Duncan Crew Presents:

The final chapter of the Heritage Tour blog postings. It squeaks in as the greatest video of 2010.  Throw Duncan.

Today is the bitterest of bittersweet days. Today marks my last batch of shows and demos on this tour. There couldn’t be a nicer place to wrap up than at Disney World but, it just stings to know that it has to end for me.

The Heritage Tour has been nothing but, the best times in the best places with the best people. Before we even got out here, I considered Drew Tetz, Hank Freeman, and Takeshi Kamisato among my family. But, I like to think that getting out there and doing shows, demonstrating, blogging and throwing contests has let the rest of the world in on how special the bond within Duncan Crew is. There really is nothing like our crew anywhere and I appreciate it more now than I ever have.

We rocked our shows like we rocked every single stop on this tour. We showed the Disney audiences how much joy and love we have for our craft, them and each other. We went the extra mile to throw some special moments into our last shows. And we put the finishing touches on a tour we will be proud of for a long time to come.

A huge thank you goes out to all of the yo-yo legends, retailers, players and nonplayers that allowed us in your places and hearts, or came out to the demos and made this all very special. You are a part of the legacy we are building and you will be remembered.

Duncan Equals Love. Never forget that.

Some people make ripples, Duncan Crew makes waves. We had another great day of meet and greet demos as well as stage shows. We can feel the momentum building here in Orlando and it’s hard to ignore. Not only are we seeing people come by daily to check out our shows, we are getting real feedback and it is fantastic.

Today during our informal afternoon demo, we were visited by the general manager from T-Rex cafe. The staff and diners were so impressed by our miniature demo that he invited us back to the restaurant tonight. Making those kinds of connections is nothing short of miraculous. Sure, getting cool invites to awesome places is flattering but, knowing that someone really appreciates our work as yo-yo demonstrators is better than anything I ever could have hoped for. Of course, futuristic stage shows and massive fancy chocolate cake desserts are pretty great too.

I think I will accept that the life of a Duncan Yo-Yo Professional is filled with both.

That’s right! You thought it was over but, Duncan Crew cannot be stopped! We continued on with more demos at Walt Disney World and they just kept on getting better! Not only did we have the crew from the tour out with us but, we got the best backup anyone could ever ask for! Brandon Jackson came to Florida to help us represent and represent we did!

We took the power boost and made things more powerful than anyone could have dreamed. Each demo out here is more and more and more of what they need to be. More people getting excited about playing. More people digging what we do. More people getting involved and picking up yo-yos. And more fun!!

Like always, our demos don’t stop at our formal demos. We stopped into T-Rex cafe and blew the roof off the place today. We came in and had a fantastic dinner and before we knew it, people were asking if we were really Duncan Crew. We never disappoint and threw down for the people there and made believers out of staff and spectator alike. It’s the coolest life ever.

Who has the best job in the world?! Duncan Crew has the best job in the world! We are now hanging out at Walt Disney World and having the best time any had ever!

We have been having some great times doing informal demonstrations during the day here. Everyone here is so fantastic and fun. People come here with the sole purpose of being in the happiest place on earth and they succeed. We’ve met people from all over the world and flexed our skills, only to have them give us an amazing amount of love and gratitude. It is an amazing experience and it is hard to top.

What makes it even better is that just when we thought it couldn’t be topped, Disney World tops itself! After we wrap up our informal daytime demos here, we’ve been given the opportunity to rock the, brand new, waterside stage in Downtown Disney for three shows every night we’re here. Our stage setting looks awesome. The sound system is unbeatable. The Crew helping us out is unbelievable and we of course are putting our best foot forward and rocking the entire world at every single turn. How could we do anything but, absolutely love this?

This is the coolest gig on the planet. It can be so surreal to realize that we are living a life that nearly every child and most adults dream about. We have great times with our friends. We throw the best shows in the best places with the best support anywhere and it is our daily routine. This life is simply the limit. I can’t wait to keep on living it.

We had a good long hike yesterday and today we are in Tallahassee, Florida. It’s been weeks but, I am now on something that qualifies as home turf. It’s cool how it can feel comfortable and foreign at the same time. Being out on tour is like that, I suppose. The most comfortable part of the moment is that we had Hank Freeman return to the tour today. He went to Japan and made us proud and now, he’s back to rock America all over again.

We had a really great demo today. We did our thing at the new home of Lofty Pursuits. The shop has been a staple of Tallahassee local businesses for well over a decade now and has been a force in the yo-yo scene the entire time. The best part is that the new location has breathed new life into an already strong scene. The players that came out of this place have been so influential that they invented things as important to yo-yo as the Triple A style(Duncan Crew’s MArk Mcbride) and Freehand! If that isn’t a legacy that defines modern yo-yo play, I don’t know what is. The best part is that Duncan has always been a centerpiece to it. It’s hard not to love this place and what has come out of it.

We had the chance to meet up and share our knowledge with some future generations of yo-yo geniuses and trade licks with some of the players nipping at our heals. It’s inspiring and mind warping to see how far people can come in such a short time, when they have a place to learn the techniques required to excel at skill toys. Some players at the demo had only been playing a few months and were learning boingy boingy and playing offstring.

In addition to the great players, great selection of Duncan Yo-Yos & toys, and fantastic atmosphere, Lofty Pursuits also happens to have a fully functional old school ice cream and soda shop on premesis. So, you can buy a FHZero and then turn around and have a Dublin Dr. Pepper ice cream float and then have the guy who made your ice cream teach you to play diabolo. Does an experience ever get more complete than that!? I just don’t know if it can.

For serious, you have to come to Florida and check it out. This is what eternally building a scene looks like.

It is becoming abundantly clear that it is never easy to say goodbye to a city after it gives you all of its love and affection for an entire week. However, this week is a particular grind because, Austin, Texas has more love and affection than some solar systems.

We had to wrap the week up with a big bang so, we did it up exactly how we needed to. We had a gig at Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock and made it pop! We spread the word hard and a great mix of friends, new and old, came out to get down and see us perform in our natural habitat. Kaleidoscope Toys was a great venue for it. They have a wonderful space, a great selection of Duncan and some of the best people working there. They were super helpful and made the event everything it could have possibly been.

When you are in the Austin metro area, you really have to make a point to visit them and all of the places we had shows. It is an unbelievable place with an explosion of love, awesome and support under every single rock. You owe yourself a visit. Take in some shows. Meet some new people. Play some games. Eat amazing food. Throw Duncan!! You will not be sorry. Austin = Duncan = Love

Today was doublemint fun. It is obvious that the worst day on Duncan Crew is better than nearly anyone else’s year. If we had it any better, I couldn’t live with myself.

We had two demos, the first of which was at the Austin Children’s Museum. We were definitely at the time machine yesterday because, this place is the future. So much science and learning going on and so many people loving our shows that we could hardly contain ourselves. We were visited by fellow yo-yo player, Travis Owen. He is a great guy and conveniently here in Austin visiting his family over Thanksgiving weekend. In addition to Travis, we had huge crowds for our performances and a lot of people liked us enough to watch us do it up more than once. That kind of dedication is hard to beat. We have to give love to them and the people who keep the museum going. Museums everywhere are a force in their respective communities and they need your support. Back them up and they will back you up for sure.

We were having a great time there but, we had to break out to our next demo. Which was coincidentally also super fun and surprising. The fun is built in. We were at the Learning Express in Bee Cave, TX. It’s a great spot. The spectators were the coolest. The kids learned to yo-yo and throw tops. And, we were visited by a 1952 Duncan All City Champ! Not only that but, he brought out his, now framed, championship sweater and had us sign the frame. It was so dope to be a part of history coming full circle. Heck, he said he hadn’t put a yo-yo on his finger in 20 years but, he did today and took back to it like a duck to water. Proof that the heritage gets in your blood and you never shake it. You are never too old or too young to throw or start throwing. Duncan Crew has your back for sure. We want you playing and we want you playing with us. You don’t have to be All City, you just have to commit to having fun. You can do that…right?

Everything is bigger in Texas! This video is huge on good times. You are going to love it.

Today we are alive! Today was nothing if not a full on celebration of being alive! We know without a doubt that we have so much to be thankful for and that we are blessed to be who we are. Duncan Crew is Alive!

We started off with an awesome demo at Kid Genius AKA Cuddle Bug in West Lake Hills and it was a great time. The demo was long and great. We had separate crowds of people coming by and checking us out all day long. Nothing keeps it fresh like new faces smiling about you every few minutes. The energy can carry you through any demo of any length. I hope that it never stops. It makes you feel good and you just know you are making a difference. Gene and the crew know what makes this sort of thing work and they have a fantastic chemistry between them. It is inspiring and refreshing. People are the best when they help bring the best out of you.

Speaking of the best people. We wrapped up the demo and were blessed with perhaps the greatest opportunity of the entire tour. We were extended an invitation to go out and skate with our friend Casey Hudson here in Austin. Casey is one of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and is more giving than nearly anyone I have ever met. He not only invited us to skate with him but, he invited us over to his private ramp. To call it a ramp is a gross understatement. It is affectionately referred to as “The Time Machine” and is actually a series of ramps that rival many skate parks. It was a childhood dream of his to build the space and it was the rarest of treats. We are simply blown away by even being allowed in a space as personal as it is to him and to be considered friends. It is humbling and electrifying at the same time. We got a chance to skate with Casey and some of his core friends and they are all amazing people. They are so helpful and supportive. I even got up and dropped into a ramp for the first time in 18 years. Well, by dropped in I mean that I slammed really hard twice and everyone backed me up. Nobody picked on me for falling apart and everyone wanted to make sure I was ok. If that isn’t brotherhood, I don’t know what is. Hitting the ground hurts. But, knowing your friends care is all the comfort anyone should ever need. As the jam went on, Casey and the guys got interested in yo-yos and spintops. Of course, we had to flex our skills. Nothing can touch how awesome it was to again gain more support from them. They really dig on what we do and they are friends for life. No two ways about it. The entire day reminded us that we are alive. Living this life is unbelievable. Thanks guys. Thanks Austin. You are the best.