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Festival Linda Sengpiel Yo-Yo Book |
Exhibit #1118 |
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Size | 19.3 cm x 24 cm |
Estimated Value | $12 |
Condition | Mint |
Date | 1965 |
To | 1972 |
Owner | Rick Brough |
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The World Champion, Linda Sengpiel, created her own 20 page, fully illustrated yo-yo trickbook that included a section on judging rules and a scoring sheet.
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The 'Yo-Yo Woman' Linda Sengpiel went by a simple creed: "Commit yourself to constant improvement," she told the Akron Beacon Journal in 1994. "I think that's what I did without ever realizing what I was doing." The "Yo-Yo Woman" of Akron, Ohio died (April 13, 2001) of cancer at age 57. Mrs. Sengpiel was a well regarded yo-yo artist, winning in a twirling championship sponsered by the Duncan Yo-Yo Co. at Akron's Highland Square in 1957. Of the 500 contestants, she was the only girl. Her prize - a boy's bike. "Yo-yoing is a small thing, but small accomplishments give you confidence to achieve big ones," she told the Akron Beacon Journal. "That's what it's all about." She came to the craft early, at age 3. Her mother was worried that she'd break all the windows in the house, but her father encouraged her to perfect the intricate twirls. Her skill was so great that she could light a match hanging from the lips of a bystander, yo-yo with one hand and juggle with the other, or knock a poker chip out of a participant's ear. She was interviewed by many notables including Captain Penny, Barnaby, Bozo the Clown, Dorothy Fuldheim, Diane Sawyer, and made many guest appearances. She performed at the Saturday banquet that included the yo-yo olympics in 1979 and appeared several times on the Morning Exchange show on Cleveland's WEWS, Channel 5, as well as on CBS and NBC sports shows. She trained her children to be yo-yo champions as well. The family starred on a segment of the TV show PM Magazine in 1979 and was filmed at home for the Japanese TV show We're Number One, the Japanese version of That's Incredible, in 1982. Linda Sue Lorenz Sengpiel was married for 29-years.
Over the course of Linda’s yo-yo career, the Akron yo-yo champion – who was never defeated during her lifetime – offered $100,000 to anyone who could match her skills. Apparently, no one ever accepted her challenge over the course of her yo-yoing career. And, the story usually ends there. However, it's important to know that her challenge came with a variety of conditions that would have ruled out most people. Among the provisions were the following:
• Before you could even challenge Linda for the $100K, you were required to match her money with $100K of your own, as collateral.
• To compete, she was supposed to demonstrate a 10-trick sequence in front of you. One time only. The tricks were of her own choosing and ones that she was exceptionally proficient at doing. (It’s unknown if you were allowed to practice any of the tricks after her demonstration.)
• After her 10-trick sequence, you were given one chance to duplicate the exact same tricks – without error and to her satisfaction.
• If you won the challenge, Linda’s $100K had to be donated to a charity of your choosing; you did not pocket the money.
• If you lost the challenge, you lost your own $100K that you put up. (The money likely would have been donated to a charity, as well.)
It is not clear about the type of yo-yo and string you were able to use in the challenge. However, given the period of time, it likely would have been a fixed axle wooden or plastic yo-yo and cotton string. | |
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