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High School Students Get Up for Unicycles - from the San Leandro Times, July 20, 2006.
One wheel
Life; D
Dorene Weinstein
Staff
1066 Words
21 July 2006
Argus Leader
argl
1
English
© Copyright 2006, Argus Leader. All Rights Reserved.
Lots of awards, even more fun
Five siblings share passion for unicycles and competition
BY DORENE WEINSTEIN
A hot breeze wafts through St. Mary’s school gym as five red-haired siblings, ages 6-16, file in and set up their boombox. The kids talk and twirl and giggle with each other as they warm up.
While it might be unusual to be in a roomful of siblings who interact happily, or at all, the more remarkable thing is that they do it while riding unicycles.
And the kicker is, they taught themselves how to ride. Now, the Sioux Falls home-schooled bunch are winning awards for their unicycling talent.
It all started with a little red unicycle that John McLaughlin bought for his children seven years ago from the J.C. Penney catalog. They wanted to learn how to ride. The older kids, Ann, 16, and Michael, 14, were only 9 and 7 when they checked out a book on the subject and practiced in the driveway.
They were a little nervous learning to ride, Ann says. “It’s a long way down.”
But six weeks later they could get on and off, pedal, turn and stop. Then it was on to tricks so they rented a video.
“We’d watch a trick on the tape and go out and practice it,” Michael says.
His siblings picked up the sport as they got old enough. Marie, 6, learned last year and zips around the gym with lilting arms, “dancing” to music. They used to ride on the bike trail but now spend more time in the gym practicing.
Their parents don’t ride, preferring to be the cheerleaders.
“I helped them balance when they were learning,” says their mom, Julie McLaughlin.
The hardest thing about learning how to ride is making yourself sit down, says John Drummond, a unicyclist and president of unicycle.com. from Marietta, Ga. “How quick you learn depends on how gutsy you are.”
Thigh muscles get a workout, and core muscles are used for balance. “If you go up a hill on a bike or unicycle, it’s hard on both, but going down, (while) you can rest on a bike, you can’t rest on a unicycle.”
Unicyclists have a different take on speed. “We recommend you don’t ride faster than you can run. If you have to get off quickly, you want to land on your feet,” Drummond says.
As their unicycling skills improved, the McLaughlins wanted to get more involved. Since there is no unicycling club in South Dakota, they joined the 300-member Twin Cities Unicycling Club, which urged the kids to compete.
They took the encouragement seriously.
The family has competed for two years. This year, Marie placed first in the tykes division at the North American Unicycle Championship.
All the kids scored wins in various pairs and individual divisions. Michael, 14, won the National Junior Title in his freestyle class, a prestigious win in the world of unicycling.
“Winning the junior championship is astounding. It takes an enormous amount of practice time, much like a figure skater. Everybody is in the stadium watching the ones who win freestyle,” Drummond says. It’s like winning the gold medal in the Olympics, he says.
Mark, 9, earned second in intermediate B. Jennifer, 13, and Mark placed first in pairs in intermediate B. Ann won second in intermediate A, and Jennifer got fourth in intermediate A.
Skill level determines the class, Ann says. Competitors are rated 1-10 and must perform in front of judges to be placed in a class.
The McLaughlin children practice up to five hours a day at St. Mary’s gym for several weeks leading up to a competition.
Performing on a unicycle is done to music. It’s like dancing on one wheel.
“You pick your own music and develop routines to the songs,” Ann says.
Stage presence is important. The movements must match the music because half the contestants’ score is rated on the difficulty of tricks and half on presentation or choreography. “Beauty and the Beast” and “We Are Family” are a couple of the songs the McLaughlins rode to as they demonstrated their abilities. Applause filled the air as they finished with a flourish, bow and grin.
Riding “blends the artistic and the athletic abilities,” says Ann. Some competitors even wear costumes, though the McLaughlins perform in casual clothes. They call themselves “Legally Red” for competitions.
Are sequins in the future?
“Maybe. But we’re pretty low-key,” mom Julie says.
The kids have taught a neighbor how to ride, have ridden in parades and are planning to attend the next Unicycle Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich.
They’d like to share their uni passion with fellow South Dakotans.
“We’re looking for others to participate,” Michael says.
The kids perform on 20-inch unicycles, except for Marie, who uses the little 16-inch red one that all five kids learned on. The 20-inch size is best for freestyle, Michael says.
The handle on the seat and an adjustable pole facilitate the tricks as he shows how to ride backward and do fancy turns and skids.
There’s no limit to the tricks you can do, the McLaughlins say.
They wear helmets when practicing outside, but not in competition because helmets would hide their faces and compromise their presentation, Ann says. They never wear pads. “They ruin your flexibility.”
With seven unicycles at home, Julie is surprised the activity has taken on a life of its own.
“I had no idea it would lead to this, but it is fun. It’s a good family activity. They enjoy doing it together.”
Ann agrees. “It’s a blast. It’s great exercise and a great summer activity. I love doing something with music in front of people.”
The unicycling club “pushed us to participate in competitions. They said it would be so fun, and it’s been absolutely true.”
Reach Dorene Weinstein at 331-2315.
INTERESTED?
Dust off your uni! The McLaughlins would like to start a unicycling club in Sioux Falls. They invite interested parties to e-mail them at McLaughlin28@ sio.midco.net.
ONLINE
Watch video of McLaughlin children zipping around on unicycles and find links to unicycle information and organizations at argusleader.com.
Peninsula Daily News
(North Olympic Peninsula, Washington)
Thursday, July 20, 2006, inside the front page
Seen Around
Peninsula shapshots
ON PRIEST ROAD in Sequim, “well-balanced” gentleman tooling along at a very good speed on a gas-saving unicycle…
That’s it. The blurb ended with the “…” ellipsis. The “gentleman” was me, on the 29’er.
Young unicycle rider entertains in Sergeant Bluff
JENNA JOHNSON
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Des Moines Register
July 22, 2006
Nine-year-old Drew Cooper had a view above all of the helmets of RAGBRAI participants this afternoon.
Drew, whose parents own Bikes2U and operated a booth in Sergeant Bluff, rolled around the high school parking lot atop a unicycle.
“You just have to keep your balance,” Drew explained, hopping off of the unicycle that towers about five feet. And falling only hurts if you got sideways or backwards.
Ever since Drew was a toddler, he has accompanied his parents as they follow RAGBRAI riders from town to town.
Last year was memorable because he took a tour of the Blue Bunny factory in LeMars. But this year will surely top that with biking legend Lance Armstrong making an appearance, Drew said.
Plus, this year the ride makes a stop near Drew’s home in Rock Creek.
“Then we’re going all the way to the Mississippi,” he said.
Jenna Johnson/Des Moines Register
Drew Cooper, 9, has been riding a unicycle since he was six. His parents own a bicycle shop and run a booth during RAGBRAI.
David Stone, the president and co-founder of the five-year-old New York Unicycle Club is in the Sunday July 30, Poughkeepsie Journal News Paper!
Bringing the `Muni’ to WNC; Man masters riding unicycle in the mountains
Lindsay Nash
STAFF
896 words
28 July 2006
Asheville Citizen-Times
FINAL
1
English
© Copyright 2006, Asheville Citizen-Times. All Rights Reserved.
Bringing the ‘Muni’ to WNC
Man mastersriding unicyclein the mountains
ASHEVILLE – You may have seen him pedaling through West Asheville – or more likely, on the trails through Bent Creek.
And you’d remember him, for sure. Pedaling on one wheel, with one arm flailing in the air to balance and the other gripping his seat, he definitely garners some raised eyebrows.
Adam Masters, 26, an Asheville real estate broker by day and fiddler for fun, has broken into the sport of mountain unicycling, a relatively new trend that involves riding a unicycle on mountain terrain.
“Most people think it’s crazy, but it’s really a lot of fun,” said Masters, never a stranger to the outdoors, especially since his father Bill Masters was the founder and former owner of Easley, S.C.-based Perception Kayaks, the largest and most successful kayak company in the world.
“You can do it anywhere,” Masters admits as he speeds ahead down a Bent Creek Experimental Forest single-track trail. “And it’s always an adventure.”
Original fixed gear
With no brakes and only one gear, Masters says it’s sometimes a little wobbly aboard the 15-pound mountain unicycle – often called a “Muni” by those familiar with the one-wheeled sport.
Mountain unicycles have fixed gears, which means you only go as fast as your feet will pedal, Masters said. Brakes are used by some, but generally not needed. The 26-inch knobby tire is similar to that of a mountain bike, but a bit larger.
Is it dangerous? Most curious onlookers want to know.
“It seems like the most extreme sport, but it’s really one of the safest,” he said, attributing it to how easy it is to hop off and all the pads he wears to prevent any bumps and bruises.
The real estate company owner has been mountain unicycling since December, when his brother, who lives in Santa Fe, N.M., taught him the sport that he had learned in Colorado.
Masters bought his first unicycle for about $350 and practiced by leaning up against his car, figuring out how to balance. His girlfriend, Anna Woodruff, would hold his hand,keeping him upright. He got the hang of it quickly, and before long, was commuting via unicycle to the grocery store.
“I have a regular unicycle that I like to ride around and talk on my cell phone,” he said with a laugh. “It’s an unlikely combination … I love commuting with it. It’s just a big time.”
Woodruff, 26, of Marshall, admits she questioned his attraction to unicycling.
“I was a little bit like, ‘You’re nuts. Why don’t you do something that normal people do?’” she said, jokingly. But after a few lessons in the sport, she can see why he likes it. “It’s so fun,” she said.
There are hundreds of mountain unicyclists in the world, Masters said. The sport is most popular in the West, where mountain unicyclists convene annually for the California Mountain Unicycle Weekend and for the Moab, Utah, Muni Fest.
While Masters says the sport is the next big thing, there are some who have done it for years, such as Asheville unicyclist Bill Spears. “Before it became popular, I took a unicycle and put a big knobby tire on it,” Spears, 5o, said. “When I met Adam (on the trails), he told me that this was cutting edge. I was like, oh really?’”
Now the two are trying to get the sport started up in the mountains.
“I think with the interest we’re striking up among people, it just might very well get off the ground here,” said Spears – affectionately known by Masters now as the grandfather of mountain unicycling.
“It’s a great place for it,” he said. “We’ve got all the woods in the world to go out and fool in.”
PHOTOS: John Coutlakis/ JCOUTLAKIS@CITIZEN-TIMES.COM
MOUNTAIN UNICYCLE_4.jpg. Adam Masters rides his mountain unicycle through the Bent Creek Experimental Forest. Masters, 26, is one of the few mountain unicyclists in the area, and one of a few hundred in the United States.
MOUNTAIN UNICYLE.jpg. Adam Masters rides his mountain unicycle at Bent Creek Experimental Forest, a popular place for mountain biking in Asheville.
MOUNTAIN UNICYLE_5.jpg. Adam Masters learned to mountain unicycle in December, and is officially hooked to it, he admits. A mountain unicycle, also known as a “Muni,” is a unicycle with a mountain bike wheel, used for riding on tougher terrain.
MOUNTAIN UNICYCLE_3.jpg. It may seem like an extreme sport, but mountain unicycling is considered safer than mountain biking, because it’s easier to hop off a unicycle, said Adam Masters, who learned how to ride in December.
BOX: Want to learn more about it?
Visit Adam Masters’ Web site at www.unifiddler.com to learn about mountain unicycling or visit www.unicycling.com , a popular source for mountain unicycle purchases, information, frequently asked questions and a community forum to find other mountain unicyclists.
WEB EXTRA: Visit http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/misc?URL=/templates/ArticleMultiMediaPopup.pbs&dato=20060728&lopenr=60727063&Category=SPORTS03&Params=Id=35602 to watch a video of Adam Masters mountain unicycling through the trails of Bent Creek.
Sug Hed: Asheville cyclist spreads the "Muni’ to the mountains
Me and my bother homeschool (and unicycle, doh) and we’ve taught…at least 6 othr homeschoolers we know, how to ride.
Higher Education At The Unicycle-versity
12:00 - 08 August 2006
It Was a case of clown versus gown when pupils from Dayncourt and West Bridgford Schools visited Cambridge University.
The schools’ most promising students went to a lecture on science - delivered from the top of a unicycle.
It was the highlight of a varied day for the students, who said the stunt was
“awesome”.
Jason White, assistant headteacher at Dayncourt School in Radcliffe-on-Trent said the school had developed close links with Peterhouse College in Cambridge.
He said: “The college has supported many of our sixth form students with their university applications, and events like this really help our young people focus on their future plans.”
Jono Garton, 15, of Cotgrave, said: "The best thing was seeing what a university like Cambridge is all about.
“It has made me think about moving forward and what I need to do to get to university.”
There were also sessions on engineering, particle physics, history of art and law. Pupils had lunch at “top table” - usually reserved for professors.
Sally Holt, of West Bridgford, said: “Going to Cambridge really motivated us to consider our futures and gave us a lot to think about. I particularly enjoyed the session on physics.”
The college will visit Dayncourt next school year to help post-GCSE students with their university applications.
The two schools have already booked another joint day in 2007.
So does anyone know the name this Cambridge science lecturer who the kids thought was “awesome”? And do they know they made such an impression?
They grow up so quickly… sniff… Tom’s the man… He learned to ride in 2 hours at Bishop’s… made me look bad 
Beavercreek man plans ride to aid juvenile diabetes fight ; Man plans to ride a unicycle for 17 miles of the Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes, then switch to a bicycle.
Pamela Ferris-Olson Contributing Writer
407 Words
24 August 2006
Dayton Daily News
English
Copyright © 2006 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County – Why are 22 local residents willing to pay $3,500 for a 100-mile trek in Death Valley, where the temperature can be more than a 100 degrees? It’s because they know that others have no choice.
“What keeps them going is that they realize that kids with diabetes cope with the disease 24/7. They can’t give up,” said Karen Myers, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Dayton chapter.
The Dayton organization began its participation in the annual Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes bicycle ride eight years ago.
The 104-mile roundtrip includes a seven-mile hill climb with a 4 percent grade. It’s a challenge for many riders, especially for Daniel Feldkamp, who plans to ride his unicycle for 17 miles and his bicycle for the remainder.
Feldkamp, 40, a resident of Beavercreek and co-owner of Visual Edge Imaging Studio, has ridden a unicycle since he was 11 years old.
“The distance is the biggest challenge for the unicycle – there is no coasting with a unicycle,” Feldkamp said. “Whether uphill or downhill there is always resistance and a much more difficult task.”
Feldkamp rides for Lexi Klepek, a cousin, and Ian Hibner, the child of a good friend.
Myers said the local JDRF chapter raises $100,000 from the ride. Each participant is required to raise $3,500. In return bikers receive air fare, lodging and meals during the trip, a trainer/ coach to prepare for the ride and the satisfaction of the ride and its contribution toward finding a cure. No one is required to complete the route.
Myers said participants don’t have to be athletes. She points to the 76-year-old widow of Bengal’s past owner Paul Brown who does the Ride to Cure Diabetes annually.
“When she passes you on the hill, you feel you can step it up,” Myers said.
To join the ride or donating to the JDRF, call Myers at (937) 439- 2873 or go to www.jdrf.org .
Wheel keeps a-turnin’: City native sets unicycle record
By Rusty Marks, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.
McClatchy-Tribune Business News
366 Words
1 September 2006
The Charleston Gazette (KRTBN)
English
Copyright © 2006 KRTBN Knight Ridder Tribune Business News
Sep. 1–It looks like he did it. On Tuesday, Harvard divinity student and Charleston native Zach Warren apparently set two new Guinness world records while riding a unicycle in the chilly morning air of Fargo, N.D. While Guinness officials must still confirm the results, it appears Warren beat the official record for the fastest mile while riding a unicycle. He also seems to have set a new record for the fastest mile on a unicycle while juggling. Warren, 24, is an accomplished juggler and unicyclist. Riding a unicycle with a 42-inch wheel, he completed the mile in just over three minutes and 26 seconds, for a speed of 17.45 mph, and finished the feat while juggling in just under four minutes, with a speed of 15.61 mph. Slightly tired but pleased, Warren said Tuesday afternoon that the feat went off with nary a hitch. “The weather was perfect,” he said, with a light breeze of about 6 mph. Warren said he needed little or no wind and flat roads to make the attempt.
It was a little chilly, though, with temperatures in the upper 40s. Warren had tried to break the old record of 14.27 mph in April. He was several minutes ahead of the record speed when his unicycle broke. Warren, who is studying to become an Episcopal priest, already holds a Guinness speed record for running the Boston Marathon while juggling, which he did in just under three hours. Warren’s efforts are to raise money and awareness for the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children, a group of about 50 children that travels the war-torn country. Performing in the circus is both therapeutic for the children involved and inspirational to children and others who watch them. Warren, the son of son of Dr. Stafford Warren of Charleston, spent two months in Afghanistan last year teaching with the circus.
Cyclist Mike so single minded
Sport
By Emma Cullwick
259 Words
7 September 2006
Birmingham Mail
English
© 2006 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd
WORCESTER: One-wheel challenge
A TEENAGER hopes to clock up cash for seriously ill people in Worcestershire by pedalling 50 miles - on a unicycle.
Mike Gallagher hopes his wacky fund-raising will help St Richard’s Hospice, which provides care for those living with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
The intrepid 19-year-old plans to pedal from Barbourne Terrace in Worcester, towards Tenbury Wells and back, taking in Martley, Great Witley, Abberley, Eastham, Clifton-On-Teme, Holt Heath and Ombersley.
He will embark on his epic journey on September 16 and expects to finish in around eight hours.
Mike, an Aberystwyth University student, said: "The ride will be a real challenge as it will be the furthest I will have ever ridden on the unicycle. I would imagine it will take me around six hours.
Mike’s unicycle will be fitted with a computer mounted on the seat-post to help him know when he has reached his 50-mile target.
St Richard’s Hospice’s Alison Weston said: "We have people raising money for the hospice in all sorts of ways but Mike’s unicycle ride is a first for us.
“We wish him all the best and look forward to his safe return.”
The charity is based at Rose Hill, in Worcester, but has raised millions of pounds to fund a new hospice in the Spetchley area of the city.
Sponsor Mike on www.just giving.com/unicycle, mig5@aber.ac.uk or 01905 831188.
104 miles at 100 degrees too easy ; Man plans to ride a unicycle for 17 miles of the Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes, then switch to a bicycle.
Greene County
Pamela Ferris-Olson Contributing Writer
498 Words
7 September 2006
Dayton Daily News
English
Copyright © 2006 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON TWP., Montgomery County – Why are 22 local residents willing to pay $3,500 for a 100-mile trek in Death Valley, where the temperature can be more than a 100 degrees? It’s because they know that others have no choice.
“What keeps them going is that they realize that kids with diabetes cope with the disease 24/7. They can’t give up,” said Karen Myers, executive director of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Dayton chapter.
The Dayton organization began its participation in the annual Death Valley Ride to Cure Diabetes bicycle ride eight years ago.
The 104-mile roundtrip includes a seven-mile hill climb with a 4 percent grade.
It’s a challenge for many riders, especially for Daniel Feldkamp, who plans to ride his unicycle for 17 miles and his bicycle for the remainder.
Feldkamp, 40, a resident of Beavercreek and co-owner of Visual Edge Imaging Studio, has ridden a unicycle since he was 11 years old.
“The distance is the biggest challenge for the unicycle – there is no coasting with a unicycle,” Feldkamp said.
“Whether uphill or downhill there is always resistance and a much more difficult task.”
Feldkamp rides for Lexi Klepek, a cousin, and Ian Hibner, the child of a good friend.
Myers said the local JDRF chapter raises $100,000 from the ride. Each participant is required to raise $3,500.
In return, bikers receive air fare, lodging and meals during the trip, a trainer/coach to prepare for the ride and the satisfaction of the ride and its contribution toward finding a cure.
No one is required to complete the route.
Myers said participants don’t have to be athletes.
She points to the 76-year-old widow of Bengals past owner Paul Brown who does the Ride to Cure Diabetes annually.
“When she passes you on the hill, you feel you can step it up,” Myers said.
Myers has participated in the Death Valley ride for four years; her husband, Bob, has ridden five years.
Among the many reasons they ride is their son Kevin.
Feldkamp is probably the first to do the Ride to Cure Diabetes on a unicycle.
“I wanted to take the challenge one step further and create awareness for the event and all the people who need help with this growing disease,” Feldkamp said.
To join the ride or donate to the JDRF, call Myers at (937) 439- 2873 or visit www.jdrf.org .
How Papale got wheel in motion; The Eagle’s presence three decades ago inspired a Pitman middle schooler to put his own spin on a fund-raising ride.
SOUTH JERSEY EDITORIAL
By Barbara Stavetski
740 Words
14 September 2006
The Philadelphia Inquirer
English
© Copyright 2006, The Philadelphia Inquirer. All Rights Reserved.
I like sports movies. Breaking Away . Rudy . Hoosiers . The other day I went to see Invincible , about Vince Papale, the teacher and bartender who had an improbable career as a Philadelphia Eagle.
My daughter says you can sum up these movies in two words: “Underdogs win.” But what’s not to like? Especially when the underdog is likable?
And Papale apparently is.
Since Invincible came out, stories from people who have had encounters with Papale have cropped up.
Their stories have a common thread: that he is a good guy not just for overcoming great odds to succeed but also for being a man who gives back to the community - and inspires others to do the same.
Count my brother, Larry, among those he has inspired. It was long ago, but we still have a newspaper clipping as a reminder.
It was 1978 and the Jaycees of Gloucester County were sponsoring their annual bike-athon to raise money for mentally challenged citizens. Papale was honorary chairman.
He visited Pitman Middle School to encourage students to participate. My brother, a seventh grader, heard Papale’s message and signed up. But rather than ride his bike, he thought he would try something different - ride the route on his unicycle.
My brother and I had gotten unicycles as gifts one Christmas and spent weeks practicing in the street in front of our house. After hours of bone-crunching falls, we mastered our one-wheel vehicles and could tool around the neighborhood, balance in the kitchen while our mom made dinner, and take trash cans out to the street between us.
A reporter from the local newspaper learned about Larry’s plan and thought it was cool. A photographer was dispatched to the middle school.
In the photo, Papale is standing with a teacher, four student council officers, and my brother, who is easy to identify: He’s the one holding the unicycle.
The bike-athon’s seven-mile loop ran through Pitman and Glassboro. My brother set a goal of three loops. He signed up lots of high-paying sponsors, people who agreed to pay a certain amount for each mile he rode. Most didn’t think that he’d complete 21 miles.
The bike-athon started at 9 a.m. Papale was there to cycle the first loop with the riders. My brother waited at the back of the pack - way back.
After everyone on two wheels had spun away, my brother balanced carefully on his one wheel and started pedaling.
It was hard going. The route wasn’t level. On a regular bike, you can coast to give your legs a rest. On a regular bike, you can stand up to give your you-know-what a rest. Not on a unicycle. You can’t do any of these things. It’s one speed only, and you’ve got to keep pedaling or you fall over.
It took my brother forever to travel from one checkpoint to the next. I was part of his support team. My mother drove the loop in our canary-yellow station wagon.
My job was to spot my brother. That wasn’t too hard. We would pull over and give him food and water, while my mom inquired about his muscle pain.
By the time he had finished the first loop, my brother was in serious pain.
It didn’t help that every time we lapped him we asked, “Is this as far as you’ve gotten?” People also kept yelling to him, “Hey, kid, you lost a wheel.” After you hear that 100 times, it isn’t funny.
By the end of the second loop, the pain had doubled. My brother was sunburned, sore, thirsty and cranky. But he wasn’t a quitter. He gritted his teeth and kept going, mile after mile. For him, this would be a single tough day. Just one. The people he was helping would live with their situation for a lifetime.
He finished 21 miles and hobbled to the officials’ table to record his final mileage.
Papale was gone by then, but had he been there, I guess he might have told my brother he was invincible.
Barbara Stavetski, of Haddonfield, is a freelance writer.
Saddling up for unicycle challenge
297 Words
13 September 2006
Bath Chronicle
English
© 2006 Bath Newspapers Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
Two friends have signed up for a charity event which will finish in Bath.
Richard Granville and Ross Grimmett aim to ride the length of the Bristol to Bath railway path - on unicycles.
The keen mountain bikers came up with the wacky idea after Ross, 26, found himself the owner of a unicycle.
Ross, who works at the Mud Dock cycleworks in Bristol, was sent to a house where someone was looking to get rid of bits and pieces, including the single-wheeled machine.
When he got it home, the pair started playing around and learning how to use it. They then decided they would try to complete the 13-mile path.
And to make the challenge even more worthwhile they will be raising money for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society at the same time, because they have friends with the condition.
Richard has now bought himself a new unicycle, and their adventure has attracted other unicyclists of various experience from around the country for the ride on Sunday, October 22.
“It took us about two-and-a-half weeks to go more than four metres on it,” said Richard, 27.
“Since then we have had quite a bit of practice, and can do about three miles. The cyclepath is going to be hard.”
The friends, from Westbury Park in Bristol, have set up a fundraising website, and have already raised £300 for the MS Society.
“Lots of people think we are totally crazy,” said Richard, a software engineer. "You get a lot of funny comments when you are riding around on a unicycle. The other day some kid said ‘that man’s bike’s broken’.
Find out more about the event at www.bristoltobathonaunicycle.co.uk .
Backstory: The mismatched ‘Mythbusters’
Backstory: The mismatched ‘Mythbusters’
An Oscar and Felix with a welder’s torch, this duo tests the veracity of pervasive myths.
By Carolyn Abate | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
SAN FRANCISCO – In a small warehouse here, two men stand behind a Plexiglas shield, waiting for a disposable lighter to burst into flames. A golf club attached to a pneumatic arm swings down at 85 miles per hour and slams into a piece of wood where the lighter is perched. With a loud snap, the wood and lighter fly across the room and hit a wall.
“The whole thing jumped - did it hit the lighter at all?” asks the redhead.
The other man bends down and discovers a crack at the base of the arm, anchored by sandbags. “I guess it needs more weight,” he says.
The two men are not pyrotechnic experts, nor are they pyromaniacs. They are Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, the game and affable hosts of the cable television hit “Mythbusters.”
Since its premièr in October 2003 on the Discovery Channel, “Mythbusters” has taken on urban legends and modern-day tall tales that keep us up at night: Does a rolling stone gather moss? Can a penny dropped from the Empire State Building kill a person? Will water stop a bullet? Today, they are testing a yarn that has swirled around caddyshacks for years: that a butane lighter will explode when teed up and struck by anyone other than Tiger Woods.
Each week, Messrs. Hyneman and Savage conduct experiments to determine whether a given myth can be busted, confirmed, or deemed plausible. Viewers around the world now sleep soundly, knowing a rolling stone does gather moss but can’t grow it, air resistance prevents a penny thrown from the Empire State Building from becoming a deadly weapon, and, yes, water will stop a bullet. In the process, the duo may have cleared up one other phantasm: how two men - one a teenage runaway, the other a gregarious former magician and unicyclist - got their own TV show and became minicelebrities.
Hosting a TV show was the last thing on Hyneman’s mind when he got a call to audition from executive producer Peter Rees. Mr. Rees had remembered meeting Hyneman on another TV series, “Robot Wars.” Hyneman asked if he could bring along Savage. Three weeks after sending in a demo tape, they began filming in San Francisco.
“The host criteria was the total opposite of the normal television host,” Rees says. “We wanted someone who had a shop … someone who could build anything we wanted, but we didn’t want a scientist.”
It was a match. What Hyneman and Savage lack in formal scientific discipline they make up for in determination, wit, and instinct. Best of all, they possess a combined 30-year career in special effects. Their work can be seen in dozens of movies ranging from “Anaconda” to “Gremlins” to the “Star Wars” and “Matrix” trilogies.
Like special effects, myth busting is all about “contingency planning,” Savage says, which suits him just fine. As a kid, he taught himself to perform magic, juggle, and ride a unicycle, among other talents. He began building toys at age 5. His father was a painter and occasionally created animated segments for “Sesame Street,” so the arts played a big role in the Savage household.
“Anything I wanted to try, I could try,” says the carrot-topped Savage.
And try he did. He worked stints as an animator, graphic designer, set designer, and actor before settling into special effects.
Hyneman grew up on an apple orchard in Columbus, Ind. “We didn’t have any neighbors for miles, so we were left to our own resources,” he says. Being resourceful came in handy when Hyneman was about 14. He ran away from home for six months after his parents threatened to send him to reform school because of “unruly behavior.” The adventure ended in California, where Hyneman spent a few days in juvenile detention until his parents brought him home. He later owned a pet store and operated a boat-charter business in the Caribbean.
Eventually, Hyneman decided to try special effects because it seemed a lot like sculpting - one of his passions - but less static. Today he owns M5 Industries, a special-effects shop, where he and Savage build their experiments. Hyneman has a degree in Russian literature and looks like a character in a Tolstoy novel, with his walrus mustache, rimless glasses, and black beret.
Since its inception, Mythbusters has slowly built a cultlike fan base that includes everyone from 8-year-olds to bomb experts to grandmothers. Starting its fifth season in January, the show is now broadcast on four continents. To producers, the show’s popularity stems in part from its participatory ethos. Roughly 30 percent of the myths tested come from viewer suggestions. “The show is really about involving people in the process,” says Rees.
Yet viewers are clearly attracted by the engineering feats and curiosity about the myths. Lisa LaVigne, a computer technician in Detroit, was channel-surfing one day in 2004. She stumbled on a “Mythbusters” marathon and watched for nine hours. “It made me use my brain,” she says. “It made me want to look stuff up, which is rare nowadays for TV.”
The antics of the two hosts also give the show a certain frivolity. “It’s the kind of things 13-year-old boys would do,” says Jay Mechling, a history professor at the University of California, Davis.
Despite their budding fame, Hyneman and Savage live somewhat anonymously in San Francisco. The two admit that being recognized is fun, but it did take time to adjust. “I’ve had people go ‘hey!’ and I turn around and they just stare,” Savage says. “They have nothing else to say.”
It took Hyneman a of couple years to feel comfortable talking in front of a camera, let alone to strangers on the street. “You have to remember that I’m a guy who is happiest in a dark room just thinking,” he says. “I’m not a sociable person. I don’t like to talk.”
Savage, on the other hand, is outgoing. They’re clearly the Oscar and Felix of myth busting. “The two are diametrically opposed in every aspect of their lives,” says Rees. “Jamie is all about total, complete, and utter control. Thinking first and then acting. Adam is about acting first and then thinking.”
Without prodding, the two own up to their differences right away. While definitely not dinner companions after hours, the two respect each other on the job. “I wouldn’t spend five minutes with Adam outside work if I didn’t have to,” says Hyneman. “But yet I feel somewhat displaced without him in the workplace … destroying my tools and leaving messes everywhere he goes.”
The task today is to get the disposable lighter to burst into flames. They try again. Nothing. A high-speed playback machine shows the lighter shattering and the butane spilling out. Undeterred, the duo devises a new plan. “If we actually knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be any fun to watch,” Hyneman says later. “But we usually get on top of things quickly enough.”
Both men say the biggest perk about doing the show is what they learn along the way. Hyneman calls it “incredible.”
Not bad for a couple of guys duking it out with a disposable lighter. Watch this January to find out whether it ignites.
Teenage unicyclists turn heads on ride to school - Balancing act!
ELISSA LAWRENCE
389 Words
17 September 2006
Sunday Mail, The
English
Copyright 2006 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved
SCHOOLBOY Dan Heggie dreams of being Queensland’s big wheel.
The 13-year-old from Ascot in Brisbane is used to making a grand entrance, riding into school on a unicycle.
Dan has been riding unicycles for about five years and says he is “obsessed” by the sport.
His friend Alex Villegas, 13, of Hamilton, has also taken up the hobby and the two cause quite a stir as they cycle a couple of kilometres to and from Kedron High School. They go part of the way by train.
Dan, also a proficient juggler, said he held big hopes of becoming a professional unicyclist.
“Some people think I’m a bit crazy but I just tell them it’s a love of unicycling,” he said. "It’s so much fun to ride and there are so many styles of riding and tricks you can do. “When people see me on the unicycle they usually start singing a circus song. I am actually quite interested in being in a circus professionally. I would like to get sponsored and make a DVD.”
Dan’s father Phil Heggie, a former airline pilot, kicked off his son’s love of the unicycle when he bought one back from Singapore as a joke.
Dan, who now owns four unicycles, said he and Alex regularly worked as buskers on their unicycles near Eagle Farm Racecourse. The boys will compete in an inaugural unicycling competition in Brisbane this month.
Unicycle retailer and competition organiser Gary Land said the sport was booming. He expects about 100 unicyclists to take part in the competition, which has $1500 worth of prizes up for grabs and will feature unicycle hockey and basketball. “People are taking the sport seriously,” Mr Land said. "Nobody envisaged what tricks riders are capable of doing on their unicycles. The sport is definitely gaining momentum.
“In the past, the unicycle was just associated with clowning but that image has gone. Now people are seeing the tricks and the skill involved in riding. In Brisbane, on any given weekend, there are about 30 unicyclists out and about.”
The unicycling competition on September 30 and October 1 is at Payne Rd, The Gap.
Quirky kickers are still part of the team
Maggie Thach
By Maggie Thach The Salt Lake Tribune
604 Words
16 September 2006
The Salt Lake Tribune
Copyright © 2006 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
When Justin Sorensen, the kicker at Bingham High, can’t get a ride to practice, he rides his unicycle. Sometimes, he’ll put his equipment on a rack he hooks onto the unicycle.
What was the reaction when the Miners saw him on the unicycle for the first time?
"My teammates said, ‘Oh, he’s just a kicker.’ " Sorensen said. “Kickers kind of have a reputation for being weird.”
Bingham coach Dave Peck agrees. It takes a different kind of athlete to be a successful kicker.
“They’re kind of weird ducks,” Peck said. “There’s more pressure on the kicker than any kid on the field. All of a sudden, the game could be on his shoulders. Kickers better be kids that are used to competing or they’ll have a hard time coming through for you.”
Sorensen is not like his teammates. He says he’s less serious and he jokes around a lot because that’s how he keeps from dwelling on past mistakes. That’s what he tries to tell his backup, Brandon Fonda.
Sorensen and Fonda, along with sophomore kicker Grant Walton and freshman Braden Loveless, spend more time with each other than anyone else on the team.
They start practice with the whole group, but devote most of the time kicking on their own. They will go with their kicking coach, Scott Jorgensen, to the main field while the rest of the team remains on the practice field.
Jorgensen has them kick 45-60 balls a day, at different angles and different distances.
See KICKERS, D8
They’ll practice kickoffs twice a week and do some punting work after that. On top of their individual practices, they’ll also study film for two to three hours. They watch how the opposing team returns a kickoff and try to determine who not to kick the ball to.
Because of the kickers’ isolation, Peck tries harder to include them in other ways.
“In the offseason, those kids are with us. They lift just as hard and for sure are considered a part of the team,” Peck said. “They have their own practice, but I’ll have them come back and finish with us.”
Other coaches say they have to make more of an effort to make their kickers feel just as included as the rest of their teammates.
“You bet, we have to really work at it to try to include them, because they do a lot of stuff on their own,” said Brighton coach Ryan Bullet. “I think the biggest thing with those guys is their mental makeup. If you’re all over them, they’re probably not going to succeed.”
Sorensen definitely has a different mentality than other football players. He says he doesn’t try to be tough. He tries to be laid back, and he tries to have a short memory.
It seems to be working. For the season, Sorensen has kicked 21 of 24 kickoffs into the end zone. He is 14-for-19 on PATs.
Come game time, Sorensen becomes more focused, but his off-field activity keeps him from taking football too seriously. He has Fonda riding a unicycle, too.
“Riding a unicycle, it takes the stress off because I can laugh about it anytime,” Sorensen said. “To be a good kicker, I think you kind of have to be more relaxed. You kind of have to joke around more and take things less seriously to take the stress off your mind.”
One-wheeled wonders
John Jascoll
493 Words
20 September 2006
Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal/Sunday News
English
Copyright © 2006 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved.
Unicyclists to roll into Leola
You may be excused for thinking the circus has come to town if you are in the vicinity of Leola Elementary the afternoon of Oct. 22.
That’s when unicyclists from all over Lancaster County will meet for the fourth annual Unicycle Tour de Leola. The event is expected to attract 40 to 50 riders of all ages and is being sponsored by a local group of one-wheeled balancing enthusiasts who call themselves the CLUB (County of Lancaster Unicycle Balancers).
CLUB devotees Lloyd and Jane Martin recently told the Upper Leacock supervisors the tour will begin and end at Leola Elementary on School Lane.
Riders will have a choice of following two routes. One will be a short 2!-W-mile ride through the Maples development, and the other will be a longer 41/2-mile ride through the neighboring streets.
“We’d like to keep the younger, less experienced ones in the Maples,” Lloyd said. “For those that want to ride a longer distance with a bigger unicycle, we wanted to offer something a little more challenging.”
Besides the tour, there will be an obstacle course as well as unicycle games and activities in the school parking lot.
Lloyd said certificates will be awarded to the oldest and youngest riders and to “The Most Unique Unicycle,” although the event is really just for fun.
In an interview outside the Sept. 7 supervisors meeting, Lloyd said the CLUB is made up of a group of riders who have been trained in the balancing art of unicycling by the gym teachers at Leola Elementary School over the past 16 years.
The CLUB meets on Thursday evenings at Lutheran Church on Quarry Road, where as many as 25 youngsters practice their balancing skills and train for competitions.
Lloyd said there’s tremendous interest in unicycling throughout the U.S. with national championships.
Lloyd said although it looks difficult, anyone can learn to master a unicycle,
“Any age can tackle it if you want to,” he said. He took it up himself when his three sons Jeremiah, Jonathan and Joshua learned how to ride and his wife, Jane, became a “unicycle-mom.” He said, “It’s a real family activity.”
When asked to describe the attraction of unicycling Lloyd replied, “It’s something different. It’s not something you see every day. There are a lot of things you can do on a unicycle that you can’t do on a bicycle - different tricks and stunts. You get out of it as much as you put into it.”
The Unicycle Tour de Leola will held at 1:15 p.m. Oct. 22. The rain date is Oct. 29. Entrants should arrive by 1 p.m. if they haven’t preregistered.
There is no entry fee. For more details call Patty Watson at 656- 9702, Ruth Morgan at 656-0729 or Jane Martin at 656-8530.