After a (4) bone breaking dismount from a 12ft. Unicycle on Oct. 3rd. I
desinigrated the navicular bone and broke two other bones in my foot and crushed
the L1 vertabrae in my back… The pavement didn’t seem to cooperate with me.
I am happy to report that I am slowly healing from my injuries. Although I am
not yet walking, I have figured out how to mount my 20" while on crutches; I
hope to ride away from the curb long before I am able to walk. Funny picture of
me: http://home.earthlink.net/~gpoche/ Follow me to NUC 2000, Adrian, Michigan
July 20-23. (I guess that I wouldn’t be the best advertisement in a back brace
with a cast on my foot riding a unicycle with crutches) {:O)
Re: Unicycling on crutches?
In a message dated 11/19/99 10:16:31 AM, you wrote:
>After a (4) bone breaking dismount from a 12ft. Unicycle on Oct. 3rd. I
>desinigrated the navicular bone and broke two other bones in my foot and
>crushed the L1 vertabrae in my back…
I can’t remember…what happened? Were you trying a trick, hit a bump? I’ve
been working w/a group here in VA who ride tall unicycles–many of the kids see
other kids riding the tall ones & wanna be special too. I prefer learning skills
on the 24" & giraffe cause I can’t afford to get injured…and maybe I’m
chicken. Seriously, what advice would you give kids before venturing off to 12
ft. unicycles? I generally tell them they need to idle well.
Unicycle Lady
RE: Unicycling on crutches?
> injured…and maybe I’m chicken. Seriously, what advice would you give kids
> before venturing off to 12 ft. unicycles? I generally tell them they need to
> idle well.
I’m chicken to ride a 12 footer. I’ve done it a few times, and a 16 footer once.
Join the club.
The Redford Township Unicycle Club has a web site: http://go.to/rtuc Look under
Rider Testing for the page with the requirements they use for allowing giraffes
in parades. The require a certain proficiency level. Part of this is because
Redford’s giraffes are in a formation where they don’t want one spazzy rider to
bring down the rest. The other reason is common-sense safety. It’s a good idea.
Their test is pretty stringent, so if you can pass it, you should be good to go
in any parade anywhere.
But as Greg (and Tom Miller, also injured in a 12’ crash) knows, things can
still go wrong, so nobody should ride that high up without being aware of
the risks.
Give me a nice MUni on a nice trail with my feet close to the ground, next to a
nice 100’ cliff 
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone (reply to jfoss@unicycling.com)
http://www.unicycling.com
“Hi. I’m Jeff Lenosky.”
- David Poznanter
RE: Unicycling on crutches?
> My best advice for someone trying any “tall one” would be look straight ahead,
> wear all of the safety gear, and dismount back at the fence or the place from
> where you mounted.
Good advice, but I would add a little more.
Somewhere around 10’ or so, giraffe unicycles get to the point where you’re not
going to be able to dismount “gracefully” (without injury, that is). Below 10’,
you might try just riding away and seeing what happens.
But when you’re guaranteed to hurt yourself if you fall off, I recommend a lot
more time at your starting place before you ride away. Also, if you’re going to
ride something that high, you should feel comfortable idling and taking at least
a few turns backward on it before you ride it in the open.
If you can’t idle or ride backward, you have no business being on a tall
giraffe, especially around innocent bystanders. Talent scouts from the Darwin
Awards will be looking for you. Ask the guy who rode his 35 footer on Astroturf.
All the safety equipment he was wearing could not save him.
While holding your support, or being near enough to grab it, do a bunch of
idling and some short forward and backward riding. And turning. Riding forward
on a giraffe is a piece of cake, once you forget how high up you are. Problems
usually arise when something gets in your way, you hit a bump, or you just lose
plain confidence. This is where a familiarity with stopping, rocking, or backing
up will keep you safe and up there.
My first experience on a 12 footer was at the 1983 National Unicycle Meet,
during the parade competition. The various unicycle clubs were riding all over
the Syracuse University indoor field house (yes, no particular pattern), and I
decided to join in. I had a set of clubs and was juggling (smart thing to do
first time on a 12’ – NOT), when I dropped one. No problem, I thought, as long
as it doesn’t land right in front of the wheel. Guess where the club landed? It
was probably too late to back up, as there wasn’t enough room to move the wheel
forward enough to stop me. Plus I wasn’t ready to try that. I realized I had
two choices:
- Fall (ouch!)
- Grit my teeth and go for it So I grabbed the front of the seat, grit my teeth
(and my sphincter), and bumped over the club. Then as I rode back to the
wall, I worked on swallowing my heart.
I rode a 16 footer once, next to a railing and high walkway at the Bowling Green
University football stadium. I rocked 50 times, rode forward along the rail,
rode backward along the rail. All this without holding on. Great! I rode it! I
decided not to head out into the open. The fact that another rider had broken
his ankle falling off it earlier that day helped to dissuade me. There’s just
something about being 16 feet off the ground that says you shouldn’t be on a
unicycle while you’re doing it!
Call me chicken. I like my bones and skin, and I can always say I rode a
16 footer.
Stay on top, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone (reply to jfoss@unicycling.com)
http://www.unicycling.com
“The ultimate wheel? It feels so good. It’s the ultimate feeling.”
- Jack Halpern
Re: Unicycling on crutches?
<Unilady@aol.com> wrote in message news:0.4fe28394.2566e181@aol.com…
>
> In a message dated 11/19/99 10:16:31 AM, you wrote:
>
Seriously, what advice would you give
> kids before venturing off to 12 ft. unicycles? I generally tell them they need
> to idle well.
>
> Unicycle Lady
It’s funny…I had been riding a 6ft. for 20 years. It was the maiden voyage
on my brothers newly aquired 12ft. I felt confident and was not nervous about
this poseidon adventure. I pedaled away from a tennis court fence with a feeling
of true balance between me and mother (in this case, mutha) earth. Then came the
big mistake… I looked down at the wheel. NO! never, never do that.
My best advice for someone trying any “tall one” would be look straight ahead,
wear all of the safety gear, and dismount back at the fence or the place from
where you mounted. 12ft. didn’t feel like it was that high up; the free-fall
time was an eternity and the ground was as hard as…, well…, ground.
My younger brother Gregory’s infamous words: “All I know is, somebody’s going to
get hurt and it ain’t going to be me!”
Re: Unicycling on crutches?
The RTUC link http://go.to/rtuc still works for now… but we are now official.
www.rtuc.org
“All I know is someone is gonna get hurt! and it ain’t gonna be me!” Gregory
Poche’ www.go.to/stayontop
John Foss wrote in message <631B3F1D150FD3118E4D00A0C9EC1BDA14DEB2@SERVER>…
>> injured…and maybe I’m chicken. Seriously, what advice would you give
>> kids before venturing off to 12 ft. unicycles? I generally tell them they
>> need to idle well.
>
>I’m chicken to ride a 12 footer. I’ve done it a few times, and a 16 footer
>once. Join the club.
>
>The Redford Township Unicycle Club has a web site: http://go.to/rtuc Look under
>Rider Testing for the page with the requirements they use for allowing giraffes
>in parades. The require a certain proficiency level. Part of this is because
>Redford’s giraffes are
in
>a formation where they don’t want one spazzy rider to bring down the rest. The
>other reason is common-sense safety. It’s a good idea. Their test is pretty
>stringent, so if you can pass it, you should be good to go in any parade
>anywhere.
>
>But as Greg (and Tom Miller, also injured in a 12’ crash) knows, things can
>still go wrong, so nobody should ride that high up without being aware of
>the risks.
>
>Give me a nice MUni on a nice trail with my feet close to the ground, next to a
>nice 100’ cliff
>
>John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone (reply to jfoss@unicycling.com)
>http://www.unicycling.com
>
>“Hi. I’m Jeff Lenosky.”
>- David Poznanter
RE: Unicycling on crutches?
>the fact that another rider had broken his ankle falling off it earlier
that day helped to
>dissuade me. There’s just something about being 16 feet off the ground that
>says you shouldn’t be on a unicycle while you’re doing it!
Greetings John:
CC: All
Great to see you adding your three cents on the giraffe issue. You’ll remember
that I was convinced already at the age of 19 after seeing my left foot separate
from my body after a “non-graceful” dismount from a 14 footer. As you said,
riding forward was easy, but when I got a bit scared and wanted to return to
base, that turn soon became a spin which quickly became an eject!
I agree with Mr. Crutch that those 14 feet downwards were the longest
milliseconds I’ve ever lived … as I pondered which part of my body to
sacrifice, and therefore to allow to hit the ground first. Head? Nah, knees,
Nah, Right leg? Nope, already broken once before, Left Leg? OK, still strong
… SNAP!!! Just above the ankle.
What did I feel like as I sat upright on the basketball court with astounded
on-lookers all around, and grasping a mangled left foot? Well, it was more
embarassment, feelings of stupidity, and frustration with myself; moreso than
any pain. I already knew that the recovery would be long and slow, and maybe
never “COMPLETE.” Yes, I agree NOW that I had “No Business being up there”
without having first managed the turning and rocking aspects. But hindsight is
20-20, and I was just 19 then … “King of the World.” 20 was still
months away.
A few years later, I met Chuck Marquette in San Diego … and suffered
from nasty flashbacks every time I saw him ride his Tom Miller 22" footer. But
Chuck REALLY WAS experienced at cloud scraping. Still, later when I heard that
Chuck too had suffered a nasty fall while mounting, I was convinced that a 6
footer is high enough for any sane unicyclist (Dustin, any thoughts?).
Besides, to the average Joe on the street who sees you ride a 6 footer, you ARE
22 feet in the air!!! Also, if you count up all the Schwinn Giraffes I have (and
have ridden) * 4 … that equals 24 feet already!!!
Tah Dahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
Pain to this day, and every day reminds me to “Stay On top,” but low to
the ground!
Steve Dressler - “Tah Tan Gahhhhhhhh”
)–/==================================O Hong Kong
Re: Unicycling on crutches?
trdwnds@asiaonline.net (Steve Dressler) writes:
>I agree with Mr. Crutch that those 14 feet downwards were the longest
>milliseconds I’ve ever lived … as I pondered which part of my body
Yes sir, one of the most vivid 3D, technicolor, full action memories that i can
recall any time i want is from the first time i had an unintentional dismount
from a 10ft uni…and it’s always in slow motion!
>to sacrifice, and therefore to allow to hit the ground first. Head? Nah, knees,
>Nah, Right leg? Nope, already broken once before, Left Leg? OK, still strong
>… SNAP!!! Just above the ankle.
>
>What did I feel like as I sat upright on the basketball court with astounded
>on-lookers all around, and grasping a mangled left foot? Well, it was more
>embarassment, feelings of stupidity, and frustration with myself;
The most embarassing part of my previously mentioned dismount wasnt the actual
fall or lying on the pavement while marching bands parted and marched around
me. When i fell i landed on my tailbone pretty hard so someone decided i needed
to be taken to the hospital. l was fully restrained from head to toe and
moved into an ambulance. Once at the hospital came the em-bare-a**-ing
part. Mr doctor had to check out my tail bone and while probing, he kept
poking and asking “does it hurt here…or here…or here?” My response was
“what do you think, you’ve got your finger up my…!!!”
>A few years later, I met Chuck Marquette in San Diego … and suffered
>from nasty flashbacks every time I saw him ride his Tom Miller 22" footer. But
>Chuck REALLY WAS experienced at cloud scraping. Still, later when I heard that
>Chuck too had suffered a nasty fall while mounting, I was convinced that a 6
>footer is high enough for any sane unicyclist (Dustin, any thoughts?).
I’m insane.
I’m on my second 10ft uni now. The first one i had for one year. This is the one
on which i had my previously mentioned fall. I never should’ve gotten that first
10ft, i was 13 and half the size i am now. Even though i was very competent on a
six foot (freemounting, backwards, 1ft, idling) i just wasnt ready. After the
incident, the club i was in (TCUC) had a skydiving instructor come to one of our
practices and teach us how to “fall.” This is a good thing to do, but will not
prepare you for every situation. When i was 20 or 21 and a little bit bigger i
got another 10ft. For the most part this 10ft only gets used under controlled
conditions when i’m performing. Parades are not controlled conditions, there’s
too many mindless people and clowns walking and riding around. Not to mention
road hazards.
I’ve never ridden anything higher than 10ft. I think it would be a rush to do
once under very controlled conditions but it is my longstanding belief that
falling from any uni over 10ft is almost guaranteed to result in personal
injury and possibly the injury of others. I’m very comfortable on my 10ft and
i attribute that to the quality of the uni (Tom Miller - The Unicycle
Factory). I’ve been on 8ft uni’s that caused more anxiety than i’ve ever
experienced on my 10.
Some precautions i take with giraffe uni’s: -Replace the chain often. Once every
other year at the least. Bicycle chains aren’t designed for the constant tension
that a properly tensioned giraffe requires. This stretches the chain out and
weakens it over time. -Check the chain tension before every ride. The chain
should not flop around. -Check the tire pressure before every ride. This will
greatly affect the handling (my 10ft weighs 55lbs/25kg w/out me) -Make sure the
seat is straight and the clamp is tight. -Make sure the pedals are tight.
This might sound like overkill, but i’ve discovered that i dont even have to be
riding the 10 for it to be dangerous. There’s a lot that happen between the time
you start climbing the frame and you actually let go and start your ride.
>Besides, to the average Joe on the street who sees you ride a 6 footer, you ARE
>22 feet in the air!!!
If i did my math right, this means that Joe thinks my 10 footer is 36.6 feet in
the air! The only way i get high.
keep on trying, dustin klem unicycling productions www.dustin.kelm.com
(remove the BICYCLE from the above address to send me your brain waves)
isa 40:29-31