A few minutes with ... a world champ with a yo-yo

I don't really know how to describe what Jake Elliott does with a yo-yo other than to say that if I tried it, I would crack myself upside the head.

Elliott, 20, grew up in Grandville near Grand Rapids, but recently moved to Milford to take a full-time job involving yo-yos. Yep, he's that good.

Just last month, he traveled to Japan — yes, with his yo-yo — to conquer all comers in the World Yo-Yo Championships in Japan. He won, and is now a world champion.

QUESTION: Dude, I just watched you go wild with a yo-yo for a minute, doing things I never dreamed of as a kid. How in the world did you learn all this?

ANSWER: Step-by-step. You know, you start off with Around the World and Walk the Dog and then you just build up incrementally for years and years until you're able to do tricks of a world champion.

Yeah, those are the tricks I used to do as a kid, Walk the Dog and Around the World. I used to hit myself in the face occasionally!

I've hit myself in the face many times.

Seriously?

Oh, yeah, I think I'm up to eight black eyes now. Couple chipped teeth. Dislocated my knee on stage.

Is that right? How did you get involved in yo-yo-ing?

Well, yo-yo was always my favorite toy as a little kid.

Get one for Christmas, or what?

Yeah, that's exactly what happened. I got one for Christmas. And then one day I was reading a Scholastic magazine article in my science class in seventh grade. And it was about yo-yo-ing. So I went home, I picked up my yo-yo, and I just kept playing with it. I never stopped.

So I imagine you've had many fits and starts as you're becoming a world champion. Did you ever smash windows at your parents' house? Break furniture? Hit your siblings in the face?

Oh, yeah. The amount of drywall repairs I've had to do is pretty crazy.

Are you serious, or are you making that up?

No, I'm very serious.

You put your yo-yo into the wall?

Oh, yeah. Plenty of times. Well, you've gotta throw hard if you want to be world champion.

What do you get from your accomplishments other than oohs and aahs from people?

Bragging rights. Unfortunately, there's not a lot. I do work full-time in the yo-yo world. But unfortunately there's not a lot of money in yo-yo, at this point. But it's just something I enjoy. I like showing it off. I like that it's something I can do with my hands, and it's also very creative. And it puts me in a worldwide community. So, that's why I do it.

How many people ask you to do the yo-yo, man? To show 'em your stuff?

Everywhere I go now. I get noticed quite a few places, locally.

You've traveled to Japan, which we know, because you just won a championship there. Does this bring you lots of opportunities to see the world?

Yeah, that's one of the great things about yo-yo-ing. I get to go all over the country, quite often. And then last year, I was in Prague for the world yo-yo contest. That was a great time.

Do you foot the bill for this or do you get sponsors like a race car driver?

No, the company that I work for, yoyotricks.com, they paid for everything. So I got an all-expenses-paid trip to Tokyo this year.

Nice! All you gotta do is plug their name a couple of times during this interview, in return.

Exactly. Wear their shirt on stage. (Smiles.)

What was that like, competing in a foreign land like that, as an American going over there?

It was pretty nerve-racking. The Japanese are really dominant in yo-yo-ing. They're definitely above the U.S. And so going there on their own home turf and trying to win, it was pretty nerve-racking.

How'd you get over that? You went on stage and kicked butt, from what I understand.

You might not be able to tell, but my legs were shakin' when I was on stage.

What do you do when you're not yo-yo-ing?

Sleeping, usually. (Laughs.) ... I typically try to practice between four and six hours a day. When I'm not actually yo-yo-ing, I'm thinking about yo-yo-ing.

Are you able to make a career out of yo-yo-ing?

I fortunately am one of the few who can.

And how are you doing that? You have a full-time job that involves yo-yo right now.

Yep, so I teach people how to yo-yo on the Internet on yoyotricks.com.

Can you make a lifetime career out of this or do you have other aspirations?

We're all tryin'. If I could do this for the rest of my life, I couldn't be happier.

What's your best advice on how to get good at the yo-yo?

How to get good at the yo-yo? Practice a whole bunch. Takes a lot of discipline, lot of dedication if you want to be the best.

Is it a hard sell? You got kids who are bonded to the couch and video games. … How many of 'em are actually gonna get up and play with a yo-yo?

A lot of kids are really receptive. Yo-yo's a lot of fun. If you can put a yo-yo in somebody's hands, they're going to have fun no matter what.

Doesn't cost much.

Doesn't cost much. The yo-yo I won the world yo-yo contest with is only $80. And that's for a really good yo-yo.

Dude! The Duncan I learned on was two bucks!

Well, you can still get really good yo-yos for less than $10. But you're not gonna get a good yoyo for $2. I'm sorry. Not any more.

Do you have any nicknames? Are you like the Master of Yo-yo Disaster or —

The Master of Yo-yo Disaster? No, I don't have any nicknames.

Wow. Well, congratulations on your big victory. What else should I ask you that might be unexpected or that you wanted to talk about?

I think we covered the bases pretty well.

All right. And you've really harmed yourself accidentally with a yo-yo?

Oh, yeah. … The worst, I was on stage at a dress rehearsal for a talent show. And did a trick that involved me turning my body. Well, my body turned, but my foot didn't, and my knee just popped out of place.

Oh, no!

And so I'm on stage and I'm yelling, "Oh, my goodness, my knee! I dislocated my knee! Somebody help me." And they thought it was part of my act. ... So finally this lady, she walks up on stage and she's like, "Jake! Jake! Are you OK?" And I'm like, "No! I been yellin' for the past two minutes that I dislocated my knee!" It was a terrible experience, but at least I have a good story to tell.

And it didn't keep you from yo-yo-ing.

Oh, no. Back up the next day.

Contact Jim Schaefer: 313-223-4542 or jschaefer@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @DetroitReporter.