This year Adam Reeder, 13, of Salisbury, has earned his place to fight among the best in the world for the title of World Yo-Yo Champion. He is going to Orlando, Fla., Aug. 2-4 to test his skills against more than 200 yo-yo players coming in from more than 22 countries to vie for the coveted title of World Yo-Yo Champion.
This annual contest that started 80 years ago has been bringing the best of the best from every corner of the globe since the first World Yo-Yo Contest was won by Harvey Low in London, England, in 1932. This year is considered to be the 21st modern World Yo-Yo Contest.
This contest is fed by a network of other contests. In the USA, winners from state contests get seeded into regional contests that get seeded into the U.S. National yo-yo contest that then gets seeded into the World Yo-Yo Contest. This system works similarly in 28 different countries around the world.
Yo-yos have changed a lot over the past 36 years. They have come from 10-cent pieces of wood on a string to high tech models made of exotic metals and complex synthetic string. A high end competition grade yo-yo can cost upwards of $400, but quality standard yo-yos are still available for under $20.
The World Yo-Yo Contest has six divisions divided by different yo-yo styles. These include Single A (one yo-yo traditional), Double A (two yo-yos looping), Triple A (two yo-yos sleeping tricks), Off-String (where the string is tied to your finger but not to the yo-yo), Counter-Weight (where the string is tied to the yo-yo but not to your finger) and Artistic Performance.