Will Prater joined the One Drop team in 2013.  He’s a local here in Eugene and they knew him before he picked up the yo-yo. What’s crazy is that they had hired his dad twice in the early days of One Drop to move our newly purchased CNC machines off the truck and into the shop. They only figured this coincidence out after they had known Will for a number of years. Will’s dad is a character and one we had never forgotten since those days he helped them. He had kind of become a legend in early One Drop lore. Our minds were all blown the day we figured this out.

Owning a yo-yo business means you get to see a lot of people play modern yo-yos for the first time and what you notice is that a large percent of them don’t stick with it. When Will picked up his first One Drop yo-yo, as with everyone, they didn’t have any expectation that he might stick with it.

Not only did he stick with it, he played constantly and became really good, really fast. It didn’t take very long for him to work his way on to the One Drop team. As a team member, he’s consistently spread the yo-yo love and helped out One Drop in many ways. Will also works on the Markmont brand - if you’ve picked up a Markmont in the last few years, Will assembled it.

The Wizard is well deserved by Will and One Drop is proud to work with him on it.

Here is what Will says about it: “Creating your own magic is easy with the Wizard! Unassuming at first glance, this yoyo will have you smiling from ear to ear with its deceptive play characteristics. What appears to be a powerful, heavy throw will surprise you with its light, nimble, and most of all, FUN performance. Minimal faceting, classic organic profile, and plenty of spin time to get through even the toughest, most intricate combos brings a nostalgia to modern yoyo design that only the genius minds at One Drop could pull off so elegantly. 

This yoyo is the culmination of my experience being an avid player for over 10 years now. Shawn somehow managed to perfectly interpret my broad, esoteric ideas about the design when we finally got down to it, and he really nailed it on the first attempt. I am endlessly thankful for everything yoyo has brought me in life up to this point, and beyond excited for the world to experience the Wizard. May you forever be graced with the creative inspiration and magic this life has to offer!”