Yo-Yo Pros

Betty Gallegos was 12 when she saw her first yo-yo competition in Mexico City. The competitors made shapes with the strings while the yo-yos kept spinning at the end. Gallegos was so amazed, she got a yo-yo after the event. She’s been doing her own tricks ever since.

Betty Gallegos was 12 when she saw her first yo-yo competition in Mexico City. The competitors made shapes with the strings while the yo-yos spun. Gallegos was amazed. She got a yo-yo after the event. She’s been doing her own tricks ever since.

Gallegos is now 20. She’s part of a worldwide community of more than 10,000 competitive yo-yoers. They practice for hours and share tips on YouTube. They show off their tricks at championship events. In August, Gallegos traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to compete in the World YoYo Contest. She won first place in her division!

Yo-yoers develop a routine of tricks performed to music for each competition. Gallegos starts by picking out a song with a good beat. Then she plans her routine. A routine lasts two or three minutes. She practices up to three hours a day in the months leading up to the competition. She has to be careful not to let the yo-yo stop spinning or to create knots in the string.

Gallegos is now 20. She’s part of a worldwide community of talented yo-yoers. They practice for hours. They share tips on YouTube. They show off their tricks at championship events. 

In August, Gallegos traveled to the World YoYo Contest in Cleveland, Ohio. She won first place!

To prepare for competition, yo-yoers develop a routine of tricks. They perform the tricks to music. Gallegos first picks out a song with a good beat. Then she plans her routine. A routine lasts two or three minutes. She practices up to three hours before a competition. She has to be careful not to let the yo-yo stop spinning. She also avoids knotting the string.

Judges score a routine on its style, difficulty, and execution. To get the most points, competitors do as many tricks as possible while the yo-yo spins. They have to throw it down again when it starts to slow down.

Gallegos spent all year preparing for the World YoYo Contest. In April, she competed in the Mexican national championship. The crowd cheered as she spun and bounced her pink metal yo-yo. “When they said my name in first place,” she says, “I was the happiest person in the world.”

Judges score a routine on its style, difficulty, and execution. To get the most points, competitors do as many tricks as possible while the yo-yo spins. They throw it down again when it starts to slow down.

Gallegos spent all year preparing for the World YoYo Contest. In April, she competed in the Mexican national championship. The crowd cheered as she spun and bounced her pink metal yo-yo. “When they said my name in first place,” she says, “I was the happiest person in the world.”