Metro

Tuesday May 19, 2009

Ai-yo-yo

By Jeremy Tan


DESPITE the final having to be restarted twice due to technicalities, 18-year old Jazli Iqbal Mohd Iqbal kept a cool head to snatch victory in the Malaysian Yo-yo Club Speed Challenge 2009 Northern Heats Grand Final held at Queensbay Mall in Penang.

The event saw yo-yo masters from northern Malaysia walking the dog, rocking the baby and performing the sky rocket (technical terms for yo-yo moves) in the hopes of qualifying for the Speed Challenge category at the Malaysian Yo-yo Championships 2009 to be held in Kuala Lumpur in August.

Jazli thought all was lost when his final opponent Muhammad Zulhaikal Jaharudin required only 11.94 seconds to perform all three moves.

But he got a reprieve as a technical foul was called on Zulhaikal and the final had to be replayed. This time, Jazli emerged quickest with a time of 11.53 seconds, but he too committed a technical foul and a second replay was called.

There was no denying him this time as he eventually triumphed with a time of 12 seconds, pipping Zulhaikal to the post by mere fractions of a second.

“The two replays did affect my concentration slightly but I managed to pull through. Yo-yoing is fun and enjoyable as there’s no limit to what you can do with it. I intend to keep on playing as long as I can,” said school-leaver Jazli.

He will move on to compete with champions from the Southern, Central and East Malaysia divisions to impress an international panel of judges at the national finals. The Southern (Malacca) and Central (Klang Valley) heats have already been concluded, while the East Malaysia (Kuching) heats will take place in July.

Defeated but not deflated, matriculations student Zulhaikal, 19, was magnanimous and said, “I’ll just keep yo-yoing and improve my skills.”

Third-placed Adam Hamzah, 21, believes yo-yoing helps to enhance creativity and coordination. “My family introduced me to yo-yoing and I got hooked after watching tapes of renowned yo-yo players. With the right initiative, anything is possible, and I hope to keep on improving and entertain people,” accounting student Adam added.

Malaysian Yo-yo Club (M-Yo) spokesperson Ray Thian said that one of the club’s aims is to show how far yo-yoing has come. No longer seen as simple child’s play, it is fast gaining a worldwide reputation as an extreme sport with intricate routines that stretch and defy the laws of physics.

“The Malaysia Yo-yo Championships bring together the best yo-yo masters from all levels in Malaysia from beginners to advanced and professional. M-Yo started the Speed Challenge category to provide a channel for beginner level enthusiasts, and is one of our key efforts to encourage children and teenagers to take an active interest in this sport,” Thian explained.

He also added that the winner of the national championships will go on to compete at the Asia Pacific Yo-yo Championships in Singapore and from there, maybe even the World Yoyo Championships in Orlando, Florida.

The Speed Challenge Northern Heats is jointly organised by the Malaysian Yo-yo Club, the United Youth Movement of Malaysia (Penang branch) and sponsored by the Youth and Sports Ministry.

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