World Yo-Yo Contest Mod Contest
Judges: Eric Wolff, Dave Schulte, Bill De Boisblanc, Alan Gray, Kyle Weems and a player(s) to be named at a later date.
IRON MOD CONTEST at The World Yo-Yo Contest 2009 Now in its 5th year, the Iron Mod contest hosted at the World Yo-Yo Contest 2009 is going to be huge. As with any contest things evolve over time and this year we're shaking it up with a major format change. In previous years contestants in teams of two would battle to modify yo-yos based on a given theme. They were given a 'secret ingredient' to base their work around, and given 1 hour to create three yo-yos based on that ingredient. They were allowed to use any parts or other yo-yos they brought with them to create these yo-yos, and were then judged on quality of work, performance, and creativity. This created a slight advantage to those who were able to bring large supplies of extra parts, and generally just made it extremely difficult to create top end modifications. While this was a fun challenge, this year we have redesigned the contest to level the playing field and create the ultimate yo-yo modification throw down. New Format: - Two teams of two contestants will be matched up head to head, and given 1 hours to complete three yo-yos. They will create 1 looping yo-yo, 1 string trick / counterweight yo-yo, and 1 off-string yo-yo. - Each team will be allowed the optional use of 1 additional person of their choosing to help with final assembly and testing. THIS PERSON WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DO ANY MODIFICATION OF ANY KIND. They may press parts together, assemble yo-yos (put in bearings, spacers, friction response, etc), and test them ONLY. Any additional work (cutting, gluing, etc.) MUST be done by the two primary contestants. - Each team will be provided with all the necessary tools (lathes, grinders, tool bits, chucks, etc) to do the modifications. If special tools are desired, contestants may request them in advance and their requests will be filled as best as possible. They may bring any special jigs or other minor tools they would normally use. Judges, at their sole discretion, may determine if a tool will be allowed or disallowed based on any potential to create an unfair advantage. - Tools will be distributed as evenly as possible, with a coin flip determining which team has ‘first choice’ on tools that are not identical. Teams may borrow or exchange tools at their own discretion. - Each team will receive a set number of 'credits' in which to 'purchase' items from a specially organized table. The table will contain items from many manufacturers including complete yo-yos, yo-yo parts (bearings, axles, etc), broken parts and bodies, or any other yo-yo supplies deemed potentially useful by the Judges. - Once each team uses up all of their credits they will create their three yo-yos with these parts. They will ONLY be allowed to use these parts and NO OTHER OUTSIDE SUPPLIES. - Time constraints will be extended at the sole discretion of the Judges. This will ONLY be done if it is deemed necessary to BOTH teams. - Each team will be allowed to begin with their item purchases and planning 15 minutes prior to the start of the competition. They may also use this time to organize their work areas. NO TOOLS MAY BE USED DURING THIS TIME. Judging: Each yo-yo will be judged based on the following criteria. Quality of Work – 10 Points |
