2013 World Yo-Yo Contest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest |
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|---|---|
| Venue | Rozen Plaza Hotel |
| Location |  Orlando, Florida, United States |
| Dates | August 8–10, 2013 |
The 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest was the biggest yo-yo competition in the world for that year. Winners from this contest in any of the six main divisions were named the best yo-yo players in the world. They held this title until the 2014 World Champions were chosen. Gregory Cohen and the International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF) organized the competition. It took place at the Rozen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Florida, USA, from August 8 to 10, 2013.
World Yo-Yo Champions 2013
This table shows the top three winners for each main yo-yo style at the 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest.
| Style | Winner | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | Janos Karancz ( Hungary) |
Christopher Chia ( Singapore) |
Luis Enrique-Villasenor ( Mexico) |
| 2A | Takuma Yamamoto ( Japan) |
Shu Takada ( Japan) |
Ryo Yamashita ( Japan) |
| 3A | Hank Freeman ( USA) |
Patrick Borgerding ( USA) |
Yasuki Tachibana ( Japan) |
| 4A | Michael Nakamura ( USA) |
Naoto Okada ( Japan) |
Chun Hin Chan ( Hong Kong) |
| 5A | Takeshi Matsuura ( Japan) |
Tyler Severance ( USA) |
Samm Scott ( USA) |
| AP | SPIN NAT!ON ( Japan) |
You can find a full list of past champions here: World Yo-Yo Champions.
1A Division: Single Hand String Trick
Janos Karancz from Hungary made history by becoming the first European to win the 1A division. This was also the only year where the top three players in 1A were not from Japan or the United States. Before the contest, Janos had won all his previous competitions, like the Hungarian National and European titles. Many people expected him to do well, even though it was his first time at the World Contest. A famous player, Hiroyuki Suzuki, didn't make it into the top 5 this year, which was unusual.
2A Division: Two Hands Looping Trick
The 2013 contest was a big rematch between Takuma Yamamoto and Shu Takada. Shu Takada had won the 2A World Title in 2012. This time, Takuma Yamamoto's amazing technical skills were too hard to beat, even with Shu Takada's creative routine. Takuma won his second World Title, after first winning in 2008. Players from Japan won all top three spots again, with Ryu Yamashita taking third place.
3A Division: Two Hands String Trick
Patrick Borgerding had a lot of confidence after winning the 2012 US National Yo-Yo Competition. He challenged Hank Freeman, who was the champion for two years in a row. But Patrick didn't quite win. Hank Freeman performed with only two small mistakes, which was a record for this division. This helped him win his third World Title in a row. Other strong players like Yasuki Tachibana, Alex Hattori, and Eric Tranton made the 2013 3A division one of the best ever.
4A Division: Offstring
The 2013 4A competition was very unusual. Every player made at least one big mistake that cost them points. The defending champion, Rei Iwakura, had thirteen major mistakes. This opened the door for Michael Nakamura, a rising star, to win the World Title. Chun Hin Chan became the first player from outside the United States or Japan to finish in the top three in the 4A division.
5A Division: Counterweight
Takeshi Matsuura won first place, earning his fifth world title in the 5A division. Tyler Severance, who was the 2007 5A World Champion, came in second. Samm Scott, the 2011 5A US National Champion, took third place. The judges gave Matsuura's tricks a near-perfect score of 95.1 points. This was more than 20 points higher than the second-place winner's score of 73.0.
AP Division: Artistic Performance
Japan's SP!N NAT!ON won the AP division. They performed a spectacular yo-yo show with a "Cops and Robbers" theme.
Understanding Yo-Yo Divisions
The World Yo-Yo Contest has six main divisions. Winning in any of these means you are a 'World Yo-Yo Champion'.
| Division Name | Other Name | What it's About |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | Single Hand String Trick | Players use one yo-yo that spins for a long time. They do tricks by moving the string. |
| 2A | Two Hands Looping Trick | Players use two yo-yos at the same time. They make the yo-yos go up and down in a loop. |
| 3A | Two Hands String Trick | Players use two yo-yos that spin for a long time. They do tricks with both yo-yos at once. |
| 4A | Offstring | Players use a special yo-yo that is not tied to the string. They often throw the yo-yo into the air and try to catch it on the string. |
| 5A | Counterweight | Players use a yo-yo with a small weight on the end of the string instead of tying it to their finger. |
| AP | Artistic Performance | Performers use any type of yo-yo or other props. They put on a show that focuses on dance moves and how they look on stage. |
How the Contest Works: Rounds and Rules
The World Yo-Yo Contest has several rounds before the final competition. In the past, anyone could enter. Competitors had one minute to perform, and a certain number of players would move on to the finals. The rules for these rounds have changed over the years as competitive yo-yoing has become more popular.
For the 1A division, there were three rounds of competition. For divisions 2A through 5A, there were only two rounds: the Preliminary and the Final.
- Preliminary Round (1 minute routine)
- The top 10 players from a big national or multi-national competition went straight to this round.
- The best players from a "Wild-Card" entry also joined this round.
- Semi-Final Round (1 minute 30 seconds routine)
- The top 3 players from a multi-national competition and national champions went straight to this round.
- The best players from the Preliminary round also moved on to this round.
- Final Round (3 minute routine)
- The World Champion from the previous year went straight to this round.
- The best players from the Semi-Final round also moved on to this round.
- National Champions who qualified also joined the Final round.
Countries That Compete
The International Yo-Yo Federation (IYYF) has 33 countries registered. These countries can send their national champion directly to the semi-final round of the World Yo-Yo Contest. The IYYF is also talking with several other countries (marked with a *). However, these countries cannot yet send a national champion directly to the semi-finals.
Europe |
North America |
Asia |
Africa
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South America |
