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Yo-yo whiz Sebastian Brock, a student at the College of William & Mary, is world-ranked and has even designed a yo-yo, the Bassalope. |
When Sebastian Brock went to his first yo-yo competition, he was awe-struck by the best players.
Five years later, Brock is one of them.
The 2007 Riverbend High School graduate was ranked third in the 1A, or string tricks, division at a recent international competition.
This division features original yo-yo tricks choreographed to music.
"I am so proud of him," said his mom, Barbara Brock, who lives in Spotsylvania County. "He set a goal for himself and he did it."
Brock picked up his first yo-yo when he 8, at FUNdaMENTALs, the downtown Fredericksburg toy store his mom owned. He learned some basic tricks, Barbara Brock recalled, then set the toy aside.
A few years later, he said, he found videos of the best players doing tricks he'd never seen. Advances in technology allow yo-yos to spin longer, letting players create better tricks.
"I watched the guys on there and thought that it was really cool and different," Brock said. "I just wanted to try and do something like that."
He studied videos of professional players, and he practiced at school, in lines and while watching TV.
"I remember wishing he'd study his schoolwork that hard," Barbara Brock said.
His first competition was the Mid-Atlantic Regional YoYo Contest in Wilmington, Del. when he was 14. He went to every competition he could for the next five years.
The hardest part at first, he said, was getting up and competing in front of crowds. His biggest challenge now is creating tricks that match the music, he said, "to make it more of a performance, rather than just yo-yoing on stage to music."
Over the summer, Sebastian placed third at the World Yo-Yo Contest in Orlando, Fla.
Brock said he normally has some regrets after a competition. He didn't have any after that performance.
"I'm third in the world," he said. "It's something to be proud of."
This fall, he placed first in his division at the Delaware regionals and second at the U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest in Chico, Calif.
Brock has other interests, too. He's a sophomore at the College of William & Mary, where he's studying government and film. He also plays soccer and plans to try out for the college's team.
He's also become interested in yo-yo technology.
Brock is currently designing his own yo-yo with his Canadian sponsor, Caribou Lodge Yo-Yo Works in Edmonton, Alberta.
The yo-yo, called the Bassalope, will be geared to intermediate to advanced players and will cost about $100, said Chris Mikulin, Caribou's owner.
Mikulin described Brock as a "neat, quiet guy" who is known in the yo-yo community for his unique style.
"He develops really interesting, fun tricks that are complicated, but he makes them look so easy," he said.
The professional yo-yo community is small and tight-knit, Brock said, and he's well-known among the competitive, friendly players.
His accomplishments have brought him fans, too.
Caribou Lodge recently made T-shirts with Brock's image on them. He has seen younger players at competitions wearing "his" T-shirts.
"It's pretty cool," he said. "I got a couple for myself."
Younger players also occasionally ask for his autograph.
Brock takes these brushes with fame in stride.
"I would never really consider myself a famous person," he said. "But it is kind of nice to have some people look up to you."
Kim Baer: 540/834-0656
Email: kbaer@freelancestar.com
