unicycle awareness

General
1

Grrr…
i rode my unicycle to school today for the first time. It was okay in the morning, but after school there was all these people chasing me and honking at me. I really didn’t know what to make of it. It has happened to me, but in one ride, i got about 15-20 comments and 6 loud honks, three of which were acompanied with swearing and the people tryed to run me off the road (2-3 inches from hiting me) :frowning: i d’ont know what’s wrong with people. also, they’re saying that i must me in the circus, and that i’m wasting how smart i am :stuck_out_tongue: . just because they’re all retarded doesn’t mean i’m in the circus. it’s like as soon as the word unicycle somes out of my mouth (or they see me) they think circus. I hope, one day, unicycling will be as common as practised as biking!

Well, in short, i think there should be some either movies or entire tv shows devoted to promothing unicycle awareness. People just d’ont know what to make of it, so they make fun of it. it’s as extreme (i say more) than skateboarding, that isn’t made fun of. I think also i should go in the talent show my school is having, and show them what is possible, but i really d’ont like showing off (plus i want to take that day off for uniing :D)

If only there were others in my school who unied (i’ve taught one and i’m teaching another, but the one that knows how, now isn’t my freind)

I should beat on all these kids.

-Ryan

2

Re: unicycle awareness

m_extreme_uni wrote:
>
> Grrr…

> Well, in short, i think there should be some either movies or entire tv
> shows devoted to promothing unicycle awareness.

It’s unfortunate that younger people can be so rude. I think if you
start riding regularly to school people will remember you and quit
hassling you. I also think people will to take an interest in your
unicycling and start to ask you questions rather than try to run you
down.

Keep you chin up!

Cheers,

Jason

3

yes. I ride my uni to school every day that is above the freezing mark on my thermometer, and some days that arent. hee hee. I’ve been uniing to school for about a year now and people still watch and stare, and they make comments, but for the most part its the older people that make me mad. little kids are just ignorant. But older kids being that stupid is not right.

Just keep at it and theyll start to bother you less and less, at least thats what i have experienced.

Also, if they are making fun of you and crap, do a cool trick or something. I did that today. Works like a charm.

And dont let stupid, ignorant, annoying people get to you.

4

Ryan, you have every reason to be frustrated and angry at the treatment you’ve received. You should, however, try as much as possible to not let this crappy treatment fuel your own anger and rage. Lashing out at those who belittle you will serve no purpose other than to create more anger and hard feelings.

The fact is that is not unicycling that needs more exposure, but the idea that each person has something about them that makes them different. Believe me, most of the kids making fun of you have some little thing that they like to do that is different, but that perhaps they keep hidden away.

In the meantime I agree with Jason. Unicycle as much as you can and soon you’ll be left alone and no longer seem such an oddity.

But keep on riding and have your fun no matter what others may say or do.

Have fun!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

5

This is not one of my own, but it is a good rule to live by:

Never underestimate the power of human stupidity. It is the single greatest force in the universe.

6

Re: unicycle awareness

I had a lot of trouble with people buggin me but two things helped out a
lot:

  1. Find a better place to ride - if people bug you somewhere … (yeah it
    sucks) but find another place to ride. somewhere where you wont be around
    these people. I ride the local university. only one cop on campus have given
    me trouble in the 4 years riding there. and ive never had a student bug me.
    its all positive.

  2. Get a coker - after getting my coker and flying past people at 10-15mph,
    they tend to gain more respect. also when you are on a small wheel and
    moving 2-5 mph, you are not able to get away from trouble as easily

just my 2 cents

-chris

“Jason” <nospam@nospam.no.no.no> wrote in message
news:3DFA675D.D88FFAF3@nospam.no.no.no…
> m_extreme_uni wrote:
> >
> > Grrr…
>
> > Well, in short, i think there should be some either movies or entire tv
> > shows devoted to promothing unicycle awareness.
>
> It’s unfortunate that younger people can be so rude. I think if you
> start riding regularly to school people will remember you and quit
> hassling you. I also think people will to take an interest in your
> unicycling and start to ask you questions rather than try to run you
> down.
>
> Keep you chin up!
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jason

7

Do not underestimate the stupidity of teens in cars. If they are students and are trying to run you off the road at or near the school then let the principal know. Teens in cars trying to run you off the road is not something you should let slide.

Here in Bellevue/Issaquah (Eastside Seattle suburbs) two high school teens are in serious trouble for pushing a church pastor off his bike. The boy in the car leaned out the window and pushed the guy on the bike. The cyclist survived but suffered some serious injuries. It is obvious that teens in cars do not think through the consequences of their actions. Don’t underestimate their stupidity.
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/64032_cyclist27.shtml>
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/64226_pastor28.shtml>
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/64619_bike30.shtml>
<http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/96410_pastor20.shtml>

Don’t think that they wouldn’t have done the same thing to a unicyclist.

8

ok, first, i ride my unicycle to school most days, and people get usted to it. Think of the first few weeks like a filter, once you show off a few cool tricks (180 degree hopspin is awsome) those guys won’t bug you and people will want to try. I know one person at my school who says that she only knows be because i unicycle, and i sometimes hear other people saying to each other “that guy unicycles” or whatever.
For the people who try to run you off the road, i agree with john. Tell the princial, or even police, and reamber license plate numbers. Also, you could try to hold a key in one hand, and make a nice long scratch on the beautiful car;)

9

Re: unicycle awareness

Teenagers in cars are better at causing accidents than any other demographic group of people. Teenagers in cars near the school or near people from the school are worse. Teenagers with small egos, the kind that do what you described, are the worst of all.

You cannot cure them. Your best defense is to make sure you’re not a part of any accident they’re about to have. If you have a choice, don’t be on the same street with them. Sidewalk? Sure, the street’s legal for you to ride on (supposedly). This doesn’t mean it’s a smart place to ride. If I can help it, I only ride on streets with “safe” amounts of traffic.

I presume these are people who go to the same school as you? What better way for them to know the intimate details of the circus you’re in.

If you’re ‘wasting how smart you are’ it must be somewhere separate from unicycling. BTW, what are these people up to when they’re trying to save you from wasting?

I don’t. If it is, it won’t be nearly as fun to do it.

That is your chance to “educate” your local population. You have the power to use it.

I remember the talent show at my school when I was in 8th grade. This was later in the year that I’d first tried to ride, on the P.O.S. Troxel that broke when I acually made progress on it. So I could almost ride, but was without a unicycle.

I think his name was Jim Bosse. He was a member of the Pontiac Unicyclists. He had a regular uni, a 5-footer, and a 10-footer. he also had a 10-foot handlebar unit, the only one I’ve ever seen! They were too tall for the stage though, and not used. But in his act, he rode the 5’ over a jump ramp that was about a foot high (1 foot drop). I was absolutely, positively, 100% certain he was going to die. When he didn’t die, it blew me away! It only served to reinforce my desire to ride. Someday. His performance got big applause.

You could be the Jim Bosse of your school.

You will always get stupid comments from people on the sides of the road. Especially from your so-called peers when you’re in school. Doing the show will not end this. But it is your opportunity to educate the larger group of people, most of which appreciated the difficulty of what you’re doing already.

Only if you want to be no better than them. Worse, in fact, since they’re not beating on you. That choice is yours.

10

I would ride on the sidewalk, but it’s a country road. so that sucks. I think i’ll just have to take an alternate route home next time, or leave before or after most of the school does. I really like that idea of taking a key to their car while they’re driving by :smiley: that would teach them. The only problem is that they’re all poor, hence they’re cars suck, i’ll have to get the ones who drive their parents cars.

Thanks everyone!

-Ryan

11

I ride to school ocationally, it’s a couple miles so I ride the coker. I never have gotten shit. execpt when this one little pick randomly calls me a fag, but ill let it slip because he didnt have any reasons why when questioned so I assume he’s just insecure and needs to take it out on others. other than that, all i get is positives.

12

If you are on a country road, I would consider riding on the opposite side of the road, facing traffic. Think like a pedestrian, not a bicyclist or driver. Protect yourself at all cost by not assuming your fellow classmates are just going to yell at you.

I have been fortunate in Seattle. I have only heard good comments. On the bad side, the worst is old ( I mean really really old) folks moving off to the side a little too much. I assume this is just my inexperience leaking out.

Otherwise, hang out at, or ride by playgrounds, so you get comments from 2-3 year olds attesting to you ‘coolness’.