Re: Video-clip of TV segment on SA UniHoki
i’m shouting, i’m shouting
does anyone know how i can upload a textfile to the gallery?
here it is in the meantime
Studio Anchor: At school, we used to use the bikeshed
(the afrikaans word for shed sound very simmilar to the afrikaans word for hockey)
to smoke, fight or make out, but here’s something
else. Cycle-hockey is something i can hardly imagine, and even
less so when it’s played on unicycles. But it is an established
sport with rules very simmilar to ice- and inline hockey, the
difference is that the players don’t take it too seriously. Here’s
Therese…
Therese:(riding towards the camera on a b*cycle)
U get ice-hockey, inline-hockey, underwater-hockey and
indoor-hockey, the latest thing in South Africa, is
Unicycle-hockey. I decided to give it a go.
(on rink, riding towards group, stops)
Dave: Excuse me?, what are u doing on the rink on your b*ke?
Therese: I’m sorry but i’m looking for the guys playing
Cycle-hockey?
Dave: Well, take off the training wheel, this is UniHoki.
Therese: OK, i think i’ll just watch.
Voice Over:(just after the kickup mount and into the
tricks-montage)
This is apparantly warm-up exercises.
Therese: Seems to me these guys aren’t just Unicycle Hockey
Players but also Unicycle acrobats.
Therese(in VO): How did u get to play Hockey on unicycles?
Dave: Well, we started off just riding around on unicycles and
then started working our way thru the 10 International Skill
Levels where u learn skills including riding with one foot, riding
backwards and the very important left and right turns. As we
worked thru the levels, we learnt a variety of skills that
improved our general riding abilities. But nothing improves your
general riding abilities like playing UniHoki.
(game starts with vuvuzela-Le Mans start)
VO: Before UniHoki officially started in South Africa last year,
the riders would get together on a regualar basis to entertain
themselves on their unicycles.
Therese(in VO): How did the unicycles and hockey get together?
Dave: The first example of it is in a German movie of 1925 where
two performers play a mock game with a walkingstick and a hockey stick and a piece of cloth wrapped up as a ball. That’s the oldest ref that we know of.
(this was originally in answer to a slightly different question -
editing and all that…)
VO: The game started taking off in the US and Europe during the
sixties. The hard hockey ball was later replaced by a tennis ball
and as a result, the players don’t need to wear protective gear.
Fun is the only motive.
John Molteno: I thought i wanted to try it and it’s very addictive.
Jason Matthews: Great, great fun.
(but u probably got that)
Devin Howell: It’s lekker. (afrikaans slang term incorporating
nice and kewl)
John Molteno: It keeps u fit and it’s good for the body and mind.
VO: And it’s an affordable sport. A uni will cost u about R500 and
u can pick up a second hand stick from around R30.
Dave(in VO): What u need is a sense of balance and a sense of fun.
And u must be able to ride a unicycle.
(so dave, do they say DUH! in south africa? another comment
slightly out of context…)
Therese: Seems to be…oops (as johnj UPD’s while idling/juggling)
In this sport u never have enough practise hours behind u to
ensure that u won’t ever fall off again.
Dave(in VO): Between 10 and 20 hours practise time, that’s saddle time and initially that saddle time is spent in very short bursts.
(on screen) U have to bear in mind that it’s impossible to ride a
unicycle.
It’s just that some of us have figured out how to take a very long
time before we fall off.
(with apologies to Charlie Dancy - but they didn’t include that so
i’d like to include it here)
VO: and the bigger the wheel, the higher the speed and the harder the fall.
Therese: I thought that since i can ride a twowheel cycle, i can
ride a unicycle. Dave, what does it take to ride a unicycle?
Dave: Well, it’s only half the amount of wheels so it’s only half
as hard.
First we have to determine which is your favourite foot as it
isn’t always the same as your dominant hand.
Turn around. Look thataway.
Now we know it’s your right foot.
Garth: There u go
Therese: Oh no, there is no way.
I’ll (*) fall over backwards so quickly…
{(*) she nearly used a way more extreme form of the word ‘fall’,
one that would most definately not be broadcast friendly, she
caught herself in the nick of time - hence the exagerated smile at
the camera.}
VO: Aparantly the secret lies in leaning forward.
John Molteno: It’s the craziest sport i’ve ever played.
Dave(in VO): Since most of the players ride the 20" wheel, the top speed is basically a brisk walk so u never really have serious
falls.
VO: U need 10 players for a game, 5-a-side for 30 minutes. And
everybody gets a chance to fall, by accident, obviously.
Devin: On my legs i have many hurt. (devin’s afrikaans really
sucks)
JohnJ: I did my knee…
VO:Oh!, the legs are the first thing they show but there aren’t
really any nasty scars.
Dave(in VO): Most of time u when u fall off the cycle u land on
your feet and it’s only the ego that gets bruised.
JohnJ: I can’t see anything.
Therese: It isn’t NEARLY as difficult as i thought.
Cameraman’s voice: Ok, let go of her, let go of her.
Therese: No, no, uh-uh.
And i always thought i had a good sense of balance.
It may be very exciting, but i think i’ll stick to two wheels…
Oh and I did understand a couple of words.