THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, August 8, 1996 TAG: 9608060169
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 05 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JOAN C. STANUS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 81 lines
A Norfolk family is betting they'll be Broadway-bound once the public has had a peek at their version of one of the country's hottest selling toys.
The age-old game of devil sticks is making a comeback, and the Cervarichs hope to cash in on its renewed popularity to finance their longing to see first-class theatrical productions. They displayed their product last weekend at the Virginia Beach Folk Arts Festival in Princess Anne Park.
The family of four is also having a lot of fun working together on a project that started out of necessity. They wanted their own set of sticks.
``I don't mind spending hours and hours working on making these,'' said Amory Cervarich, a 12-year-old Blair Middle School student. ``It's really kind of fun.''
Gail Cervarich, however, admits she had no idea how exhausting it would be to produce 300 game kits.
``We're not ready to give up our day jobs,'' the mother said with a laugh. ``One thing it's taught me is that I can't do factory work. It gets old quick.''
A game that can be traced back 2,000 years, devil sticks got a new lease on life during the 1995 Christmas season after two Canadians created a sensation when they introduced a '90s version of the toy. Since then, sales have exploded. Marketed under various names and selling from $15 to $20 a set, devil sticks ranked among the top 10-selling toys in speciality retail shops during 1995, according to a survey published in the trade publication Playthings.
In an age of kid couch potatoes and flabby youthful midsections, Baby Boomer parents have embraced the toy as a way to lure their children away from computer games and the television set and into some old-fashioned exercising.
Using the toy is an act of juggling, balancing and coordinating three wooden batons. The main stick, tasseled or equipped with rubber balls at both ends, is twirled, rolled and batted back and forth between two smaller control sticks.
But, oh, the fun you can have with those sticks.
Will and Amory Cervarich have devised some 14 tricks, including ``Scrambled Eggs,'' ``The Helicopter,'' ``Flying Saucer'' and ``Kangeroo.''
``They're really fun to play with,'' said Will, 15. ``You can do some neat stuff with them.''
The Cervarichs started producing their own customized versions of devil sticks, or what they call ``Stix,'' three years ago after seeing a friend's set. When they went buy the toy, they couldn't find a set anywhere.
``Amory said, `We could make them,' so she and her father put together a couple of sets and gave them to Will for his birthday,'' recalled Gail. ``After that, we started taking them everywhere we went.''
It wasn't long before Amory and Will began attracting attention with their Stix antics. While vacationing at Wintergreen in 1993, an employee of the ski resort encouraged them to sell their homemade sets at the facility's annual crafts show.
Feeling ``goofy'' one afternoon, the family decided to give it a try. They scoured drugstores for the right-size rubber balls. Dad made the sticks in the family workshop. Mom created fabric bags to hold the kits and instruction booklets describing tricks. Will and Amory applied strips of colored tape and glued rubber balls to the ends of dozens of sticks.
Their 50 kits sold out almost immediately. The family made $1,000.
The Cervarichs have been selling their Stix at the Wintergreen show ever since. Each time, they've sold out.
Bouyed by the success, they decided to tackle the local market by participating in the Virginia Beach Folk Arts Show.
It took them six weeks to get ready. They spent all their free time wrapping 900 sticks, sewing 300 bags and drilling and gluing 600 balls.
They even enlisted Gail's 86-year-old mother to help.
If their venture proves a success, the family plans to use the earnings to finance a trip to see Broadway productions.
``This isn't money we're counting on,'' admitted Gail, a licensed clinical social worker. ``But it's great to spend it on something we love like the theater.''
Added her husband, Sid: ``It's been fun because it's a project we've all worked on. It gives Will and Amory a chance to see what business is really like . . . and we all reap the benefits.''
And Hampton Roads game lovers just might have a new obsession. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by VICKI CRONIS
Will Cervarichs shows the devil sticks his family is selling. Behind
him are his parents, Sid and Gail, and sister, Amory. by CNB