Dayton was a highlight in more than way. First, the demo spot was one of the most unique venues we’ve done so far. Crafty Hands is a “booth” at a local “farmer’s market”. Now, when we heard “booth” and “farmer’s market” we imagined organic apples and walking around outside doing demos. When we showed up we found ourselves in a large building at a storefront with a huge crowd. A lot of interest in yo-yos and a lot of interesting people hanging out, ready to learn how to throw.

The other highlight was being able to spend time with one of my closest friends, Joey Fleshman. I’ve known Joey since 2004 and he’s been present at some of the most poignant times of my life. He’s now at Virgina Military Institute on his way to being a nuclear engineer. As always, I cherished the time i got to spend with him, and wished it could have been longer.

We found ourself with a little downtime and in close proximity to the golf coast so Marie, Hank, jack and I hopped in the van and headed to see the Golf.

We didn’t have much time, and when we got to the “beach” we soon realized it was be renovated. Bummer. So instead we hung out at a little playground right by where the beach would be. Now, I don’t know about anyone else, but it seems that once you get a yo-yoer on a playground the start doing apparatus on stuff. This time was no different. Sit back, relax and watch Jack throw some freehand while Hank does backflips off the swing set.

VIVA AUSTIN! Every place on the planet earth should be this cool(to be fair, some of them are). We started out our first full day here with a morning show appearance on KTBC channel 7. Of course, being on TV is always pretty cool but, this one had a little extra cool to it. When we got there, the first thing that hit me was that they have a really interesting green room. The entire room was set up with Japanese horror movie posters and post cards. I super love Japanese horror films and so, it was more like what I want my bedroom to look like than being in a green room for a TV studio. As for on air, the post shows all the details. Definitely check it out. Joe and Katherine were awesome.

After that, me and the boys went over to Toy Joy and it is everything I imagine a toy store is as an adult child. This is a must see place here in Austin. The outside of the store alone, is a sight to behold. The place is covered in really cool paint and murals and has a stock of some of the quirkiest import toys from around the world. They also have a fantastic staff and a sull service vegan ice cream and soda shop. So hip it hurts and it hurts SO GOOD! Some great kids and adults alike, came out to see the demo and learn a few tricks. On top of all of that Seth fell in love and I got a new best friend. Unfortunately, we had to hustle on out of there to the next demo. I would have liked to spend more time with the staff and store. I intend to make it out there again just to hang out.


Then it was off to a suburb of Austin with perhaps the coolest name I have ever heard: Bee Cave, Texas. The name alone makes me want to move there. It sounds so fancy and dangerous. Holy cow! I had no idea that there were this many kids around that are committed to the idea of learning to play yoyo. The demo was super crowded and we had so many players that wanted to learn that we were short a few yoyos. A big thanks goes out to everyone that had the patience to share and learn together. This is definitely what the spirit of yoyo play is all about and what we want to see in a community. What a successful demo and what an inspiring crowd of young kids. So much fun to be had. It really was over too soon. Thanks goes to Mike and Lisa Schlageter.

This morning we had a great news spot on KTBC Fox 7. Check out the video!

Austin, Texas is a musical mecca. So much of what is modern american music owes it’s life to what happens here.  Not only is it the place where so many greats have come to make their name but, it is a place that many come just to be inspired. From country, hip hop, bluegrass, and metal to indie rock, this city is a big part of it all. It really is the live music capital of the world.

Drawing on that and feeling good about touring the USA as a part of this brand, I’ve been thinking more and more about what feels uniquely “american”. I settled on the blues and I couldn’t help but come up with an arrangement  of  “throw duncan” that felt at home here in Austin and like a true extension of the tour. I hope I can do the heritage of this city proud and I hope you can dig it.

“Throw Duncan!”:

You can also download the original here.

If ever there was a day that the media smiled on our tour, today was the day. Bright and early, we wrapped up our time in Dallas with a stop at WFAA channel 8 for an interview on “Good Morning Texas”. They put together a variety of pieces for us to be a part of. In addition to our interview and yoyo demonstration, they also featured country singer, Granger Smith and the Leeland High School Wranglers dance group. Rob and Paige greeted us and were fun people to guide us through our on air time. After we were done, it was revealed to us that the entire thing was shown on the huge screens attached to the American Airlines Center. The flattering moments out here just don’t seem to stop. Some days, you just feel hip.

Next up, we planned to drive straight on down to Waco for our next shows but, I just had to have the guys stop by a western wear outlet. It’s not every day that we are in Texas and the Wranglers just inspired me to want fancy cowboy shirts. So, I had Seth and Hank hang out whilst I tried on and subsequently purchased some SERIOUSLY cool cowboy threads. They really know how to embroider a shirt in Texas. So cool. So Texas.

Eventually, I was torn from the draw of hip western wear and we were off to our next shows in Waco. This is where things got a little interesting. It turned out that we were scheduled for a demo at Toys R Us and an on air appearance on Waco’s KWTX 10 at the same time. So, I opted to handle the show in the studio and meet up with the other fellas just after at the Toys R Us. The KWTX crew was fantastic. KC was cool enough to give me a ride to the studio and show me around and it seemed the entire staff was buzzing about the fact that I was there. I had no less than ten visitors to the green room to see me do a mini demo BEFORE I went on air to tell the entire Waco metropolitan area about the demo at Toys R Us. And the on air experience at KWTX was really cool. I had an interview with Gordon and he was just the coolest guy. He even took the time to rap with me a little about spin tops and juggling gear after the interview was wrapped. Talking with him and Megan really made me feel like they care about their stories and the people behind them.

I finished up with the studio and hustled on over to the Toys R Us where I found the demo picking up steam nicely. Department manager, Glynn, was helping hype the crowd and even getting involved himself by learning a few tricks himself. It was cool to see him show serious interest in the products/event and even have a little fun with it. There is just no way that working in a toy store can be all business all the time and Glynn definitely makes for a fun atmosphere in his store. We had some younger kids out there and it seemed they were all super committed to learning to throw. If Bradon, Jonathan(thanks for bringing him, Marie) and Hayden stick with it, Waco will have a solid yoyo scene in no time flat. We saw some evidence that at one point, Waco already did have a powerhouse yoyo scene. Hayden’s grandfather, Steven Uphair, came out and threw both bearing and fixed axle yoyos like an old pro. It was awesome. He said that he hadn’t played in years or decades but, he just drilled through the basic ten tricks as if he had practiced them for 10 hours yesterday. He learned a few newer moves from us and this only goes to show, you may not be able to teach an old dog new tricks but, Nobody Has To Be An Old Dog! You too can have fun forever and show the youngsters a thing or two at any age. So inspiring, So Texas!

Looks like our last full day in Dallas turned out to be just another awesome day to be on tour. Our first stop for the day was at Puzzle Zoo(Dallas). It’s hard to say how good it feels to roll up to a demo only to find an entire birthday party packed up and waiting just to see you. It’s one of those times when yoyoing is everything kids dream it is. This demo definitely made Hank, Seth and myself rockstar superheroes and then some.

Not only was this demo a great chance to get in contact with more Dallas players and fans, It turned out to be a full on show. We even had members of the older generations of players come out and show us that they still have it. During the portions of the demo where we taught tricks and tips we had even the staff at Puzzle Zoo learning to play and getting inspired. A big shout goes to Mayra and Laura for leading the way there. I am sure they will take it to the next level and will be teaching others in no time.

For lunch we ate in a different place than I thought I would find myself in Texas. Wild About Harry’s on Knox ave is a lot like a burger and dogs place you would find in southern California. Lots of different styles of food and toppings represented and some of the brightest green relish ever seen on the planet Earth. If you get a chance to check it out, it’s worth the stop.

After that, we headed to yet another really cool demo. Froggie 5 & 10 is one cool spot! So many cool toys and candies in one place and such a relaxed atmosphere. Chase and the rest of the crew there know how to make you feel like you belong there instantly. There is a lot to be said for that sort of spirit. It lends itself to really fun demos and a mindset for learning and teaching. We had a few people we met at other demos come out to this one as well. It’s encouraging to see that people just can’t seem to get enough of the tour.

At this demo, we also met a guy who knocked our socks off. Stan Light came in and showed us a huge slice of history. He had FOUR mint in package Duncan Tournaments(crossed flags) from the late 1950’s. His parents had bought remaining stock from a shop that closed in the early 1960’s and he held on to those very cool classic yoyos all these years only to find himself in a position to share them with us. You just never know what you’re going to see out here on the road and this was super cool, super classy surprise. We can’t thank Stan enough for thinking of us enough to come out and be a part of it.

There is nothing like cramming a tons of really fun experiences into a single day. Today started out with a good breakfast and heading out to Toy Maven here in Dallas. The crew at Toy Maven is one of the most giving groups of people i have run into anywhere. The demo was well attended, well organized and straight up cool. All of the kids in attendance were super excited about learning more about yoyos and it seemed that the time just flew by. We even spent a little time after the demo to have a little lunch with the staff at Toy Maven. A very special word of thanks goes out to them and our new best friend, Harrison. He has only been playing for a little over a year but, he has come a seriously long way and will be a force to reckon with in the future yoyo scene.

Later this afternoon, we went on over to the Learning Express(Dallas) and that was a demonstration full of one exciting moment after another. At first, we were slightly overwhelmed with how well attended it was. So many people stopped by and learned from us, it was hard to take it all in. It was definitely great to see so many people from so many walks of life coming to a show and getting involved. Men and women, boys and girls from all ages, there were there and they were hyped up on yoyos. And just when you think things had hit a  fever pitch, the current USA National FH Yoyo champion shows up and lends a hand. Miguel Correa is one of the coolest guys around and it was cool to see him interacting with yoyo fans at our demo. He was definitely an inspiration to a lot of the youngsters who came out.


With so much momentum built up around us, we couldn’t end our day just because we had finished up our demos. We had a quick snack and Miguel showed us some of the sights of Dallas. As it turns out, I have a fascination with records and CDs so, Miguel took us to his favourite record store, Good Records, and I found some things I had been on the lookout for. Of course, we cause a bit of a ruckus everywhere we go so, the trip to the record store becomes a mini in store appearance. Then, on our way out, we meet up with some artists who just happen to be painting a mural across the street(stainless studios). They fell in love with the art that Whip! did on the van and so, we filled them in on everything there was to know about his art and the tour and yoyos in general. Naturally, this also becomes a impromptu demo and it’s just fun. From there, we decided to do a little clothing shopping at the local Buffalo Exchange before dinner. Yet again, we cause a ruckus just by being us and the staff at the exchange has us doing yet another impromptu demo. They ended up taking our picture for the store and telling us that us being there was heaps cooler than any of the “rockstar visits” they’d had. It feels pretty good to be told that you are ten times cooler than the killers. After all of that, we head off for dinner.

What better way to cap off the day than to add yet another yoyo champion to the mix. We met up with Yuuki Spencer(3 time USA national Champ/2 time World champ 1A) and have a pleasant evening of dinner, trading tricks and conversations about the history of yoyo. Did you know that the yoyo that Yuuki used to win the world yoyo contest in 2002 was a 1st generation bionic Freehand? That made me even more excited to have special edition bionic Freehand Zeros available on this tour. What a cool way to give a nod to the history that we’re all a part of. With 5 taste makers of the world yoyo scene sitting around a dinner table discussing what we’re all a part of, not only do we stand on the shoulders of a strong history, it seems that we are still in the process of writing it.

On days like these, it is very clear that we are nothing but lucky for being ourselves.

Alot of hanging tough out in the Los Angeles area.

Duncan Love from many local yo-yo players.
Some highlights:

- Five Guys Burgers with the DXL crew.
- David Ung Loves Freehand Zeros!
- Going through Bride’s Duncan Yo-Yo Treasures.
- Ash shows us the real way to “Spin”.

——————-