Spinners return from Hawaii

Ingela Ringbjer

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- After less than a year of practice and

experience, the Surf City Spinners made it to their first yo-yo world

championships last weekend and finished better than expected, supporters

say.

The eight-member team that includes coach Gordi Morey didn’t place in

the team event at the Hawaii event, “but they had a cute and

well-received routine that was well executed,” said Dave Shenkman of the

Kite Connection, where Morey teaches weekly yo-yo classes.

The Surf City Spinners competed in both team and single events against

15 to 20 teams from 10 different countries. In single events, two of the

team members placed well. Morey, 29, and John-Michael McNulty, 15, made

it to the finals in one-handed play.

The group of yo-yoers returned to Huntington Beach early Tuesday after

five days of competition and travel.

“The kids had a good time,” Shenkman said. “They learned a lot and got

to meet a lot of people from other countries.”

The team expects to compete in the national championships in Chico in

October, he said.