Earlier this week, I received a heartfelt e-note from someone who came across the Memphis Unicycle Club’s web site. As you will read, this person has donated her beloved unicycle to our club to find it a new home with a deserving child. One of the main point of our club is to do youth development wok. Visit the MUC web site to read our Mission/Vision Statement at :
www.memphisunicycle club.com
“Greetings, fellow unicycler!”
“This unicycle is in desperate need of a good owner who will ride it. I want to pass it on rather than retire it because was an important part of my youth and it has a bit of a story to it. I came from a poor family and I wanted to ride when I was about 6 years old. My folks had just spent their money on a lovely purple Schwinn bike for me and were not about to invest more money on a whim of mine. My dad took out his cutting torch and re- arranged my tricycle into a unicycle, discarding the back two wheels and putting a 8 inch length of 2x4 on a pipe and pipe flange where the handlebars go. He said, ‘If you can ride that thing, I’ll get you your unicycle.’ After a dare like that, the only thing I could do was succeed! Two weeks and one very sore bottom later, I was trucking around on the driveway on that hard rubber wheel.”
“My dad lived up to his word and bought me a brand new Schwinn uni (This was in 1973 near Detroit). It was stolen within a week. Later that summer, while riding that silly purple bike around, I spied a beat up old unicycle in some one’s garage. It wasn’t the same one that had been stolen, but similar. There was a grubby little girl playing in the front yard, and I happily traded my new two-wheeler for the unicycle. My folks weren’t too upset, and I was thrilled. This is the unicycle I will send to you.”
“Happy riding!”
As I write this the above generous gift is winging its way to Memphis to find a renewed life here creating smiles and expanding our uni- family. The magnanimous generosity of Blake is staggering. She, too, paid for the shipping!
There are some wonderful folks out there! One of the main points of our MUC is to do youth development work. Visit the MUC web site to read our Mission/Vision Statement at :
www.memphisunicycle club.com
Tommy