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The
Come-Back Toy
Today yo-yo’s aren’t thought of or hopefully used as a weapon anymore. In fact, yo-yo’s have stood the test of time and have even escalated from a once simple toy to a fun sport. But unlike other sports, this one doesn’t require a team, a lot of money or specialized equipment. Plus, with funky, cool tricks like the Time Warp, Gravity Pull and Brain Twister, who wouldn’t want to take a shot at spinning the string? Dale Oliver, world champion yo-yoer, started at the age of 9 with his first one. "I was a bit of a loner and adopted yo-yoing as my sport," he says. "But my real interest didn’t start until I was 12 and saw a Duncan yo-yo champion at the local drug store." Mr Oliver was hooked and by the age of 17 he was working full-time for the Duncan company. He had to practice a lot to get where he is today. He says, "as a kid (I had to practice) three or four hours a day, everyday. Then when I turned pro, seven or eight hours a day." But it all paid off. Today, Mr. Oliver owns his own company called, ‘Spintastics’. He has developed a school program-‘Yo-Yo Fun and the Science of Spin.’ This special class teaches yo-yoing to over 40,000 children each year. He’s also the recipient of the ’National Master’ award, has set world records, founded the American YO-YO Association,’ (AYYA) and was instrumental in the development of the ‘World Championship of Yo-Yoing.’ When the yo-yo first arrived in America it had the string looped on the axile not tied. This may sound insignificant, but the freer movement is a ‘must have’ for doing tricks. Mr. Oliver can yo-yo over two hundred tricks, including catching one in his pocket. But he says, "two handed yo-yoing is the hardest." So what’s left? With yo-yo’s coming in all sorts of colors and styles, lighting up, shooting sparks, playing music, glowing in the dark, and even being edible, there doesn’t seem like a lot of room for improvement. Since 1930 half a billion yo-yo’s have been manufactured. That’s enough yo-yo string to go around the earth 12 times. But Oliver reminds us that, "Inventing is one of those, ‘I wonder what would happen if,’ things." He says, "a mistake can engender a new line of thinking. Kids invent new tricks everyday." Oliver also confides that he has two new yo-yos on the drawing board and a couple other top-secret, ‘outlandish’ ideas in the works. What does it take? "That old/new idea of following your passion is the best advice that I can give anyone," concludes, Mr. Oliver. "I’ve had many nay-sayers in my life..."you can’t do that," "It won’t work." But if you believe in what you’re doing and stick to it, you can accomplish miracles." From primitive weapon to a fun toy, to a wonderful, inexpensive sport. The yo-yo is definitely the come-back toy. Why not take one for a spin today. Who knows, with a little practice or even a lot of mistakes you might be the next yo-yo champ, with your own line of yo-yo tricks. To learn more about Dale
Oliver and Yo-Yo Fun and the Science of Spin, check out his web-site
at... http://www.spintastics.com/Dale_Oliver.asp
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The
early yo-yo was first made from a grooved rock with a tough vine
wrapped around it. This may have been used as a primitive weapon
to clunk unsuspecting prey on the head.
