C'mon on down to the Iowa State Fair

Iowa State Fair Yo-Yo Competition
Saturday, August 17 • 4 p.m.
Registration: 2:30 p.m.
Fairview Stage sponsored by Coors Light with media sponsor KCCI 8 News

Contact: Send a PM to BanjoSpins and I’ll get back to you ASAP

Rules and Contest Information
1. The yo-yo must be caught with one hand and not trapped against the body.
2. If more than five inches of string remains outside the yo-yo when caught, it will be
considered a miss.
3. Any throw made while in the trick circle (or box) counts as a try.
4. Any yo-yo may be used. Same yo-yo must be used for all tricks.
5. No rigging of yo-yos or string allowed.
6. The contest organizer shall be free to adjust the number of repetitions recommended
for various tricks based on the level of competency of the contestants.
7. Loop-the-Loops must be done with feet fixed in one position within the trick circle.
8. Judges’ decisions will be final and not subject to appeal.
9. Ribbons will be awarded.

Divisions

BEGINNER
Each contestant will get two tries for each trick. If the trick is completed on the first try,
the player will receive five points. If it is completed on the second try, three points.
If the trick is not completed in two tries, zero points. The contestant with the highest score wins; tie breaker will be whoever can do the most consecutive loops.

1. Sleeper 5. Around the World
2. Forward Pass 6. Loop-the-Loop
3. Walk the Dog 7. Brain Twister
4. Rock the Baby 8. Man on Trapeze

ADVANCED FREESTYLE
Competition will begin with one minute rounds set to music and will advance to two or
three minutes in the final round. Each round, half of the contestants will be eliminated
(depending on the number of entries, subject to change by discretion of the judges),
leaving the other half to advance to the next round. Judges will score entrants on trick
complexity, trick originality, stage presence, speed, smoothness and style.

I’d love to see a great turn out this year. Admittedly numbers have been slim in the past. I know we have some great talent in our neck of the woods. What do you say we step it up and really turn this into a popular stop at the great Iowa State Fair this year with outstanding performances!

I hope to be there! I haven’t come in several years.

Glad to hear it! I would really like to see this competition get a boost with greater participation from local and maybe not so local throwers this year!

Hope to see you there!

(And thanx for bumping this thread back up!)

Remember - You don’t have live in Iowa to compete at the Iowa State Fair Yo-Yo competition.

It’s open to one and all. If you can make the drive to Des Moines YOU could go home with a ribbon.

Im coming down to Iowa during that time period from Michigan! Maybe my dad can take me! Im not good enough to win but I just might go and see… :slight_smile:

So Seth Peterson doesn’t run it anymore?

Seth hasn’t run Iowa States in a few years. 2011 Adam Brewster ran it and in 2012 Bryce Benton ran it and I believe he will continue to run it in the future.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is the Iowa State Fair contest and not Iowa States.

I’m hoping to make it out! I love the Iowa folks, the more contests the better!

Just to clarify, this contest is part of the Iowa State Fair. The contest you are referring to with Seth, Adam and Bryce is a different competition held in October. (Although if you look hard you might find Adam & Bryce at the Fair on the 17th.) Although it’s confusing don’t let that stop you from making it out for this contest, we’re working hard to make the 2013 Iowa State Fair contest worth coming out to see and compete in!

Venues such as this greatly help in introducing young people otherwise unaware to what contemporary yoyoing is all about and the great fun there is to be had. Hope to see you there.

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Everyone should definitely make it out to the fair to the contest and get a bacon wrapped corn dog, mini donuts, and Bauder Pharmacy Ice Cream sandwich. Maybe a turkey leg if you are still hungry. This contest looks like its going to be a lot of fun and if I’m not mistaken probably covered on IPTV for those who can’t make it. Banjo’s format looks really interesting. The 1 2 and 3 minute freestyles should be intense.

Stay tuned for The Iowa State YoYo Contest 2013. I think it will be mid October at a new more exciting venue this year.

Double post please delete

So I am coming! My dad said absolutely! Around the time of the contest we should all find each other and try each other’s throws… ::slight_smile:

So glad you’re coming. I’ll be looking for you. We’ll be on the east end of the fairgrounds at the top of the hill.
(Just look for the wind power windmill and you’ll be close to the right neighborhood to find the Fairview Stage)

I’m going to bump this thread up one more time this afternoon. I realize the Iowa State Fair is a fairly isolated and obscure place to hold a yo-yo competition, however it’s a wonderfully fun venue worthy of full consideration if you’re anywhere near the neighborhood. I’ve attend for the last few years and have always found the participants to bring accomplished talents to the stage.

If Des Moines, Iowa could at all be one of your weekend destinations I would like to strongly encourage you to come to the Iowa State Fair and participate in the 2013 Yo-Yo contest on Saturday the 17th as either a competitor or spectator. I promise it will prove to be a great time despite the consequence of having to endure my ugly mug.

(There’s a reason I use my cat’s Banjo picture as my avatar.)

Alright, I realize in the full spectrum of all that is yo-yo in this world the contest at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa is really small potatoes, but we had a great day and I want everyone to know how it went. (I’ll probably bump this back up a few times just to keep it in front of your eyes for a while.

First of all I had judges who were absolutely top drawer. They did such an outstanding and professional job I would be greatly remiss not to credit them for their valiant effort. Thank you so much to Adam Brewster, Bryce Benton and Rashad Nagi for taking time out of your busy lives to make today’s competition look like I really knew how to run a great program. You guys were just fantastic! I received several comments from sound technicians, fair officials and just audience members who said this was the fair’s best yo-yo contest ever. Today saw the largest crowd ever for a yo-yo contest at the Iowa State Fair and you, the judges, were certainly the big reason everyone felt it was a show worth sitting through. Thanks again guys!

Now I want everyone to meet our winners;

3rd Place went to Coulter Fafard of Cedar Rapids, Iowa

2nd Place went to a young man who I first saw throw two years ago at the fair and I knew was destined to go places, Noah Conkling of Waterloo, Iowa.

1st Place went to someone who is actually a friend and neighbor of Noah’s, Shakeem Anderson, who just knocked our socks off today with his outstanding routine.

Also there demonstrating magnificent skills themselves were;

Scott Sallee, Jeremiah Pugh, Colten Bailey and Logan Bonner.

Thanks to everyone who came out today. I hope to see you all back next year with a whole crop of new competitors!

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I just went to the Iowa State Fair last week! I had no idea that yo-yo contests were there (or used to be there) @BanjoSpins

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Wait, what state do you live in???

Also, does anyone know if this contest still occurs?

I was visiting relatives, but it was a ton of fun.

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I can’t find anything in the state fair directory about it, so I’m guessing it’s kaput. Unfortunate, as this was a fun little contest, but having put it on for a couple years between Seth and Banjo I can’t say I’m surprised to see it go, turnout was low and the hot and humid state fair air doesn’t lend itself well to a yoyo contest outdoors.

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