Hey guys, With Kendama Day just a couple of hours(tommorow), Kendama Festival in Japan will be celebrated & a world record of longest line of people catching the big cup(not that of big deal but still monumental & fundamental). But this not the biggest scoop yet. Few days ago we(atleast the majority of us) saw a photo of owners of big comapnies such as sweets, kusa, krom, & gloken itself. They were having a secret meeting or atleast masterplan in making of WKA or world kendama association that will be pushing kendama to be a future olympic sport & pretty much a governing body for the whole dama community that will make ranks, regulations, etc. for the future endeavors of kendama. The WKA will be also announce the same day, tommorow. what do you think? does having WKA will make kendama better as a governing body?
I think such a thing can be beneficial to our sport. I've been wondering why no one on the North American continent hasn't really tried to form a NAKA (North America Kendama Association) similar to the JKA or BKA (British Kendama Association) which would better reflect western playing sensibilities and also institute a ranking system based on current style, etc. [I've actually (for fun) designed a NAKA ranking system that I think would be both fun and challenging for players to test themselves in and be judged on.] This news of a WKA is welcomed. I'll be interested in learning more.
well on my personal opinion, it's really hard to give a governing body in NA especial only US & Canada are the only active countries plus the fact that there are really hard to rank each players cause it's hard to sets standards with everyone pushing boundaries in playing kendama. I think with WKA it's close door agenda right now. One thing that im certain is that testing & ranks will be vast but it really got set standards. For now, we shall keep our eyes peeled for this cause this may get unpredictable.
I remember a post about an older gentleman (who had recently died) starting something like that but I can't seem to find it. I believe he also produced a book related to it. Any other members out there remember this post?
Yes. I read the post. That's part of what inspired me to hit my keyboard and Word to start producing such a system.
@goenKendama https://www.downspike.com/threads/who-has-been-playing-kendama-the-longest.1785/ I think this was it!
Yep that's it, thanks. From that thread: Stefan Csiszar (aka "The Great Ballini") founded the North American Kendama Organization. "The N.A.K.O. Instruction Manual Level 1") which came out in 1998."
Very astute observation! @Edric Owen Ladera I'll put some more details up on whats going on once I have them, I'm joining in the meetings they're having over the next few days. I agree it will be beneficial to the game, and am generally down to get behind the GLOKEN crew in their efforts to further kendama culture. That said, I think that N America has done well with kendama because it isn't promoted by a rigorous organization. Kendama in the UK? Not that big, despite the BKA being around and holding contests for years. Kendama in Japan? Mostly school-kids, up until the N American scene blew up and made it 'cool' for older people to play. Kendama in N America? Blowing up! Freestyle, competition, and pro players making it look fun. ...I think this is a bit of an oversimplification, but when talking about forming an association it is something I keep in mind. I also think that now that kendama has blown up and established itself, having a standardized organization will only expand the resources available to new players. Some people love having a standard to play against, so having one is a good thing for those sort of players
This would be very neat! I hope that GLOKEN plays a large role in the process because I love the global scene that they push already.
@htimSxelA yeah, hahaha. Actually im just a bum here at home cause im not starting work yet so im a low key dama regular here at DS . it's good that your are part of WKA!
If this is going to happen how will it be funded and administered? I believe there is a yearly membership fee for the JKA. The BKA also had a membership fee that was used to help run the BKO, possibly the EKO and smaller give away type competitions throughout the year. With the BKA the membership decreased over the years and was no longer viable as of a year or so ago, as far as I am aware. All in all it sounds good but I would imagine it would be a very big task to administer around the world, and if there was to be a fee, administer fairly to all members. Out of curiosity is there world organization for yo yo?
No updates yet, unfortunately I wasn't able to join in live on the talks. Time-zone differences, tech limitations, and having to move our entire workshop ended up being tougher to plan around than expected. I'll let you know once I have more details!