getting permission to unicycle in a gym

General
1

I’m in the process of organizing some unicycling activities on campus, but am
having great difficulty getting permission to do so. Would anyone have any
suggestions for arguments that might be useful?

I am told gym floors can too easily be damaged. If I ensure that all pedals are
plastic, and no seats with metal exterior parts (like savage) are used, will the
gym really be free from damage? Events will involve a lot of new people, and
therefore, some hard falls. If I manage to do something in a gym, I want it
looking as nice after we left as before we came in.

Next, if I do get permission, I am told the next issue is one of liability and
insurance. For juggling activities, we carry a million dollar insurance policy,
I believe, and require people to sign a waiver before entering. Does anyone have
any experience to share there?

And let’s not forget those who talk about the “inherent instability” of a
unicycle, or the unicycles “uncontrollable nature” or such phrases used by
people who have never attempted to ride a unicycle. I can start that discussion
about the free wheel of bicycles, roller blades, and so on, and fixed wheel of a
unicycle. Does anyone know of any statistics that might be useful? Are there any
good buzz words or phrases I might want to try using for those who think you’ll
fall square on your head?

Finally, I realize, probably no one here knows my campus (RIT), but can you
think of locations I might have missed looking into? I’ve tried gyms, a few
nearby rooms, and the ice rink. (The ice rink is the most agreeable of places
since it will be drained soon – unfortunately, there will be construction work
going on when I want to use it)

thanks for any advice, Jeff Lutkus

Free e-Mail and Webspace - http://Unicyclist.com

2

Re: [getting permission to unicycle in a gym]

I am told gym floors can too easily be damaged. If I ensure that all pedals are
plastic, and no seats with metal exterior parts (like savage) are used, will the
gym really be free from damage?

<snip> You’ve missed one of the main “Damage” forms. Most tires mark a floor
when you do sharp turns. Gyms really don’t like their nice shiny floors having
black marks all over them. I recommend getting white non marking tyres if you
are wanting to keep the floor happy.

As to safety, unicycles are a lot safer than bikes. Sure you fall off a lot more
but the consequences aren’t very serious as 99.9% of the time you land on your
feet. The only exception to this would be people just learning who haven’t been
given any instruction. 5 minutes of showing them how to step over a unicycle is
usually enough to get everyone landing on their feet.

There is hardly anything to get tangled with. Not only that falling off a
unicycle is virtually designed for landing on your feet, unlike falling off a
skateboard, bicycle, roller blades, etc.

Peter

o o Peter Bier o O o Juggler, unicyclist and mathematician.
o/|\o peter_bier@usa.net

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