I’d like to tell you about some of the specific people I’ve met in my relatively short time as a yo-yoer that have really influenced me.
Robert Kyte was the first person I ever bought from. It was pretty early in my yo-yoing career, and I knew right around nothing about anything, most of all the trading system. I happily sent him money (15 dollars here, 20 there) in the mail for various yo-yos, never once considering that he might be a scammer. If it wasn’t for his solid dealings, I would have been turned off the B/S/T entirely. And it wasn’t just a seller/buyer relationship. Mr. Kyte was free every day for me to IM and ask my little yo-yo questions to. He never, ever, asked me to just search for something. He taught me many things about general yo-yo stuff and maintenance. I must say that having someone to always come to for whatever petty little question I needed to ask was pivotal in my development as a yo-yoer. Since then, I have always tried to act as he did toward newer yo-yos, in the hopes that they might be as helped as I was.
I met T.J. Van Baalen through a trade as well. Since then we’ve just sort of been online buds. We talk time to time about yo-yo’s, movies, talent shows, just whatever’s on our minds. He’ll IM me to tell me one thing or another, and it’ll always make me cool to be on his list of people to tell. He’s a cool guy that I’m glad to know.
Chris Allen runs another super-awesome yo-yo blog, YoYoSkills.com, where one can find all the yo-yo news ever. It's amazing. In addition, he runs a club for young yo-yoers where they can learn tricks, buy yo-yos, and so forth. Recently he organized the wildly successful California State Yo-Yo Contest. Chris isn't the most innovative player out there - instead, he's more of a performer, doing shows under the persona of "Dr. Yo-Yo." Basically, the guy is everything I strive to become as yo-yoer. He always has time to advise my decisions on videos, moderating, and even this blog.
Frank Bradley is one of the only reasons that I am a yo-yoer. It started in 10th grade, when I got my Duncan Mosquito and brought it to school. Frank was quick to tell me about his younger days spent winning contests at a local Zainy Brainy. He told me about his 100 dollar yo-yo, the Eldridge. The price tag blew my mind at the time. He drew me a picture of it, and described how you could change out the halves for different shapes. I immediately went home and Google'd like mad for this mythical yo-yo. Through this research I found YoYoNation, and this community, and and really got started on this hobby. Later on, it turned out Frank had made the entire thing up, for reasons that were never quite clear to me. He recently got himself a Wedgie, and we throw together often.
I believe I started talking to Ed Haponik around the time the wood thread came about over at YYN. The first No-Jive video blew my mind, and that was before I even knew who Ed was. I really dug the fact that he has intensely developed beliefs on most all aspects of life. Also a sword. We talked sporadically over IM for a while, him sharing his philosophies and tips on wooden yo-yos, and me trying to somehow keep up. His blog came about, and that is one of the best things for yo-yoers to read. I finally met him at TN States ’09, and yes, he’s just as cool in person. He performed a trick that involved smacking himself in the head (accidently?), and put me in his little compilation video. I think he has a natural ability to make anyone feel welcome and awesome. Ed always has time for me to IM to ask about whatever, and for that I’m incredibly grateful.