It’s that time of the year again when you get to see your fellow classmate give it all they’ve got for the annual LFHS Talent Show! This year will be star-studded once again with numerous returning acts trying to make a name for themselves. However, there is going to be a new, unique, and breathtaking act debuting this year. Allen Chiu and the Yo-Yo Crew are going to be seeking the loudest applause of the night.
The crew is comprised of juniors Allen Chiu, Jacob Goebel, Walter Goodzey, and sophomore Mike Montano. The act is accompanied by a custom mix that Allen’s Yo-yo coach created himself. Starting off simple with three catches and then Allen comes up with one of his teammates, Mike, where they switch yo-yos to each other in the cat’s cradle formation a beginners trick. Afterwards, they get into the cascade formation a straight line, where each person simply tosses the yo-yo straight up and catches it one at a time so that it looks like a wave. All the teammates perform their own solo trick: Jacob has the Around the World, Walter does the Cat’s Cradle 360 Twist Catch, and Mike perfects the Reverse Crazy Arm.
According to Jacob Goebel, “It took a lot of time and practice to learn how to be accurate with yo-yo tosses, but we eventually got through it and hopefully we should have a flawless performance for the audience to watch.”
Once they finish, Allen then proceeds to perform his solo act which consists of a Trapeze-Catch Behind the Back-Crazy arm Variation combo, Around the Arm combo, Around the Leg-Golden Finger Toss combo, and finally double yoyo. When he finishes the main tricks he will do the magic knot and undo it as the finishing move where his teammates will walk up with Allen to the front of the stage and they all bow. Tech crew may even be able to add lasers and dry ice for a cool effect. The crew intend to design their own shirts and get rip off pants for the big show.
This is Allen’s world, and we are just here for his ride. It started when he was 8, and got a Yo-yo set from his Taiwanese grandpa. Unable to master it back then Allen took a break from the art for quite a while, it was not until eighth grade that he was reintroduced to Yo-yo. There was an after school class that Allen excelled in. He was taught three tricks on his first day and his coach helped him grow tremendously over the next few months. It was no longer a hobby for Allen, it became a passion. There was no immediate path for Allen to continue working on his talent once he made it to high school, so he founded the yo-yo club.
According to Chiu, the club’s informal leader, “creating the club was probably the best decision I have ever made in my high school career. Not only does it help improve my leadership skills, but I also am able to take things to the next level. I aspire to use the yoyo club as a platform for community service activities. I could take my team with me to perform at nursing homes, retirement homes, and hospitals. My ultimate goal is not really to impress anyone, but to inspire people with the yoyo just like it once did for me.”
Yo-yo club meets every Thursday and there’s free pizza for the club members, Allen started the club last year and so far it’s grown a fair amount. Talent show tickets are on sale now, so get yours before they sell out, or come Wednesday, February 21st @4:30 for the student only viewing, for free.
