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US Nationals 2023

by coleman weimer

Arriving in Mesa, Arizona on the first day of US Nationals 2023, I didn’t know whether it’d be easy for me to fall back into the yo-yo contest scene. The last one I attended was Thailand Nationals in 2014. The competitive scene and yo-yo community at large had changed drastically since I last dove into it. Thousands of new kids have flocked to the scene following the footsteps of influencers on social media. Yo-yo politics have continued to grow more and more tangled, and I’ve never had a knack for keeping track of it all. I wondered how out-of-touch I would be. Deciding to attend as a spectator helped me focus on what has always been my favorite aspects of yo-yoing: friendship and creativity. Little did I know I’d be one of many players in attendance who were diving back into the scene after a long time away.

Meeting Augie Fash for the first time felt surreal and incredibly casual. I wondered how we hadn’t crossed paths sooner. His early YYF videos were a source of inspiration to me in 2010. Not only is he one of the most sincere people in the community, he has one of the most iconic trick styles to date. In my conversations with Augie, I could sense a mutual excitement toward the scene and how it has provided us both with friendship and community in times when we needed it most. Since we had both ever-so-lightly stalked each other’s social media accounts, we had lots to discuss: recent videos, Atmos Projects, and Augie’s lovely new yo-yo with Lutverk (https://luftverk.com/collections/all-products/products/exos).

Were it not for Tim Lacanienta, I may have totally missed the contest. His friendly nudge a few weeks prior helped give me the motivation to make the trip. It goes without saying, but Tim has found the finest balance between flow/tech. With his long string length, he’s able to blend wrist and slack elements into complex tech tricks while finishing them off with smooth, rounded flair. Tim felt like a partner-in-crime at Nationals this year. I was lucky to have him. The landscape has changed, but Tim keeps a nuanced pulse on it all with a steady, calm presence.

Eric Tranton made an appearance to my great surprise! Seeing him immediately brought me at ease. Last time I saw Eric, I hadn’t even started high school. We exchanged many jokes, tricks, and yo-yos. We enjoyed throwing the new Atmos and Mowl throws while discussing nerdy camera gear. If you’ve never seen Eric’s yo-yoing, go amend that soon! His wrist rolls and slack rotations are always fine-tuned and buttery.

One of the new faces I had the pleasure of meeting was Blaise Becker, who makes some of the most difficult high-scoring tricks look like child’s play. There’s a sharpness to his execution that reminds me of Jason Lee, but also a nimble fluidity. It straddles classic and contemporary. We had the chance to talk about the competitive scene late on Saturday night. Having just seen his semi-final freestyle, I was still riding the stoke, and he shared with me some of the parallels of athletic training, lifting, and competitive yo-yoing. Mindset and repetition are key to Blaise’s process. Aside from his laser-focus, and self-discipline, I also noticed how kind and joyful he was while interacting with other players at the contest. Blaise is an inspiration, juggling clean execution, distinctive style, and admirable character.

Anthony Rojas gave the slickest prelim and semi-final I have seen in a long time and still, even after the long day, agreed to drop an insane combo for the video. He’s been a veteran of the scene and has maintained competition chops even as the game has gotten more advanced.

Joking around with James Recio between freestyles was certainly a highlight. In the recap video he secured the highly coveted last trick with a jaw-dropping made-you-look. Both James and I had been away from competitions for many years, so were shared many-a-confused looks as young yet old yo-yo Boomers. We found out that we live pretty close to one another, so here’s to future hang-outs!

In all, US Nationals 2023, like all contests, helped rekindle my stoke for the scene in the way only competitions can. While there is much conversation yet to happen about the state of competition judging and the structure of contests, I found that cheering on my old and new friends was simply good for the soul. It could be argued that the United States has reached an all-time high in terms of the volume and skill of its best players. If you need proof, just watch all of the semi-finals— they’re stacked. I’m indebted as always to Atmos Projects for helping me get there and for continuing to value and support “the art of it.” I’m very excited for what’s to come.

Grace and Peace,

Coleman Weimer 

PLAYERS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE

Augie Fash

Kris Toledo

Tim Lacanienta

Angelo Aguirre

Parker Story

Blaise Becker

Alann Santiago

Graeme Steller

Collin Ellingson

Ian Tenney

Eric Koloski

Tessa Piccillo

Thomas Rajan

Adrian Velez

Ya Hoo

Sergio Reyes

Remy Baskin

Phoenix Chua

Anthony Rojas

Chris Godsey

Tony Song

Levi White

Matthew Poon

Michael Kurti

Ibrahim Rahman

James Miguel Recio

Ben Sanders

Colin Beckford

Matthew Wallsten

Justin Dauer

Chandler Steele

Talia Jamison

Brendan McGinnis

Nate Dailey

Zack Finch

Eric Tranton

MUSIC

Stay For A While by Luc Delorenzo

Stormwater Samples by Team Evil

In a Way by Paul Duncan

Chronological Order by Point Juncture, WA

Diana by Worry Wart