What makes a Major League Dreidel champion? We asked three legendary spin-meisters for tips on how to win it all on Dec. 17 at the Knitting Factory.
Alan “Juspin Bieber” Black, 2010 MLD Champion
“Try and come up with a good balance between finesse and power. You can spin it as hard as you want, but as soon as you hit the wall, it’s all over. We also realized not to over-practice. The first year we went to the tournament, Team Smoot had some thumb and shoulder injuries from our 150 hours of practice.”
Seth “Dreidel Will Rock” Diamond
“The key is not psyching yourself out and not letting yourself get psyched out by your opponent. It depends on who you’re up against, but I’ll tell you every person who has ever spun against Spinnie the Pooh has always come back with the story that he is a psychologically intimidating dreidel spinner.”
Chris “Gentile Giant” Colluzi
“Don’t be afraid of the wall and don’t be afraid to put that big spin in, because if it hits the wall at high resolutions it may bounce off and continue to spin. Either way, if you fear the wall you’re more likely to have a wimpy spin, so just go for it.”
— Colin Mixson
Reach reporter Colin MIxson at cmixson@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-4514.
