I was honored to be interviewed recently for the French Uni Magazine, “Le Girafon”. Francois Wurmser wrote the article, which was translated to English by uni forum Member known as, jaco_flans. Thanks Jakob and Francois!
These are links to the magazine:
http://monocycle.info/girafon/index.html
http://girafon.xserver-x.org/
“Le Girafon Federe”
Unicycle Magazine
October, 2011
Terry Peterson interview
By Francois Wurmser
(English translation courtesy of Jakob Flansberry)
Terry Peterson. Isn’t it a familiar name? A little bit earlier this year, Unicycle.com did a survey on its website…“Who is your favorite unicycle personality?” First place was Kris Holm, no surprise there. Second place, Terry Peterson. We wanted to know a little bit more about this atypical personality of the unicycle world, hyper active on the virtual community, pet of the American medias and however mostly a solo unicyclist.
You are well known by the unicyclists on the other side of the Atlantic; however, the French unicyclists don’t know you. Can you introduce yourself?
TP: My name is Terry Peterson, a.k.a. “Unigeezer”, my motto is “Not 2 tired”. On the international unicyclist forum my username is “MuniAddict”. I’ve been a member of the forum for about 5 years now, and I consider the unicycling community like an extension of my family! I’m 55 years old and do extreme unicycling (56 in January 2012). I love MUni, long distance on my 36”, Trials and now, I’m trying to learn flatland, ha-ha! Yes I started a little bit late, but my way to see it, I’m just getting started!
What do you do for a living?
TP: I am a piano tuner. I tune, repair and restore pianos, and love it. I started my business in 2000. Earlier, I used to be a DJ in nightclubs and on radio. For several years before that, I also performed as a humorist and a professional ventriloquist. I still like the scene, but now it’s just for fun.
How did you get into unicycling?
TP: I learned to ride at the age of 11, in 1967. Like most kids, I learned really fast, after 2 weeks I could ride one footed, backwards, idle and drop curbs. After a year, I stopped and went on to other things, like kids normally do. Forty years later I decided to take it up again, in December 2005. I had been getting a tad “pudgy” (34 inches waist size) and I wanted to get fit again. I thought about biking, swimming and running but it all looked boring. While surfing the internet, I landed on unicycle.com and ordered my first “MUni”, and It was the best decision of my life! In 6 months I lost 11kg of fat, and I went back to 29 inches waist size! I also meet and rode with Kris Holm and many other awesome riders from all over the world!
”Unigeezer”, “Not 2 tired”. Your nickname and your motto are related to your age. Extreme sports are mostly related to youth. Is it an objective for you to show that difference, or is it a lifestyle you want to promote?
TP: For me, unicycling is a part of me that is ingrained in my soul! I love it and I live it everyday. Even though I didn’t start extreme unicycling until the age of 50, I am living proof that age is only a number, and if you want it, you can have it, if you’re willing to pay the price. And I’m proud to be an ambassador for our awesome sport, and remember that it’s a great way to get and stay fit, while having a blast!
In a lot of your videos the scenery is amazing. Where do you ride?
Do you travel a lot to unicycle?
TP: Most of my rides, whether it’s MUni, 36er, Trials or now Flatland are all around my local area. I live in the city of Lomita, in Southern California, a little suburb in Los Angeles county. It’s really close to the seaside resorts, where I do most of my 36er rides. On the weekends, I go a little bit farther to ride my favorite trails. I went in Moab for the Munifest, also to Nevada for a Muni Weekend. My favorite trails are located in Santa Barbara, San Diego and Pine Valley in the south of California. One day, I would like to go in Whistler (north of Vancouver, west coast of Canada), to ride with Kris Holm on his favorite trails.
Last July, you added your name to a small group of riders who have completed a Century, 100 miles in one day. Can you tell us about your experience?
TP: My century is one of the rides I’m the most proud of. I really wanted to ride for a good cause; I decided to ride for the American Cancer Society. I was lucky to have some good publicity for the event, especially on TV and the local newspapers. One of my sponsors, Twins Bike Shop, helped me a lot to promote the event. I trained a lot before my 100 mile ride, and I felt that I was ready, and could do it! It took me about 11 hours total, and 10 hours on the unicycle. I had some aches and pains afterwards, but it was worth it. And it made a lot of money for the association.
You seem to like making movies, and talk about the sport. How did you become such an ambassador of the sport?
TP: I didn’t plan on becoming an ambassador of the sport, but I am really happy and proud to promote it. I’ve had the good luck to be in books, magazines, on the radio, TV, documentaries, newspapers, ect. All this to tell the rest of the world: unicycling (and its extreme variations) is a real sport, it deserves its place, and it will last! And I really love making videos as well, and appreciate all the positive feedback and support I’ve received in the last five years. If I can inspire people to unicycle, whatever their age, it’s so worth it.
What do you think about the actual development of our sport?
TP: I think that extreme unicycling is still in its infancy, much like skateboarding was in the early 70s. But unicycling is starting to get very visible, and more and more people are seeing it on Youtube and the internet in general; a HUGE advantage that skateboarding didn’t have when it started. I’m really enthusiastic by the progress of our sport, and the people, young and older, getting into unicycling.
How do you see your future in the unicycling world?
TP: I see it continuing to evolve and gaining world-wide acceptance as the legitimate sport that it is. Unicycling has made a big step forward since the old basic and cheap unicycles I used to ride back in the 1960s! And with Kris Holm on the leading edge of technology, the quality keeps getting better; it lets those of us who push the limits have the confidence that our unis will hold up under the most extreme conditions.
Have you ever participated in a competition unicycle? Would you participate in a NAUCC (American Cup)
a UNICON? Also, would you participate in a Unitour?
TP: Unfortunately, my life-long aversion to flying has prevented me from traveling to many places and events. And with ADHD, (Attention Deficit Hyper activity Disorder) I really do not have the patience to drive more than a hundred miles (160km). But I’d love to participate in these events, not just to ride, but especially to meet so many exceptional unicyclists, who have a shared passion for unicycling. Recently, I attended the “Spring Challenge”, an event in Southern California. There were eight of us on Munis, mostly 29ers, but not having that size at that time, I rode my 36er in “MUni mode”.
You said you wanted to learn flat, trials and street. All your usual disciplines are not really related to those. Why did you want to try learning flat? Have you ever been tempted to try freestyle, or street? What is your favorite type of riding?
TP: I never tried freestyle, other than spinning in a tight circle, but I did a lot of street-type riding on my 24", including stair sets, with a personal rolling hop record of eight stairs. I suppose one of my motivations to try flat is to become the oldest to do it, haha. The main reason though, is that it adds a nice challenge for me, and I really think I can do it!
Stupid question … more one becomes older, it becomes difficult to recover possible after injury. When you look at your videos, we have not feel that it hinders you. Is there apprehension for you? Do it sometimes keep you from attempting what it is you want to achieve?
TP: Although the thought of getting injured is still present, I try not to let it interfere. I try to visualize what I want to do, and I seem to know my limits. I’m still learning and progressing since starting again back in December, 2005, both in my abilities to ride, and physically. I have never been more fit in my life, and I owe it all to unicycling!
Do you ride mostly alone, have clubs in your local area, or simply
get together for informal group rides?
TP: I ride solo about 98% of the time. Not that I don’t like riding
with others, but since my business allows me to set my own schedule, I have the chance to ride almost every day, at a moment’s notice. Most other unicyclists don’t have this luxury, having such obligations as family, work constraints, etc. In addition, most of them live more than 70km from my area, so it’s not so easy to arrange group rides on a regular basis. But I still enjoy riding solo as well. It gives me time to get in the “zone” and work on lines and sections of a trail, and work the technique. I enjoy taking my time, and with all that I film, I would end up slowing down other riders, which I wouldn’t want to do.
For me, life is very similar to Muni, it’s not about avoiding the obstacles, but confronting them head on and overcoming them! As I missed almost 40 years unicycling, starting over again at age 50, I have a lot of catching up to do! My goal is to still be riding well into my 80’s!
Find Terry on www.unigeezer.com and on youtube
(Ttt8699) and facebook (Terry Roy Peterson).
