Sam Dean | The Roanoke Times

Yo-yo enthusiast William Wilhelm, 21, of Ferrum demonstrates his skills with a yo-yo.

William Wilhelm loves to make an aluminum disc dance on a string.

A yo-yo whirs by Wilhelm's head, drawing a lime green string taut around his fingers. Nearly faster than the eye can see, a complex web forms in his hands, and, just as fast, disappears. He rolls the disc across his arms, whips it high in the air and lets it "sleep" at the end of his line.

A display of hand-eye coordination for sure. A complex display of a type of artistic beauty, too.

Three years ago, while a senior at Franklin County High School, Wilhelm had just finished lunch when he met a freshman performing tricks with nothing more than a yo-yo. To Wilhelm, who knew little about the skill, it was nothing short of amazing.

"I remember people yo-yoing in the '90s, but I'd never seen anything like this," he said.

He was taken by the performance, and mesmerized by the shiny toy.

"From that moment on there was no more computer or guitar, it was just yo-yo," he said. "I had to have that thing. Yo-yo players are like trout drawn to a lure. When a new shiny yo-yo comes out, we just have to have it."

Now the 21-year-old carries a padded box containing several yo-yos almost everywhere he travels.

There are different types of yo-yo for the various styles and tricks -- tricks like "brain twister," "man on trapeze," and "split the atom." Wilhelm, who now lives in Ferrum, has even invented a couple himself.

"Most yo-yo tricks are invented by messing up another trick," he said.

But enthusiasts are scattered these days, meeting mostly in online forums, in clubs centered in metropolitan areas, at state-level competitions and at the World Yo-Yo Contest held every year in Orlando, Fla.

Still, Wilhelm loves it.

"It gives you a feeling of individuality," he said, "If I go to a party, I'm almost expected to have a yo-yo because I'm the yo-yo guy."

Though he may be one of the only yo-yo guys in the Roanoke area, he continues to pursue the hobby with the hope of interesting others in his passion.

Check out his posting on Craigslist, looking to start a yo-yo club.