An 11-year-old Florida boy who learned Samoan fire-knife dancing from YouTube videos won first place in his division at the Polynesian Cultural Center's 18th Annual World Fire-Knife Championship Competition.

Preston Weber, a sixth-grader at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, topped the Junior Pacific Division for participants ages 6 to 11 Thursday, wowing the crowd with his single- and double-fire-knife dance.

“;It was unbelievable,”; said his father, Doug Weber, who reveres the competition as the “;Olympics”; of fire-knife dancing. “;Everyone was so impressed. He wasn't nervous. I was the one that could've thrown up,”; he said.

Preston's friend Rex Tiumalu, 16, of Orlando, also won in his division for competitors ages 12 to 17. The event ends tonight with the men's world fire-knife championship.

Preston Weber became hooked on fire-knife dancing in April 2009 after he watched dancers perform in a Polynesian show at Mai-Kai Restaurant in his hometown. “;It looked real fun. I just wanted to do it,”; he said.

Weber found YouTube videos of adult fire-knife dancers competing in the Polynesian Cultural Center's annual event. Every day, he watched the videos and practiced for hours, clicking the rewind and replay buttons endless times.

Weber set aside his passion for skateboarding to focus on fire-knife dancing. His father said, “;At first I was kind of concerned. ... Yeah, the blade would hit him or he would get a little burn. It's better than a cracked coconut (head) from skateboarding.”;

Weber practiced before and after school, carrying his practice stick wherever he went, twirling it in the air. Gradually, his practices included custom-made 37-inch knives with 14-inch steel blades and burned up three to six gallons of fuel a week. He practiced in his front yard.

As he perfected his routine, Weber was hired to perform in events in Florida that include shows at the amphitheater in Mizner Park in Boca Raton. Word of his championship prompted even more bookings for the next couple of months. He also plans to compete in a fire-knife competition in Anaheim, Calif., in September.

Their trip in Hawaii is the first for the Webers. Both are already looking forward to returning next year when Weber will compete again.