by Crazy Ivan
The other day, someone asked me to write a blog where I ranked all the non-Myachi Master players in order of freestyle skill. What they wanted, essentially, was the top 10 Myachi players in the world that didn't work for the company. I politely declined.
"Why? You don't want to offend anyone?" the inquisitor asked.
"No... I just don't really know."
There are a lot of reasons why I wouldn't know. I've met many of the avid Myachi players in the world, but not all of them. There are certainly people who got into the game through a friend and practiced a lot and played for a really long time but never put up any You Tube videos, joined the forum or visited HQ. It's entirely possible that all 10 of the best Myachi players in the world go to the same school in some little town in Mississippi, but we've never heard of them.
Now, if that seems unlikely, consider the case of Helium, a Myachi Maniac that I just met the other day. He is a legit freestyler with a pretty wide range of skills. And we're not talking easy tricks. The dude has a clean Matrix Unleashed, a spot-on Jedi, a Clipper Delay to Gui, a Back and Forth Daredevil and an Instep to Duck. And that's just a small sampling of what I saw out of him.
If I'd written a list of the 10 best freestylers last week (which is when I was asked about it), I certainly wouldn't have mentioned Helium from Toronto. I'd never met him and didn't even know he existed. But after he went toe to toe with me in MYACH today (we had to end our game at H to H after I successfully nailed him on a redemption shot), I've got to imagine he deserves some mention in that top 10 list.
But that's just the thing. He was probably one of the 10 best freestylers I've seen that don't work for Myachi that I know are playing right now, but what about the hundreds of thousands of Myachis that were sold to people I never met? What about all the talented maniacs that we got into the game back in Virginia Beach, Ocean City, Cocoa Beach, St. Louis, Knoxville, Miami, Branson or any of the hundreds of other places we've been. Could it be that one of them is still into the game and pushing the envelope of what's possible? Could it be that some Manaic that we met back in 2001 has been practicing for 2 hours a day ever since and has a whole repertoire of 6 Myachi tricks?
All I know is that we've taught millions of people to play over the years. Even if they were all standing in front of me right now and throwing down their best freestyle tricks, I don't think I could pick out the top 10.
Oh, and hopefully I can update this blog with a little video of Helium shredding. Check back with this post in the next few days...
Showing posts with label myachi maniacs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label myachi maniacs. Show all posts
Friday, December 30, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
I Met Max!
by Crazy Ivan
I've said before and I'll say again that the single greatest aspect of the job of Myachi Master is the Maniacs that you meet along the way. If I wrote out a list of all the cool people I've met over the years that I've done this job, the internet would run out of room.
But once in a while there's a meeting that's so epic I have to blog about it.
Myachi Max is a regular on the Myachi Blog, he's a favorite for Myachi videos, he's a loyal reader of this blog, he's a frequent contestant in our Myachi contests and he's an overall very cool guy. Unfortunately, he's separated from the bulk of the Myachi movement by something called the Atlantic Ocean (and something else called France). Max is Myachi's first ambassador to Switzerland and he's been spreading the word for us over there for over a year.
Not to be overly precise, but he's been spreading the word for exactly one day over a year. He informed me today that yesterday was his one year anniversary with Myachi. If you had to judge it only by his skills, you would guess that he'd been playing for three or four years, but we'll get to that.
I opened up FAO today so I was there mad early. Most of the people there today seemed to be from Holland, so half of the time I found myself teaching people who didn't speak much English. That doesn't really matter, as I long ago learned to teach Myachi without relying on things like language. At one point, I was teaching two different groups, one speaking Spanish and the other speaking a language I couldn't actually identify. As I'm walking them through the basics I see this smiling face appear at the edges of the circle.
I've never met Max before, but I recognized him right away from his Facebook photos and his Myachi videos. I tossed him a Hounds Tooth and he started working it like he was using the Force. The whole crowd (about 12 or 13 people altogether) went crazy. He was weaving together dozens of tricks in an effortless and endless symphony of skills. All the while he's wearing this infectious smile that has everybody around grinning from ear to ear.
So after a few minutes things cleared out a bit and me and Max got to meet formally. We swap a few tricks and challenges. I knew he was coming so I brought a few tradables. I usually sacrifice rareness for yumminess and this trade was no exception as I let a few gems from my collection go for a few of his more yummified semi-commons. We hung out and jammed for a while and his multi-lingual capabilities came in pretty handy in the international crowd.
He'd been in the day before as well and met Lucky and Bamboo, both of whom he beat in games of MYACH. He stuck around long enough to meet Bones as well, and while it was too busy for MYACH at the time, he actually made it back in later in the day so that he could notch one more Myachi Master in his belt, beating Bones as well. He and I never got a chance to play and after seeing his skills, I regret missing out on the challenge. The dude has sick foot skills, great flexibility, a lot of technical upper body stuff, virtually everything that's ever been featured on Trick of the Day and the best Matrix Unleashed I've ever seen that wasn't performed by Animal.
I believe that Max has said the new record for the longest distance ever traveled to play a game of MYACH at something like 3800 miles (or 6200 km). Granted, I'm sure his family had some other things to do in New York other than play Myachi, but they've been to FAO two days in a row and they're heading to HQ tomorrow to meet Pinky, Monk and Kid Myach.
All I can say in closing is that I hope Max has had as much fun meeting us as we've had meeting him.
I've said before and I'll say again that the single greatest aspect of the job of Myachi Master is the Maniacs that you meet along the way. If I wrote out a list of all the cool people I've met over the years that I've done this job, the internet would run out of room.
But once in a while there's a meeting that's so epic I have to blog about it.
Myachi Max is a regular on the Myachi Blog, he's a favorite for Myachi videos, he's a loyal reader of this blog, he's a frequent contestant in our Myachi contests and he's an overall very cool guy. Unfortunately, he's separated from the bulk of the Myachi movement by something called the Atlantic Ocean (and something else called France). Max is Myachi's first ambassador to Switzerland and he's been spreading the word for us over there for over a year.
Not to be overly precise, but he's been spreading the word for exactly one day over a year. He informed me today that yesterday was his one year anniversary with Myachi. If you had to judge it only by his skills, you would guess that he'd been playing for three or four years, but we'll get to that.
I opened up FAO today so I was there mad early. Most of the people there today seemed to be from Holland, so half of the time I found myself teaching people who didn't speak much English. That doesn't really matter, as I long ago learned to teach Myachi without relying on things like language. At one point, I was teaching two different groups, one speaking Spanish and the other speaking a language I couldn't actually identify. As I'm walking them through the basics I see this smiling face appear at the edges of the circle.
I've never met Max before, but I recognized him right away from his Facebook photos and his Myachi videos. I tossed him a Hounds Tooth and he started working it like he was using the Force. The whole crowd (about 12 or 13 people altogether) went crazy. He was weaving together dozens of tricks in an effortless and endless symphony of skills. All the while he's wearing this infectious smile that has everybody around grinning from ear to ear.
So after a few minutes things cleared out a bit and me and Max got to meet formally. We swap a few tricks and challenges. I knew he was coming so I brought a few tradables. I usually sacrifice rareness for yumminess and this trade was no exception as I let a few gems from my collection go for a few of his more yummified semi-commons. We hung out and jammed for a while and his multi-lingual capabilities came in pretty handy in the international crowd.
He'd been in the day before as well and met Lucky and Bamboo, both of whom he beat in games of MYACH. He stuck around long enough to meet Bones as well, and while it was too busy for MYACH at the time, he actually made it back in later in the day so that he could notch one more Myachi Master in his belt, beating Bones as well. He and I never got a chance to play and after seeing his skills, I regret missing out on the challenge. The dude has sick foot skills, great flexibility, a lot of technical upper body stuff, virtually everything that's ever been featured on Trick of the Day and the best Matrix Unleashed I've ever seen that wasn't performed by Animal.
I believe that Max has said the new record for the longest distance ever traveled to play a game of MYACH at something like 3800 miles (or 6200 km). Granted, I'm sure his family had some other things to do in New York other than play Myachi, but they've been to FAO two days in a row and they're heading to HQ tomorrow to meet Pinky, Monk and Kid Myach.
All I can say in closing is that I hope Max has had as much fun meeting us as we've had meeting him.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
8 Years In Myachi
by MMFL
So there you have it. These 8 events/items are, in my opinion, the top events that I’ve experienced or witnessed in my time in the Myachi Movement. They’ve shaped my opinions, introduced me to friends, and built my skills. These are just a handful of the things I’ve been through, and I’m sure there’s plenty more awesome memories yet to come.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011 marked my 8-year anniversary in the Myachi Movement. My collection has reached over 100 sacks. In a little over 5 years on the Myachi Forums, I’ve amassed almost 8,000 posts.
For a while now, I’ve realized this day was coming, and I thought it’d be fun to write a guest blog for the occasion. I didn’t want to sit here and write about everything I’ve done or anything that’d sound egotistical, but the best idea I had was to create a top-8 of events. Let me explain, though, that these will be events related to my time in the Movement. Some people may not agree with them, and some people may not even know about them, but these are just a few of the things I’ve experienced in my time.
Anyways, here are what I feel are the top 8 events in my 8 years in Myachi:
8. Fire Island Yellow
Starting things off is a single sack in my collection, the Fire Island Yellow. It’s not the fact that it’s a great jammer or a Pakisack, but the story behind it and the meaning of the sack. A few years ago, I asked Pinky if she could get me all of the Masters’ autographs on something, even if it was just a plain piece of paper. Being the awesome friend that we all know Pinky is, she not only got a Myachi autographed for me, but she hooked me up with a free Fire Island Yellow, had all of the Masters jam it out, AND had them all autograph it. I’m also very lucky that so many of the Masters happened to be in the same place at the same time. Myachi Man, Kid Myach, Crazy Ivan, Pinky, Animal, Maverick, and Chunk the Monk all autographed this Fire Island. I’ve never met any of the Masters yet, but I do have autographs from some of them. Part of collecting is the story that comes with each sack, and this Fire Island definitely has a good story.
7. Jammer of the Year Awards
In at number 7 is the annual award ceremony of the Myachi Forums, the Jammer of the Year Awards. When the JOTYA’s began, in 2007 believe, I was voted by my peers as the winner of the first (and thus-far only) Myachi Lifetime Achievement Award. This was important to me not only as a win in the JOTYAs, but because it showed that I had earned the respect of my fellow Maniax on the Forums. Later, for 2008, I was co-winner of the Forum Award with Downtown Myachi. Winning these awards showed me that my hard work had not gone unnoticed.
6. Profiles in Mania
Early this year, perhaps in February, I got a message on Facebook from Crazy Ivan. Basically, he outlined an idea he had to profile some Maniax on the blog, and he chose me as the first to receive this honor. He asked a couple questions and put it all together into an awesome blog entry on the Myachi Blog, published on March 9th. It outlined my time in the Movement, the things I had done, and what I was known for in the Myachiverse. Since I’m from Ohio, many people in the Myachi Movement may not even know about me if they’re not active on the Forums, but being profiled on the Myachi Blog may have helped get my name out there a bit. The second Maniac to be profiled was none other than Downtown Myachi, which means I’m in good company, if you ask me. The biggest thing about it for me, though, was receiving recognition from one of my favorite Myachi Masters and, once again, seeing that I had earned the respect of others.
5. Toys ‘R Us in Parma, OH
On the morning of October 20th, 2009, I went on the Myachi Forums and saw a topic posted by Animal, titled “Dear MMFL.” He explained how Myachi (series 4.3, to be exact) was about to be carried in over 100 Toys ‘R Us stores across the country, including, as he put it, “one very important TRU – Parma, OH.” This marked the first time in my Myachi Mania that a Cleveland-area store carried Myachi (as far as I know). After all the time I spent pointlessly and selfishly telling the Masters to come to Cleveland, finally I could walk into a store and buy a sack in person. When I finally made my way there, I picked up a Straight Jacket and a Perfect Storm. The Perfect Storm remains in its blister. The only time I’ve been to that TRU since was to pick up some baby stuff for my sister’s baby shower. I took a look around and didn’t notice Myachi anywhere. But even if only for a short period of time, Myachi had finally found its way into my area.
4. Myachi Leader
I don’t even remember offhand when this took place. Long story short, on the Forum a while back, I received a promotion to the moderator position of Myachi Leader. Along with the other newly-appointed Leaders, it became our responsibility to keep the Forums clean, enforce the rules, and watch out for spamming. This showed me that the Masters not only respected me, but trusted me in a position of power. There have been times when I’ve gotten problematic or abusive of my power, but over time I slowly began to develop and try to become a better Leader. I enjoy being one of the guys to keep an eye on the place and take care of things, and I’m honored to have this opportunity.
3. Downtown Myachi
One of my fellow Leaders is none other than Downtown Myachi. Hailing from Sarcoxie, Missouri, DTM is a respected guy who’s liked by everybody. Somehow, we began talking and became friends. Although we’ve never met in person, he’s one of my best friends and we know each other really well. We’ve been there for each other through tough times and we talk pretty often. If not for Myachi and the Myachi Forums, we’d never have even met.
2. The New Myachi Forums
I began Myachi in 2003. At the time on the old Forums, not much was going on. Aside from a friend I had in middle school who had gotten into Myachi but soon lost interest, I didn’t really have anyone to talk Myachi with. Honestly, I had started to lose interest in Myachi in general. It had been a while since I’d really jammed, or even checked the website. This all changed in 2006 with the creation of the new Myachi Forums. At some point I had signed up for the Myachi e-mail list, and as fate would have it, they sent out a mass e-mail announcing the creation of the new Forums. I joined up on July 11th, 2006, and have now been an active member for over 5 years. Not only have the Forums given me a chance to be included in the Movement, but they’ve also introduced me to some of my friends.
1. 2003 Gravity Games in Cleveland, Ohio
This is it. THE event. I talked my mom into taking me to the Gravity Games when they were here in Cleveland back in 2003. We made our way downtown and on down to Voinovich Park at North Coast Harbor. Oh, man, was it crazy. Booths lining up and down the way, a giant halfpipe, a skate/bike park… it was like heaven. Sadly, I don’t remember how everything went, but we made our way through most of the booths getting free posters, stickers, anything they were giving out. At one booth, I even got an autograph from Doug Brown, a local professional skateboarder. I actually used to skate with him at Rollerworld here back before he really made it big.
Anyways, at the SoBe booth, which was pretty packed, people were tossing things on the backs of their hands. It was simple – if you caught one, you could keep it. I made my way through the crowd and put my hand up, and one of the guys hit me with a toss. I managed to catch it, and took a look at it. I read through the flipbook, and learned about Myachi.
Honestly, at first I wasn’t really interested in it. I figured it was just another free thing I got that’d end up in the bag with everything else. But later on, we sat down for a moment and I took it back out and gave it another thought. It seemed like a cool idea, having this toy that you could take with you anywhere to play with. I started getting into it, checking out the website, and so on. The sack I got, a SoBe 2003 “Sobe Yourself,” is probably the worst-looking sack in my collection. It’s been broken open and sewed shut, half of the SoBe tats have fallen off (but I’ve managed to save most of them in a plastic bag), and it’s so dirty it’s almost a dark gray color. To anyone else, it’s probably junk, but to me, it is THE most important sack in my entire collection.
Plenty of people have made offers for my Glow in the Dark or Red Swirl, and I’ve got plenty of rare and collectible sacks, but nothing will EVER mean more than this SoBe 2003. It was the beginning, it was the first, it was the original, it was what introduced me. Without it, I wouldn’t know about Myachi and life could be totally different for me.
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Monday, September 12, 2011
The Science of Myachi
by Crazy Ivan
The first thing I do each morning when I get to the office is check my messages. This might seem like a pretty straightforward responsibility, but in addition to checking my personal messages, I've got to check Myachi's messages and those include (but are not limited to):
But once in a while I get a message that is so cool or unique that I feel like I have to share it on the blog. That was the case a few days ago when I got a YouTube message from a Maniac who had a unique idea of how to spread the word in his school. He was going to use Myachi for his science project.
There are a lot of ways one could do something like that, I suppose. Myachi intersects with physics quite a bit and lessons on centifugal force and momentum could easily be wrapped up in a Myachi demonstration. But his idea was even cooler; not only does it give him a groovy science project, it also helps to answer a question that all Myachi players wonder: Which Myachi has the best grip?
I'll be filling in the details once I hear more about it, but the idea is to take Myachis of several different fabrics and measure the friction that each one creates. I'm not sure how he'll be measuring it, but I can think of a couple ways off hand. If he does it right, he might even create a measurement the rest of us can use when describing the grip of a Myachi. Like, if he finds a way to quantify it we might end up with a "Gription Quotient" and we can describe our Myachis by their relative GQ:
In case you're curious about what science-minded maniac came up with this idea, check him out on his You-Tube channel. I'm just saying that he looks like the next MythBuster in the making...
The first thing I do each morning when I get to the office is check my messages. This might seem like a pretty straightforward responsibility, but in addition to checking my personal messages, I've got to check Myachi's messages and those include (but are not limited to):
- Messages left on Myachi's Facebook page,
- @ Mentions on Twitter,
- Comments on the Blog,
- Messages over YouTube,
- PMs on the Myachi Forum,
- Emails to both my Myachi accounts,
- PMs on Myachi.com
- Comments on our YouTube videos.
But once in a while I get a message that is so cool or unique that I feel like I have to share it on the blog. That was the case a few days ago when I got a YouTube message from a Maniac who had a unique idea of how to spread the word in his school. He was going to use Myachi for his science project.
There are a lot of ways one could do something like that, I suppose. Myachi intersects with physics quite a bit and lessons on centifugal force and momentum could easily be wrapped up in a Myachi demonstration. But his idea was even cooler; not only does it give him a groovy science project, it also helps to answer a question that all Myachi players wonder: Which Myachi has the best grip?
I'll be filling in the details once I hear more about it, but the idea is to take Myachis of several different fabrics and measure the friction that each one creates. I'm not sure how he'll be measuring it, but I can think of a couple ways off hand. If he does it right, he might even create a measurement the rest of us can use when describing the grip of a Myachi. Like, if he finds a way to quantify it we might end up with a "Gription Quotient" and we can describe our Myachis by their relative GQ:
Oh, so your Gray Beard has a GQ of .715, huh? Not bad, but it's nothing compared to my Yellow Jacket and its .804Anyway, I hope to be able to add some more details (and maybe even some pictures) once he's a bit farther along with the project. At the very least, I'll be letting everyone know the results of his experiment.
In case you're curious about what science-minded maniac came up with this idea, check him out on his You-Tube channel. I'm just saying that he looks like the next MythBuster in the making...
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Dark Side of Myachi
by Crazy Ivan
Far be it from me to tempt you toward the dark side, but there might be something pretty rewarding for you over there.
I've mentioned before on this blog that there's a great resource for additional Myachi give aways over on the Myachi forum. These aren't "officially sanctioned" Myachi contests, but rather they are contests that Myachi Maniacs and collectors sponsor using their own Myachis as prizes. There's usually something pretty cool going on there, but at the moment there's a contest that was so cool I felt like I had to share it.
Blue Samurai, long time Myachi fanatic and forum regular, came up with the idea and announced the contest a little while ago, but he's extending it while he awaits more entries. It's a video contest so you'll have to submit a shred video, but there's a twist. You've got to do it blind.
I could explain it further, but since it's Samurai's contest, I'll let him do the explaining. Here's what he had to say about it on the forum:
There's a flip side to that of course. Since it isn't an "officially sanctioned" Myachi contest, I can enter. I'll be putting together my entry video this weekend but don't let that dissuade you. If I win, I'll insist that my prize go to the next runner-up.
If you have any questions, you can direct them to Samurai via the Myachi Forum. Here's the thread where he announced the contest so just by reading through the responses to that you might find the answer to your question. Any unanswered queries can be posted there. And if you don't have an account on our forum and are unwilling/unable to set one up, let me know what you want to know and I'll pass it along.
Good luck!
Far be it from me to tempt you toward the dark side, but there might be something pretty rewarding for you over there.
I've mentioned before on this blog that there's a great resource for additional Myachi give aways over on the Myachi forum. These aren't "officially sanctioned" Myachi contests, but rather they are contests that Myachi Maniacs and collectors sponsor using their own Myachis as prizes. There's usually something pretty cool going on there, but at the moment there's a contest that was so cool I felt like I had to share it.
Blue Samurai, long time Myachi fanatic and forum regular, came up with the idea and announced the contest a little while ago, but he's extending it while he awaits more entries. It's a video contest so you'll have to submit a shred video, but there's a twist. You've got to do it blind.
I could explain it further, but since it's Samurai's contest, I'll let him do the explaining. Here's what he had to say about it on the forum:
Here's the Rules:
You must submit a jam session video..length is unimportant..video must not be edited, it has to be raw film straight to you tube. You can have as many submissions as you want, but separate videos per submission. You can only win in one category
Here's the Catch:
YOU MUST BE BLINDFOLDED! Use a very dark pillow case, black shirt, bandanna, or if you have sleep mask, that would be the best..you have to put it on in the start of the video get the blindfold on very tight(or have someone put it on for you, on the video..NO CHEATING!) and jam!
There will be FOUR Forum Sacks (MINT/DIAPER) Given out.So that everyone knows, I'll be posting the winning videos on the blog as well so I hope to see some sick entries. But I should make it really clear to everyone that I won't be picking the winner and neither will anyone else that works for Myachi. This is Samurai's contest so it will be up to him how the winner is chosen. I also won't be sending out the prizes. That's on Samurai as well. So if you win, please don't email me about your prize.
1 For Best Move
1 For Funniest (or a "Nice Try" award)
1 For Longest Jam Session without dropping
A MISMADE Forum Sack for Best In Show (could be any of the 3 winners..That will be voted on by Forum Leaders)
There's a flip side to that of course. Since it isn't an "officially sanctioned" Myachi contest, I can enter. I'll be putting together my entry video this weekend but don't let that dissuade you. If I win, I'll insist that my prize go to the next runner-up.
If you have any questions, you can direct them to Samurai via the Myachi Forum. Here's the thread where he announced the contest so just by reading through the responses to that you might find the answer to your question. Any unanswered queries can be posted there. And if you don't have an account on our forum and are unwilling/unable to set one up, let me know what you want to know and I'll pass it along.
Good luck!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Old Places; Familiar Faces
by Pinky
Well, I am back in New York after 2 months in the Great Smokey Mountains. It has been 6 years since I worked at Dollywood and I must say everyone there is just as friendly as ever! Although I met many amazing people and could tell you many stories about Maniacs I met while there this year, there is
one that stands out in my mind above all others.
About 2 or 3 weeks in Dollywood, I noticed a very tall young man, wearing a purple shirt standing in line for the golf contest that we held 5 times a day. I thought to myself, wow he seems familiar, but couldn't for the life of me remember where I had seen him. I was standing behind the cash register at the end of the contest and look up to find this same young man standing in front of me.
He introduces himself as Kyle and says he met Ivan and I at Dollywood 6 years ago and with hand over his heart he begins to tell me how much Ivan and I meant to him all those years ago and how his time with us meant so much to him. Of course by now I'm teary eyed and trying my best to place him, I knew he looked familiar... Then along comes his Mom and Dad, and BAM I remember!!!
He was only about 11 or 12 when we met him, I remember his sweet parents always brought Ivan a slushy after he did the Golf contests back then and they were there every day of their vacation because that's what he wanted to do more than anything else while visiting from Florida. I had many delightful conversations with his parents and him and you know what he spent this vacation doing, at the age of 17? He came back to every Golf contest we held.
I still have a little blue and a purple Alien that he won and gave to me. It is because of stories like this, parents like this and maniacs like this that I SO love not only what I do for a living but what Myachi has done for so many. So, Kyle and Mr. and Mrs. Schaeffer, if you are reading this, I want you to know that you have all now impacted my life as well. I admire the relationship you all have with one another and the kindness that you all showed us during your visit, you were sorely missed after you returned home.
Now to all of you Maniacs out there that we met and spent time with at Dollywood, you guys made my summer. It was hard work and hot like you wouldn't believe but meeting and or reuniting with all of you made it all worthwhile. Thanks again to The Schaeffer family for sending me pics and making my time in Tennessee such a pleasure.
Well, I am back in New York after 2 months in the Great Smokey Mountains. It has been 6 years since I worked at Dollywood and I must say everyone there is just as friendly as ever! Although I met many amazing people and could tell you many stories about Maniacs I met while there this year, there is
one that stands out in my mind above all others.
About 2 or 3 weeks in Dollywood, I noticed a very tall young man, wearing a purple shirt standing in line for the golf contest that we held 5 times a day. I thought to myself, wow he seems familiar, but couldn't for the life of me remember where I had seen him. I was standing behind the cash register at the end of the contest and look up to find this same young man standing in front of me.
 |
| He would be the guy in the background wearing a purple shirt... no, the one on the right. |
He introduces himself as Kyle and says he met Ivan and I at Dollywood 6 years ago and with hand over his heart he begins to tell me how much Ivan and I meant to him all those years ago and how his time with us meant so much to him. Of course by now I'm teary eyed and trying my best to place him, I knew he looked familiar... Then along comes his Mom and Dad, and BAM I remember!!!
He was only about 11 or 12 when we met him, I remember his sweet parents always brought Ivan a slushy after he did the Golf contests back then and they were there every day of their vacation because that's what he wanted to do more than anything else while visiting from Florida. I had many delightful conversations with his parents and him and you know what he spent this vacation doing, at the age of 17? He came back to every Golf contest we held.
I still have a little blue and a purple Alien that he won and gave to me. It is because of stories like this, parents like this and maniacs like this that I SO love not only what I do for a living but what Myachi has done for so many. So, Kyle and Mr. and Mrs. Schaeffer, if you are reading this, I want you to know that you have all now impacted my life as well. I admire the relationship you all have with one another and the kindness that you all showed us during your visit, you were sorely missed after you returned home.
Now to all of you Maniacs out there that we met and spent time with at Dollywood, you guys made my summer. It was hard work and hot like you wouldn't believe but meeting and or reuniting with all of you made it all worthwhile. Thanks again to The Schaeffer family for sending me pics and making my time in Tennessee such a pleasure.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Profiles in Mania: Downtown
by Crazy Ivan
Myachi's '05 trip to Silver Dollar City was a bit of a strange one. Over the previous summer the whole team had rocked it out at Dollywood leaving us (and Dollywood's management) wondering how we could do even better the following summer.
Eventually we decided that for '05 we would split the team up. Half of us would go back to Dollywood and the other half would go to their sister park in Branson, Missouri. There wasn't much Myachi Mania in Missouri at the time, but I'd just spent the Christmas season in St. Louis so it seemed like a logical place to go next.
It was there that Kid and Animal met this kind of shy, very unassuming dude who distinguished himself quickly by having mad skills and the familiar love for the game we can only describe as "Myachi Mania".
A familiar figure to fans of the Myachi website or the Myachi online forums, Downtown has been a mainstay in the Myachiverse for a number of years. After first learning the game, Downtown did what most maniacs did back in the early days of the movement: he got online.
Back then, Myachi Maniacs were few and far between, spread from California to Florida to Ireland to Missouri. While there were a few schools and even a few towns with significant Myachi presence, the vast majority of Maniacs were the only jammers in their town. That left the web as the only real place to go to learn new moves and interact with other Myachi Maniacs.
Downtown took full advantage, quickly earning a mod position on the Myachi forum and taking it upon himself to help out new jammers as they arrived. In a time when the forum was far more sparsely populated (and still had that "new forum smell"), Downtown took it upon himself to be not only a stalwart, but also a mediator in disputes. Always seeking the middle ground, he fast gained a reputation for being even-handed and fair; qualities that would later earn him a spot as a forum leader.
But his contribution to the game was not limited to his forum presence. Of all his contributions to Myachi, Downtown might be best known for his signature film shot, often called the “Downtown Shot”. Appearing first in one of his You-Tube videos, this is a shot where the Myachi is filmed from below the hands leaving the appearance that it floats between fusions and 360s. While it is now a mainstay of Myachi Shred videos, when he first did it, it was revolutionary.
His skills have improved vastly over the years (and if you don't believe me, just watch a few of his early videos and a few of the latest ones on his You Tube channel) and his dedication to the game, sport and community has never waned. Computer problems have gotten the best of him from time to time, but even when he disappears for a little while, we all know he's never that far from his Myachi.
Eventually we decided that for '05 we would split the team up. Half of us would go back to Dollywood and the other half would go to their sister park in Branson, Missouri. There wasn't much Myachi Mania in Missouri at the time, but I'd just spent the Christmas season in St. Louis so it seemed like a logical place to go next.
It was there that Kid and Animal met this kind of shy, very unassuming dude who distinguished himself quickly by having mad skills and the familiar love for the game we can only describe as "Myachi Mania".
A familiar figure to fans of the Myachi website or the Myachi online forums, Downtown has been a mainstay in the Myachiverse for a number of years. After first learning the game, Downtown did what most maniacs did back in the early days of the movement: he got online.
Back then, Myachi Maniacs were few and far between, spread from California to Florida to Ireland to Missouri. While there were a few schools and even a few towns with significant Myachi presence, the vast majority of Maniacs were the only jammers in their town. That left the web as the only real place to go to learn new moves and interact with other Myachi Maniacs.
 |
| "DOES ANYONE WANNA SEE MY DOUBLE WOLVERINE?!" |
But his contribution to the game was not limited to his forum presence. Of all his contributions to Myachi, Downtown might be best known for his signature film shot, often called the “Downtown Shot”. Appearing first in one of his You-Tube videos, this is a shot where the Myachi is filmed from below the hands leaving the appearance that it floats between fusions and 360s. While it is now a mainstay of Myachi Shred videos, when he first did it, it was revolutionary.
His skills have improved vastly over the years (and if you don't believe me, just watch a few of his early videos and a few of the latest ones on his You Tube channel) and his dedication to the game, sport and community has never waned. Computer problems have gotten the best of him from time to time, but even when he disappears for a little while, we all know he's never that far from his Myachi.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Reasons Why I Love My Job #1
by Crazy Ivan
For those that are new to the Myachi Blog, I should start by mentioning that I've had a running series of blog entries since this thing started where I list some of my favorite parts of the job. In the past they've had titles like Reasons Why I Love My Job #63, Reasons Why I Love My Job #106 or Reasons Why I Love My Job #22.
But since I've been at Dollywood, I've been constantly reminded why I loved this job first. As many of you know, Dollywood was my first Myachi assignment and it was through my hard work and dedication that first summer that I earned the title "Myachi Master". And there was no question that I wanted to earn that title. I knew from my first day with Myachi that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.
So I'm not going to assign some random number to this blog. This is, in at least two senses, the number one reason why I love my job. And it's pretty simple. It's the people I meet.
This summer, I've already met more incredibly cool people than I can possibly list. Punisher, who dominated our golf contests for a while and thought of a ton of cool challenges off the top of our tent. Taylor and Zach who chilled at the booth all day for a week and a half helping us spread the word and convincing their dad to win them nearly a full series of sacks. Blackout, who comes back after a week jamming like he's been doing this for months. The mad cool martial artist I met the other day who was tossing the Myachi in the air, doing a standing backflip and then trying to catch it (and he got so close...). Gabriel, whose enthusiasm made the whole last half of my day worth waking up for all by itself. The little two year old who kept tossing the Myachi from his palm and was too cute to dissuade (he tied for the win on a contest, by the way. The guy he tied with was a mad cool juggler that stepped in against a bunch of kids that had been practicing all day).
And that's only people I've seen in the last couple of days. There are literally hundreds of names that could be added to that list.
There is no question that the best thing about Myachi is the people. The people I work with are the coolest group of individuals I've ever met (and possibly the coolest ever assembled), but that only scratches the surface. The maniacs I know through our online community, the maniacs I know from the dozens of places I've demoed, the maniacs I've met at the hundreds of parties, school assemblies and private events we've done and, of course, the new maniacs I meet every day.
It really doesn't matter how much I sweat, how long the hours or how hot it gets. When your job is to hang out with cool people and do something cool while meeting other cool people, it never really feels like work.
For those that are new to the Myachi Blog, I should start by mentioning that I've had a running series of blog entries since this thing started where I list some of my favorite parts of the job. In the past they've had titles like Reasons Why I Love My Job #63, Reasons Why I Love My Job #106 or Reasons Why I Love My Job #22.
But since I've been at Dollywood, I've been constantly reminded why I loved this job first. As many of you know, Dollywood was my first Myachi assignment and it was through my hard work and dedication that first summer that I earned the title "Myachi Master". And there was no question that I wanted to earn that title. I knew from my first day with Myachi that I wanted to do it for the rest of my life.
So I'm not going to assign some random number to this blog. This is, in at least two senses, the number one reason why I love my job. And it's pretty simple. It's the people I meet.
This summer, I've already met more incredibly cool people than I can possibly list. Punisher, who dominated our golf contests for a while and thought of a ton of cool challenges off the top of our tent. Taylor and Zach who chilled at the booth all day for a week and a half helping us spread the word and convincing their dad to win them nearly a full series of sacks. Blackout, who comes back after a week jamming like he's been doing this for months. The mad cool martial artist I met the other day who was tossing the Myachi in the air, doing a standing backflip and then trying to catch it (and he got so close...). Gabriel, whose enthusiasm made the whole last half of my day worth waking up for all by itself. The little two year old who kept tossing the Myachi from his palm and was too cute to dissuade (he tied for the win on a contest, by the way. The guy he tied with was a mad cool juggler that stepped in against a bunch of kids that had been practicing all day).
And that's only people I've seen in the last couple of days. There are literally hundreds of names that could be added to that list.
There is no question that the best thing about Myachi is the people. The people I work with are the coolest group of individuals I've ever met (and possibly the coolest ever assembled), but that only scratches the surface. The maniacs I know through our online community, the maniacs I know from the dozens of places I've demoed, the maniacs I've met at the hundreds of parties, school assemblies and private events we've done and, of course, the new maniacs I meet every day.
It really doesn't matter how much I sweat, how long the hours or how hot it gets. When your job is to hang out with cool people and do something cool while meeting other cool people, it never really feels like work.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Talk About Mad Dedication
by Crazy Ivan
When you're away from home for a long period, you start to miss the small nuances of wherever you live. Whenever I see a pretzel vendor or a movie that that shows the New York skyline or somebody cuts me off in traffic, I start feeling homesick.
That's why it's really good to see a familiar face now and again. That happened today a little while after we opened up.
Omega (also known as one of the several "Boss Tweeds" on the forum) became a contender for the "longest distance traveled to play Myachi" title when he showed up at Dollywood all the way from Long Island.
Before you call that insane, I should explain that he didn't come all the way just for Myachi. He was already visiting his grandpa in North Carolina and was only a few hours from us at that point. And, of course, there's more to do at Dollywood than just play Myachi. But I will say with confidence that had we not been there, he wouldn't have asked his grandpa to come so far just to ride the ThunderHead (which would totally be worth the drive by the way).
Anyway, he picked up a bunch of the 5.1s, played in a few contests, met Bamboo and Kore for the first time, jammed out, learned some new tricks and reminded me how much I miss all the NY maniacs. It was great to see him and we can't thank grandpa enough for bringing him out. Grandpas tend to be pretty awesome about stuff like that.
Incidentally, I'd love to get the actual number on the furthest distance travelled to play Myachi and/or see a Myachi Master. I know there are a few pretty impressive numbers, so if you think you might hold that record, let us know in the comments section, the forum or Facebook.
When you're away from home for a long period, you start to miss the small nuances of wherever you live. Whenever I see a pretzel vendor or a movie that that shows the New York skyline or somebody cuts me off in traffic, I start feeling homesick.
That's why it's really good to see a familiar face now and again. That happened today a little while after we opened up.
Omega (also known as one of the several "Boss Tweeds" on the forum) became a contender for the "longest distance traveled to play Myachi" title when he showed up at Dollywood all the way from Long Island.
Before you call that insane, I should explain that he didn't come all the way just for Myachi. He was already visiting his grandpa in North Carolina and was only a few hours from us at that point. And, of course, there's more to do at Dollywood than just play Myachi. But I will say with confidence that had we not been there, he wouldn't have asked his grandpa to come so far just to ride the ThunderHead (which would totally be worth the drive by the way).
Anyway, he picked up a bunch of the 5.1s, played in a few contests, met Bamboo and Kore for the first time, jammed out, learned some new tricks and reminded me how much I miss all the NY maniacs. It was great to see him and we can't thank grandpa enough for bringing him out. Grandpas tend to be pretty awesome about stuff like that.
Incidentally, I'd love to get the actual number on the furthest distance travelled to play Myachi and/or see a Myachi Master. I know there are a few pretty impressive numbers, so if you think you might hold that record, let us know in the comments section, the forum or Facebook.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
A Role Reversal
by Crazy Ivan
First let me apologize for the long hiatus between blog entries. I suppose I underestimated the toll that this Pigeon Forge assignment would take on my energy and thought I'd be able to do a better job keeping this blog up to date. As it stands, I've gone from blogging two or three times a day to blogging five or six times a week, and I feel that I owe our loyal readers a little more than that.
I'm the late guy in today and I have about 8 minutes before I have to hop in the car and head in, but I did want to take a few seconds to share a really fun moment in my day yesterday.
In places like Dollywood, our sales strategy is pretty simple; get the Myachi in the customers hand. We spend much of our day standing at the fringes of the passing crowd and yelling "You're in! Back of the hand!" before chucking a Myachi at some unsuspecting tourist. Sometimes they catch it and toss it back, sometimes they miss it altogether and take another try and quite often they catch it, look at it and say "what is this thing?"
Myachi Man has aptly described this method as "Myachi Bombs Away" and it's amazingly effective in the right crowd. A bunch of people all out to have fun all day at the amusement park is exactly the right type of crowd for this and it's worked wonders in the past and continues to work well today.
But yesterday I had a cool experience that I've oddly never had before. As I'm standing near the booth and tossing people in, an eight year old kid that I'd played with earlier in the day runs up. He'd already bought a Red Shredder and it was on his hand and in the ready position.
"You're in! Back of the hand!" he calls out as he approaches. I pocket my Hound's Tooth quickly, he tosses me in and I toss his Myachi back. And then he runs off.
I turned to Rush and said, "Bro, I just got tossed in..."
After reading back over that, I suppose it's far more remarkable from the shoes of a Myachi Master, but it was the first time in my 8 years with Myachi that I ever had a kid toss me in a Myachi. It's always the other way around.
Now that I look at it from the other perspective, I can see why our method is so effective. Somebody tossed me a Myachi yesterday that I wasn't expecting and it was the highpoint of my day.
So that's all I have time to write now. I've got to grab Bones and get to work. I promise to write a longer and more relevant blog tonight. It'll have pictures, video and it will introduce you to a Myachi Game that I've never before written about on this blog. Incidentally, it's one of my favorite Myachi games and might be the most martial-arts relevant game that we play.
First let me apologize for the long hiatus between blog entries. I suppose I underestimated the toll that this Pigeon Forge assignment would take on my energy and thought I'd be able to do a better job keeping this blog up to date. As it stands, I've gone from blogging two or three times a day to blogging five or six times a week, and I feel that I owe our loyal readers a little more than that.
I'm the late guy in today and I have about 8 minutes before I have to hop in the car and head in, but I did want to take a few seconds to share a really fun moment in my day yesterday.
In places like Dollywood, our sales strategy is pretty simple; get the Myachi in the customers hand. We spend much of our day standing at the fringes of the passing crowd and yelling "You're in! Back of the hand!" before chucking a Myachi at some unsuspecting tourist. Sometimes they catch it and toss it back, sometimes they miss it altogether and take another try and quite often they catch it, look at it and say "what is this thing?"
Myachi Man has aptly described this method as "Myachi Bombs Away" and it's amazingly effective in the right crowd. A bunch of people all out to have fun all day at the amusement park is exactly the right type of crowd for this and it's worked wonders in the past and continues to work well today.
But yesterday I had a cool experience that I've oddly never had before. As I'm standing near the booth and tossing people in, an eight year old kid that I'd played with earlier in the day runs up. He'd already bought a Red Shredder and it was on his hand and in the ready position.
"You're in! Back of the hand!" he calls out as he approaches. I pocket my Hound's Tooth quickly, he tosses me in and I toss his Myachi back. And then he runs off.
I turned to Rush and said, "Bro, I just got tossed in..."
After reading back over that, I suppose it's far more remarkable from the shoes of a Myachi Master, but it was the first time in my 8 years with Myachi that I ever had a kid toss me in a Myachi. It's always the other way around.
Now that I look at it from the other perspective, I can see why our method is so effective. Somebody tossed me a Myachi yesterday that I wasn't expecting and it was the highpoint of my day.
So that's all I have time to write now. I've got to grab Bones and get to work. I promise to write a longer and more relevant blog tonight. It'll have pictures, video and it will introduce you to a Myachi Game that I've never before written about on this blog. Incidentally, it's one of my favorite Myachi games and might be the most martial-arts relevant game that we play.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Belch 720
by Crazy Ivan
One of the major perks of my job is having a place in the House of Skills. Five of the coolest people I know live in that house (and that's not including myself, of course), so whenever I feel like I'm not having enough fun, I just go see what Animal's doing and do some of that. And if he's not around, I'll see if Mav wants to jump on the slackline. And if he's not around I'll see if Kid wants to play some basketball. And if he's not around I'll see if Pinky wants to play some Scrabble.
But I think pretty much all the Myachi Masters agree, Monk is the most fun to hang out with. He's funny, he's good at everything, he's up for anything and he's always smiling. That being said, I was pretty stoked last Sunday when I found out it would be Monk hanging at HQ with me.
We shot some video, played some MYACH, sold some sacks, had some fun. It was a pretty slow day and it was gorgeous out so we did some long distance passing in the parking lot.
About two in the afternoon or so, Landslide and his brother came in with their dad to hang out. Note that I say "and his brother" because when he came in he didn't have a Myachi nickname. On his way out, he did.
If you really follow this blog closely, you'll recall that on Sunday I blogged about playing Myachi basketball and dads playing along with the kids. Anyway, these are the cats I was talking about then. They'd just come from a baseball tournament and were killing a few hours before they went home.
So after a while I get sucked into some other pressing concerns (knocking Animal off the high score board) and Monk is teaching these guys a few new moves. At one point, he turns to Landslide's brother and he asks him if he can force burp.
And he can. Because he's a dude.
I'm not sure exactly why it came up, but Monk started challenging his powers of burping. Eventually, the challenge became "do a 720, but burp every time your hand goes over the Myachi, and burp again when you catch it."
And he did. Because he's a dude.
His dad's cracking up. His brother's cracking up. Monk and I are rolling. And he's steady trying it, hard at work trying to nail the "Belch 720". It's the third burp on the catch that's giving him trouble (that's a lot of burping in a short time), but he's getting close. And he's trying so hard that I'm afraid that he's going to accidentally make himself puke.
If he had, I never would have written a blog about it, but it would have been the funniest/most disgusting story in Myachi history. Instead, he eventually nailed it, we all had a good laugh and we found him a nickname. Thanks for the memories, Belch!
One of the major perks of my job is having a place in the House of Skills. Five of the coolest people I know live in that house (and that's not including myself, of course), so whenever I feel like I'm not having enough fun, I just go see what Animal's doing and do some of that. And if he's not around, I'll see if Mav wants to jump on the slackline. And if he's not around I'll see if Kid wants to play some basketball. And if he's not around I'll see if Pinky wants to play some Scrabble.
But I think pretty much all the Myachi Masters agree, Monk is the most fun to hang out with. He's funny, he's good at everything, he's up for anything and he's always smiling. That being said, I was pretty stoked last Sunday when I found out it would be Monk hanging at HQ with me.
We shot some video, played some MYACH, sold some sacks, had some fun. It was a pretty slow day and it was gorgeous out so we did some long distance passing in the parking lot.
About two in the afternoon or so, Landslide and his brother came in with their dad to hang out. Note that I say "and his brother" because when he came in he didn't have a Myachi nickname. On his way out, he did.
If you really follow this blog closely, you'll recall that on Sunday I blogged about playing Myachi basketball and dads playing along with the kids. Anyway, these are the cats I was talking about then. They'd just come from a baseball tournament and were killing a few hours before they went home.
So after a while I get sucked into some other pressing concerns (knocking Animal off the high score board) and Monk is teaching these guys a few new moves. At one point, he turns to Landslide's brother and he asks him if he can force burp.
And he can. Because he's a dude.
I'm not sure exactly why it came up, but Monk started challenging his powers of burping. Eventually, the challenge became "do a 720, but burp every time your hand goes over the Myachi, and burp again when you catch it."
And he did. Because he's a dude.
His dad's cracking up. His brother's cracking up. Monk and I are rolling. And he's steady trying it, hard at work trying to nail the "Belch 720". It's the third burp on the catch that's giving him trouble (that's a lot of burping in a short time), but he's getting close. And he's trying so hard that I'm afraid that he's going to accidentally make himself puke.
If he had, I never would have written a blog about it, but it would have been the funniest/most disgusting story in Myachi history. Instead, he eventually nailed it, we all had a good laugh and we found him a nickname. Thanks for the memories, Belch!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
What Type of Player Are You?
by Crazy Ivan
First of all, I should apologize for getting to the blog so late today. I'd love to have a solid story about how I was off rescuing orphans from a burning bus with no breaks that couldn't go below 60 mph or it would explode... but alas, it's just really nice out and I've been outside playing all day.
So I apologize if I left anyone feeling neglected. Sometimes, you just have to get on your unicycle and go.
But as I was one-wheeling my way around the neighborhood today, I was reflecting on the growth and evolution of the game over the last 6 years. Back in the day there were so few people in the game that it didn't make much sense to break them down into categories. If you were specific at all, there would only be 2 or 3 people in each category.
That's not to say that we didn't break them down. We did, it's just that it was essentially pointless.
The big dividing line back then was between the "athletic" player and the "skill-toy" player. We noticed early on that people who played a lot of team sports and really athletic games usually took to the toss and catch aspect of the game but were slower to pick up on the tricks. People who did a lot of skill toy stuff like yo-yo, hacky sack or juggling usually took to the tricks aspect really quick but were slower to learn the toss and catch.
These days, most people fall more into the "tricks" side rather than the "catch' side. There are still plenty of athletic Myachi players, but most of them still spend the bulk of their Myachi efforts on tricks.
But there's also been a big shift toward other games in Myachi. When we first started noticing the difference, the only Myachi games we regularly played were MYACH and Golf. MYACH was the trickster game and Golf was the athletic game (not that it's particularly athletic, but it does require a different type of skill than MYACH).
Today people play a lot less Myachi Golf and instead they play a lot more Fu, Net, Chaos and Table Pong. In addition, there are a few more "trick" games that we play as well. MYACH is still the king of the castle but it has a few competitors like Chain and Tricktionary.
If we wanted to, I suppose we could break Myachi players down into a dozen categories, but the old school dichotomy of athletic/skill toy or external (tossing back and forth, playing with someone else, tossing into a target) and internal (learning new tricks, inventing moves, setting records). of course, nobody is all of one or all the other. Pretty much all of us have elements of both, but generally you'll be more internal or more external as you play more and more.
A third category should really be added these days, though. For some people it's not about learning tricks or competing in games, but rather the purpose of Myachi is social: STWAKOJ, collecting, trading, interacting with the online community... for many Myachi Maniacs, this is a far bigger part of the game than anything that involves actually playing Myachi.
So which are you? The easiest way is to imagine that you're in a situation where you're hanging out with a bunch of great Myachi players. Maybe add a few Myachi Masters into the mix. Everybody brought their collection. Everybody has mad skills. And everybody has to leave in about 20 minutes. Suddenly, everybody turns to you and asks you to decide what to do with that time.
You have three choices:
First of all, I should apologize for getting to the blog so late today. I'd love to have a solid story about how I was off rescuing orphans from a burning bus with no breaks that couldn't go below 60 mph or it would explode... but alas, it's just really nice out and I've been outside playing all day.
So I apologize if I left anyone feeling neglected. Sometimes, you just have to get on your unicycle and go.
But as I was one-wheeling my way around the neighborhood today, I was reflecting on the growth and evolution of the game over the last 6 years. Back in the day there were so few people in the game that it didn't make much sense to break them down into categories. If you were specific at all, there would only be 2 or 3 people in each category.
That's not to say that we didn't break them down. We did, it's just that it was essentially pointless.
The big dividing line back then was between the "athletic" player and the "skill-toy" player. We noticed early on that people who played a lot of team sports and really athletic games usually took to the toss and catch aspect of the game but were slower to pick up on the tricks. People who did a lot of skill toy stuff like yo-yo, hacky sack or juggling usually took to the tricks aspect really quick but were slower to learn the toss and catch.
These days, most people fall more into the "tricks" side rather than the "catch' side. There are still plenty of athletic Myachi players, but most of them still spend the bulk of their Myachi efforts on tricks.
But there's also been a big shift toward other games in Myachi. When we first started noticing the difference, the only Myachi games we regularly played were MYACH and Golf. MYACH was the trickster game and Golf was the athletic game (not that it's particularly athletic, but it does require a different type of skill than MYACH).
Today people play a lot less Myachi Golf and instead they play a lot more Fu, Net, Chaos and Table Pong. In addition, there are a few more "trick" games that we play as well. MYACH is still the king of the castle but it has a few competitors like Chain and Tricktionary.
If we wanted to, I suppose we could break Myachi players down into a dozen categories, but the old school dichotomy of athletic/skill toy or external (tossing back and forth, playing with someone else, tossing into a target) and internal (learning new tricks, inventing moves, setting records). of course, nobody is all of one or all the other. Pretty much all of us have elements of both, but generally you'll be more internal or more external as you play more and more.
A third category should really be added these days, though. For some people it's not about learning tricks or competing in games, but rather the purpose of Myachi is social: STWAKOJ, collecting, trading, interacting with the online community... for many Myachi Maniacs, this is a far bigger part of the game than anything that involves actually playing Myachi.
So which are you? The easiest way is to imagine that you're in a situation where you're hanging out with a bunch of great Myachi players. Maybe add a few Myachi Masters into the mix. Everybody brought their collection. Everybody has mad skills. And everybody has to leave in about 20 minutes. Suddenly, everybody turns to you and asks you to decide what to do with that time.
You have three choices:
- Big game of MYACH
- Big game of Fu
- Make some trades
Saturday, May 14, 2011
A Late Entry
by Crazy Ivan
A big fan of the game down in Georgia sent me a late entry for our recent writing contest. He knew that the contest was over and that the prizes had been awarded, but he still wanted to express why he played Myachi. After a quick read through, I realized I really had to share it with everyone. I think he expresses a lot of the thoughts about Myachi that we all share.
So thanks, Shogun, for the kind words and, of course, for making my evening blog post as easy as a quick copy and paste:
I love to jam because I can do it anywhere, anytime and anyplace. I honestly have jammed in an elevator, AP exam, SAT breaks (and during the test), school/class, and at home. I can recall several times when I have been jamming through Wal-Mart, the mall and other public areas and people stop me and ask me to do more tricks.
I don't think I could be able to address the flexibility of myachi without talking about the infinite number of tricks and combos you can hit. I remember when I first started learning and my first big combo I hit was a trampoline to a foot stall, ending it with a 360. There are fast tricks, slow tricks, foot tricks, switch tricks, single, double and triple myachi tricks (I'm sure 4 and 5 can be used), and many more.
My biggest reason for getting into myachi is it is not only a hobby, but therapeutic in a way. If I ever get down, I always have my Guatemalan Black, Houndstooth or Yellow Braveheart (he's talking about the LumberJack Yellow. -ed) in my pocket ready to jam. If I'm mad, I can do fast tricks like the Subter Fusion, Fu and kicks, and if I am kinda down, I can do stalls and switches. Myachi takes my mind off of the things around me and puts me in a world of concentration.
Myachi is by far the coolest thing I have ever done. I can have so many accomplishments and it gives me something to hope for. I always have a new trick to work on and a new combo to connect it to. There are tricks and styles for everyone. That is why I love Myachi.
Anyone looking for a good jam video to learn, I'm working on memorizing Maverick's shred at Washington Square!
A big fan of the game down in Georgia sent me a late entry for our recent writing contest. He knew that the contest was over and that the prizes had been awarded, but he still wanted to express why he played Myachi. After a quick read through, I realized I really had to share it with everyone. I think he expresses a lot of the thoughts about Myachi that we all share.
So thanks, Shogun, for the kind words and, of course, for making my evening blog post as easy as a quick copy and paste:
Why I Myachi
by Myachi Shogun
I have been asked frequently, "Why do you like Myachi so much," and although the question is simple, the answer I very complicated. If I had to choose 2 reasons for practicing my jamming 100 hours a day, they would be the freedom of myachi and the ability to release emotions when you jam.
I love to jam because I can do it anywhere, anytime and anyplace. I honestly have jammed in an elevator, AP exam, SAT breaks (and during the test), school/class, and at home. I can recall several times when I have been jamming through Wal-Mart, the mall and other public areas and people stop me and ask me to do more tricks.
I jam walking down the hallway and during class, especially now that classes are basically over. Because of public jamming, my friend Nick and I were able to sell over 36 myachis in 3 weeks. Now I sit in class and 5 or 6 people all toss the sack around with me, throwing in some tricks. The flexibility of myachi is so great, I'm able to be a student to people like Crazy Ivan, Animal, and Maverick, whose videos are on the "Favorites" on my computer, as well as be a teacher to those just learning, both young and old.
I don't think I could be able to address the flexibility of myachi without talking about the infinite number of tricks and combos you can hit. I remember when I first started learning and my first big combo I hit was a trampoline to a foot stall, ending it with a 360. There are fast tricks, slow tricks, foot tricks, switch tricks, single, double and triple myachi tricks (I'm sure 4 and 5 can be used), and many more.
My biggest reason for getting into myachi is it is not only a hobby, but therapeutic in a way. If I ever get down, I always have my Guatemalan Black, Houndstooth or Yellow Braveheart (he's talking about the LumberJack Yellow. -ed) in my pocket ready to jam. If I'm mad, I can do fast tricks like the Subter Fusion, Fu and kicks, and if I am kinda down, I can do stalls and switches. Myachi takes my mind off of the things around me and puts me in a world of concentration.
Myachi is by far the coolest thing I have ever done. I can have so many accomplishments and it gives me something to hope for. I always have a new trick to work on and a new combo to connect it to. There are tricks and styles for everyone. That is why I love Myachi.
Anyone looking for a good jam video to learn, I'm working on memorizing Maverick's shred at Washington Square!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Have I Told You How Awesome KickStand is?
by Crazy Ivan
I talk a lot about various Myachi Maniacs on this blog. I've been with this company for so long and have immersed myself so deeply in the Myachi community that half the people I know in the world I know through Myachi. I've never met Downtown or MMFL or many of the other omnipresent members of our online community, but I still count them amongst my closest friends.
When I do mention a member of the forum or a Maniac of note, I usually add in something like, "respected Myachi Maniac so and so..." or "the incredibly skilled such and such..." or "the perennially helpful so and so..." (I've actually never described anyone as perennially helpful, but you get the idea).
But, of course, I can never get around to mentioning all the maniacs that have helped us over the years. This blog would be nothing but a list of nicknames if I tried for that.
That being said, I feel that I've made a grave oversight up to this point. A mutual friend pointed out that in the 3 months that I've been writing on this blog I've actually never mentioned Kickstand (aka Kikstand, aka Coreyster). Now, don't get me wrong, there are a lot of Myachi Maniacs that I've never mentioned on the blog, but this one came as a real surprise. I actually had to do a search on the blog to confirm it, but it turns out that this concerned friend was right.
Now, anyone who has been active on the forum for a while will recognize exactly how odd this is. Kickstand has been a part of the game for a long time. He's been a member of our forum since 2007 and has been an active part of the movement for that entire time. He's followed Myachi through middle school and on into high school. For his Bar Mitzvah he produced one of the 3 greatest jamming Myachis of all time. He's done a bunch of YouTube videos (like this one, for instance), he's made up dozens of tricks (like the Kickstand, for instance) and he's taught countless people how to play the game.
Yet when I wrote my poem about the forums being down, I neglected to mention him altogether. Ditto yesterday when I wrote the quiz about the forums. Likewise every other time I've mentioned Myachi Maniacs on this blog.
Like I said, he's certainly not the only Maniac I've yet to mention here. There's an extensive list of well-deserved shout outs that I have yet to make, but I don't think there are any this bad. We're talking about a dude who got into the game almost four years ago and had been a constant presence in our online community ever since.
I'm not sure if Kickstand has noticed this discrepancy. It was a mutual friend that brought it to my attention and knowing how selfless the dude usually is, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this occurred to his friend before it occurred to him. So hopefully that's the case. Hopefully he's reading this right now and thinking "hey... I guess he hasn't mentioned me."
But if that's not the case, sorry, Kickstand (aka Kikstand aka Coreyster)... the type of glaring oversight that is bound to happen from time to time. It certainly wasn't that I was intentionally erasing you from the annals of Myachi history... just an honest mistake.
Incidentally, if you're a member of the Myachi community and you think of someone else that deserves a big Myachi Blog shout out, let me know! I'm human (they did DNA tests just to make sure) so I will overlook things and make mistakes so I'll need everyone's help when my brain fizzles from time to time.
I talk a lot about various Myachi Maniacs on this blog. I've been with this company for so long and have immersed myself so deeply in the Myachi community that half the people I know in the world I know through Myachi. I've never met Downtown or MMFL or many of the other omnipresent members of our online community, but I still count them amongst my closest friends.
When I do mention a member of the forum or a Maniac of note, I usually add in something like, "respected Myachi Maniac so and so..." or "the incredibly skilled such and such..." or "the perennially helpful so and so..." (I've actually never described anyone as perennially helpful, but you get the idea).
But, of course, I can never get around to mentioning all the maniacs that have helped us over the years. This blog would be nothing but a list of nicknames if I tried for that.
 |
| And let's face it, this would make for a pretty boring entry. |
Now, anyone who has been active on the forum for a while will recognize exactly how odd this is. Kickstand has been a part of the game for a long time. He's been a member of our forum since 2007 and has been an active part of the movement for that entire time. He's followed Myachi through middle school and on into high school. For his Bar Mitzvah he produced one of the 3 greatest jamming Myachis of all time. He's done a bunch of YouTube videos (like this one, for instance), he's made up dozens of tricks (like the Kickstand, for instance) and he's taught countless people how to play the game.
Yet when I wrote my poem about the forums being down, I neglected to mention him altogether. Ditto yesterday when I wrote the quiz about the forums. Likewise every other time I've mentioned Myachi Maniacs on this blog.
 |
| This pin seems to have a hypothesis on this. |
I'm not sure if Kickstand has noticed this discrepancy. It was a mutual friend that brought it to my attention and knowing how selfless the dude usually is, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this occurred to his friend before it occurred to him. So hopefully that's the case. Hopefully he's reading this right now and thinking "hey... I guess he hasn't mentioned me."
But if that's not the case, sorry, Kickstand (aka Kikstand aka Coreyster)... the type of glaring oversight that is bound to happen from time to time. It certainly wasn't that I was intentionally erasing you from the annals of Myachi history... just an honest mistake.
Incidentally, if you're a member of the Myachi community and you think of someone else that deserves a big Myachi Blog shout out, let me know! I'm human (they did DNA tests just to make sure) so I will overlook things and make mistakes so I'll need everyone's help when my brain fizzles from time to time.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Coolest Myachi of All Time?
by Crazy Ivan
Hard to say which is the best jamming Myachi of all time. Even harder to say which is the best looking. And at this moment I would be hard pressed to say which is the coolest. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks.
There's a Myachi in the works right now that should take that title hands down.
Now, when I say "in the works", I mean that it is at its earliest stage of development. Kid Myach and Adrian K are working now on presenting a design to the customer so there are still a lot of steps between now and the finished product. After that we'll have to settle on a fabric, we'll have to make samples, we'll have to approve them before we send the order into full production, then we have to wait on the delivery.
Knowing that, you may wonder how I could possibly claim that this might be the "coolest" Myachi of all time. After all, I don't know what it will look like and I don't know how good of a jammer it will be. In truth, none of that matters. Okay, well... I guess it matters, but even if it doesn't look cool (which it will) and doesn't jam well (which it will), the story behind its production goes a long way toward cementing it as the coolest sack we've ever made.
The whole concept first arose a little over a week ago when Myachi Veteran (and forum favorite) DGH posted a thread on our forum in which he outlined an idea he had for a Myachi. Since our forum consists of a pretty tightly knit community, he wanted a Myachi that would commemorate all the members that help make it such a fun place to hang out.
Of course, making Myachis costs money so that was the first issue he had to tackle and his solution is what is making it so incredibly cool. His idea was to have all the various members of the forum kick in what they could to make it a reality. Then, once the Myachi was produced, each contributor would receive a percentage of the total order that corresponded to the percentage of the production cost they threw in. In other words, if you put in 10% of the money, you'd get 10% of the Myachis once they were made.
Pinky was the first Myachi Master to happen across the post (actually, it was more like she got a text from MMFL about it than she happened across it) and once she did she embraced the idea fully. She talked with Kid, Myachi Man and myself and we set about making it happen.
Obviously there will be some hurdles to overcome but as of today we're pushing forward, full steam ahead. Kid is in the process of getting the design approved and then we'll be waiting for the individual contributions to come in. Once we've received half of them, the Myachi will go into production and hopefully it will be getting delivered about the same time that we're getting the last of the money.
Given the special circumstance, Kid Myach really did some back flips to make sure that we're getting these guys the best possible price and the best possible jammer as well. We'll be extending to them what will doubtless be the lowest price ever on a customized Myachi, but given the circumstances I'm really glad that we could.
Once we have drafts, pics or updated new about it I'll post more but for now it'll have to be enough to know that the Myachi with the coolest origin story in history is on its way.
Hard to say which is the best jamming Myachi of all time. Even harder to say which is the best looking. And at this moment I would be hard pressed to say which is the coolest. Hopefully that will change in the next few weeks.
There's a Myachi in the works right now that should take that title hands down.
Now, when I say "in the works", I mean that it is at its earliest stage of development. Kid Myach and Adrian K are working now on presenting a design to the customer so there are still a lot of steps between now and the finished product. After that we'll have to settle on a fabric, we'll have to make samples, we'll have to approve them before we send the order into full production, then we have to wait on the delivery.
Knowing that, you may wonder how I could possibly claim that this might be the "coolest" Myachi of all time. After all, I don't know what it will look like and I don't know how good of a jammer it will be. In truth, none of that matters. Okay, well... I guess it matters, but even if it doesn't look cool (which it will) and doesn't jam well (which it will), the story behind its production goes a long way toward cementing it as the coolest sack we've ever made.
The whole concept first arose a little over a week ago when Myachi Veteran (and forum favorite) DGH posted a thread on our forum in which he outlined an idea he had for a Myachi. Since our forum consists of a pretty tightly knit community, he wanted a Myachi that would commemorate all the members that help make it such a fun place to hang out.
Of course, making Myachis costs money so that was the first issue he had to tackle and his solution is what is making it so incredibly cool. His idea was to have all the various members of the forum kick in what they could to make it a reality. Then, once the Myachi was produced, each contributor would receive a percentage of the total order that corresponded to the percentage of the production cost they threw in. In other words, if you put in 10% of the money, you'd get 10% of the Myachis once they were made.
Pinky was the first Myachi Master to happen across the post (actually, it was more like she got a text from MMFL about it than she happened across it) and once she did she embraced the idea fully. She talked with Kid, Myachi Man and myself and we set about making it happen.
Obviously there will be some hurdles to overcome but as of today we're pushing forward, full steam ahead. Kid is in the process of getting the design approved and then we'll be waiting for the individual contributions to come in. Once we've received half of them, the Myachi will go into production and hopefully it will be getting delivered about the same time that we're getting the last of the money.
Given the special circumstance, Kid Myach really did some back flips to make sure that we're getting these guys the best possible price and the best possible jammer as well. We'll be extending to them what will doubtless be the lowest price ever on a customized Myachi, but given the circumstances I'm really glad that we could.
Once we have drafts, pics or updated new about it I'll post more but for now it'll have to be enough to know that the Myachi with the coolest origin story in history is on its way.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Guest Blog: Style & Creativity
(This is our first Myachi-Maniac submitted guest blog. Thanks to Katana for a fantastic point and some great writing. If you'd like to submit a guest blog of your own, type it up and email it to me at crazyivan@myachi.com.)
by Katana
by Katana
One day I became bored (as I often do) as I was browsing the web on my computer, so I decided to look up some jam videos on YouTube. I looked at a ton of videos and I see kids hitting insane tricks that I could never do, but there was something that they were missing: Style... they were missing style. Here is a brief overview of what style is:
What is style? The term has been overused and abused a lot, so lets take a look at what it means:
1. Style is individuality: The dictionary yields many definitions for style, but this one is by far my favorite, “A quality of imagination and individuality expressed in one’s actions and tastes.” This brings me to my next point:
2. Style is adding your own personal flair to your jamming: Too many maniacs I see out there jam like robots. They hit amazing tricks, but they don’t have any individuality or creativity in their style.
3. Style is anything you want it to be: Part of being creative is making up your own ideas. You can do that right now.
If you feel you’re guilty of any of the above, I’m here to help. To help you better understand style, here’s a video I made specifically for the blog with an emphasis on style and creativity:
So, while this video isn’t perfect, hopefully it will help you get inspired.
· Use “in-between” tricks: These are tricks you know you can hit easily and are great for using in between those hard tricks. Examples are: Cold Fusion, Vert, 360, Rev-Fusion, Snake, Roller Coaster, etc. These will really help complete your jam and add flow to moves and combos.
· Get Inspired: This means to get inspired by things beside just Myachi; I for example, am being inspired by contact juggling, pop and lock, and poi. If you take some inspiration from things like these, you will easily be able to invent new moves and add increased diversity to your style.
· Stay loose: Keep your hands and arms lose, so that when you catch the Myachi it seems like a fluid, liquid motion. Just doing this will add a ton of style points to your jamming.
· Get into a rhythm: As you’ll notice, in this video I allow the music to help me with my rhythm. When the bass line starts; I begin to jam with more intensity. Try to do this often to help with flow and style.
· Use music to practice: Basically the same point as above, but continually use music and let the beat modify your speed, flow, rhythm and style.
· Make a pattern: Try to make combos that continuously go down points of the body, and then reverse and go back up, for example: Head Stall> Trampoline> Hulk> Knee Stall> Instep Stall> Toe Stall> Knee Pop> Melon Stall. Or use only the arms or legs. Patterns are a great style tool, but don’t overuse them, or they can become boring.
· Watch these videos: Here are some great examples of style and creativity in jamming, use these to get inspired:
These are all great examples of flow and creativity from the masters. Hopefully this blog will allow you to add some style to your Crazy Leg x100 into Duck and Dive.
Thanks for reading, STWAKOJ,
Katana
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Shout Out to All Myachi Maniacs
by Pinky
In January Crazy Ivan and I visited my family in Georgia. My niece Chelsey had been telling her boyfriend Nick all about the Myachi, so he was stoked to have us teach him the game. Needless to say he got hooked and has since gotten lots of his buds in the game as well… In fact he will be selling a Box of Myachis really soon.
I love how excited he and his friend Hunter have become about spreading the word to all who will listen. That’s how it always starts though, with all of you awesome Maniacs out there! I am so happy knowing that because you all love the game so much, you want others to know about it and share in the fun of learning something new.
So this is my Shout Out to all of you Maniacs out there, old and new who keep us Myachi Masters loving what we do! That awesome feeling you get every time you hit a new trick for the first time or finally hit that trick you’ve been trying for ages…. That’s the same feeling I get every time I think of all of you. Thank you to all Myachi Maniacs for being you and knowing “awesome” when you see it!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Profile in Mania: MMFL
by Crazy Ivan
Over the following year (and possibly years) I want to take a few paragraphs from time to time to honor the many Myachi fans across the country who have been so instrumental in the growth of the game. I'll be calling these segments "Profiles in Mania" unless a better name occurs to me (or is suggested).
When I first considered this there was really no question who should kick off this series. It should be somebody who has shown unparalleled longevity in their commitment to the Myachi movement so who better than a person known as "Myachi Maniac for Life"?
Over the following year (and possibly years) I want to take a few paragraphs from time to time to honor the many Myachi fans across the country who have been so instrumental in the growth of the game. I'll be calling these segments "Profiles in Mania" unless a better name occurs to me (or is suggested).
When I first considered this there was really no question who should kick off this series. It should be somebody who has shown unparalleled longevity in their commitment to the Myachi movement so who better than a person known as "Myachi Maniac for Life"?
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In the modern world, people take eternity pretty lightly. People use terms like "forever" and "always" without any real thought to exactly how long that is. I first became aware of this in Junior High when I noticed that half the girls in my class had something like "I love David forever and ever" scribbled on their notebooks.
With that in mind, we didn't think much of it when some dude showed up on our forums calling himself "Myachi Maniac for Life". I can't imagine that any of us would have predicted the extent to which he would live up to that title.
Kevin Timm first learned about Myachi in 2003, long before such familiar names as Animal, Monk or Crazy Ivan had so much as heard of the game. He happened across it at the Sobe booth of the 03 Gravity Games where they were giving away free Sobe Myachis. Yes, giving away free Sobe Myachis. I'll give you a minute to salivate over that thought.
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| Like this, except 3 dimensional. |
Now keep in mind that Kevin didn't get the full on Myachi Master treatment. He met some dude working for Sobe that gave him the skinny on what the game was all about. Myachi Man, Kid and Big Dog were there but were probably wandering the crowd when he happened by. Even now, 8 years later, he has yet to meet any of the Myachi Masters in person.
But that's not to say that we don't know him. He's as familiar a name at the House of Skills as any of the Maniacs that we see every week. His presence in the Myachi movement is and has always been 100% online and it has been omnipresent.
He joined the old Myachi forum shortly after checking out the Myachi website and learning what he could from the terrible video selection we had back then. Back then the community was small, the forum sucked and whole days would go by without a single post showing up so it was inevitable than his interest in the game would wane a bit.
It was in 2006 that his involvement in the movement skyrocketed and it was at this time that he first donned the monicker "MMFL". Butter had just built us a new forum so we sent out an email blast to everyone who had ever signed up to the old one. "Come check out our new forum," we said.
"Sure, why not?" Kevin responded and he signed up.
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| Of course, back in those days there was an initiation rite to join the forums... |
Since then he has built a well earned reputation as one of the most trusted voices in the movement. In the intervening time his presence on the forum has had some minor ebbs and flows, but by and large he has been a daily presence there for going on five years. A couple years back he earned a well deserved (and long overdue) promotion to a forum leader and has been a conscientious moderator since. As anyone who has been a (good) forum mod in the past knows, this is often a tiring and thankless job that earns more ire than praise. Despite that I feel safe in saying that every veteran member of our forum would count MMFL amongst their closest online friends.
In 2007 MMFl undertook a task that would cement his Myachi celebrity (most likely) forever. Despite the enormity of the challenge, he set about creating a compendium of every Myachi ever made that he dubbed the "All Sacks List". Now, I did a similar thing and I had the advantage of every Myachi invoice ever received and every shipping manifest since 1999. I also had MMFL's All Sacks List as a ready resource. It took me 3 years and I'm still not done. With none of those advantages, MMFL managed to put together what is undoubtedly the single most utilized resource in all of Myachidom.
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| Okay, maybe the 2nd most utilized resource... |
MMFL would be the first to tell you that he will never stand up to be counted with the greatest jammers in the game. Like many, his interest in Myachi is more in jamming than learning ever tougher tricks. I would venture to say that he spends more time now answering questions and helping newbs navigate the forum than he does actually playing the game. When I talk with him about his fondest Myachi memories they always revolve around the rewards of helping others and the reputation it has earned him.
And he has as many accolades as anyone in the game. When we decided to start the "Jammer of the Year Award" he earned the highest honor in the Lifetime Achievement category. He took home another JOTYA in the Forum award category as well and has as many total nominations in all categories as any other forum member.
Soon Myachi will move on to a new forum (since the old one is essentially falling apart) but there is no question in our mind that we will start with a solid core of dedicated maniacs and there is no doubt that MMFL will still be there leading the way.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Memories of Maniacs Past
by Pinky
I was just sitting here thinking about all the great Maniacs I have met or just talked to and thought I would share a few memories with all of you:
When I first started with Myachi I was working in a Mall in St. Louis with Crazy Ivan when I met a little girl named Christina. Her parents owned a nail salon a little ways down from us and her favorite thing in the world was coming to hang out with her “Achi” Friends.
Christina was about 4 years old and was often wearing traditional Vietnamese clothing with her beautiful long black hair flowing down her back. She was so cute! She had a little trouble playing, but boy did she love to try.
Her other favorite thing was showing us how she could snap her fingers. She had to put her little hand right by your ear, but sure enough you could hear a faint little snap! I lost count of how many times she would fall asleep at our stand and I had to carry her to her parents shop to finish her nap. She cried when we left and today she would be about 11 years old.
-----
There was also little Alexis at Dollywood, she was 8 years old and had mad skillz! Her parents worked at Dollywood too, so the lucky girl got to hang out with us all summer long. She loved to come and enter all of the Golf contests we had and thought Crazy Ivan was the coolest.
The day we were leaving she brought me a little care package with snacks and a little note saying how much she loved having us to hang out with all summer. I had also gotten her a parting gift, a little mug with her name on it and of course a couple of sacks…. She would be about 13 now.
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These are just a couple of the fond memories I have of some of the maniacs I had the pleasure to hang out with, but there are many of you out there that I have not even met face to face but have talked to on a daily basis for years now! In a lot of ways I have seen you grow up and maybe even offered some advice from time to time to help you along the way. To all of you and to those of you who are reading this but have never spoken to or met me I just want to say that to me, you are the celebrity. You are the ones who make what we do worthwhile and so important. It is because of all of you that I love what I do so much. Watching you all grow from a newbie who’s first words are often “I can’t do that!” to confident and talented maniacs who put some of us Masters to shame, is the greatest feeling in the world.
Although I stay pretty busy at the Myachi Headquarters, I want you all to know that I am out there, reading your forum posts, watching your videos and sitting on the sidelines watching you all become dedicated and very helpful members of the Myachi Family. I’m kinda like big brother in that… well, except there isn’t much big about me and there are a lot of things I assure you I don’t want to see…. If there is anything I can help you with or any questions I can answer for any of you, I am always around.
Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and remember to keep up with this blog, it’s the coolest thing since sliced bread! (never understood that saying as I don’t think there is much cool about sliced bread… I mean you can eat it and all but there are way better foods out there….) I can be reached at pinky@myachi.com or through our Facebook page or this blog, so what are you waiting for?!
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