Ga-Ga Over Yo-Yos -- This Simple Spinning Toy With A Rich History Can Really String You Along

"Yo!" Maria Carilao tosses the shimmery green yo-yo over her wrist, spins it to the floor, then snaps it back up into her hand. Two kids across the room are watching her closely, and one ventures a comment.

"I love yo-yos. Can I try?"

He slips the string onto his finger and starts spinning the yo-yo smoothly up and down. "I gotta get one of these," he says. "What tricks can you do?"

Carilao, 27, a former ski racer and in-line skating instructor turned "C-E-Yo" of Yobonics, a new Seattle yo-yo maker, can do tricks such as walk the dog or loop-the-loop, but for more advanced brain twisters, over-the-falls and trapeze tricks, she turns to her dad, Carl Carilao, who was a Duncan Yo-Yo champ in his youth back in the Philippines.

"Yo-yos have always been a lot of fun, something good for kids to do," says the elder Carilao as he spins a few tricks that look easy but simply tangle up in the hands of a novice.

Yobonics is one of many yo-yo makers challenging the venerable Duncan Yo-Yo for shelf space these days.

No matter what brand yo-yo you choose, figure a good beginner model starts at about $5. There are many yo-yos in the $8-$12 range and some champion models cost $30 or more, says Arne Dixon, known as the Yo-Yo Man for the hundreds of assembly programs he and his Seattle-based company, USA YOYO Extravaganza, have put on in schools across the country in the last decade.

Look for a yo-yo that twists apart (so it can be easily untangled and strings can be replaced) and is well-balanced, Dixon says. Avoid cheapie one-piece models that will frustrate users and may break on impact. And figure that once a child starts yo-yoing, it quickly becomes a family sport.

"Parents and grandparents remember when they yo-yo'd," Dixon says. "They all want to play."

Dixon, whose video "How to Yo-Yo" shows basic and more advanced tricks, believes yo-yos give kids confidence and a chance to become good at hand-eye coordination and patience.

"Most of being a champion is hard work and practice," he says. "We tell the kids: You can do it, you can do these fun tricks, if you practice and don't give up."

That's been the key for 10-year-old Jordan Heaverlo, who beat out 31 other top yo-yoers last Saturday to win the Novice Junior Youth Division of the U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest, sponsored by the national Yo-Yo Museum in Chico, Calif. His sister Lindsey, 12, was a contender but spun out of control on one of the 10 required tricks, the Breakaway.

Jordan and Lindsey first learned from their father, Don, who designs yo-yos for SuperYo, a Bothell manufacturer, but now far out-trick him, says their mother, Kathy Heaverlo.

"We took them to Nationals because they love yo-yos so much," she says. "We were astounded when Jordan won."

Winning a yo-yo competition these days garners little more than a trophy and a fancy yo-yo, but that doesn't dissuade Jordan, who has already persuaded his parents to take him to the World Yo-Yo Championships, Aug. 21, in Oahu, Hawaii.

"I love it when people watch me do tricks," Jordan says. "It's even more fun when I win contests." ------------------------------- GET SPINNING

How a yo-yo works: Momentum and friction. Wind the string around the yo-yo axle and toss it out firmly, and it spins to the end of the string. Energy keeps the yo-yo spinning so it climbs back up the string.

Two loops: Traditional fixed-axle yo-yos have a loop at each end of the string.

At the finger loop, slip the string on your index or middle finger, midway between the first two knuckles for best control.

The axle loop determines how the yo-yo spins. The tighter the loop, the the easier the yo-yo rolls back to your hand. The looser the loop, the easier the yo-yo "sleeps," or spins at the end of the string. Beginners can start with a fixed string. A half-hitch knot secures the loop on the axle. As the yo-yoer becomes competent spinning up and down, remove the hitch so the yo-yo will sleep for tricks.

If the loop is so loose that it's hard to get the yo-yo to return, let the yo-yo out to the end of the string, then give it a couple of spins counterclockwise before winding it up.

Transaxle yo-yo: High-tech yo-yos don't have axle loops; the string is attached to a brass or metal sleeve that is mounted on tiny ball bearings. The sleeve permits the yo-yo to spin for long time.

String length: Hold the finger loop and drop the yo-yo to the ground. The finger-loop end of the string should reach your belly button.

Take-apart yo-yos: Look for a yo-yo that twists apart so you can change or untangle the string easily.

TRICKS

Learning: Once you can competently toss and "sleep" the yo-yo, the first trick is often "Walk the Dog." The yo-yo is dropped, sleeps, then touches the ground, where it "walks" out, like a puppy on a leash, then is tugged back and up.

An illustrated book, experienced yo-yoer or how-to video helps beginners learn loops, passes, falls, breakaways, twisters and other tricks.

A lot of yo-yo information, including trick videos, can be viewed for free on the Internet. Use the term "yoyo" in any Web-based search engine to find them.

Fun: Yo-yos that glow in the dark, light up when you spin, sparkle, make noises, spin holograms or have trinkets (from candies to little toys) inside hollow halves.

HISTORY

One-piece carved wooden yo-yos were played with centuries ago in China and Greece, according to John Ten Eyck, author of "The Yo-Yo Book." In 17th-century France, the incroyable (incredible) or jou-jou was popular. Traders probably took yo-yos to the Philippines in the 1500s, where they have long been a game of skill. The word yo-yo means "come back" in Tagalog.

A Filipino immigrant in the 1920s, Pedro Flores, is credited with bringing and first selling wooden yo-yos to America. In 1928 Donald F. Duncan, inventor of Good Humor ice cream on a stick, bought Flores' "invention" and turned Duncan Yo-Yos into an international phenomenon.

Today many companies make yo-yos of wood, plastic, metal and other materials.

RESOURCES

American Yo-Yo Association has local clubs, competitions, how-to information. Membership $3-$25. Online at http://ayya.pd.net

National Yo-Yo Museum, 320 Broadway, Chico, CA 95928 (530-893-0545), has thousands of yo-yos from around the world and sponsors competitions, including last Saturday's U.S. National Yo-Yo Championships. It is online at: http://www.nationalyoyo.org

"The Yo-Yo Book" by John Ten Eyck ($9.95 includes wooden yo-yo, Workman Publishing).

"How to Yo-Yo" video ($10) by Arne Dixon, the "Yo-Yo Man" of Seattle's USA YOYO Extravaganza school assembly programs, 800-367-9696 or online at http://www.yoyoplace.com