Max Samuels: Montclair State’s Very Own Yo-Yo Enthusiast

Max Samuels, a sophomore and business major at Montclair State University in Montclair, NJ, is a self-taught yo-yo enthusiast. Samuels has been interested in yo-yoing since The NED Show® introduced him to it as a child.

When he was eight, Samuels discovered he had yo-yos in his house and played with the them for 3–4 months. However, he did not commit to playing it regularly until his high school gym classes. He picked up a lot of new tricks, from either YouTube or from boredom, during his junior and senior years after buying his first good-quality Yomega® MaverickTM yo-yo for $15.

Samuels often shows off his skills at the Student Center quad during his free time and says that he much rather prefers to yo-yo in public but with company alongside him. He did not know any other yoyoers until recently, when Samuels started to teach one of the boys at his house how to yo-yo.

Teddy Paz, juggler, Matt Colvin, slackliner, and Samuels are thinking of starting a new club, possibly called the Dex Club. They have already found people who do devil sticks, hoola-hooping, and cubing. The goal of the club is busking, which is performing in public for gratuities, and if anybody can busk with their talent then they can be a part of the club.

Get Jinal Kapadia’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

Samuels also works at the 3D Printing Lab in the School of Business and supervises and repairs the machines in there.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Max Samuels, self-proclaimed yo-yo enthusiast, poses with his 10 yo-yos, some of which are made of wood, metal, or plastic, on Thursday, October 14, in the Student Center Ballrooms at Montclair State University. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Montclair State student, Max Samuels, is throwing the yo-yo towards the camera on Thursday, October 14 in the Student Center Ballrooms at Montclair State University. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Max Samuels is resting a moving yo-yo on the stick of a lollipop in his mouth on Thursday, October 14 in the Student Center Ballrooms at Montclair State University as one of his newly discovered tricks. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Max Samuels, Montclair State student, is throwing his yo-yo in circles near University Hall at Montclair State University on Thursday, October 14. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Montclair State Student, Max Samuels, poses in front of the Student Center quad, where he often plays with his yo-yo, on Thursday, October 14 at Montclair State University. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Max Samuels, Montclair State student, stands in front of the Student Center building, just beginning to show one of his yo-yo tricks on Thursday, October 14 at Montclair State University. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/14/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: Max Samuels, student at Montclair State, sits in front of a window on the 7th floor of University Hall at Montclair State University while swinging his yo-yo on Thursday, October 14. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.

MONTCLAIR, NJ 10/07/16 ASSIGNMENT #02 MAX SAMUELS YO-YO ENTHUSIAST: This is a photo of a 3D printer printing an object on Friday, October 7 in the 3D Printing Lab of the School of Business at Montclair State University. Max Samuels, student at Montclair State, works at this 3D printing lab. Photo taken by Jinal Kapadia.