Re: Must have been a sloooow weekend in Coeur d’Alene…
Oh, is that her photo in your avatar?
Re: Must have been a sloooow weekend in Coeur d’Alene…
I’m confused. Where’s the sign of prejudice?
The questions she asked seem reasonable for a non-unicyclist. We’ve all heard them plenty of times. When you explain the situation (it’s not for attention, it’s not dangerous), she includes your views rather than hers in the article.
Oh, and plenty of people are surprised to discover that unicyclists are “normal” people with normal lives.
Regards,
Mark.
Re: Re: Must have been a sloooow weekend in Coeur d’Alene…
Maybe not the best word to have used. My point was she had an angle she wanted to take…needs attention…then switched to danger when that didn’t pan out. When that too fell short, she just made up an angle (respectability vs. this choice of activity) that had nothing to do with anything we had talked about.
Tom,
I have to agree with the rest of the gallery. This article seemed just fine… and no circus or clown references. Any press we can get for unicycling is good. It’s fine if the reporter puts in a wise-ass comment or two, since the general tone of the article is usually “wow, isn’t it amazing what these guys and girls can do and how dedicated to the sport they are”.
I tend to agree with those who think the article is perfectly fine. It is. However, it is also easy to see that Tom, as the subject of the article who was invested in trying to present unicycling in the way he thinks puts it in its best light, would be frustrated by the fact that the journalist, who should be first and foremost a listener, failed to reflect his vision.
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
Or a freakin’ bicycle for that matter. Who thinks this stuff up?
R
Say “non” to August work
By DAVID WILLIAMSON
1,140 words
19 August 2004
The Western Mail
12
English
(c) 2004 Western Mail and Echo Ltd
Wales is the work house of Europe but is there a growing sense that August is gradually becoming a shutdown month? David Williamson takes a sideways look at whether the nation should admit defeat and follow the French
WORKING during the month of August is almost as silly as buying your cat a unicycle.
I don’t know about you, but I think buying your cat a unicycle is much funnier than buying your cat a bicycle.
Actually, I tend to like anything that makes cats look awkward, becaue I know it embarrasses them.
Back to Tom and his article, look on the bright side. She didnt’ bring in a bunch of black & white footage of clowns from Ringling Bros. to point out the differences between clown unicyclists and the ones you see today… 
(If you’re confused by that, two things: 1. See thread on the ESPN story, 2. When Tom’s out riding he doesn’t look like his avatar)
Consider this story, of a reporter with an agenda:
In 1986 a girl from Japan, Atsuko Koga, rode her unicycle the length of Long Island. She wanted to start from Manhattan, but we talked her out of riding through the icky areas on the way out to the burbs. So she started from my house in Wantagh (also the home at the time of Ken Fuchs and Bradley Bradley). Riding acros the countryside was to her a great way to really get to see a place. Kind of the opposite of taking a bus tour to Mt. Fuji in Japan, where you only get to really see what the bus stops for.
So a reporter from Newsday came out to do a story. This turned out to be a big one, which appeared on page 2. We met Atsuko at about the halfway point on her ride, and she took us to lunch at a nice restaurant in Port Jefferson. The conversation was about unicycling, Atsuko, and the upcoming Unicon to be held on Long Island. A lot of “Why are you doing this,” the answers to which she never seemed satisfied with. The reporter kept bringing up the subject of drugs as well. For some reason she just seemed to think we must do drugs. It was three guys from the National Circus Project, who were working at a nearby school, and Atsuko. “So c’mon. Don’t you at least smoke some pot?”
Atsuko was upset afterward and cried because she didn’t understand the reporter’s incessant digging and questions we’d already answered. I guess that’s what you get if you want to be in the main section of a major newspaper. If that interview had happened to me in more recent years, I’m sure I would have given her a slightly uglier piece of my mind.
But the story came out very nice, as I recall, and was a good depiction of a foreigner traveling slowly, by unicycle, across the local landscape.
Those who can,do
Those who can’t,teach
And
Those who can’t teach, teach gym
i think buying your cat a cambodian unicycle for Xmas is even funnier
COMMENTARY LETTERS
Unicycling in Olympics
168 words
20 August 2004
Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal/Sunday News
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
Editor, New Era:
Unicycling is not yet in the Olympic Games, but there is a good possibility that it will be included as an exhibition game in the 2008 Olympics.
For now, we will be participating in the World Unicycling Championship and Convention held every two years. This year, UNICON XII was held in Japan during the last week of July and first week of August.
As a participant, I received a total of three medals, two silver and one gold. Gold for basketball, one silver for racing and a silver for the obstacle course.
As a Lancaster resident, I am very interested in letting the residents of Lancaster County know about the sport of unicycling. It is growing in popularity in Lancaster and many schools have unicycling as part of the school program.
If you are interested in this and want more information, please contact me: 290-7766 or 951-9151, or e-mail to uniciclo@aol.com.
David Ramos
Lancaster
What skill Level might this be?
All Fired Up
Farivar, Cyrus
252 words
1 September 2004
Macworld
16
Volume 21; Issue 9; ISSN: 07418647
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
POWERBOOK RUNS EXPLOSIVE ACT
During a recent performance by Circus Orange, Tom Comet was riding his 12-foot unicycle across the stage when a large flame shot out from his posterior, setting him on fire. Comet was perfectly all right-such stunts are par for die course with Circus Orange, which specializes in pyrotechnic circus performances (imagine a combination of acrobatics, juggling, and explosions). And if the Toronto-based troupe (left) has its way, a PowerBook G4 will soon be directing all that explosive mayhem.
The troupe is developing customized software for its 80OMHz laptop; the software will control flames, explosions, and fireballs, integrating them with background music and sound effects. Comet, the group’s director and co-owner, says the Mac-software combo will provide split-second control over hundreds of devices.
“Because I’m a performer and a [pyrotechnician], I’m also often one of the technicians on stage,” he adds. “It’s always been tough for me to teach someone else the nuances of the show. With this, I can completely program the show, and all I need to do is hire one technician. As long as everything is going to plan, it works.”
And even for someone who’s used to juggling just about anything-Comet holds the world record for juggling three chain saws at once-putting the PowerBook in control of Circus Orange’s performances gives him one less thing to worry about.-CYRUS FASIVAR
they don’t say “DUH!?” in Canada, do they?
A lot lower than getting it all to work consistently on a PC! 
Hey Raphael, your avatar just got a lot younger! Who was the guy on your old one? Or, if that was you, who’s the new one?
The before this one was a Walrus, goo goo g’joob. The one before that (and who will probably return eventually) was Enver Hoxha, the father of communist Albania.
This one is Paul Hamm, who Wheaties will not be putting on their box because of the controversy over his gold medal in the men’s all-around.
[Edit]: I should have said possibly because the article I read doesn’t actually say the above is the reason.
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
I thought you looked familiar. So Wheaties becomes Weenies? No, I think they are just being cautious, if anything. They already have the girl gymnast on the box apparently, and it was hard for them to tell if something might change with Paul Hamm’s medal.
It shouldn’t. Watching their problems with judging and officials made me feel a little better about the problems we had at Unicon. But some of our problems were still unacceptable for a Unicon. The stuff that was going on a the Olympics was way beyond unacceptable. As far as I have seen, the officials have yet to apologise or in any way acknowledge any wrongdoing.
The officials need to be better than the athletes. Anything less, and they are not worthy to judge them. The same is true for unicycling. I think our sport (Freestyle) will be helped by changing to a system where the judging marks are public. This way problems will show up a lot quicker.
Jugdeing rears its ugly head again.
I’d liked to have moved this from the unicycle articles thread as its didn’t seem appropriate in that thread but don’t know how.
For officials to be better than athletes wouldn’t we need a never ending merry go round of competitions … After all the athletes (riders) may be practiseing 12+ hours a week. I have my doubts about public marking, its Ok at the top where people may be only a few points apart, but how about the bottom, should we really be publicly humilliating children (and remember a lot of our best riders are only children) who get low marks, seems to me that will put them off further competition not encourage them to continue.
We also need to rember that our judges ARE volunteers, just regular convention goers like you or I, they don’t live in a removed campus, they are helping out and shouldn’t be put in a position where riders (or riders moms) start to hassle them about an indiviuals low mark.
my 2p worth.
Sarah
THE BEST REVENGE: Mike Rojas ; A personal look at living well
Siona LaFrance Health and fitness writer
379 words
2 September 2004
Times-Picayune
01
English
Copyright (c) 2004 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
Mike Rojas
39, auto mechanic
Favorite exercise: Unicycling.
Days of exercise a week: Five.
Diet do: Smoothies, wheat bread, lean meats.
Diet don’t: Carbohydrates, sugar.
Guilty pleasure: Ice cream, hamburgers.
Exercise benefits: “I lost weight, feel a whole lot better and I sleep better.”
Exercise philosophy: “I do it because I know how much better I’m going to feel.”
Staying healthy is a balancing act for Mike Rojas, who gets his exercise most days on a unicycle.
“It’s a good constant workout because you can never coast,” he said of his favorite fitness activity. “You pedal and balance the entire time.”
On his weekday rides, which cover about five miles from his home to his job at an auto dealership on Highway 190 in Covington and back, Rojas said he usually logs a few thumbs up, horn toots and “a couple of hollers” from passing motorists.
"I once had one guy call out, ‘Get a job!’ "
Rojas was 12 when he learned to ride, but hadn’t done it for some time until last year.
“I found a picture that showed me how big I was,” he said. “High blood pressure and high cholesterol run in my family, so I knew I had to work on it. It wasn’t just going to go away.”
He changed his diet, opting for more healthful choices such as fruit smoothies and grilled chicken. He bought a new unicycle on eBay and started riding every day.
“It was like riding a bike, to use the cliche,” he said. “I remembered how, but I did fall a few times and was shaky for a couple of weeks.”
He saw quick results. After four months Rojas had shed 30 pounds and significantly lowered his cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
“I’ve got my weight and health in check,” said Rojas, whose goal was to be in the best shape of his life by his 40th birthday, which is Sept. 11.
“It’s more of a maintenance thing now,” he said. “Every time I return from my ride, I am so glad that I went.”
– Siona LaFrance
STAFF PHOTO by CHUCK COOK
Health and Fitness
Why is it that in almost every article of this type, the author manages to state that it is impossible to coast on a unicycle? This is certainly not actually the case.
Although you are technically correct about coasting, the author was quoting the rider himself. As one who rides mostly for fitness and is likely unaware of the vast freestyle possibilities not to mention trials/MUni, etc, Mike, probably doesn’t know that it’s possible to coast. And in any event no one to my knowledge has reported using coasting as a regular technique for dealing with going downhill while touring or commuting.
I happen to think that the article was quite good in that it presents unicycling as an activity unto itself and one that is fun and beneficial. I’m not saying dozens of people will take it up because of the article, but it does present it in a way that associates it neither with the circus nor as an extreme sport. Just as something the average person could take up.
Cheers,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ
I happen to think differently. He seems to be doing it to work on his weight and cholesterol problem, not for fun at all:
“I do it because I know how much better I’m going to feel.”
“Every time I return from my ride, I am so glad that I went.”
Klaas Bil
(Posted directly on the forum. The gateway has been down for days now. Much longer and the 2004 statistics exercise is in peril. I emailed Gilby and posted in the Requests forum but to no avail. Grrrr.)