Tammy Marsh wrote:
>> Has anyone ever learned wheel walking FIRST? (ie: BEFORE learning how
to ride a unicycle the “NORMAL WAY,” that is by propelling it forward by
the PEDALS.)
and Steve Dressler Replied:
)--/=====O Isn't THAT Weird? OOOOOOOO/--(
================
Dear Tammy,
I too might have thought yours a wierd question with an obvious answer
… until :
- I read the touching story last year in “Unicycling” Magazine (Thanks to
Connie Cotter - Editor) of some guy who took his unicycle to Africa, and
spread the Joy Of One Wheel to some small boys in a certain “Way Backwards”
village / camp?
Anyway, it was reported that by the time that unicyclist had left the village,
he left minus his unicycle, and that one of those young African boys whose legs
were too short to reach the pedals had actually learned TO WHEEL WALK FIRST, and
was doing so … all over the village / camp!!
- I recalled my own “story” … In Hong Kong, I often start shows with my
“My Christmas or Birthday Wish list.” On my 1969 wish list, when I was 9 (so
the story goes) was only one thing, written 10 times: “One of those
One-wheeled cycle things!!!” (since I had only seen them on TV, and didn’t
yet know they were called “UNICYCLES.” Since either Santa or my parents had
the best of intentions but even less knowledge about unicycles than I, the
contraption which I ultimately received was exactly that … “One of
those One-wheeled cycle things!!!” But it was in fact AN ULTIMATE WHEEL!!!
Although disappointed, since I didn’t want to insult SANTA or my parents, and
since that ULTIMATE WHEEL was the only “Unicycle” I’d ever actually had
… I learned to ride that FIRST … BEFORE EVER LEARNING to ride
"AN EASY UNICYCLE 
"
My H.K. audience of any age always claps and cheers like hell, and then I ride
them both on stage … but always the Ultimate wheel FIRST!!
… And so the story goes…
- 29 years later, I went to UNICON IX in Bottrup where I met MASTERS Sem
A., Julian M., KATO-SAN, Dustin K., etc. And this WEIRD STORY had taken on a
life of it’s own!!
Isn’t that weird???
Now, NOTHING’S WEIRD or impossible to me anymore. I just think that my bones
are more fragile now then they used to be, and I’ve too many Bills to pay to
get TOO WEIRD!
Still, I encourage all my students to do like that little boy in Africa, or that
little 9 year old with his Christmas wish list … AND BE AS WEIRD
AS POSSIBLE / IMPOSSIBLE!!
Steve - “The Uni - Male”
B/ "This IS an ULTIMATE WHEEL
... AAHHHHHHH" /S
>>
…O
Best H.K. wishes to all my UNI and non-UNI friends all around this
“ULTIMATE WORLD”
John replied:
>Because wheel walking is so slow and relatively uncontrolled (unlike regular
>riding where you feet stay in constant contact with the pedals), it would be
>quite a bit harder to learn wheel walking without pedaling first. Maybe if you
>couldn’t afford crank arms and pedals…