?

3. Regarding the judging criteria (Performance Score):

I noticed that in the Youth Division rules, the specific criteria for "performance score" are not written, unlike in the Open Division. Is this intentional, maybe to give young players more freedom of expression? Or do you plan to add the details later?

4. Regarding the specific reasons for the age and weight limits:

Could you please share the reasoning for setting the age limit to "12 and under" and the weight limit to "70g or less"? I am sure you considered these numbers carefully from a safety and skill-level perspective, and I would be very interested to learn about your thought process.

I know you are very busy, but I believe that by understanding your thoughts on these points, we can have a common ground for a more constructive discussion. I look forward to the opportunity to work together to make the Youth Division a fantastic event for everyone.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[ta0]

Thanks for the questions, Jun.
The reason for this Youth Division is to showcase the most common top play in Mexico, which is children playing with small plastic tops. Literally millions of kids play every year. It's somewhat similar to having a koma trick competition in Japan.
Providing the music for the Youth Division is to make the logistics easier. We might get a lot of competitors. That's one reason for having only 1 minute duration. The other reason is to make it more accessible to players.
The absence of a performance score is on purpose, to simplify the scoring.
The age limit is a bit arbitrary. I could have 13th.
The idea of this division started as a division for the typical inexpensive Mexican top that many companies like Cometa, 5 Estrellas, etc. use to promote in regular campaigns. I first suggested a limit of 55 gr. but I was told that we should include the traditional Jumbo size, so we raised it to 70 gr. We wanted to leave out expensive high-performance or heavy tops. At one point we considered calling it the Feather division (like in boxing) and perhaps not having an age limit.

[Jun]

Thank you for your reply and for clarifying the background of the new division. Your explanation of its purpose and origins was very helpful.
Based on that information, I believe there is a way to better align the division's rules with its stated goals. My proposal is to rename the "Youth Division" and adjust the age structure to an open-entry format with age-specific awards.
The main issue is that the name "Youth Division" creates an expectation that doesn't match the division's actual concept. Renaming it to something like "Featherweight Division" would immediately clarify that the focus is on the equipment, not the player's age.
Changing the eligibility to "all ages" but with separate awards for different groups (e.g., U-12, 13-17, 18+) would solve the issue for players outside the current age limit and make the event more inclusive, in line with your goals.
Here is a practical example of the structure:

Division Name: Featherweight Division
Eligibility: Open to all ages
Rules: The current rules (1-minute routine, provided music, 70g limit, technical scoring only) are well-suited for the division's purpose and would remain.

Award Categories (Example):
Overall Champion (Highest score)
Youth Award (Top score, 12 and under)
Junior Award (Top score, 13-17)
Senior Award (Top score, 18 and over)

This structure seems to be a logical solution that maintains the core concept of the division while improving clarity and fairness.
Also, should you need judges for this division, I would be willing to be involved. With a clear understanding of the rules and intent, I could contribute to a fair competition.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

[Jun]

List of Proposals for Future Improvements
1. Clarification and Quantization of Evaluation Criteria
Proposal:
To eliminate ambiguity in the rulebook by establishing concrete numerical standards wherever possible. This includes clarifying the handling of drops, mistakes, and hand-catches within the Performance Score, as well as the official definition of a "completed trick."
Reasoning:
This is necessary to eliminate scoring differences caused by a judge's individual subjectivity or cultural background (e.g., the interpretation of a hand-catch), ensuring all athletes are evaluated on a fair and consistent basis. It also helps athletes to strategize their routines more effectively and increases their acceptance of the final results.

2. Introduction of a Judge Development and Certification System
Proposal:
To mandate participation in pre-tournament workshops (online is acceptable) to align on rule interpretations. In the future, to introduce a formal certification process for judges that tests their knowledge and experience.
Reasoning:
This is necessary to guarantee that the clarified rules are applied consistently by all judges. This will prevent the recurrence of issues like the one with "Judge H" and will improve the overall quality and reliability of the entire judging panel.

3. Advance Publication of the Judge Panel
Proposal:
To officially announce the list of judges for the competition a certain period in advance (e.g., one month prior to the event) on the official website.
Reasoning:
This is necessary to ensure the transparency of tournament operations and to eliminate suspicions such as "were judges chosen at the last minute to favor a specific athlete?". It also provides judges with adequate time to prepare responsibly and allows athletes to better anticipate the evaluation standards.

4. Providing Clear Guidelines on "Trick Repetition"
Proposal:
To provide judges with specific guidelines on what constitutes a "repeated" trick and to make these guidelines public to the athletes. (e.g., "Is a trick considered different if the entry or combo is different?," "Are symmetrical/mirrored tricks considered a repetition?," etc.).
Reasoning:
This is necessary to clarify the evaluation criteria for "variety" within the technical score and to maintain scoring consistency. Athletes will be able to strategically construct their routines with a clear understanding of how much variation is needed to maximize their score.

[jim in paris]

hi all
hi Jun
I disagree with the idea of a no age limit for the so-called featherweight div
14 years limit is good to promote young players
which is the main purpose of this division

good day

jim

[Jun]

Hello all, Hello Jim,

Thank you for your input. I agree that promoting young players is an important point.

On that note, I'd like to clarify one thing. The previous explanation I received stated that the main purpose of this division was "to showcase Mexican top culture." Hearing from you now, Jim, that the main purpose is "to promote young players" has caused some confusion on my end about the intended direction of this division.

However, I don't believe these two goals necessarily have to be in conflict.
Therefore, as a solution to achieve both goals simultaneously, I would like to again propose the following method: Change the division's name to match its content, make it open to all ages, and establish age-specific awards.

Specifically, by changing the name to something like "Featherweight Division," it becomes clear that the theme is the type of top and its culture. Then, by creating an award within it, such as a "U-14 Excellence Award," we can also precisely fulfill the goal of promoting young players that you emphasize, Jim.
With this approach, I believe we can create a division with a clear purpose that is attractive to more participants, without having to sacrifice one valuable goal for the other.

Thank you for your consideration.

[ta0]

Thanks Jun for the detailed thoughts and suggestions and Jim for your feedback.

You are right, Jun, naming it Featherweight is more descriptive of its purpose. In fact, at one point we considered that name, as well as Light Top Division. We also considered having non-youth competing. In fact, professional top demonstrators that promote tops for the manufactures, are mostly accustomed to playing with these tops. But when Cometa confirmed that their "champions" won't be available in the dates of the contest, we abandoned the idea and decided to make it a Youth division, just to simplify the logistics. But we are still in time to reconsider this. I'll ask the local organizer, Trompo Chido, what they think.

You have good suggestions about judge's "training". This year we will have meetings before the contest to get as much uniformity in the criteria used as possible. Next year we might be able to implement some of your suggestions.

[ta0]

Registration is officially open for worlds! Here is the registration form: https://spintops.org/registration-mexico-2025/
Important: you need to register in advance!

After some consideration we decided to leave the light division as a youth division.

Registration for the word record attempt will come later.

[ta0]

Just 40 days until worlds!

The official hotel of the contest is the Krystal Urban Aeropuerto, at 5.1 km from the airport (free shuttle) and 7 km from the venue. One room for 2 people (1 king bed or 2 queen beds) without breakfast is $80 usd including taxes. It’s possible to get a better deal by signing for free for their reward program and get extended check-in and check-out.



Alternative hotel: Hotel Atenas Plaza also a 7 km from venue. One room with 1 king bed for 2 persons is $55 usd, and with 2 queen beds for up to 4 people is $85 usd.
An Uber for 4 people between these hotels and the venue costs between $5 and $8 usd.