A Couple of Yo-yos

Last week Ben started playing with a yo-yo that has been sitting idle in the toy box for a while.  He asked me for some help with it. One thing led to another, and before long I had one of my own yo-yos out, showing him some of the tricks I thought I'd forgotten.  For the next couple days, he was imitating those tricks - mostly swinging a dead yo-yo around on the string, but he's got a pretty good "drag the dog" going.

Coincidentally, some professional yo-yo players were out at Learning Express yesterday doing a demo (yes, there is such a thing as a pro yo-yoer, and if I had an ounce of their skill, I'd consider a career change).  Ben and I went there to watch.  I thought he would get a kick out of it, and he did.  But what surprised me is how much I enjoyed it too.

I was not prepared.  I thought we were going to see some guys doing all the string tricks that I was never able to master, maybe they'd do some fast looping stuff with two yo-yos, go under the legs, around the back, etc.  Then we'd be on our merry way, and the yo-yo fad would pass in a week.  

But somewhere in the time between the last yo-yo I purchased and now, technology and ingenuity caught up with this toy and I was caught unawares.  Free-spinning, ball-bearing axles were installed. Now you can sleep a yo-yo for several minutes instead of several seconds.  Someone decided to detach the finger end, and add a counterweight.  Now there's a thing to swing on both ends of the string.  Someone else decided that the yo-yo didn't need to be attached to the string at all.  Yes, really... Google "yo yo 4A".

The result is this spinning, twisting, bouncing, gravity-defying spindle of awesomeness. At least in the right hands.  I doubt I have the right hands for it, but I am inspired enough that I'm going to invest in a Flying Squirrel or an FH Zero and play some more.  Ben was inspired too.  Now his "tricks" involve two yo-yos and lots of interesting string pictures.  I fear a little for the walls, the light fixtures, and the younger sibling, but I think we'll be ok.