> [oh, bugger editing >80 column replies… sigh]
Yeah, sorry about this, someone resized my terminal and ‘vi’ word wraps from the
number of characters from the end, not the absolute number of chars. Sorry!
> Coming from the juggling world (no don’t run me over, please), I find nothing
> at all objectionable in the word ‘trick’. I’ll make you a deal, though: I’ll
> try to use ‘skill’ if you guys promise to reply in 80-column format!
> Actually, I ought to be able to get a better terminal emulation soon, so never
> mind. As far as ‘trick’ goes, however, (and since we seem to be a very
> word-conscious group, I might add!) I understand how it might grate on someone
> considering the amount of work one puts into these skills. I’ll try to be
> conscious of the usage. Those of you that grow red-faced and cross-eyed at the
> sight of the word might also try to keep in mind that when we say ‘trick,’ we
> not only are using a comfortable colloquialism, we’re expressing the fun we
> derive from the building of that particular skill. The flippancy of the word
> expresses a fun connotation that ‘skill,’ albeit a word that denotes more
> accomplishment, doesn’t carry for folks like myself.
I agree: the word ‘trick’ is just a colloquialism here and simply a linguistic
label for doing something out of the ordinary. I think it’s easy to get so
involved in an issue like this that it becomes difficult to detach oneself again
and re-enter the world outside the discussion (ie views of Jo Random) and
certain things take on an unrealistic importance/significance. Everyone’s
interpretation of words is slightly different and for me certainly the nuances
and subtleties of ‘trick’ vs. ‘skill’ I suspect would be lost on the public.
They may even have a negative (‘hmmph’) reaction to someone ever heightening the
status of riding a unicycle to anything more than a ‘trick’ (not in the sense of
deception) when to them it is in fact just some bizarre but novel entertaining
activity out of a circus.
Anyway, my guess is that this is all of academic interest (ie none
whatsoever to most people) so I apologise for rattling on about it!
One issue I felt percolating through from the differences in Jack and Matthew’s
attitudes is how they feel about the public’s perception of them. Crudely, I
get the impression Jack feels perhaps in some way wronged that the public should
think his efforts degraded by labelling them ‘tricks’ and there’s a move to
rectify this by impressing upon them the skilful nature of the sport. (And
damned skilled it is too.)
Matt I suspect (and me for sure) feel less concerned about people’s attitudes.
My rather cynical belief is that most people know shit and I couldn’t care less.
For those that do appreciate it (most people’s exposure to my skills is simply
riding down the road), I’m pleased and faintly gratified that they’re
interested.
(From my posts you may get the impression I have a bad attitude to the public
in general: this isn’t particularly the case, just that England is full of
groups of under 25 male twats who think they’re supremely hilarious when they
come up with original lines like ‘you’re missing a wheel’ etc. and who quite
frequently hurl abuse (especially when they have female company), basically
'cos they feel they have their nose put out of joint by seeing someone do
something they can’t.)
Why do us lot ride unicycles? Is it to impress others or ourselves?
My own reasons were originally to help my balance purely to improve my BMX (I
was obsessed: I started all sorts of bizarre stuff then, like regular
stretching, yoga, balancing on tommy bars on bricks (X-shaped car wheel-removing
tools). I’d even practise (with the bike) in the kitchen). It also appealed as
learning another skill for the sake of it (most skills that I’m accomplished in
have no obvious use, except perhaps shorthand).
Once I realised that I was in fact reasonably good at it, and learning tricks
didn’t require months of dedicated practise, it took on a certain ‘quick-fix’
attraction when I wasn’t getting anywhere with BMX flatland. (Even now, at my
intermediate level, uni tricks don’t take ages to learn.)
I’m not particularly interested in the showing-off side of it. In fact it’s
quite rare for anyone ever to see any of the tricks/skills I can do on it except
if they happen to chance upon the car-park I’m practising in, and even then it’d
typically be past 10pm. My buzz (and it’s a big one) comes simply from being
able to do something I couldn’t do before which applies to everything I do.
Whether someone reckons it’s cool or not (to me) is pretty much irrelevant.
I must admit though, it can be galling having spent two months frantically
learning say, backyards in tight circles (gliding, facing backwards on the rear
axle of a BMX with the bike upside down, front wheel in the air) to the
exclusion of every other trick, and then have some poxy kid say ‘nice, but you
can you do a wheelie?’
Food for thought, or perhaps the ‘delete article’ key…
Cheers, Paul.