7 Burning Questions: Turner Thorne

You are asking how? Kendama has built my confidence and and became more communicative. Last weekend I was at KendamaClash. Damn! I made so many new friends, and the kendama community is so awesome. Kendama players are very friendly and they are chilling soooo goood I can't wait for next kendama event. So how has kendama positively affected my life? It brought me my best experience in my whole life (KendamaClash in Berlin) it helped me making great friends like @SkilloverTalent . Buying kendama was the vest decision in my life!

 

I'm a basic teenager kid, I'm always on my phone, computer, tv, and I'm always inside my house. When I found out about Kendama I couldn't stop playing it. I spent less time inside my house playing video games and destroying my eyes. Most of the times I go outside or to my friend's house to play Kendama. It has help me avoid technologies.

 

Kendama has helped me make new friends it's a conversation starter and made me love sharing the dama love with other people. I love playing dama in out in nature and makes me spend lest time on my phone. The moments that I am playing kendama with my friends are some of my most enjoyable moments

I also love skiing, camping, and traveling!

 

Kendama helped get me off drugs and quit drinking. I spent more than ten years going in and out of various drug addictions and rather extreme cases of alcoholism. In the past two years I have been able to overcome my addictions with the help of kendama and the community I have come to Love. Playing kendama helped me increase my concentration and focus, which in turn helped me buckle down and get off the hard stuff. What I find to be especially beautiful is how I was able to help a few other addicts as well. The first person who showed me kendama (on a Turner Thorne pro mod actually) became an addict himself about a year after he gave me my first tribute. Since then I visited him in a half way house and gave him a brand new Japenese maple Ozora, which he has slayed to sawdust. We both wept when I gave it to him, can't say I have ever cried so hard; he thought we weren't going to be friends anymore because he had stolen from me to fuel his heroin use, but I wasn't going to let a drug ruin a good friendship. Since becoming sober himself he has helped other people get clean too and credits his Love of kendama for wanting to help others.

I cried writing this.

 

Mostly just increasing my patience in all aspects of life. One of the biggest ways this has specifically helped are first, college. I had never had to struggle with any type of schooling. All of a sudden I have to bust my butt just to pass. And it was only though the patience that kendama has taught me while doing hard thingns that I got through it sane and with decent grades.

 

I think the best things that I've gained through kendama were peace of mind and confidence.
I first started playing over 2 years ago. It had been years since I dropped out of college (just couldn't afford tuition anymore) and was 3ish years deep into a dead end part-time job. After I started really getting into it I started worrying less and less about what my situation was and realized that there was no rush to try and 'catch up' with everyone I knew who were graduating at the time.
It's the same as learning kendama, not everyone learns at the same rate as each other. I have friends who have been playing just as long as I have, some even less, and they are some of the most phenomenal players that I've seen. TBH, I'm no where near that same skill level. But, again, it's not a race. There's no reason for me to try and catch up with them.
I have a better job now. Still doing the same thing (at a new place) but getting paid a lot better. Re-exploring old passions like art and music, and working towards the future that I realize I've truly wanted.
Just need to focus on myself, my own growth (as a person and a player), and spread the dama love.

 

Kendama has given me something to be a part of, and has put some major purpose in my boring life. I work to earn money so that I can buy new kendamas. Kendama has majorly influenced my life in a very positive way

 

Kendama has positively affected my life because when my family argues I just grab my kendama and go in the other room and play. Kendama has really helped me with all the negative things that have been going on in my life. When I play I forget about all the negative things. When people say kendama is a toy, it's more then a toy. I feel like I'm playing with nature because I'm holding wood and it feels like I have a better connection with earth. I'm entering because I want to spread the word and I want people to know that this "toy" is a passion. If I do actually win it would mean so much to me because my family doesn't have money for any extra things. When I get my birthday money, that's the only money I can buy with kendamas. I love Turner Thorne and what he does has inspired me so much. It would mean so much to me if I won.

Thanks,
Chrysta Bauer
Instagram: @youtube.newbie15

 

Kendama has turned me from a couch potato to someone who looks forward to the chance to go find a cool new spot and film some dama outdoors. Bein out with the homies lacin up is definitely some of the best moments

 

Oh man. Kendama has changed my lifestyle over these 1.5 years of playing. I've met so many new people, made so many new friends, it's taken me to SoCal, I've been able to jam with Ben Herald in SanJoSlay, I've learned so many new things. I've met so many pros, gotten a ton of signatures, won online and event competitions, and has just overall been rewarding. If you put in the time, work, and effort into playing Kendama and getting better and it, and interacting with other people, I think you become a better person. You can have many new experiences everyday with Kendama. I remember when my whole town was into Kendama, but to them it was just a trend, a fad, something that will die off after the school year ended. When I left 8th grade and started a new journey in highschool, I was scared of what people will think of me. I had joined a new sport; Cross Country. We went to Fresno for a race. I had brought my setup and played and everyone said "Yo I remember when this was a thing" and I felt like I had brought nostalgia or something back. I had also met Mason (sponsored by Yancy Customs) and played him in KEN. I had become friends with Aaron, Om, Miguel, Matthew, Tristan (all SanJoSlay locals) and it was just a fun ride. And it still is! There is a lot in store for this upcoming future and I can't wait for what it holds. Thank you. Oh yeah and by the way, the feeling when someone's watching and then asks you, "what is that?" And you say... KENDAMA. And then you can start spreading the dama love.

 

Kendama has opened my mind to a new form of art and creativity that I can now explore. I love the idea of never being the best at it because there's always more things to accomplish and get done. I've also met so many cool people and had so many new opportunities that I was able to get done. Kendama is something in my life that is a part of me now and I never found something so enjoyable before.

-Cole

 

Honestly, kendama really makes me realize what I can be good at & what can I pursue. Out of all my recent interest, kendama really stands out. Not that my other interest have gone boring or anything, but the satisfaction that I get thru kendama really gets me more & more fund about it. I don't really know where I would be right now if it wasn't for kendama. Kendama improves me in ways I didn't know possible. I wonder what will I become if I rest/quit kendama for a half a decade. Will i still be as good as i was before? Could I keep up with the time? It really stands out in my head thinking of it. That's why as far as i'm active in kendama, i'm making the most out of every experience I have. Meeting, competing, TEACHING, spreading kendama, all those thing really help & constantly improves me as person & a kendama player...

 

I've met so many people through kendama made many lasting friend ships and have gotten so many people into it. It's just something really awesome to do in your free time and just escape from reality and let your imagination go crazy!!!

 

First off , I truely enjoyed this thread , I know I'm (at 40y/o ) older than most of the community , yet As some of you know , I am the father of two amazingly talented , smart , funny , caring and kendama loving boys ! I came from a family that hated the fact that I loved skateboarding.

The Positivity from Kendama starts here and never ends !!!!!
I will always follow their passion and interests as mine were not . I will let this kendama life take them wherever they want !
My boys and I have attended the last two years MKO and I have taken them to as many kendama events as I can ! I love following what THEY love and it makes our friendship grow even more within a great community like the Kendama one ! I have helped my kids start up a kendama group out here in the Chicago area along with meeting other groups as well . We have tried to spread the love everywhere we go and share the experience of playing by bringing extra damas with us on vacation and to parks to share with any curious onlookers ! My life is about helping others and I love giving back !
I love the history , the evolution of tricks , and that there enough of this passion that I myself can learn and find some self meditation with to help myself focus .
Shhh ...don't tell too many but before getting to sleep at the fire station where I work every third day of my life.....I always break out my own Dama and work on at least one trick that I try to master so I can " hang" with my boys !!
I know the guys at work don't even know I'm down stairs " seshing " alone by the engines and ladder truck , yet getting the fire call when I am is funny when I throw my setup in the rig with us !! I love this Kendama and what it does for me personally , how it helps me grow with my boys , and how it keeps what we do as players spreading the love of it everywhere we go ! Thanks Turner and all of the other Pros that share their stories so fathers like myself always feel confident in knowing this is a great community for my boys to be associated with !! Keep doing what you all do !!

 

In my 3 years of playing kendama, I've noticed that I've become a bit more patient as opposed to me being very impatient around others when we needed to go somewhere. It's helped me realize nothing can be achieved easily and requires a great amount of time and effort to pull it off. Kendama has made me stand out as an individual at school as I am the only one that plays in my area, and it's allowed me to meet new people and get to know them better by simply showing them my kendama and helping them get their first spike. I realize that I've become a bit nicer around people because I used to be a person that made fun of everyone for not being able to do something, but now I help others out with their problems and what they should do about them. Overall, I've become a more positive person that more people look up to for advice.

 

Well, idk where to start!Kendama is just sooo amazing. I first started playing kendama during christmas last year because I saw my friend Logan Tosta(yes THE Logan Tosta)playing with it and I saw how good he was and I needed to be as good as he is. So I tried it out and it was amazingly fun and really sharpened my reflexes and balance. Kendama is one of a type toy and really impacted me in my life. I have met great people like Jake Weins and Ofc Logan tosta. I have seen the kendama community and how everybody brings everything together and have a good time. I spend a lot more time outside and enjoying nature and the fresh outdoors instead of being inside on my phone or in front the TV. But this also made me have time to study more and get better grades and I can now say that I am straight A student because ik that better grades mean more kendamas and more time to play with it my parents really like that I have found a better hobby to do then just me on my phone all day.
Kendama really is such a great toy and there is people that helps me everyday and helping me to learn more and do a lot of great tricks and having fun learning and playing with it. So this is how Kendama impacted my life and what a great positive effect it had. How has kendama impacted ur life?

 

Kendama has allowed me to express my self as an artist and has opened up new path ways for me in life. Because of kendama I have became a great photographer and videographer for my friends and a great editor. I learn and progress daily and enjoy every moment of it even when it is tuff. I learn to deal with the hate towards kendama from friends or relatives. I strive to teach people how to play kendama and have already made many friends throughout the world while playing. I want be the best that I can be by challenging one of my best friends in games of ken. Because of my friend and my love for kendama we have bonded on a whole other level. At my high school we are starting a club for kendama and hopefully help people who are stressed out find a way through kendama to help them get through there school work and problems. Kendama overall brings me joy and makes me work hard not only at kendama but in other aspects of life.

-Progress Daily
Jacob Watts

 

Kendama has helped me focus in life, and learn patience. When I first saw kendama I dismissed it as a toy, not knowing what it really was and the impact it could have on people. I bought one and my life changed, I was introduced to the kendama community and devoted a lot of time to playing kendama and getting better. Kendama has taught me a lot about life, and has really had a positive effect on me and those around me.

 

Kendama helped realize that I can do things i thought were impossible. When i first started 4 months ago, I never though i would be able to do lunar flips, tradespikes and other tricks that are almost easy now. This lesson reverberated throughout my life and I found myself persevering even harder to work towards my big dreams and new skills. I grinded hard the last few months and saved up enough money to buy a honda element, the ultimate Japanese adventure vehicle. I plan to road trip out west to oregon and keep leveling up at both kendama and life.