I used to be pretty shy throwing in public. But I started to a couple months ago. But by “public”, I meant going outside, finding a corner, facing that corner, and throwing. People really didn’t notice me. But now, I’ve really been out in the open. People have seen me and they have asked questions. Heck, I let them try my DV888 and it’s so scratched up you can hurt yourself just by touching it while spinning. But it’s fine. At least I got to teach them how to throw correctly. After two weeks of this, they have started to buy yoyo’s. All my best friends have bought DV888’s and the others are buying Whips and Ones. I think it’s pretty cool that I might start another yoyo fad at school haha. It’s all about kendamas at my school but maybe not anymore…
Thats good to hear.
I have a very similar story to you haha!
I was very shy throwing in public too, and i also and still sometimes only throw in public where no one will notice me. Im still not much of a perfrormer haha!
I got one friend of mine to start yoyoing. NOwadays our skill level is too close for comfort haha! He in turn got like 10 of his 7th grader friends to start yoyoing. I bymyself got a good portion too also! Now all my friends that yoyo have HUGE collections for only 3-4 months! For example *cough clyw penguin cough
has:
Cafe racer
Cheif
canvas
token
cascade
velocity
skywalker
More i cant remember
I got my manager hooked on yoyoing by just giving him a yoyo. Now he can’t stop
I got my friends hooked by showing them split the atom like 3 months in but they only yoyo when I’m around and we leave like 500 miles apart since I moved sooooooo they don’t throw that much anymore 
one of my friends got a popstar and one day he got a knot and didn’t notice and it came up and chipped his tooth. His mom wasn’t to pleased so life lesson. Getting people to throw is only a good choice 99% of the time
i hope to be getting my nephew, 8 years old, hooked after easter. he’s been watching me throw for the last 4 months and now everytime he sees me he asks what’s the trick of the week. i’m waiting on 2 butterfly xt’s so i can teach him.
I was walking through one of the outlet malls here in Orlando a few weeks ago with my girl. I had given her some $ to spend so she was looking at EVERY SINGLE STORE. I seen one of the people who sell jewelry in the middle of the walkway throwing a cheep $1 china yoyo that lights up. I walked over and chatted. After showing him some tricks and talking yoyo with him he gave me and my girl a pretty sizable discount on the bracelet and ring she bought. I know its a bit off topic but I know i got him hooked and looking at the friend request he sent me on fb about a week later I know I got him addicted cause he has a pic of him and his new dv888. I felt stoked that not only did I save over $100 but I also gave someone else the yoyo bug.
I yoyo all the time at school, and my peers just gawk in the hall. If I ask them if they want to learn, they just say they’d never be any good and aren’t willing to try. I also like to go out on the street or by the waterfront and yoyo when I need some fresh air. People walk past me all the time, but for the most part they just seem to ignore me. Whatever.