Jason Rodriguez
Introduction
We are thrilled to have Jason Rodriguez, aka "J-Rod", aka "Rigo", as part of the One Drop team! He's a professor of anthropology, a musician, and a writer. He's been a yoyo modder, designed the CODE2, and has served as a moderator for the YoYoExpert, YoYoNation, and TheYo internet forums. You can find him at such contests as SER, Mass States, NY States, BAC, and the WYYC, as well as at the Finger Lakes Yoyo Club. He loves learning 1a, 5a, and fixed axle tricks, so come introduce yourself and trade tricks if you run into him.
We're honored to be supporting Jason on his yo-yoing journey and we can't wait for the future.
YoYo History
"My parents bought me my first yoyo when I was 5 or 6 years old. It was a blue Duncan Imperial. I played the dickens out of that yoyo until the string broke. Unfortunately, the Base Exchange store on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base where my parents were stationed at the time didn't sell replacement string. After a bit of pleading they eventually bought me a blue Duncan Butterfly, which I played more cautiously. Eventually the string broke on that yoyo too and that marked the end of my yo-yoing for a while. Fast forward to the age of 12 - Dale and Val Oliver visited my school in north Texas for a week, and I got back into yo-yoing hardcore for a couple of months ... until I ran out of string. Fast forward to the yoyo boom of the late 90s ... half of the people in my college dorm bought a yoyo, and for a good year and a half yo-yoing was a daily pursuit. I learned Split the Atom, Brain Twister, and a host of picture tricks. But like so many of the people at that time, my interest faded as the boom fizzled. Fast forward to 2008 - I'd just returned to the US after living in rural India where I was doing research on international development, and I found the online yoyo community, sector-Y, big butterfly-shaped competition yoyos, and the rest is history. Over the past eight years I've found time to yoyo everyday, and I can't imagine putting it down again. It's been incredibly rewarding to found the San Diego Yoyo Club and the Finger Lakes Yoyo Club, and to get to participate extensively with other great clubs I've lived near - most notably the Spindox, DXL, and the Santa Cruz Yoyo Club.
I've met so many wonderful people through yo-yoing, and I'm honored to join the One Drop Team. I first met David and Shawn at PNWR in 2010 and have been a big fan of their work, what they stand for, and their designs ever since. Collaborating on the CODE2 gave me an eye opening, behind-the-scenes insight into how awesome they are at what they do. Big shout out to David, Shawn, Paul, and the rest of the One Drop family for the opportunity to represent such a great company."
