i know this is kind f point less i think but i hang out with a bunch of skaters even though i don’t skate. people are always asking me if i skate and i say no, i ride unicycles. after i say that they just look at me funny. i have to questions. how do i convince people that there is more to unicycling then just riding around. also how many people that dress like skaters get asked the same question.
You show them.
You have to show you are just as cool without making fun of the sport. Like Shaun Johanneson said in some post. We need to show them good street unicycling rather than freestyle circus stuff.Some people like adults find freestyle interesting but most of the kids that talk to me usually make un of me for wheel walking because its “gay circus stuff” they don’t see how hard it is. But if you show them crankflips and unispins, they’ll prolly take youseriously from then on. Also grinding helps.
Exlpain “dressing like a skater” please.
I wear skateboard-type shoes (Vans right now.) Does that count?
only if they are pre-bankruptcy,1984 Van Dorens.
anything else is new school poseur fashion.
Stop thinking that you can influence anyone or change thier opinion of stuff. People are almost imposible to change and you’ll just drive yourself mad. Part of unicycling for me is learning not to mind what people think or say about it and just enjoy it.
Cathy
I hang out with musicians and dress like one, but people are always asking me if i 'm a musician and i say no, i’m a drummer. after i say that they just look at me funny. So I have a very similar problem.
Don’t be discouraged by people like Cathy who try to dissuade you from your mission. You cannot simply turn your back to this awful ignorance, and it’s widespread in our society.
Someone MUST convince these people. My advice to you is to try to get speaking engagements where you can tell people all about this. If you have a laptop that plays movies, show them some good unicycling movies. It’s also good to capture their attention, like invite them over to your house, or use every classroom presentation you have to do about unicycling. This would also be a good “letter to the editor” of your local news paper. They may send a reporter to interview you, and a photographer.
Always state your case forcefully, but don’t imply that others are stupid, just ignorant, and understandably so.
Have at it!!! Excellent mission!! [And preferably, don’t wear your “Unicycling for Christ” tee-shirt]
Billy
I didn’t realize there was a gay circus… is that like Cirque du Soleil? Personally, I think the transsexual circus would be the most entertaining.
Do you really think the common pedestrian could tell the difference between a street and a freestyle trick? That kinda trivia is something only a unicyclist would know… and even then there seems to be a number of unicyclists who still can’t tell the difference.
It sounds like you’ve got some issues to get over yourself before you go about setting other people’s minds straight on the issue of unicycling…
Stop your fingerpointing
You think the transsexual circus would be the most entertaining.
And you think HE has issues???!!!
I think you, Cathy and the others should give this kid some encouragement to dress any way, and pursue the mission. Stop your fingerpointing
I dress like a skater (jeans, skate shirt, skate shoes), but i am a skateboarder.
crankflips are unispins are techinally freestyle (when done of flatground, which they are, alot of the time).
Alot of non-rider people think freestyle stuff looks awesome. Alot of people i know would rather see a ww than coasting (they dont understand coasting). Sideways ww and seat drags are visually appealing. Dont forget suicide mounts.
But then, something like seat on side might not look very hard. One time i was riding and this person was watching me do seat on side in a circle. By the time i was in my third circle the person said “oh! your not on the seat!”.
So if your showing some adults/kids something, maybe start by hopping up/down some stairs, 180s, 360s, and then do some more freetstylish stuff.
I’ve never purposely “dressed like a skater,” but I can ride a skateboard. Do I get a prize?
not as easy as it sounds. i’ll be doing sif riding and jumping around and stuff and people will look in awe … then ask if i’m a clown and where my other wheel went.
While reading many other posts in these fourms I see you never have a hard time jumping on people for something retarded. If you didn’t happen to see the quotation marks around “gay circus stuff” you would see that that is not my personal veiw. I said gay circus stuff because its been said to me countless times when I show someone wheelwalking. But when I grind or ride on something high they seem to think the more dangerous stuff isn’t gay.
I dress like a unicyclist;) I wear skate shoes that are all chopped up on the bottom from pedal pins, alot of my jeans are pearced from pedals flying into my legs. I wear some kind of unicycling shirt almost every day and I wear my helmet thats plastered with uni stickers so often my neighbors give me strange looks.
that is almost sig worthy
That’s funny. I run every errand, go shopping, etc on my unicycle. I’ve had the little old ladies on my block, on the very rare occasion when I’m not on my unicycle, laugh and say: I didn’t know he could walk!
Billy
that’s a really good quote, thanks, i’ll rember that one
This is just about the silliest thing I have ever read. The typical MBIB is in no way going to differentiate a WW as “gay” circus stuff and a unispin as “serious” skate stuff.
"Prolly " the other kids make “un” of you because you are insecure about your sexuality, not your wheel walking.
i wear dickies all the time. but yea i hang out with skaters a lot, and they really dont care that i uni and they skateboard. one thing i never did man, is feel like ya gotta explain yourself. i always think in my head when someone in my hood says something negative ill bethinking usually…youre overweight, ugly, have no skills at all…and youre trying to come at me like that. lol.
You may actually BE a skater, just one who doesn’t skate right now.