Yo-Yo champ Colin Beckford, ranked 17th in the world – Photo © Bob Perkoski, www.Perkoski.com

Cleveland yoyo player and recent addition to the Recess Intl. team Colin Beckford picked up a nice interview in the recent wave of press for the announcement of Cleveland, Ohio as the host city for the 2016 World YoYo Contest. Check out an excerpt below, along with a link to the full article.

Colin Beckford, a 15-year-old junior at St. Ignatius High School, practices two to four hours a day. He doesn’t play video games, he doesn’t watch television. This past summer he beat out hundreds to win the 2015 International Yo-Yo Championship (IYYC), which ranks him 17^th on the planet. Beckford is an international yo-yo champion. You read that right – yo-yos.

In pursuit of excellence, this past summer alone, Beckford traveled to Orlando, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. In Minnesota he competed in the Midwest Regional Yo-Yo Championship and won in the 1A and 3A categories.* In Michigan he completed in the Mideast Regional Yo-Yo Championship, where he won 1A and 3A categories as well. In August it was the International Yo-Yo Championship in Anaheim, where he took first place in the 1A category, beating over 100 competitors.

Beckford’s mom and dad, Dawn and Nelson, couldn’t be more proud. “At a very young age, Colin was fascinated by the alphabet — he could recite it forwards or backwards,” Nelson says. “Then it was other alphabets, then weather, then maps and countries. His mind, his personality is to grasp and devour. He simply isn’t done with something unless he’s mastered it.”

Beckford’s parents point to his tenacity, focus and skill “[Yo-yoing] is not like throwing and catching a ball,” Dawn says. “There’s a lot more to it – it’s nerdy and smart; he’s really found his niche.” She suggests watching some of his skill on YouTube videos.

Check out the full article on FreshwaterCleveland.com.