10 skill levels

Regarding: http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html

I'm not entirly clear on some of these skills. Can anyone clarify?

Level 3: Figure 8 with circle diameters smaller than 1.5 m -- Is this
supposed to be a smooth figure 8 or is it OK to just jerk the unicyle
around the circles? :-) I find 1.5 m to be VERY tight. There seems to be
some room for interpretation here. For example, I could use some idling to
cheat. Or I could jerk the unicycle every half turn.

Level 3: Stomach on seat -- is this with hands off the seat?

Level 3: Sharp 180 degree turns -- how sharp? Are these supposed to be
smooth turns? If so, what radius? Seems like if you can do the figure-8's,
you are already exceeding the 180-degree requirement.

Level 3: 10x10 cm obstacle -- where do you find an obstacle like that? Is
the obstacle a long 10x10 cm beam? I can hop up a 10cm curb and then later
ride off it. But I'm not sure what would happen if the curb was only 10 cm
wide so that immediately after hopping up, I had to drop off the other
side. I suppose in that case I would just hop off rather than ride off.

Level 4: Seat out, front and back -- does that mean the seat is held away
from the body? Or can it be held tightly against your legs?

I'll hold the Level 5+ questions for later.

--Mark


rhysling wrote:

[color=blue]> The list of Uni skill levels, as seen on unicycling.org:[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Good luck,[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Christopher[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> --[/color]
[color=blue]> rhysling Posted via the Unicyclist Community -[/color]
[color=blue]> http://unicyclist.com/forums[/color]

--
Mark Newbold Montpelier, Vermont USA http://dogfeathers.com Alternate
email: manx@sover.net

[color=blue]> Regarding: http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> I'm not entirly clear on some of these skills. Can anyone clarify?[/color]

Most of the skills in the levels are detailed in the IUF Standard Skills
List in the IUF Rulebook:
http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo...s/7sslist.html

[color=blue]> Level 3: Figure 8 with circle diameters smaller than 1.5 m -- Is this[/color]
[color=blue]> supposed to be a smooth figure 8 or is it OK to just jerk the unicyle[/color]
[color=blue]> around the circles? :-) I find 1.5 m to be VERY tight. There seems to be[/color]
[color=blue]> some room for interpretation here. For example, I could use some idling[/color]
[color=blue]> to cheat. Or I could jerk the unicycle every half turn.[/color]

Smooth is preferred, but not expected at this size and skill level. But
you can't go backward (or idle).

[color=blue]> Level 3: Stomach on seat -- is this with hands off the seat?[/color]

Yes (see rulebook above).

[color=blue]> Level 3: Sharp 180 degree turns -- how sharp? Are these supposed to be[/color]
[color=blue]> smooth turns? If so, what radius?[/color]

You may be looking at an older version of the skill levels? Check out the
one at the back of the IUF Rulebook, which specifies 1 meter:
http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo.../10levels.html

[color=blue]> Level 3: 10x10 cm obstacle -- where do you find an obstacle like that?[/color]

If you nail two 2 x 4 pieces of lumber together, this is acceptable. You
can ride or jump over it.

[color=blue]> Level 4: Seat out, front and back -- does that mean the seat is held[/color]
[color=blue]> away from the body? Or can it be held tightly against your legs?[/color]

The IUF levels follow the Standard Skill rules, which say no to the above.
The USA levels allow the seat to touch the body. I think this is the only
area in which the skill levels differ.

Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com

"Our time is a most precious commodity, but it's how we spend it that
makes us rich." - John Foss

[color=blue]>> Regarding: http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html[/color]
[color=blue]>>[/color]
[color=blue]>> I'm not entirly clear on some of these skills. Can anyone clarify?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>Most of the skills in the levels are detailed in the IUF Standard Skills[/color]
[color=blue]>List in the IUF Rulebook:[/color]
[color=blue]>http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo...s/7sslist.html[/color]

Actually, for some of these skills listed below, it depends on weather you
are looking at the USA or IUF skill levels. While the actual skills in
each level are the same, the USA has spelled out many of the details of
the skills while the IUF is a bit more vague. The IUF uses the Standard
Skill rules for interpetation sometimes making it hard to understand. As
far as I know, no unicycle organization tests using the IUF skill levels.
The biggest users of the skill levels, the USA and Germany, have both gone
through and drafted their own interpetations of the rules.

If you are using the skill levels to figure out what skill to learn next,
it doesn't matter which version you use as the skills are the same. This
only matters if you are planning on testing. If you are interested in some
of the details of the rules, I have made some comments below.

To view the USA rulebook on level testing, I found it on the web in a pdf
file at http://www.unicycling.org/usa/rulebo...A-Rulebook.pdf Page
39 to 42 detail the rules on level testing for the USA.

For those people talking about mounts for level 10, it is actually harder
than just coming up with 10 mounts. Under section 10.5, here is the
verbage on mounting for levels 7 to 10. "10.5.1 For Level 7 and above,
riders must mount to a skill other than riding or a standard idle. An
exception may be made if the mount is difficult (example: 360 spin side
jump mount). While the ending skill may be repeated, the mounts all have
to be different. Examples: Jump mount to one-foot idle, kick up mount to
wheel walk, or rolling mount to one-foot leg extended."

One more note on the mounts, by the time a rider gets to the higher levels
where mounts get harder (level 7 and up), this is the easy part of the
level as the riders have such a high level of skill.

[color=blue]>> Level 3: Figure 8 with circle diameters smaller than 1.5 m -- Is this[/color]
[color=blue]>> supposed to be a smooth figure 8 or is it OK to just jerk the unicyle[/color]
[color=blue]>> around the circles? :-) I find 1.5 m to be VERY tight. There seems to[/color]
[color=blue]>> be some room for interpretation here. For example, I could use some[/color]
[color=blue]>> idling to cheat. Or I could jerk[/color]
[color=blue]>the[/color]
[color=blue]>> unicycle every half turn.[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>Smooth is preferred, but not expected at this size and skill level. But[/color]
[color=blue]>you can't go backward (or idle).[/color]

While 1.5 m sounds tight, I find that by the time a rider is level 3 and
practices this skill, it isn't too hard. It doesn't take that much
practice compared to some of the other skills in level 3 (such as stomach
on seat or getting over the obstacle).

[color=blue]>> Level 3: Stomach on seat -- is this with hands off the seat?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>Yes (see rulebook above).[/color]

For the USA skill levels, one or both hands can be on the seat. For any
seat out skill in the USA, one or both hands can touch the seat. Here is
the official statement from the rulebook: "10.3.4 SEAT OUT SKILLS: In
seat out figures, the seat may touch the rider's body but no weight may
rest upon it. Using 1 or both hands for taking the seat out or for
returning seat is permitted. During the skill, the seat may be held using
1 or 2 hands."

[color=blue]>> Level 3: Sharp 180 degree turns -- how sharp? Are these supposed[/color]
[color=blue]>to be[/color]
[color=blue]>> smooth turns? If so, what radius?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>You may be looking at an older version of the skill levels? Check out the[/color]
[color=blue]>one at the back of the IUF Rulebook, which specifies 1 meter:[/color]
[color=blue]>http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo.../10levels.html[/color]

The USA rulebook also goes into more detail on what is allowed for
this skill.

[color=blue]>> Level 3: 10x10 cm obstacle -- where do you find an obstacle like[/color]
[color=blue]>that?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>If you nail two 2 x 4 pieces of lumber together, this is acceptable. You[/color]
[color=blue]>can ride or jump over it.[/color]

For the IUF, it can be only 10 X 10 cm. For the USA, two 2 x 4 pieces of
lumber can be nailed together or a 4 X 4 can be used as well.

[color=blue]>> Level 4: Seat out, front and back -- does that mean the seat is[/color]
[color=blue]>held[/color]
[color=blue]>> away from the body? Or can it be held tightly against your legs?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]>The IUF levels follow the Standard Skill rules, which say no to the[/color]
[color=blue]>above. The USA levels allow the seat to touch the body.[/color]

Above I listed the official verbage on this for the USA.

[color=blue]>I think this is the only area in which the skill levels differ.[/color]

Actually, there are quite a few things that are different. Many are minor
but if your planning on getting into level testing, it would be worth
knowing. My suggestion is that if you live in North America, I would
suggest using the USA levels.

-Andy

Andy Cotter - Andy.Cotter@OutTech.com Unicycle Video "One Wheel - No
Limit" - http://www.tcuc.org/nolimit/ Twin Cities Unicycle Club -
http://www.tcuc.org International Unicycling Federation - Director

Check out my page on a 10x10 obstacle on
www.xs4all.nl/~klaasbil/unibeam.htm.

I have some answers to your other questions but not always 100% sure. If
no other responses pop up, I'll give it a go.

Klaas Bil

On Thu, 15 Nov 2001 19:26:46 -0500, Mark Newbold
<mark@dogfeathers.com> wrote:

[color=blue]>Level 3: 10x10 cm obstacle -- where do you find an obstacle like that? Is[/color]
[color=blue]>the obstacle a long 10x10 cm beam? I can hop up a 10cm curb and then[/color]
[color=blue]>later ride off it. But I'm not sure what would happen if the curb was[/color]
[color=blue]>only 10 cm wide so that immediately after hopping up, I had to drop off[/color]
[color=blue]>the other side. I suppose in that case I would just hop off rather than[/color]
[color=blue]>ride off.[/color]

--
"To trigger/fool/saturate/overload Echelon, the following has been picked
automagically from a database:" "IDB, PLA, Oscor"

[color=blue]>>> http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html[/color]

[color=blue]>>Most of the skills in the levels are detailed in the IUF Standard Skills[/color]
[color=blue]>>List in the IUF Rulebook:[/color]
[color=blue]>>http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo...s/7sslist.html[/color]

Andy.Cotter@outtech.com wrote:

[color=blue]>Actually, for some of these skills listed below, it depends on weather[/color]
[color=blue]>you are looking at the USA or IUF skill levels. While the actual skills[/color]
[color=blue]>in each level are the same, the USA has spelled out many of the details[/color]
[color=blue]>of the skills while the IUF is a bit more vague. The IUF uses the[/color]
[color=blue]>Standard Skill rules for interpetation sometimes making it hard to[/color]
[color=blue]>understand. As far as I know, no unicycle organization tests using the[/color]
[color=blue]>IUF skill levels.[/color]

In my opinion, the IUF skill levels are not vague at all. When the IUF and
USA skill level descriptions differ, the USA skill is easier to perform
than the corresponding USA skill. Thus, it is not surprising that rider
prefer to test against the USA skill set. Does this mean that none of the
level 10 riders have passed IUF level 10 or even lower IUF levels, because
they met the USA standard at some level, but not the IUF standard at that
same level? No doubt some of them could do the IUF skill levels through
level 10, but I doubt any of them officially did so.

[color=blue]>>> Level 3: Stomach on seat -- is this with hands off the seat?[/color]

[color=blue]>>Yes (see rulebook above).[/color]

[color=blue]>For the USA skill levels, one or both hands can be on the seat. For any[/color]
[color=blue]>seat out skill in the USA, one or both hands can touch the seat. Here is[/color]
[color=blue]>the official statement from the rulebook: "10.3.4 SEAT OUT SKILLS: In[/color]
[color=blue]>seat out figures, the seat may touch the rider's body but no weight may[/color]
[color=blue]>rest upon it. Using 1 or both hands for taking the seat out or for[/color]
[color=blue]>returning seat is permitted. During the skill, the seat may be held using[/color]
[color=blue]>1 or 2 hands."[/color]

An example where an IUF skill is harder than the corresponding USA skill.
There are several more examples of this.

Sincerely,

Ken Fuchs <kfuchs@winternet.com

In article <mailman.1005879801.6223.rsu@unicycling.org>,
"John Foss" <jfoss@unicycling.com> writes:
[color=blue]>> Regarding: http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/skills/skills.html[/color]
[color=blue]>>[/color]
[color=blue]>> I'm not entirly clear on some of these skills. Can anyone clarify?[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]
[color=blue]> Most of the skills in the levels are detailed in the IUF Standard Skills[/color]
[color=blue]> List in the IUF Rulebook:[/color]
[color=blue]> http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebo...s/7sslist.html[/color]
[color=blue]>[/color]

Must I do all skills on the same unicycle? Personally, I find manoeuvering
(figure-8, twists) easier on my 20" wheel, but obstacles easier on my 24"
wheel. Is this sort of thing fair game, or do I have to do all the skill
on the same unicycle?

If so, what about other variations, eg: seat height, crank length, tire
pressure, but with the same basic uni?

============================================================
Gardner Buchanan <gbuchana@home.com> Ottawa, ON FreeBSD: Where you want to
go. Today.

[harper]

Gardner-

I just tested for USA skill levels 1, 2, and 3 this week. My understanding is that the same unicycle must be used throughout the test for each skill level. That is to say, you could use your 24" for the tests for the levels that require obstacles but you would have to use it for the entire level. Then, for a level that has no obstacles, you could use your 20". All skills in each level must be successfully demonstrated in one hour which might put a pinch on changing components. There seems to be no restriction with respect to seat height which may be adjusted as much as you like. Changing seats, cranks, or pedals may contitute a different unicycle but I don't see why.

I used my 24" for all three tests. I dropped the seat about 1" from where I set it to ride long distances. I wish I had used a 20" because the smaller figure eight and the tight 180 degree turns were a bit jerky for me on the bigger wheel. If you are hopping over an obstacle the wheel diameter should be irrelevant.

Hope this doesn't add to your confusion. Good luck with your tests. You'll have a gas...they're fun to do.