Yoyo player, designer, judge, and all-around great guy Matt Schmidt has left us. He was 35 years old.
Matt was a long-time member of the Midwest yoyo scene, and one of the first yoyo players to just design and make his own yoyo, the Underdog. He even re-designed it and ran a new batch pretty recently. I was really looking forward to picking one up.
Matt was kind, and funny, and creative, and always a joy to hang out with at contests. When people talk about all the things they love about the yoyo scene and community, they’re talking about people like Matt. He gave freely of himself and his time for the betterment of all, he was kind and patient with beginner players, and he was just always really fun to be around. He was loved, more than he knew, and he will be very missed.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations in Matt’s honor to NAMI Minnesota. NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of children and adults with mental illnesses and their families. For over 40 years, NAMI Minnesota has worked to promote the development of community mental health programs and services, change public attitudes about mental illnesses, improve access to services and increase opportunities for recovery. You can donate online here: NAMI Minnesota