–submitted by Joy Cardin
Rotarians and future Rotarians enjoyed some amazing yo-yo tricks from World Yo-Yo Champion and Madison native Mark Hayward during our annual Bring A Child/Grandchild to Rotary Day. From demonstrating classic tricks like Walk the Dog and Rock the Baby, Mark also encouraged brave volunteers to participate in more elaborate tricks – like knocking a poker chip out from behind someone’s ear with a yo yo swing and standing in the center of a yo-yo hurricane!
Mark answered some excellent questions from our young guests – who wanted to know how many yo- yos he owns (more than 1,200) – if yo-yos come in different shapes (yes, but the triangular ones can hurt the knuckles) and if he still has the first yo-yo given to him as a gift in high school – which led to his career as a yo-yo, juggling and spin top champion (yes, but it broke in two when it hit the ground too hard while demonstrating a difficult trick years ago.)
Mark’s fun presentation before the Rotary Club of Madison was not videotaped, but you can see more of his work on his website: markhayward.net. Visit our club’s Facebook page for more photos and a short video too!
Rotary Club of Madison, Wisconsin 