I had the wonderful experience of meeting the person who inspired me to
get my own unicycle nearly 22 years ago, Thomas Pennell. He is the one
seen riding his uni down a Brooklyn street in the end credits of Welcome
Back Kotter, and it was seeing him that made me realize (as a 13 year old)
that a unicycle could be ridden outside of a circus.
The encounter: I was riding across the Brooklyn Bridge on my commute when
he rode past on his bike and commented that I was able to go pretty fast.
He mentioned that he used to ride, and I was just about to mention my club
when he dropped the bombshell: “Did you ever see Welcome Back, Kotter?..”
I couldn’t believe my ears. I shrieked like a teenager girl bumping into
Britney Spears at the mall and quickly asked if he could chat. We hopped
off our wheels and talked and then got back on and rode together. He told
me that he’d grown up in Brooklyn and that he’d been the first of a group
of friends and family to ride a unicycle (same is true for me). He was 10
when he was filmed for WBK. I told him that he was my inspiration for
buying a uni and that there are a lot of us who remember seeing him at the
end of the show.
His sister also rode, and he mentioned that he rode past me to talk bc he
wanted to order her a Coker – she had told him about how she saw me whiz
by her while she was biking across the bridge.
So he inspired me to ride, and I inspired his sister (and him?) to get
back to unicycling. That is the coolest thing to happen to me in a long
time. What a wonderful cycle…
David Stone
Co-founder, Unatics of NY
1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
@ Central Park Bandshell
What a great story. I remember that ending very well being a unicyclist
for 18 years. I always wondered who it was. You only see him riding from
behind. He was going to play tennis. If you see him again, get a picture
of him and post it to the web. He is more famous than he knows. Let him
know this post is coming from Canada.
Hope to hear more sometime.
Darren
David Stone wrote:
> I had the wonderful experience of meeting the person who inspired me to > get my own unicycle nearly 22 years ago, Thomas Pennell. He is the one > seen riding his uni down a Brooklyn street in the end credits of Welcome > Back Kotter, and it was seeing him that made me realize (as a 13 year > old) that a unicycle could be ridden outside of a circus. > > The encounter: I was riding across the Brooklyn Bridge on my commute > when he rode past on his bike and commented that I was able to go pretty > fast. He mentioned that he used to ride, and I was just about to mention > my club when he dropped the bombshell: "Did you ever see Welcome Back, > Kotter?.." I couldn’t believe my ears. I shrieked like a teenager girl > bumping into Britney Spears at the mall and quickly asked if he could > chat. We hopped off our wheels and talked and then got back on and rode > together. He told me that he’d grown up in Brooklyn and that he’d been > the first of a group of friends and family to ride a unicycle (same is > true for me). He was 10 when he was filmed for WBK. I told him that he > was my inspiration for buying a uni and that there are a lot of us who > remember seeing him at the end of the show. > > His sister also rode, and he mentioned that he rode past me to talk bc > he wanted to order her a Coker – she had told him about how she saw me > whiz by her while she was biking across the bridge. > > So he inspired me to ride, and I inspired his sister (and him?) to get > back to unicycling. That is the coolest thing to happen to me in a long > time. What a wonderful cycle… > > David Stone > > Co-founder, Unatics of NY > 1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday > @ Central Park Bandshell >1: 30 start time after 11/1/01
> was going to play tennis. If you see him again, get a picture of him and > post it to the web. He is more famous than he knows. Let him know this > post is coming from Canada.
Me too. I’m sure that guy inspired countless people to ride unicycles over
the years. Not just when WBC was on, because it planted the seed in
peoples’ minds that you can ride a unicycle down the street.
It also planted the seed in peoples’ mind that people ride unicycles down
streets, not just in the circus. Thanks should go also to the producers of
the show, who decided to use that clip.
Was I inspired by that guy? Yes, but it was something already on my mind
to learn someday…
“His sister also rode, and he mentioned that he rode past me to talk bc he
wanted to order her a Coker – she had told him about how she saw me whiz
by her while she was biking across the bridge.”
I hope that the membership of this forum does not construe this story as tacit approval by this Community of the act of whizzing on the Brooklyn Bridge, whether or not the whizzer is astride a unicycle. Remember the trouble Seinfeld and George Costanza got into in that episode on the subject.
forum.member@unicyclist.com writes: >What is “Welcome Back Cotter”? > >Is s/he related to Constance Cotter? Andy Cotter?
Welcome back Cotter is a show about Andy Cotter returning to the twin
cities region after a long hiatus. He is warmly received by the
“Sweathogs,” unicyclists who perspire too much.
Actually, the show was called “Welcome Back, Kotter” and is about a
teacher who returns to his old high school as a teacher. It was really
funny when I was a kid (it aired 1975-1979), and I think it may have been
funny for a lot of adults, too. It re-ran a few years ago on Nickelodeon,
and then they stopped showing it, so it’s almost impossible to catch these
days. You can easily find out about it using a search engine. But none of
the sites I visited mentioned the unicyclist at the end.
David
Co-founder, Unatics of NY
1st Sunday / 3rd Saturday
@ Central Park Bandshell
