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| National Award vest |
| Exhibit #5027 |
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| Type | Award |
| Condition | Mint |
| Owner | Rob Davies |
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A beautiful navy-blue sleeveless vest decorated with National Yo-Yo–related patches, felt awards, and a pinback button.
At the center of the vest is a large, shield-shaped "National Yo-Yo Champion" patch. Surrounding the central patch are multiple felt award badges indicating skill progression.
From Rob Davies:
"I was raised in Victoria, B.C., where yo-yo instructors regularly appeared at local corner stores. One of them, if I remember correctly, was Bob Rule. These events were part of the Al Galo–affiliated National Yo-Yo and Bo-Lo program. I worked my way through the skill levels, earning badges as I moved from location to location. In the final year, the program expanded into larger contests, with roughly a hundred kids competing.
The final competition was held at the Royal Theatre in Victoria. I finished in second place. I would have taken first, but the other finalist went before me, and on my very first throw my string broke. That day, I received both my Junior Instructor Award and my National Yo-Yo Award shield patch. A small group of us were invited to work as summer demonstrators in Washington State, performing in the front windows of Kresge's department stores, but my parents would not allow me to go.
The competitor who placed first that day was my friend Jim. Years later, after I signed with Playmaxx, I wanted to reconnect with him. I contacted his mother, who told me where he was working in Victoria. I called him at work, told him what I was doing, and we met for lunch the next day. Jim brought along all of his yo-yos, including his National Yo-Yo Champion vest and badges, as well as a few spin tops we had both played with years earlier.
Jim reminded me of a moment from one of our large contests, when a demonstrator approached us before the competition. Jim had turned to me and said, "Rob, wouldn’t you love to have his job?" Years later, Jim said, "Now you do." Jim passed away a few years later.
In the mid-1990s, Don Duncan Jr. called me at home and asked if I was demonstrating for anyone. At the time, I was selling insurance and raising four kids, and I could hardly believe it was him on the phone. He invited me to compete in the Desert Classic Yo-Yo Competition in Tucson, Arizona, held at the ProYo factory. I hadn't played seriously in years, and with four kids at home, I had only three months to prepare. Don and Donna covered airfare for my wife and me, our hotel, and even the use of Don's personal car during the four or five days we spent at the factory." | |
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