8-year-old spins his way to Michigan yo-yo competition

FLINT, Mich. — Walk the Dog, Boingy Boing and Rock the Baby may not mean much to most, but for an 8-year-old boy, these yo-yo tricks might be his ticket to Asia as he works his way through competitions. 

In less than a year, Randall Wilburn III has mastered a list of yo-yo tricks that could take some months just to learn one, and he will be heading to the 2025 Michigan State Yo-Yo Classic on Nov. 22, 2025, to compete with other yo-yoers.

Randall said he has been practicing yo-yo tricks since February with the help of YouTube and a yo-yo club. Some of the tricks he named included the Helix, Double or Nothing and Eli Hops.

His favorite yo-yo, he said, is the plastic Cheat Code model.

“This dimple right here is literally perfect for DNAs,” he said, demonstrating the move, which is a popular yo-yo trick where the string forms a double helix pattern as the yo-yo spins on a finger. “I feel like I’m a natural at it. I feel like I am a little bit different. I have a little bit different hobby than my classmates.”

Competing in the Michigan State Yo-Yo Classic will be Randall’s first official event. He said he is excited, though he doesn’t know exactly what judges look for yet, but his mother, Kala Anthony, says he will have to complete as many listed tricks as he knows in one division, and in another, he will perform a one-minute freestyle routine he creates himself.

When Randall told his mother he wanted to start yo-yoing, she said she didn’t see any yo-yo opportunities in Flint. After searching, she located a yo-yo club in Plymouth.

“When I found out he wanted to do yo-yo, I went to Facebook because I didn’t see anybody in the area doing yo-yoing,” she said. “Once I saw the different competitions, it led me to the yo-yo group in Plymouth.”

At least once a month, Anthony drives an hour each way for Randall to meet up with other yo-yoers with the Downtown Plymouth Yo-Yo Club. Anthony says the club includes people who have been yo-yoing for up to 20 years. They bring backpacks full of different yo-yos, sometimes 20 or more, giving him the chance to try new models and learn different tricks. Other parents also participate, using beginner-friendly yo-yos, and he has even taught some of them basic moves.

She also noted the lack of diversity in the yo-yo spaces they’ve encountered.

“There’s no brown people,” she said. “That’s why I like to take him to the park or the airport. He’ll start yo-yoing and people crowd around him. People call him ‘yo-yo boy.’ It’s like a magnet.”

Randall’s long-term goal, he said, is to become “a yo-yo champion.” He also hopes the sport will eventually take him overseas.

Anthony said that interest is tied to a wider fascination.

“He wants to learn Japanese,” she said. “It’s like a whole culture thing for him. The yo-yo kind of fit into his whole idea of wanting to be a part of Japanese culture.”

For peers who want to try, he had simple guidance.

“Learn tricks online, and get your first yo-yo before you watch yo-yo videos,” he said. “Then you’d already have a yo-yo and be just like me — kind of a pro at tricks.”

He said that even though yo-yoing isn’t always easy, sticking with it is worth it.

“It was hard in the beginning, but it was fun,” he said. “I know I want to do Godspeed. I know I want to do the tricks. And I can do it.”

Event Details

The 2025 Michigan Yo-Yo Classic is on Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Swartz Creek United Methodist Church, located at 7400 Miller Rd., Swartz Creek, MI 48473.

For questions, email michiganstateyoyocontest@gmail.com