Wayne Ngan won’t be heading to the World Yo-Yo Contest in Florida next year, but he will be taking home a rush — the kind that only comes from hearing the crowd cheer when the beat starts and the yo-yo drops.

“Having 100 people cheering you on, that’s a really thrilling experience,” the U of T student said. Ngan, a PhD candidate in astronomy, was in Calgary Saturday evening for his first Canadian Yo-Yo Nationals.

For his first routine, spinning a single yo-yo in the competition’s most popular event, he admits he found the crowds and noise daunting.

“It’s traditional for the crowd to cheer and clap,” he said. “I think that adds a little pressure.”

Though he admits he was nervous and made several mistakes, he progressed to the final and placed fifth.

But in the “open division”, where competitors can mix any and all styles of yo-yoing, Ngan hit his stride. To a pumping Eurobeat soundtrack, he used two yo-yos to mix looping tricks, string tricks, and bounced the yo-yo off the string and his finger. He came in third.

“In a sense my routine was pretty unique among the competitors, so I think that gave me an edge,” he said. “I’m not sure if anyone has done that before.”

Despite his big finish, Ngan won’t progress to the big event next year. His signature style doesn’t have an event at the championship, and only the winner of the classic one yo-yo event has a seat in Florida.

As for whether Ngan will try for the again, he’s not sure.

“Yo-yoing for me is really sort of a stress relief, so now that yo-yo competing actually brings me stress, this is the other way around,” he said with a laugh.