2008 Woodie Awards
Around the World
By: Brian Brunner
Issue date: 2/8/08 Section: News
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Besides being a member of the CMU track and field team, Maloney is the 10th ranked yo-yo player in the world.
His journey to international fame began at 9 years old, with a cheap piece of plastic and string.
"There was a big boom of yo-yoing at my school, so my mom bought me my first yo-yo for like three bucks," he said.
Maloney began training at Westland Shopping Center, where he met Dennis Shatter, a fellow yo-yo enthusiast with whom he has remained friends with.
Shatter, a 21-year old Livonia resident, said he could tell right away that his friend was something special.
"Whenever I would have a new trick to show him, he'd pick up on it right away," he said.
Maloney's family and Shatter noticed the young Maloney was developing an aptitude for yo-yoing and decided to enter him in the Midwest regional competition at the Mall of America in Minneapolis.
The competition set off a chain of events in Maloney's yo-yoing career.
He finished fifth in the novice division at the Midwest regional. Three months later, the yo-yo fad began to fade, but Maloney remained steadfast in pursuit of his dreams.
His fierce competitive spirit ignited a passion within him that would eventually lead to the 2002 world yo-yo competition in Orlando, Fla.
There, Maloney had what he calls his defining moment in competitive yo-yoing, one that was sparked by an unlikely source - the British Broadcasting Corporation.
"The BBC noticed I was much bigger than the rest of the people at the competition," Maloney said, "So I guess because I stood out they threw a mic on me."
While he was being recorded, the upstart Maloney scored a perfect 50 points out of 50 during the compulsory round, leading to a berth in the freestyle round.
He would end the competition ranked 10th in the world.
Maloney denied reports that his triumph in Orlando led to any kind of "Maloney Mania" in Great Britain, but did say it helped him create a name for himself in the yo-yoing world.
He has consistently held a world ranking in the "top 10" for the past five years.
In 2007, Maloney's other passion, track and field, would lead him far from the competitive yo-yoing arena to Central Michigan University.
When he came to CMU in the fall, Maloney said he kept his talent hidden because of ridicule he experienced in high school.
"I kept it pretty low key," he said. "Only a few people in the dorms really knew I did it."
St. Johns freshman Landon Winowiecki, Maloney's roommate, said he didn't know how to react when Maloney told him he was the 10th-ranked yo-yo player in the world.
"I thought like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool,'" he said. "But I'd never seen real yo-yoing before. It is disgusting how good he is."
Winowiecki began having friends come to see Maloney's act. They in turn brought their friends to see him and, gradually, the legend of the "Herrig Hall yo-yo guru" began to grow.
When Winowiecki convinced his roommate to appear on-stage at the Towers Open Mic Night, Maloney experienced the defining moment of his college yo-yoing career.
He said he couldn't believe how receptive college students are to his talent compared to the kids from his high school.
Maloney said it has even helped his social life. His talents are often a good "conversation starter," Maloney said.
"Once he shows them his yo-yo tricks, the girls just throw their numbers at him," Winowiecki said. "Their faces just drop."
Maloney said because of his love for track and field, he doesn't spend much time practicing his yo-yo skills, but he plans on getting back into the competitive realm once he's finished with school.
Shatter, a friend for more than 10 years, said he doesn't buy the act.
"Oh, he says he's busy up there studying and doing track," he said. "But I know he's in his room throwing all the time."
news@cm-life.com
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caren shatter
posted 2/09/08 @ 2:17 PM EST
Loved the article! Jake, you da man! Keep up the good work!
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