Jan "Shpek" Novotný was one of the pioneers who helped build the foundations of modern yoyoing in the Czech Republic. His journey began in 2002 when his classmate Jan "Brumla" Bugno brought a yo-yo to school. Jan was immediately fascinated, and that Christmas he received his very first yo-yo—the legendary Duncan Dragonfly. At first, he practiced mostly on his own or occasionally with friends, but it did not take long before he joined regular Thursday meetups and became part of the small but growing Czech yoyo community.

He considers 2004 a true turning point in his yoyo journey. That year, he attended the legendary Yoyocamp and competed at the very first Czech National YoYo Championship, where he achieved an impressive 8th place in the highest division. From that moment, the scene started growing rapidly—players traveled to international contests, more events appeared in the Czech Republic, and Jan began collecting podium finishes. His talent caught the attention of the Swiss brand HSPIN, which signed him as a sponsored player. One of the highlights of his competitive career came in 2009, when he won both the South Moravia YoYo Contest and Slovak YoYo Nationals.

Later, Jan joined forces with the SLUSNY team, helping organize competitions and becoming one of the first sellers in the very first SLUSNY store on Ladova Street. During this time, he was also part of Team DOT. As he gradually reduced his own training, he focused more on judging and became part of the judging panel at the 2014 World YoYo Contest in Prague. He also gained experience hosting and organizing Czech National Championships. When the Royal veteran division was introduced, Jan returned to competition and won the category at its debut in 2016, successfully defending the title again in 2017.

Those victories marked the symbolic end of his active competitive career. Jan moved into a new chapter of life—he started working, got married, became a father of two sons, and moved from Prague to Třešť in the Vysočina region. Although he no longer follows the yoyo scene as closely as before, he still enjoys watching new videos and freestyles or visiting contests to meet old friends and see what new tricks are shaping the scene.

Today, Jan spends most of his free time with his family. He enjoys playing disc golf, board games, Magic: The Gathering, and supporting his favorite football club, AC Sparta Prague.

• Born: 1987, Třešť, Czech Republic
• Favorite Style: 1A, 5A, SpinTop
• Favorite YoYos: Speedaholic XX (Michael Malík edition), Empathy Bubble
• Sponsor: SLUSNY
• Achievements: Czech Royal Champion (2016, 2017), Winner of South Moravia YoYo Contest (2009), Winner of Slovak YoYo Nationals (2009), Judge at the 2014 World YoYo Contest in Prague