Photo courtesy of Conan Lynch
BY CONAN LYNCH, STAFF WRITER
Ever since I was thirteen, I’ve loved yoyoing. It’s one of my favorite hobbies, especially because it turns something simple into something amazing. Sometimes I find it useful to help clear my head.
I was in middle school when I first stumbled upon the way of the string. One time, my friend invited me to a Kendama convention. A Kendama is a wooden toy with a ball attached to a string. The string is attached to a wooden spike that looks like a hammer. My friend and I both had one and we would practice tricks together after school. I didn’t even know Kendama conventions existed, so I decided to go with him to see what it was all about. Either he didn’t know or just didn’t tell me, but the convention also had yoyos.
I expected it to be cool, but I did not expect to be so drawn to the yoyoing sections. There were rows and rows of tables with little cube boxes lined up. Those were the yo-yos. Occasionally there would be a few that were unboxed and on display. I had $20 and spent $10 to get my first ever yoyo.
I joined a circle of yoyoers just hanging around, and one of them saw the yoyo I just bought. I assumed he knew I was new to the whole thing, and he asked me to show them a trick. I threw the yoyo down and did a basic trick and then gave the yoyo a little tug to make it return to my hand.
It was this next moment that changed my life forever. This next exchange is what made me an advocate of the string. The guy asked me why I bought a responsive yoyo. I had no idea what he meant. He told me that most tricks are done with unresponsive yoyos: yoyos that don’t come back up when you tug on them. I was completely baffled. Why would anyone want a yoyo that doesn’t come back when you yank the string? How would you make it come back? It didn’t take long for me to realize that I had just opened the door to an entirely new world of possibilities
The guy from the circle explained to me that there are five different styles of yoyoing: 1-5A. He explained that the most conventional style is 1A and that it’s where everyone usually starts. 1A yoyoing just means that the yoyo is attached to a string and tricks are done by having the string interact with the yoyo is some way.
Fast forward to now, and I still love the look on people’s faces when I get a chance to show them the way of the string. I didn’t think this hobby would stay with me for as long as it has, but it’s meditative. It’s always fun to go on the trail behind school and make yoyo videos with the sunset as the backdrop or show off a few tricks to my friends when we’re hanging out. If you’re looking for a new hobby, I recommend seeing what you can do with a yoyo. It might seem daunting, but you might end up surprising yourself.
lynchcb19@bonaventure.edu
