Hi all,
We thoroughly enjoyed our two weeks at the two
conventions. Thanks and kudos to all the hard-working volunteers!
Highlights for me (Jody):
- finishing the 10K on my 24" Miyata. Took me 70 minutes and I
was pretty stiff when I got off, but I did it. Shirley (from Minnesota)
and I rode together almost the whole way and chatted, which made it much
more fun. - riding in the parade. For Scott and I this was probably a once
in a lifetime experience. So many unicyclists and so many
spectators. What a privilege to be involved! - the rest of that Saturday: busing into Seattle, the ferry to
Bainbridge Island, riding our unis around and buying lunch at the Farmer’s
Market, the ferry back to Seattle with the skyscrapers growing steadily
larger, and making our way the two miles from the ferry docks to Seattle
Center. Even the four hours of waiting for our part of the parade to get
moving was (sort of) fun. - winning a medal, which was a lifetime first for me. Last year
in Toronto was the first time I had ever won any ribbon in any athletic
competition. My medal was a 3rd place in the 100M in Nationals and it sure
is pretty. We won’t mention that there were only 5 women in the 50+ age
group and two fell off at the beginning! I won a few other ribbons too,
mostly fifth place. In Unicon my age group was 45+ and we had 8 women
competing, and I was usually fifth or sixth. - actually speeding up to pass someone in a race. I’ve passed
people who were going slower than me, but I’ve never increased my
speed. I’m not a very stable rider, and it was quite a thrill to be trying
to ride faster rather than just trying to finish the race. - hearing so many different languages and meeting people from
different countries. - putting faces to names from the newsgroup: Carol McLean, Roger
Davies, Greg Harper, Jack Halpern, Sarah Miller, Eric Kvamme, Christian
Hovarath (sp?). - spending time with friends from other conventions.
- just being around unicyclists. We don’t have many unicyclists
to spend time with in Oregon. - helping out with Unicycle.com. So fun to work at something that
is not my normal work. Amy and John are such great people and fun to spend
time with.
If you’ve ever wondered if a level one rider can have fun at a
convention, the answer is “Yes!” I’m very glad I got to go.
Jody
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Scott, Jody, Vjera, Luke, Hope, Thad, and Simon Arnold:
The local unicycling family in Springfield, Oregon.
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