This year UYYC is on Saturday, June 6 and is the same day as National Yoyo Day. That’s pretty extraordinary in of itself but UYYC is also taking place at the Missouri History Museum. Just the date of June 6 has historical significance as it was the birthday of Donald Duncan who started Duncan Yoyos in 1929!
GRAEME STELLER
UYYC is excited to announce this year’s emcee: Graeme Steller. Graeme is based in New York and the 2026 UYYC will be his 1st time to StL!
Graeme is a veteran yoyo player, honing his craft since 2008, and is sponsored by the legendary One Drop Yoyo company. Graeme is a legend in his own right in the Yoyo community and has served as an emcee at PNWR, the US National Yoyo Contest, and even the World Yoyo Contest!
SEBASTIAN BROCK
This year’s UYYC sees the return of artist, yoyo, and kendama player, Sebastian Brock, who is known for being one of the most consistent and creative 1A players in the world. Sebastian has won European and US National Champion titles and at one point even ranking 2nd and 3rd in the world! UYYC alumni since 2017, his creative and competitive energy is intertwined into the electric energy of the event!
CJ ATKINSON
Check out this awesome wrestling inspired tutorial from CJ Atkinson; a YoYo and Kendama player turned wrestler! CJ combined his passions and created a YoYo company called Turnbuckle, based on different wrestling moves. UYYC 2026 is CJ’s second time to St. Louis as UYYC judge. CJ is also known for his work behind the scenes with Recess and as a designer with the DUNK YoYo with Jake Bullock. Not to mention he has a LONG yoyo competition career and is invaluable as head UYYC Kendama ladder and freestyle judge. If its your first time coming out you absolutely don’t want to miss the Friday night Kendama ladders and the opportunity to learn new dama tricks while he’s in StL!
COFFIN NACHTMAHR
This is the 2nd year UYYC sees Coffin Nachtmahr return to the St. Louis area. UYYC is very excited to have Coffin judging the yoyo and Kendama freestyle and ladder events, while sharing his passion for his signature brand, OhYesYo! Coffin’s style and personality are just as eclectic as it is electric; as he draws you in to the yoyo world dominated by art, fashion, and music. If you haven’t had the chance to cross paths yet with him, definitely check out this Emmy award winning documentary about him…… Throw!
YOYOFOX TODD
Todd Rollenhagen has been yoying since 2020, he is constantly striving to learn new styles and tricks as well as continue to master tricks in his own style. Creator of Foxtails Yoyo String, an organizer of the Mile High YoYo Club, Colorado State Yoyo Contest, and Rocky Mountain Regionals; Todd joins the UYYC team this year to film UYYC for the Yoyo Contest Central YouTube channel!
JACOB LUNDAK
Yoyo player, artist, graphic designer, and father, Jacob Lundak has been involved since he was 14 when he competed at Moyostates. Now, he is one of the newest members to the UYYC team in his second year of designing. So, what’s in store for this year? It’s a surprise! With UYYC falling on National YoYo Day, you can definitely expect some monster designs on the way!
MARCUS EARLY
Marcus Early joins the UYYC team as an assistant event organizer and 2026 is his first year coming on board. Marcus has been involved with the StL YoYo Club since 2023 and his son has been to Nationals and competed at UYYC. Extremely honored to have Marcus involved and we look forward to working together on hosting an unforgettable yoyo and kendama event here in St. Louis!
CHRISTOPHER ANANDA
UYYC event organizer, and founder, Christopher Ananda, has been involved with the yoyo community since 1999. In 2006 Ananda started weekly yoyo meetups and Moyostates: the first Missouri State YoYo Contest. Its inaugural year, 2007, was hosted at the City Museum. Ananda and Blake Freeman brought Moyostates and the Kansas State Yoyo Contest together under the UYYC umbrella in 2016. UYYC now has a decade long track record of serving players and families from Kansas and Missouri. In 2025 the National YoYo League recognized Ananda’s 20 years of service to the community with the 2025 NYYL National Merit Award at the US National YoYo Contest in Las Vegas!
