COURT HOUSE — Matt Burkhead of Court House will compete in the 2012 World Yo-Yo Contest, Aug. 2-4, in Orlando, Fla.
Burkhead, 16, who will be a junior at Cape Christian Academy in September, plans to wow judges with his yo-yo expertise and be among the best in the world seeking the title of World Yo-Yo Champion. He’ll be testing his skills against over 200 yo-yo players coming to the U.S. from over 22 countries to vie for the coveted title of World Yo-Yo Champion.
If Burkhead, a three-year yo-yo vet, wins, he’ll get $1,000 and bragging rights. Also heading south with him will be James Lowell, a summer friend from Stone Harbor.
The annual contest, which was 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. The contest is fed by a network of other contests.
In the U.S., winners from state contests are seeded into regional contests that are then seeded into to the U.S. National yo-yo contest, which seeds into the World Yo-Yo Contest. The system, as designed, works similarly in 28 nations throughout the world.
The yo-yo has gone 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 may cost upward of $400, but quality standard yo-yos are still available for under $20.
This contest is supported by the world’s best yo-yo manufacturers including Duncan, One Drop, Yomega, and Yo-Yo Jam. Each company sponsors players in this contest.
Since 2000, the World Yo-Yo Contest has been chaired by Gregory Cohen of Tallahassee, Fla.
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