About Andrew Maider
Andrew Maider is a 1A yoyo competitor from Clifton Park, New York, who rose quickly through the competitive scene in the early 2010s. He joined Caribou Lodge Yo-Yo Works (CLYW) in October 2012 after winning the Massachusetts State Yoyo Contest, and went on to represent the team at national and world-level competition for the better part of a decade.
Maider placed 4th at the 2014 US National Yoyo Contest and advanced to the finals at the 2014 World Yoyo Contest in Prague. He went on to win the Southeast Classic (SEC) in 2016 and reached the WYYC 2018 finals in Shanghai via wild card. His playing is characterized by fast, technically driven 1A with an emphasis on flow — CLYW described his style as “the definition of new school yoyo, with the flow, flair, raw talent, personality, and passion.”
He co-designed the CLYW Blizzard (2016), the company’s first bi-metal return top, alongside CLYW owner Chris Mikulin. The Blizzard was followed by the Snow Lzzard (2017), a monometal version aimed at a wider audience, first debuted as a contest colorway at WYYC 2017 in Iceland. Maider’s preferred setup for competition was the Blizzard with IR Pads and yellow Fat Kitty string.
Beyond competition, Maider attracted broader attention in 2017 when Bleacher Report profiled him as a 19-year-old helping revive interest in yoyo. He was also part of the Scales Collective, a community discussion group for competitive players, and appeared in the YoYoExpert Trick Theory video series filmed at the 2016 US Nationals. His other interests included skiing, wakeboarding, and skating.
In Their Own Words
From his CLYW team profile (clyw.ca, circa 2016–2017):
On the Blizzard: “I wanted to play light, fast, and powerful, and the Blizzard lets me do exactly that.”
From the Scales Collective podcast (date unknown), Maider described himself as “an extremist for tech” — a preference reflected in his trick construction and choice of a bi-metal platform for his signature model.