...
By Andrew Whalen
Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Evan Nagao of Hawaii won the 2018 World YoYo Contest, held Aug. 9 through 12 in Shanghai, performing to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Freebird."
The four-minute performance includes a fast-paced array of string tricks. Moves are considerably more complicated than "Walk the Dog" or "Rock the Baby," involving an array of fast-paced patterns and interactions between yo-yo and string. Nagao's trick repertoire includes maneuvers with names like "Slackalicious" and "Fidget Spinner Slack," plus several named for Pokemon, including "Porygon" and "Level 100 Gyrados."
"In competition, I go into what's called a flow-state," Nagao told Newsweek after winning the 2018 National YoYo Contest in Chicago. "It's basically where time disintegrates and I'm on stage for three minutes, but it feels like two seconds and afterward, I get off stage, and I don't remember anything that I did."
Read More on Video Games
Responding to questions on reddit, Nagao described what judges are looking for in a performance. "Yoyo meta right now is all about string hits. Generally speaking, the more you can hit the yoyo on the string in different ways without missing, the better chances you have of winning."
The judges' scoring rubric reveals the other criteria, rating performers on eight qualities, including "Trick Diversity," "Body Control," "Showmanship" and "Space Use." Nagao scored 91.4, narrowly edging out second-place finisher, Takeshi Matsuura of Japan, who scored 90.0.
"Hobbit" Xiao-Wen Wang of Taiwan became the 2018 women's world champion, but her final round has yet to be posted online. Here is her third-place 2017 World YoYo Contest performance:
Nagao competed in Division 1A, which involves freestyle string tricks with a single yo-yo. Other divisions, including categories for offstring and double yo-yo performances, were swept by Japanese competitors. Shion Araya, 1A world champion in 2016 and 2017, placed fourth.
Nagao learned to yo-yo from his father, Alan Nagao, who owned a yo-yo shop in Hawaii and formed Team High Performance, known for performing in schools throughout the United States and around the world during the yo-yo boom of the 90s.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines