Worlds and Wheel of Penalty

The Wheel of Penalty made its first-ever appearance at the World Yo-yo contest this year. The invitational contest, hosted by howtoyoyo.com, drew in some of the best talent from around the world with contestants from countires like Brazil, the UK, Japan, Denmark, the United States, and Texas.

The competitors were:

• Red (Rafael Matsunaga)
• Jack Ringca
• Arron Sparks
• Johnny DeValle
• Jon Gates
• Hironori Mii
• Dave Bazan
• Taka
• Rune

Before each competitor’s 1-minute freestyle they had to spin the Wheel of Penalty to see what was going to make their lives miserable for the next 60 seconds. The penalties included things like: Dress Like a Pirate (must say “arrr” 5 times), Wear Mittens, Get Tied to a Chair, and Get Poked With a Stick.

Although the competitors were required to yo-yo, judging was based not on yo-yo skill but on how well each competitor dealt with their penalty.

The top three places got gift certificates from threadless.com of $75 for 1st palce, $50 for 2nd, and $25 for 3rd. 1st place also got a World Yo-yo Contest medal.

The winners were:

• 1st place: Red (Rafael Matsunaga) -Brazil. Penalty: Pants Around Ankles
• 2nd place: Jon Gates -USA. Penalty: 2 Brazilians in Your Face
• 3rd place: Hironori Mii -Japan. Penalty: Dress Like a Cowboy AND Get Poked With a Stick

Thanks to all the contestants, and to Greg Cohen for helping the contest happen.

Also, please visit the contest sponsor threadless.com and tell them how great it was that they helped us out.