About Gentry Stein
Gentry Stein (born May 1, 1996) is a professional 1A yo-yo competitor and performer from Chico, California. He began yo-yoing in third grade after attending a club at Bird in Hand in Chico, took a break for a year or two, then returned seriously around 2009 and entered his first competition that summer. A lifetime member of Team YoYoFactory, he is one of only a handful of players in history to win multiple World Yo-Yo Contest 1A titles.
Stein is a two-time World Yo-Yo Contest 1A champion (2014, 2019) and a four-time U.S. National Yo-Yo Contest 1A champion (2013, 2015, 2016, 2019). His 2014 World title came in Prague, where he defeated Japan’s Takeshi Matsuura by 1.5 points at age 18. His 2019 World title, thrown with the Shutter Wide Angle, cemented his standing as one of the most decorated American competitors in the sport’s history. He also captured the 2016 European Yo-Yo Championship Open 1A division, a rare American victory at that event.
His competitive style is defined by technical precision, deliberate choreography, and strong music integration. He designs routines that are visually cohesive and deliberately difficult to decode without instruction — complexity built around flow and presentation rather than raw trick density. His signature throw, the Shutter (2013), became one of the best-selling yo-yos ever produced and the de facto standard first metal unresponsive recommendation for learners worldwide.
Ahead of the 2023 World Yo-Yo Contest, Stein announced his retirement from active competition to focus on building yo-yoing as a sport and developing his YoYoChampion brand and instructional platform.
In His Own Words
From a YoYoNews interview, August 31, 2013:
On how he got started: “I started yoyoing after I went to the club at Bird in Hand (in Chico, California) years ago, in 3rd grade. I took a break after a year or two, and have been back at it for about 4 years since then. I started the contest scene and hit my first contest in mid 2009.”
On trick design and contest routines: “I have done a lot of work changing up my tricks and putting my own style into each element. Recently I have just been trying to create tricks that look interesting. I have a few tricks that aren’t necessarily complicated, but are hard to really capture or understand for someone who hasn’t had the trick broken down to them by me in person. I just do what feels right.”
On stepping on stage: “It’s hard to say what my favorite contest I’ve competed in is, but I would have to go with my first win at PNWR (Pacific Northwest Regionals) 2011 in Seattle. Before I step on stage, I think to myself that I get to show everyone what I have been working hard for. After that moment, it just feels like I’m in my room by myself practicing.”
On designing the Shutter: “I was offered both the Super G and G Funk as signature yoyos, with designing something else as the other option. At that point, I didn’t know what I wanted, and they were too good to pass up, so I accepted them as is. After using both for a couple years, I learned more about parts of design that make a yoyo play a certain way. I wanted to maintain the spin and stability of the Super G, but adjust the shape to be more unique, comfortable, and agile. The Shutter has everything I liked about the Super G, but it is a lot more fun to play with. I also wanted aesthetics to be a priority. It fits together so perfectly. I couldn’t be happier with it.”
On advice for aspiring players: “My advice to any upcoming yoyoers on any level, is to not let anyone stop you from achieving greatness. There are a lot of people out there who are ignorant, and may seem as if they are out to get you when it comes to your yoyoing. Use all that as positive energy and let it improve your skill.”
