Brooklyn is home to a national yo-yo champion.
Don Hodgkinson, an East Williamsburg resident, won gold for the 3A Two Hands String Trick division in the National Yo-Yo Contest on June 29 in Las Vegas, enlisting gasps from the crowd with his three-minute performance.
This was the first time he won a yo-yo contest. "I've been working towards this for 13 years," he told BK Reader. "It's pretty surreal. I was pretty shocked when they announced my name."
Hodgkinson, 30, grew up in Massachusetts and became intrigued with yo-yoing as a third-grader when he saw some kids yo-yoing on the playground. After saving enough money from doing chores around the house, he bought his first yo-yo at age 11. He first tried to learn by watching videos online, but would travel to a toy store two hours away where yo-yo enthusiasts would practice and learn tricks from one another.
"I spent a lot of time between those journeys," Hodgkinson said. "Practicing, getting as close to learning tricks as I could, and then using that time to complete what I had learned. There's a lot of great yo-yoists who live there, so it was pretty easy to pick up things when I visited."
A year later, Hodgkinson entered his first competition in the Massachusetts State Yo-Yo Contest. As he grew older, he entered four or five contests per year. These days, he competes once or twice a year.
For the national contest, he practiced his skills for one to two hours per day. Hodgkinson explained that there is no standard among yo-yoists when it comes to honing their skills.
He said he spends time with the New York Yo-Yo Club in Manhattan, where members hang out, casually work on tricks, and learn from one another.
"It's a very collaborative community," he said. "If someone comes up to me and asks for help, I'll always help them. If it's a kid who's interested in it, I'll teach them a trick. It's everyone kind of teaching everyone. It's a very welcoming, open community."
Yo-yoing gives Hodgkinson a creative outlet, as well as a way to channel his energy, including stress. He also enjoys the social aspect of being a yo-yoist.
"I can do it very casually. I can do it socially. I can do it competitively. It's a nice hobby that encapsulates all of those angles," he said.
When he's not competing or working on his skills, he works as an engagement strategist at an ad firm.
What advice would he give to Brooklynites interested in yo-yoing?
"You have to put your ego aside," he said. "Being new to anything means that you're going to be bad at it for a while. Being able to learn from as many people as you can is a great skill, and [asking] for help about something, because that's how you get better. Everyone has something to learn, so make sure you keep that mindset."
Check out Hodgkinson's winning performance here.
