We finally did it. Hitting the eleven turn was definitely a goal I was determined to get. To chase this for a few months and hone in on the technique was so rough! By far one of my favorite Kendama journeys. None the less, continue to Kaizen!
At the end of the summer, the Terra Kendama workshop celebrated one year of being open in Vancouver, after moving to the coast from Edmonton last spring. The ‘Van Jam 2′ is an event that celebrates the core of what kendama is: having fun while hanging out with friends, learning some new tricks, and maybe a little bit of competition on the side.
This year’s event brought players from across Canada, the US, and Japan to the Terra workshop. Turner Thorne, Haley Bishoff, and I were the repping Kendama USA, and it was awesome having teammates in town! We spent a lot of time seeing sights, eating good food, and jamming kendama around the city.
Last year KendamaUSA’s own Colin Sander won the game of DAMA tournament at the Van Jam, but this year it was Brandon Meyer that took home the first place prize. Good times were had by all, this certainly won’t be the last of the Van Jams!
“I first met Miya Song back in Oahu, Hawaii during the YoDama event. Miya made such a strong impression on me since she was the young, 14 year old, female player who was doing incredibly hard tricks. In the year and a half Miya has been playing Kendama, her progression and skill level have increased exponentially. Not only is Miya one of the most chill people to be around, she truly pushes the female kendama scene to a whole new level with technical tricks and unbeatable style. I am so proud to have Miya as a part of my tribe and am psyched to see what she brings to the future of kendama! Stay awesome!”
-Haley Bishoff
Over the past two weeks we’ve shared what each Kendama USA team member used in the KWC qualifiers and finals.
We wanted to recap it all into one area and offer a limited 15% discount on these items with code: KUSAWorldCup15
1. Zack Yourd – Zebrano Ken x Tribute Half Split Red/White Tama
Recipe:
1 Zebrano Kendama
1 Tribute Half Split (Red/White)
“It’s a mash-up of some of my favorite kendama parts, and I like when the tama is a couple of grams heavier than the ken. Half splilts also help for tracking which is nice for more stressful/competition play.” – Zack Yourd.
2. Wyatt Bray – TK16 Master Ken x Turner Thorne v4 Pro Model Tama
Recipe:
1 TK 16 Red
1 Turner Thorne v4 Pro Model
“I wanted a freshy, competing with a fresh is the best. TK 16 are one of my most memorable damas because they were the first I played when I first started.” - Wyatt Bray
3. Turner Thorne – Kaizen Zebrano Ken x Turner Thorne v4 Pro Model Tama.
Recipe:
1 Kaizen Zebrano Kendama
1 Turner Thorne v4 Pro Model
“Strictly for the balance ratio between the ken and tama. It was also the one that was most broken in around the bevel which helped with bird tricks” – Turner Thorne
4. TJ Kolesnik – Colin Sander v4 Pro Ken x Tribute Red/White Half Split Tama
Recipe:
1 Colin Sander v4 Pro Model
1 Tribute Half Split (Red/White)
“The v4 ken matched super well weight-wise with the tama, and the half split is a reallygood visual. The bottom white half makes the tama hole pop. Once playing a few days the silk paint on he tama breaks in really nicely.” – TJ Kolesnik
5. Keith Matsumura – Colin Sander v4 Pro Model
Recipe:
1 Colin Sander v4 Pro Model
“I like the 3-tone tama, it’s easy to track for spike tricks. Also in the past I’ve gotten good vibes from playing Colin’s pro models.”
- Keith Matsumura
7. Haley Bishoff – Kaizen Zebrano Ken x Kaizen Silk Turquoise Tama
Recipe:
1 Kaizen Zebrano
1 Kaizen Turquoise
“I like the look of it, the color-way was nice. Matching is key. It played well for me too, I landed all of my tricks in my 2 runs. When choosing a Kendama, 60% is based of looks, the other on playability.” – Haley Bishoff
8. Dave Mateo – Kaizen Zebrano Ken x Kaizen Translucent Wine Tama
Recipe:
1 Kaizen Zebrano
1 Kaizen Red Wine Translucent
“I’ve lately found that I’ve been able to lace nutty multiple J-Sticks/UFO’s with the grip from the translucent paint. Also this tama is a bird machine. Once beating it in, the bevel allows the tama to just sit n grip.” – Dave Mateo
9. Bryan Scagline – Kaizen Birch Ken x Tribute Black / Yellow Half Split
Recipe:
1 Kaizen Translucent
1 Tribute Half Split (Yellow / Black )
“I wanted to rep the hometown colors, and the half split is good for tracking. I found this useful when performing up on stage and during on-the-spot play.” – Bryan Scagline
10. Alex Smith – Kaizen Birch Spike x Maple Cups x Alex Smith v4 Pro Mod.
Recipe:
1 Kaizen Translucent
1 Alex Smith v4 Pro Model
“Can I get a glass of water?… The tama was nice and solid and the tama’s weight matched well with the ken. The hybrid Ken was not planned and was pieced together after some Kendama mishaps, but it played really well.” – Alex Smith
Clip of the week / Friends and Family Videos / News / Pro Team Videos / Team / Video
September 9, 2015 0Kendama World Champion Wyatt Bray describes what Kendama means to him and moments leading up to the announcement crowning him as Champion.
Team Wiens & Team Fuegz battled it out for street cred in the Mile High Battle – Musous on a Plane 3.
The two teams headed to Japan for this year’s KWC on seperate planes covering 5,000 miles in 10 hours. You voted on which was best & here are the results!
TEAM WIENS TAKES THE WIN! CLICK TO WATCH!
WATCH THE TEAM FUEGZ VIDEO HERE
Missed the Vote? No Problem! Watch the videos and leave us comments on the videos.
David’s entry encompassed everything this contest is about. He showcased the beautiful locations where he lived and did it in an electrifying way. The videography as well as the technical trick combos made David’s edit stand out from the rest and effectively crowned him the winner of this year’s contest.
2ND PLACE: James Valdez – James definitely gave David a run for his money with his entry. His use of clean videography and jaw dropping trick sets left us stunned. His lunar combos at the end locked him in at second place in this years contest.
3RD PLACE: Josh Hebro – Josh came out with a bang with his first trick being an intricate spacewalk combo and throughout the edit his skills get more and more impressive. Congrats Josh you snagged 3rd place!!
JUNIORS:
The Junior entries this year were beyond amazing, we received entries from so many talented young Kendama players we had to add a third place to the Junior division to honor the talent these kids have shown.
1st: Tomoki Ninomiya
2nd: Zack Fernando
3rd: Gabe Frapton
KendamaUSA, Grain Theory, and Children of the Ken combined forces to drop in for a trick stomping session in Portland Oregon with Nic Stodd, Wyatt Bray, Haley Bishoff, and Keith Matsumura.
Enjoy!
Enjoy an inside look at the attitudes and techniques of Keith Matsumura as he experiences a spring in Colorado. Kendama, school, skating, skiing, are all part of Keith’s embracing of the ‘kaizen’ attitude- Continually improving ones self. Keith teamed up with Colin Sander to create a short film that would capture these insights and hopefully help evolve your play, and personal journey as well. Sit back and enjoy the eye opening perspective of one of the original pioneers of high-technique, american kendama-play.
Brought to you by Kendama USA
Score by Summer Swee-Singh
Directed by Colin Sander
Keith is also supported by Icelantic Skis and Royal Outerwear.
