and this seems as good a time as any to delve into the history of this expression.
For most here, I suspect, it is John Foss’ former sig that first exposed them to the expression, “Stay on Top.” In fact, that is where I first saw it, although he seems not to be using it anymore.
Apparently though, Bill Jenack, the original editor of the USA Newsletter (the precursor to On One Wheel) and a founding member of the Unicycling Society of America also used this expression. He first did so in print in the January 1974 report on the 1973 National Unicycle Meet at Pontiac, Michigan (June 30 - July 1) on page 8. This report was published concurrently with the first issue of the USA Newsletter also dated January 1974.
So, for those of you who have been yearning to know where this expression may have started, hope you find this edifying.
Yup, I got it from Bill Jenack (he was no longer using it). I don’t use it here to save space in my sig block.
So “stay on top” goes at least back to the origins of the Unicycling Society of America as being the way Bill Jenack often closed the thousands of letters he used to write.
It was also one of the candidates for a name for the USA Newsletter, when we changed the name to On One Wheel in 1982/3. On One Wheel has the multiple meanings, so it was the winner of our little contest.
John, thanks for that tidbit. Apparently “stay on top”, at least in some minds, also has multiple meanings (see lurkers thread again.) Frankly, the alternate meaning of On One Wheel had never occured to me.
Since “Stay on Top” could really refer to many things while “On One Wheel” is more specific to unicycles, seems the right choice was made.
On One Wheel – Having to do with the oneness of our one-wheeled community.
Yeah, it’s a bit of a stretch, but it really has a separate emphasis for each word.
We had a contest to name the newsletter in late 1982. Up to that point, it had been called “Newsletter” since the first issue in 1974. Many ideas were submitted, but Dan Whalen was the first to suggest On One Wheel, based on the recently deceased Bill Jenack’s way of closing his letters. Our informal panel of judges seemed to strongly agree on that title, and Dan received a copy of the original Unicycle Book by Jack Wiley.
I was the editor starting in mid-1982, through the name change, to mid-1984.