VSYC-26 · SEPTEMBER 19, 2026

Results

Congratulations to every competitor who threw at Dulles Town Center. Here are the division champions and Virginia State Champions. Every competitor’s score is on the full leaderboard →

All the contest photos and videos are up and free for everyone. Browse the photo album → Browse the video album →

Catch the day in one read: the VSYC-26 recap →

Were you there or watching the stream? Take the short spectator survey, registered or not.

VSYC-26

By the Numbers

200–500
Estimated total attendance across the day, based on spot headcounts and venue estimates, not a ticketed count
53
Competitors registered: 50 took the stage, 3 no-showed
18
Spectators who registered in advance, from 7 states
20
Volunteers who made the day run, across 12 roles, 3 of them under 18
14
U.S. states represented: VA 18 · MD 10 · OH 6 · MA 4 · NC 4 · NJ 2 · NY 2 · CO/GA/MI/MT/PA/TX/WV 1 each
13
Yo-yo clubs represented
32%
Of competitors were minors: 17 of 53
100%
Registered online in advance. Zero walk-ups
34 · 8 · 15
1A · X · SBJ entries (4 competitors doubled up across divisions)
75
Days between the first sign-up (July 6) and contest day. The last entry came in the day before
91%
Sent their freestyle music in ahead of time: 48 of 53
SCORING

Inside the Scores

54
Freestyles judged across the three divisions
53%
X and 1A routines that took zero major deductions: 21 of 40 (Sport/Beginner/Junior isn’t scored for deductions, per NYYL rules)
20 · 9 · 0
Stops · discards · detaches called across X and 1A all day. Nobody lost a yo-yo off the string
2
Perfect 60.00 Technical Execution scores: Ryan Kim (1A) and Chandler Steele (X). Each judge’s top clicker score becomes 60, so a 60.00 average means every judge had them on top
95.50
Highest score of the contest: Ryan Kim, 1A. Contest-wide average was 42.03
2.41
Closest finish of the day: the SBJ title decided by barely two points
How to read these scores: every score is out of 100. In 1A and X, that is up to 60 for Technical Execution (clickers) and 40 for Routine Evaluation, minus major deductions (stop −1, discard −3, detach −5). Sport / Beginner / Junior is 20 for Technical Execution and 80 for evaluation, with no negative clicks or deductions. Scores are averaged across the judges. Full scoring breakdown →

Sources: NYYL: Freestyle Rules for NYYL Events · VSYC-26 raw judge scoring sheets · VSYC-26 full leaderboard · NYYL results archive

All 9 podium spots across the three divisions went to competitors from outside Virginia. This contest drew serious talent from across the country, and Virginia still put up a fight. Each division's top Virginia finisher is called out below as that division's VA State Champion.
1A · SINGLE STRING

Podium

1ST · DIVISION CHAMPION
Ryan Kim
Rosedale, MD · 95.50 pts
2nd · Connor Sheahan
Boulder, CO
84.71 PTS
3rd · Colin Beckford
Cleveland, OH
79.56 PTS
VA State Champion: Bryant Baus · Virginia Beach, VA · 48.48 pts · 13th overall
Ryan Kim · 1st place, 1A finalFrom YoYo Contest Central. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Watch on YouTube
Bryant Baus · VA State Champion, 1AFrom YoYo Contest Central. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Watch on YouTube

Watch every 1A finals run →

X DIVISION

Podium

1ST · DIVISION CHAMPION
Chandler Steele
Xenia, OH · 91.00 pts
2nd · Drew Buscemi
Long Island, NY
59.93 PTS
3rd · Richard Pigkaso
Bronx, NY
52.64 PTS
X Division podium finishers Chandler Steele, Drew Buscemi and Richard Pigkaso stand on the Center Court stage holding prize bags and gift baskets, with the sponsor banner behind them
VA State Champion: Alex Curfman · Henrico, VA · 40.77 pts · 4th overall
Chandler Steele · 1st place, X DivisionFrom YoYo Contest Central. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Watch on YouTube
Alex Curfman · VA State Champion, X DivisionFrom YoYo Contest Central. Nothing loads from YouTube until you press play. Watch on YouTube

Watch every X Division run →

SPORT / BEGINNER / JUNIOR

Podium

1ST · DIVISION CHAMPION
Steen H.
GA · 74.03 pts
2nd · Larkin M.
NC
71.62 PTS
3rd · Joshua Russell
Mooresville, NC
59.52 PTS
VA State Champion: Christian E. · VA · 54.91 pts · 5th overall

Watch every Sport / Beginner / Junior run (listed as Amateur Division on YouTube) →

Some SBJ competitors are minors whose families haven’t opted into public name/city listing, so they are shown here as first name + last initial, per our privacy policy.

ALL AGES, ALL LEVELS

Who Showed Up

7
Youngest competitor: Larkin M., NC
SBJ · 2ND PLACE
21
Median age across all 50 competitors
MEAN: 20.7
38
Oldest competitor: Richard Pigkaso, Bronx, NY
X · 3RD / 1A · 27TH
Median age by division: Sport/Beginner/Junior 12 (ages 7–27) · 1A 23 (ages 13–38) · X Division 29 (ages 14–38). A 31-year age gap separated the youngest and oldest competitors on the floor.
GUEST EVENT

Stella Duellum · Dueling Stars

1ST · CHAMPION
Ari K.
Undefeated through an 18-player single-elimination bracket
2nd · Connor M.
Runner-up, fell in the final
3rd · Will Murphy
3rd, ranked by vote totals after falling in the semifinal
Stella Duellum is our guest 1v1 Dueling Stars event, organized, judged, and run independently by Prismatic Stars. Results don’t affect placements in our 1A, X, or SBJ divisions. See the full bracket → · full standings →

Ari and Connor are shown as first name + last initial, per our privacy policy for competitors who haven’t opted into public name listing.

BONUS STATS

More From the Sheets

By Design
Sport/Beginner/Junior is scored without negative clickers or major deductions, per NYYL rules, a built-in low-pressure format for throwers building their first routine
0.99
Correlation between evaluation score and final placement in Sport/Beginner/Junior. Our judges rewarded clean, musical routines as much as raw trick count
31 pts
Chandler Steele’s X Division win, backed by a perfect 60.00 Technical Execution score, the largest margin of victory at VSYC-26
~98 pts
Spread between the contest’s highest and lowest scores. There was a stage for every skill level, from a first freestyle to a perfect 60
3rd → 1st
Steen H.’s technical execution rank in Sport/Beginner/Junior. Presentation, not trick count, carried the win over Larkin M. in the closest final of the day
56%
1A routines that finished with no stops, discards, or detaches, the toughest scoring format at VSYC-26, where every trick carries real risk
We dug into the raw judge sheets after the contest to pull these. The full scoring breakdowns are linked below if you want to see how it all added up. Attendance is an estimate from spot headcounts, not a ticketed count. Every other number comes from registration records and the judge sheets.
SEPTEMBER 19 · CENTER COURT

From the Floor

A competitor with red-tipped curly hair looks up at a blue yo-yo spinning at eye level during a trick A thrower in a striped polo kneels at a vendor table to show a yo-yo to a family while two more throwers practice behind Throwers practice side by side on the mall floor, one mid-trick with a bright yellow string looped over a blue yo-yo
Overhead view of Center Court at Dulles Town Center during the contest: a competitor on the black stage, judges at their table, and a crowd filling the floor and escalators The contest emcee in a light green blazer speaks into a microphone in front of the stage A competitor in a gray shirt and blue cap smiles while a yo-yo spins at his side in front of the VSYC-26 sponsor banner A competitor in a black shirt watches closely as a red yo-yo drops between his hands A competitor in sunglasses and a mesh top works pink strings during an offstring routine on stage A competitor in gray kicks one leg high over the string mid-trick in front of the sponsor banner A young Sport, Beginner, and Junior competitor in glasses grins and holds up a blue yo-yo by the stage A young competitor on stage looks up at a yo-yo flying over his raised hands in front of the sponsor banner A competitor with curly hair holds the string in his teeth and stretches it into a triangle around the yo-yo in front of the VA State banner

Awards and After Hours

Three competitors on stage holding award bags and prize baskets after their division Young Sport, Beginner, and Junior competitors on stage with award bags and prize baskets while the emcee looks on Competitors lined up on stage applaud during the awards A crew member runs the livestream and music from laptops and a mixer at the side of the stage An open vendor case filled with brightly anodized metal yo-yos Throwers keep playing at night outside Lost Rhino Brewing Co. after the contest

See every contest photo →

EVERYONE WHO THREW

Full Standings

Want to see the complete ranked standings for every competitor in every division? The full live leaderboard is up now.

See the full leaderboard →

Watch the winners playlist →

Browse the contest photos →

QR code for the VSYC-26 contest photo album on Google Photos

Scan to open the photo album on your phone. Download the QR code to share or print.

Browse the contest videos →

QR code for the VSYC-26 contest video album on Google Photos

Scan to open the video album on your phone. Download the QR code to share or print.

Watch the day-of livestream →

Watch the whole contest in 60 seconds (timelapse) →

See the official NYYL results archive →

See raw judge scoring sheets →

★ Thank you to Goodles for presenting VSYC-26, our judges and volunteers who made the day run, and Dulles Town Center for hosting. Thank you to every competitor who came out. See you at the next one.