I know not every single one of us started playing because a friend owned a dama and let us try it. Some of us discovered kendama in other ways, from other sources, maybe by complete chance. Without asking the simple "who got you into it" question, this one is slightly different directed specifically at those people who were the first (or among them) in their circle, city, even county or state, to start seshing kendama. How did you find out about it? What turned you onto this intriguing toy initially? I founded the Downriver Kendama Team in 2012 with a couple friends after I'd been playing a while. But for me, with roots in rollerblading, I discovered kendama through previously knowing of Colin Sander through blading forums, and watching the ORIGINAL kendama USA edit on youtube (the one made up almost entirely of professional bladers at the time.) Shout outs to Jeremy Stephenson for the Daily Bread article and helping me learn about dama through skating.
Same as you. Bitter cold comp. Met Colin and the infamous edit one got me into it. After I broke my arm had a bunch on surgies and a skin grapth I used it as P.T.
Dude, so sick. I remember when they were selling mugens at Bittercold. Do you remember around what year it was you found out about it?
06/07 Had 2 jka mugens.bought one from there actually. If only I knew what I had back then hahaha back when Kenusa only had the jka Damas up....
I found kendama indirectly through my brother's make-a-wish trip. He chose to go to Japan and so before we left I thought I'd research a little bit to get to know the culture a bit more. I remember at one point looking up Japanese toys and that's when I found it. I immediately looked it up on youtube and then spent the rest of the day watching old KUSA and Steeze videos!
Kendama was a big thing in my middle school and there was this team on Instagram made up of all the people in my middle school so from then on out I got a kendama and started playing.
No one in my school played kendama. Even if there were, it was surely less than 5. I got arnd 6 friends to be interested in kendama and 4 of them are really serious and lace really sick bangers. Love seeing the kendama community grow in my school. Planning to introduce a kendama course in my school soon
Found kendama at a trip our Japanese class in school organized. I think it was about 2004/2005? We went to the local Japan Foundation, and i saw this toy. The guide showed us how to play, i picked it up and sucked at big cup, so i left it alone. Some many years later in 2013, i was chilling out at my local yoyo store when i saw them carrying in KUSAs and had the 2012 Japan Tour edit. Got hooked on trying to lace spike, can't get my hands off it! A few weeks later, i caved in and bought an @htimSxelA pro mod whilst waiting for my two Oozoras to arrive from Japan. At the time, i thought i was the only one, but later discovered three guys who have been playing since 2008/2009. They since stopped playing, which kinda bummed me. Two of them still had a mugen each, one won from a Gloken contest, one who bought it from Nic Schopfer.
First conversation upon seeing a kendama. The year is 2013. Scene, gymanstics gym. Ryan enters for practice. (random music on in the backround. Similar to the Skrillex that @Chad Covington played at BatB) Ryan daps up a tricker, Cory, who is fiddling with something that looks like ball-in-a-cup. Ryan: What is that thing man? Cory: It's called Kendama. It's a Japanese toy. (Cory extends the dama over to Ryan. With a bit of hesitation, Ryan accepts the transfer) Ryan: Don't show me this dude, it will ruin my senior year. I love these types of things. (Ryan hands kendama back to Cory and walks away) (Less than a week later, Ryan has a Pink Tribute...) I really want to write a short story, this was fun.
I saw a group of kids playing with em at my highschool and they all had their own play style. It reminded me of skating which me and a few homies were into at the time, and i figured they would like it. so i asked the kids about it, tried it, got one, showed them it, then we all continued to show more and more people and jam whenever we were together.
I was in from recess in the sixth grade and my friend had his phone out and he showed me this kid who was in our third grade class and it was a video of him played my tbis toy so I was like what is that? And my friend was like it's a kendama, never heard of it? "No" I said then he was like dude skylar(that was the kid in the videos name) is sponsored for playing with it. Oh dang I want one where can you buy them? I said, at Walgreens. So that Friday I did some chores and earned money to go buy one. Earlier that week I told my cousin about them and he was like yeah dude kids at my school play them. So on Friday when I got mine I came home to show him at he wasn't there after playing with it outside I saw him drive into the neighborhood and he got out of the car and started walking toward me and in his hand was his new kendama. That night we were up till 12:00 playing kendama and after that I have been playing ever since ( he stopped playing but his younger brother @Wallace started playing and I jame with him everyday)