Clowns and Unicycling revisited...

General
1

I have a question for everyone out there who went to Unicon, did anyone Race, do Trials, Muni, or the Freestyle routine dressed as a clown. I know alot of you support clowning and I have nothing wrong with that, to each his own. However I neglect to see that what we do is clowning. We ride arround on one wheel when most choose 2. People that compete competitivly at unicon are surely athleats in thier own right. So why cant we give then that credibility they deserve.

The public has a current stigma that unicycle=clown and I do not believe most see it as a sport, or an athletic disiplin. We are athleats like runners, soccer players, and cyclists. Yet we struggle for respect with the general public. Yes what we do is different so I expecet to be ridiculed somewhat.

Am I the only one who would like to see unicycling become its own recognized sport?

(sorry for the lack of spelling and grammer I havent slept in almost 36 hrs. if thats any excuse)

2

Originally posted by Checkernuts

I have a question for everyone out there who went to Unicon, did anyone Race, do Trials, Muni, or the Freestyle routine dressed as a clown.

Wasn’t there but suspect not. Why would anyone compete in an athletic competition dressed as a clown?

I know alot of you support clowning and I have nothing wrong with that, to each his own.

Appreciated.

However I neglect to see that what we do is clowning. We ride arround on one wheel when most choose 2.

I don’t believe there is anybody HERE, who is unable to make the distinction between unicycling as an athletic activity and unicycling as a circus activity.

People that compete competitivly at unicon are surely athleats in thier own right. So why cant we give then that credibility they deserve.

Again, no one, I believe, here is disputing this. WE do give them the credit and credibility they deserve.

The public has a current stigma that unicycle=clown

This misconception is probably true, although it may in fact be that clown/circus entertainers as unicyclists, in fact, still outnumber the athlete unicycling population. This is speculation only, however.

and I do not believe most see it as a sport, or an athletic disiplin. We are athleats like runners, soccer players, and cyclists.

Both statements are true. I would argue that very likely good clown unicyclists, while perhaps not athletes per se, are probably very athletic.

Yet we struggle for respect with the general public.

I would say the situation is far worse than you suspect. I think before you get respect you have to get noticed and that is only just beginning to happen. Mountain bikers, from what I gather are starting to show some respect and those who see “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” may grant some respect, but the general public is largely unaware of and gives very little thought to the status of unicyclists. Most (in America at least) are too busy being pissed off at overpaid baseball players and their corpulent bosses.

Yes what we do is different so I expecet to be ridiculed somewhat.

Always wise to expect ridicule when you dare to be different. But we should also be grateful for the compliments and the fact that our presence amuses, entertains, amazes or even on occasion inspires others.

Am I the only one who would like to see unicycling become its own recognized sport?

Absolutely not.

(sorry for the lack of spelling and grammer I havent slept in almost 36 hrs. if thats any excuse)

GET SOME SLEEP, MAN! What are you a medical student or something?

Unicycling as an athletic activity and as a part of the circus/clown tradition are in no way mutually exclusive. Improving the publics perception of one should not involve damaging that of the other.

Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

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Re: Clowns and Unicycling revisited…

I prefer to think of the unicyclist == clown thing as a misconception
rather than a stigma. I’m sure people are well-intended when this comes
up. Whenever I get asked if I work for the circus it seems to be in a tone
that says this would be an enviable truth.

What really bugs me is people who think that riding a unicycle makes you
a legitimate target for stones, obstruction, manhandling and so on.
Having experienced all of these, I think being mistaken for a clown
is of minor consequence.

Arnold the Aardvark

4

I’m not sure it matters except that it is irritating when people shout, ‘Are you from the circus?’ or similar comments.

Unicyclist = clown in the same way that bicyclist = postman.

Why do we want to promote the image of our sport? If the sport grows, perhaps equipment will improve and become cheaper. or perhaps it will become over designed and prohibitively expensive. One of the attractions of unicycling at present is you can buy a reasonable machine for less than a week’s wages, and have fun on it almost indefinitely, should you so choose.

Why do we want ‘respect’ from the public? I’m happy to ride because I enjoy it. If the public respects me, all well and good. All I ask for is that I don’t get disrespect from the public.

Are we athletes? Depends on your definition, I suppose. I’m no more of an athlete than if I went jogging for an hour three times a week. I have never competed on a unicycle, and probably never will.

But back to clowns: the unicycle lends itself to performance; performing on a unicycle is a legitimate arm of the sport/hobby, just like trials, MUni, touring and so on.

Humour is an important part of perfomance. (When entertaining the public, performing well is more important than having technical skills.) Thus, unicycling will tend to be associated to some extent with street performers and clowns at the slapstick/circus end of the entertainment spectrum.

I’d say unicyclists have little to lose from the fact that unicycling is associated with clowns. I’d also say that most real clowns have a real grievance that so many people think that all you need to be a clown is a funny cotume, a red nose and a unicycle. Clowning properly is a skill deserving respect in its own right.

5

I didn’t see clown one at UNICON. Darren Bedford spent a little time making balloon figures but he was dressed quite normally.

I haven’t been to many circuses but, as in someone’s previous post, I don’t remember many clowns on unicycles. Matter of fact, I would have to say that most unicycling in circuses is done by non-clown personel. I just won this 1940 photograph on Ebay.

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