Yo-Yos Unite

The yo-yos will be out in force today in front of the Wizard’s Chest, 230 Fillmore Street in Cherry Creek North, their discs a-spinning, their strings woven into endless permutations. That’s right: The twelfth annual Rocky Mountain and Colorado State Yo-Yo Championships rock the sidewalk today, beginning with registration at 11 a.m. The contest opens with compulsory competitions in which each of the sixty or so competitors will try their hand at tricks such as “walking the dog,” then move on to more complicated maneuvers like the “stinky pumpkin,” the “bloody salamander” and “Trotsky’s brain freeze.” (Actually, we made those last three up, but they do sound like pretty sweet yo-yo tricks, don’t they?)

Once the competition has thinned out, the top tricksters will move on to the freestyle competition, where they’ll show off well-practiced routines of their choice. With luck, at least one or two will involve flaming yo-yos — always a fan favorite. There should be lots of admirers to cheer the contestants on; Wizard’s Chest representative Rona Gates expects about a hundred people to show up. “I think the popularity of yo-yos goes in phases,” she says. “Every eight or ten years, it gets a lot more popular. I think it’s starting to come back.”

Sort of like a yo-yo. For more information, call 303-321-4304 or go to www.wizardschest.com.
Sat., June 28, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 2008