Alt Weakly coverage of the Cal State Yo-Yo Contest

The TV shot didn’t happen this morning. Right when I got to the Exploratorium, the news team called and said they couldn’t make it due to a huge fire they had to cover.

That’s the second trip to the Exploratorium this week, it’s a long crummy MUNI ride early in the morning. I’ve got too much other stuff going on this week, so I turned down any extra press requests for the week.

During the ride this morning I picked up a copy of the SF Weekly for the first time in a year or two. I was totally surprised to see that the California State Yo-Yo contest was listed in their “Night and Day” section, a daily guide of cool activities in the city. The article was the typical mix of condescension, inaccuracies, and news that these type of events typically receive in alt weeklies (did I mention the Bay Guardian also covered the event). Typed from the SFW:

“Throw Down

How to make a yo-yo sleep” Start with your elbow pointed straight ahead, the yo-yo at your shoulder. Aim three feet in front of you, and throw down vehemently. When the yo-yo starts to spring back up the line, burst into tears, swing it around your head, and launch the whole apparatus into your neighbor’s plate-glass window. Repeat until perfected or puberty hits, whichever comes first.

Or you can attend the 2007 California State Yo-Yo Championships and keep a keen eye on the routines. You’ll be gob-smacked by the intricate moves the pros are turning out, as amazed as a Midwesterner watching gonzo porn. Evidently there are now hundreds of things to do with this Filipino invention that has swept the world- more than 200 in competition alone. Keep an eye out for the Kwijibo, the Throwhand Grind, the Kurukuru Milk, the Planet Hop, the Clione, the Hidemasa Hook, and the Cleveland Steamer. Organizers are attempting to keep this a classy affair, with competitors judged on stage presence, choreography, and elegance of control and line. But the yo-yo’ers do get to pick their own music, so it should all descend into farce. Competitive yo-yoing, which is no doubt being written into a screenplay as we speak, starts at 10 a.m. at the Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon (at Marina), S.F.Admission is free-$14; call 397-5673 or visit www.exploratorium.edu

-Michael Leaverton”

They snuck “cleveland steamer” into the article, that’s funny. There was also a killer illustration that I’ll attempt to scan soon. The SF Chronicle piece should hit newstands on Thursday or Friday.