This is the David Stone write up of the October Unatics meeting that I was able to attend. Thanks again, David.
Hey, Harper! I forgot to send this to you: My write-up of your visit and
our club meeting. I send out summaries after each meeting, just for fun.
Here it is:
An amazing turnout considering the season. We had 35 riders in
mid-October! Well, it didn’t hurt that we had a special guest visitor
(Greg Harper) and a special guest unicycle (the geared-up Coker built by
Greg and our own D3). The weather helped, too: A gorgeous afternoon
following days of rain and chill.
The day got off to a good start: I arrived right at 1pm, and there was
Laszlo, fooling around on his crazy muni. It looks great, but beware: The
bearings are a bit too small, so the uni feels like the frame is loose.
Actually, it’s solid as a rock, and Laz rode it all over the Tomb quad,
including the grass and the bumps. He also prepaid for a “Defect” DVD –
thanks, Laz!
Within moments, Greg Harper appeared on the scene. He was wearing his
classic t-shirt featuring a cheesecake photo of his delectable self. Greg
didn’t bring a uni, but he enjoyed trying out my Schlumpf guni and a few
other unicycles so much that he impaled himself with one of them, giving
his left shin a special memory of his visit with the Unatics. Harper
stayed long enough to meet up with A5, who rode in on his own Coker while
carrying Greg and Dave’s creation (which, by the way, was commissioned by
the famous Kris Holm). Greg was amazed by A5’s speed, sharp turns, and
seeming invincibility.
Next to arrive after Greg was my own bro, John. He’s mainly riding his
Coker these days, but he showed up on his 29" uni. He tried out my guni
and was tentative at first (a good idea!), but within minutes, he was
zooming around like a pro.
Also riding better than ever was…my wife! Shirra rode (a bit) over a
decade ago, and recently she decided to get back into it. Part of her
inspiration was that she wanted to get a photo of herself knitting while
unicycling so that she could send it in to an “extreme knitting” blog.
Thanks to Harper, we got that photo. Shirra was also able to freemount for
the first time in her life. Wow, she has better balance than I thought! I
guess all that yoga is paying off. Explanation: Yoga, skiing, dance class,
and the like – they ALL tend to help people learn unicycling fast.
Fiona had a great time. She was able to ride backwards for 3 revs – her
best yet – and had a blast playing with all of the other 9-year-old girls
who showed up today. She also helped her little sister, Maeve, who turns 1
1/2 tomorrow. Maeve seems too young to unicycle, but try telling HER that!
She is always begging for someone to hold her while she “rides” around.
Emmett, 6, is trying to become our club’s youngest rider. He practiced a
bit and did quite well, and then he spent the next few hours playing with
fallen sticks with his pal, Jessie. She’s the girl who was zooming around
on her skate-shoes. I’m not sure I ever saw her unicycling, but she did
work a bit on my Super Trick Cycle (STC).
Her mom, Maggie, rode around for awhile. She is still a bit uneasy on her
own, so it was nice to see her riding around holding hands with her
daughter Emmy. As for Emmy, she has gotten really good at 1-foot riding
and was working on backwards riding. She is also trying to hop so that she
can pass levels 3 and 4.
Not long after I arrived, Ken #3 arrived with his old Schwinn. He’d
finally added a KH seat, so now he has a comfy seat on an old clunker of a
unicycle. I joked that he can upgrade it from the top down. He should get
a nice seat post soon (there really is no such thing) and then find a
decent frame. Actually, if I were you, K3, I’d get some decent cranks and
pedals – they make a nice difference! K3 worked on 1’foot riding and was
able to ride in a circle – it’s not at all easy! Great to see you, Ken,
and regards to Michelle.
Dave “D5” Lowell, our beloved webmaster, showed up with his purple Coker.
He zoomed around a bit and admired the geared Coker, and he was also kind
enough to purchase (ahead of time) the “Defect” DVD. I’ve watched it
again, Dave, and it’s even more amazing than I thought.
I guess I could have written the same paragraph about D4 (Bagley). He
doesn’t have a purple Coker, but he does have some funky unicycles and
other gear, and he bought a copy of the DVD, too. Thanks for coming, Dave!
Eric arrived with Jenan and Leila. The girls quickly disappeared, riding
and running around all afternoon with Fiona and Emmy. It’s a hoot to watch
them all play together.
Greg Harper seems to have brought out some members who hadn’t arrived in a
LONG time. It was a thrill to see Max, now 13, and his 11-year-old bro,
Alex (along with non-rider dad, Paul). The boys ride better now than when
we knew them before. It was great to see all of you!
There were also some new members and fairly new members who helped us set
a record for a mid-October turnout of the club. We met Sam, 14, his
sister, Hannah (9), and their cool mom, Linda. And at the last sec, I also
got to meet Manny, a new member who had e-mailed me recently. He rides a
Sun 28". We also saw another fairly new member, Phil, and met a new member
in Anastasia. On the other hand, we had a return visit from Anne, one of
the most consistent members a few years ago who has become quite
preoccupied with her own private unicycle club (I think it has only two
members). Anne, give our regards to Thom!!! And thanks for picking up the
shirts and ordering a DVD. Also buying shirts were Lev and his son,
Nathan, as well as Josh D and his son, Andrew, who has become quite a
solid little rider. It was great to see all of you! Sorry to squeeze
everyone into one paragraph – but if I don’t, I might not get this out
till Halloween (oops – that’s today. Boo!).
I was happy to see Darius again. His dad, our own Ken S, mentioned that
Darius rode his farthest ever while on the way to the train…about a mile
and a half! Well done, Darius! Thanks for putting in for a DVD, Ken!
Greg had made a personal request to see Billy, and Billy complied. There
he was, riding his huuuuuge 28" uni (did I get that size right, Billy?).
Other tall riders included Tycho, who is one of the few people who can
borrow any unicycle without having to shorten it, and Tom G, a great sport
who got stitches after his run-in with a sharp pedal two weeks earlier. He
was back, ready for more fun. As luck would have it, the unicycle he
borrowed a few weeks ago was back, too, but this time, it had a fresh set
of smooth pedals. Whew!
Tycho’s son, the not-so-tall Isaac, 10, was also on hand. He’s working on
crazy stunts on the Super Trick Cycle and is quite interested in getting
one of his own. They’re not easy to come by!
As for me, I was thrilled to see such a huge turn-out and to sell so many
DVDs and shirts. It was great to see new members and to reconnoiter with
old friends. Good luck eating all of that candy!
And I can’t forget to include Tina. She wasn’t there this time, but she
DID make an appearance on the first Sunday in October, and I forgot to
include her in the notes. Shame on me! We love you, Tina! Thanks for the
donut holes!
See you soon! The club meets again this Sunday!!!
David “Happy Halloween!” Stone
I’ve brought da Uber to all subsequent club meetings so that fellow club members can have a spin on it. It’s very popular at the club… with some proficient riders struggling with it and others flying around in no time. Of course my favorite maneuver on da Uber, as on my standard Coker, is turns! Flying past bicyclists on the Hudson River bike path is lots of fun, too 
!
How silly would THAT be?