Re: Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...) [Archive] - Page 2

JJuggle

January 24th 05, 04:18 PM

FUNNYMAN BREAKS LEG FALLING FROM UNICYCLE

346 words
20 January 2005
Newsquest Media Group Newspapers
English
© Copyright 2005 Newsquest Digital Media.

salisbury

Jonathan the Jester with his leg in plaster, after falling from his 7ft
unicycle. DA7221P1

BEING a jester isn't all it's cracked up to be!

In fact, it can be a hazardous occupation, especially when you break
your leg during a performance!

And despite the plaster cast, well-known Salisbury funnyman Jonathan the
Jester isn't going to let a fracture get him down.

The accident happened when he took centre-stage at this Saturday's
tsunami relief concert at the Spires Pub, in Salisbury.

Putting on an impromptu show after the PA system blew a fuse, the city
jester, from Alderbury, wowed the crowds with his stunts.

And all was going well - until a hiccup with his 7ft unicycle meant the
only place Jonathan was heading for was casualty!

"I tried to get my leg over the saddle and got it wrong, let go of the
unicycle and fell in a crumpled heap on the floor.

"My right leg got caught between the unicycle but the funny thing was, I
knew I had hurt it but was so high on adrenalin from the performance
they helped me off stage and I drove half the way home before realising
I had broken it, " he said.

Although Jonathan won't be able to perform some of his more daring
stunts for a while, like stilt-walking and globe-rolling, he'll rely on
his wit, fire-juggling, magic tricks and trusty assistant to keep things
ticking over until the cast comes off, in six weeks time.

"If I was going to break my leg then this was the time to do it," he
said.

"This is the first time I've had anything in plaster.

"I did break my shin seven years ago but didn't know about it until it
had almost healed, and I've broken thumbs and dislocated my jaw once,"
he added.

Jonathan has already contacted clients telling them about his mishap and
is looking forward to getting straight back in the saddle.

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

*The Unchovy* - All that fishy goodness without the fish. It's for what
your pizza has been waiting.
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JJuggle

January 24th 05, 04:22 PM

A ONE-WHEEL WONDER

Helen Sturdy
286 words
14 January 2005
Evening Gazette
16
English
(c) 2005 Gazette Media Company Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

A One-wheeled fundraiser has embarked on an epic Far Eastern journey to
boost cash for a cancer charity.

World Unicycle champion Roger Davies from Norton will travel 750 miles
across China to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

The cycling star will be covering an average of 35 miles a day on a
big-wheel unicycle during his journey, which is set to take three weeks.

He was inspired to set out on his fundraising challenge by his friend
Kaleigh Grainger, whose mother recently died of breast cancer.

Before he set off, Roger said: "I am planning to cycle 750 miles from
Nanning to Kunming in Southern China.

"It"s likely to be pretty cold which will make the ride more
challenging.

"Knowing someone who has lost a loved one to cancer really brings home
the impact the disease has on people"s lives.

"I"m aiming to raise as much money as possible to help Cancer Research
UK continue to find better and more effective treatments for the
disease."

Roger"s love of the sport started more than 25 years ago and he now runs
Unicycle.com, a website selling equipment.

Lindsay Kay, Cancer Research UK community fundraiser, said: "We are
delighted that Roger is undertaking this unusual challenge to raise
money for Cancer Research UK."

In Middlesbrough, Cancer Research UK-funded scientists are co-ordinating
the recruitment of women into a clinical trial to find out whether a
national ovarian cancer-screening programme would save lives.

"One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in
their lives," added Lindsay.

"Fundraising to support research is a positive way to make a
difference."

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

*The Unchovy* - All that fishy goodness without the fish. It's for what
your pizza has been waiting.
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JJuggle

January 25th 05, 03:21 PM

Jeff Sloan, aboard his 36-inch Coker commuting unicycle, passes
4-year-old Jackson Higuere while riding along the waterside pathway at
Lincoln Park in West Seattle. "A bicycle is just a unicycle with a
training wheel," Sloan told Jackson, who said he wants a unicycle when
he gets bigger. The large-diameter wheel allows the cycle to travel
farther with each pedal stroke.
(January 23, 2005)

Mike Urban/Seattle Post-Intelligencer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The above is a caption to a photo from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. To
see the shot, go to: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/ . Click the
option for Day in Pictures for January 23, 2005. It's the 4th photo.
(From the looks of it, this option will be gone in 11 days or so).

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

*The Unchovy* - All that fishy goodness without the fish. It's for what
your pizza has been waiting.
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john_childs

January 25th 05, 04:13 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
> The above is a caption to a photo from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
> To see the shot, go to: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/ . Click
> the option for Day in Pictures for January 23, 2005. It's the 4th
> photo. (From the looks of it, this option will be gone in 11 days or
> so). *

That is quite a photo. It's a BIG photo on the front of Section B in
the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Monday, Jan 24, 2005). The headline
above the photo is "IT'S EASY, RIDER". Kind of korny. The headline
gives me a new nickname for Jeff. :)

Here's a link that will take you directly to the photo: 'Jeff's photo'
(http://tinyurl.com/6c8zp)
I don't know how long that link will be valid.

--
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john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
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GILD

January 25th 05, 04:16 PM

either his legs are too long or his seat is too high

:p

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
alice 'roosevelt' (http://tinyurl.com/5ngze) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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Klaas Bil

January 26th 05, 06:55 AM

JJuggle wrote:
> *From the looks of it, this option will be gone in 11 days or so. *
Now there's another option. This picture deserves it.

Klaas Bil

+----------------------------------------------------------------+
| Attachment filename: 450clo24_unicycle_and_training_wheels.jpg |
|Download attachment: http://www.unicyclist.com/attachment/271610|
+----------------------------------------------------------------+

--
Klaas Bil - Sir Prince of Newsgroupia
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JJuggle

January 26th 05, 12:59 PM

Klaas Bil wrote:
> *Now there's another option. This picture deserves it.*
Oddly enough Klaas, while I don't have any qualms about posting the
entire text of articles here, I didn't feel right taking a photograph
from a news site and posting it here. Perhaps it has to do with a
feeling that news is news but art is something more.

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

You can no more win a war than win an earthquake. - Jeanette Rankin
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Klaas Bil

January 26th 05, 01:31 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *I didn't feel right taking a photograph from a news site and posting
> it here.*

Frankly it doesn't feel wrong to me. I'm not publishing something that
wasn't in the open already, I'm just extending the time that it is
available. And since I posted in this thread, the source is duly
acknowledged. I had the best of intentions when reposting this picture,
but I apologise to anyone who is of the opinion that it wasn't the right
thing to do.

Klaas Bil

--
Klaas Bil - Sir Prince of Newsgroupia
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GILD

January 26th 05, 01:40 PM

i was about to the same thing yesterday afternoon
i couldn't figure out why raphael didn't do it in the first place and
eventually kinda figured that maybe the pic wasn't 'save as'-able, or
that there was some copyright issue that i didn't know about
and kinda left it as that

this is an interesting question and i'm curious to see how this
discussion develops

i'm not quite sure where i stand on the issue
i hear raphael's distinction between 'news' and 'art'
then again, the 'news' didn't just appear on the page
it was the effort of someone else's craft that got it there
to 'elevevate' the photographer's 'art' to a higher level than that of
the writer is a slippery slope and one that i'm still not sure where
i'll find my footing on

mmm
:rolleyes:

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
alice 'roosevelt' (http://tinyurl.com/5ngze) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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JJuggle

January 26th 05, 02:55 PM

Klaas Bil wrote:
> *Frankly it doesn't feel wrong to me. I'm not publishing something
> that wasn't in the open already, I'm just extending the time that it
> is available. And since I posted in this thread, the source is duly
> acknowledged. I had the best of intentions when reposting this
> picture, but I apologise to anyone who is of the opinion that it
> wasn't the right thing to do.*
I did not mean to suggest that you were wrong to do it. I'm just saying
that personally it didn't feel kosher to me.> -Originally posted by GILD-
> *i hear raphael's distinction between 'news' and 'art'
> then again, the 'news' didn't just appear on the page
> it was the effort of someone else's craft that got it there
> to 'elevate' the photographer's 'art' to a higher level than that of
> the writer is a slippery slope and one that i'm still not sure where
> i'll find my footing on*
Some days the shoes I'm wearing provide better traction than others. :)
:eek:

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none

The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

- The Circus of Death by Human League
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JJuggle

January 27th 05, 05:45 PM

NT LASS A BUNGY JUMPING CYCLIST

By ALICE BURTON
348 words
28 January 2005
Northern Territory News/Sunday Territorian
1 -
1
English
Copyright 2005 News Ltd. All Rights Reserved

A Territory woman has ridden her unicycle off a 40m-high bridge -- and
lived to tell the tale.

Debbie Hyder, 31, is believed to be one of the first people in the world
to bungy jump with a unicycle.

"It's the scariest thing I've ever done," she told the Northern
Territory News last night.

"Once you leave the security of the platform and ride off, the feeling
is indescribably scary."

Ms Hyder, who lives at Humpty Doo, launched herself off

Continued: Page 2

Unicycling into the void off The Ledge

From Page 1

The Ledge at Queenstown on New Zealand's South Island.

She plummeted 47m towards the ground before the bungy cord snapped into
play.

"The back and front of my unicycle seat was strapped to my body harness
and my feet were gaffer-taped to the pedals," Ms Hyder said.

"I only did my first bungy jump last week so it was a lot more
nerve-wracking riding off the platform with a unicycle strapped to my
hips."

Ms Hyder, who won 13 medals at the Unicon XXII Championships in Tokyo
last August, said she took the plunge to expand on her unicycle
repertoire.

"Unicycling is my number one love," she said.

"It's a thrill to do a bungy jump, but even more so if you can include
your favourite sport."

During her visit to New Zealand Ms Hyder took a helicopter flight to a
point 1900m up a mountainside before riding down a snow-covered slope on
her "Muni" -- a specially designed mountain unicycle.

She also tried canyon swinging -- a giant rope swing across one of the
famous Shotover River Canyons -- on her unicycle.

Ms Hyder, who has been unicycling for more than 23 years, hopes to raise
the profile of the sport when she returns to Darwin.

"Unicycling is an up-and-coming sport which is only new in Australia,"
she said.

"It is a sport that can be taken to any length or height."

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

- The Circus of Death by Human League
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JJuggle

February 8th 05, 03:41 PM

Way to go Ken.

I made the headline a link to the article on their website for as long
as it lasts.

'*TOUGH ROUTE TO UNICYCLE RECORD*' (http://tinyurl.com/4j8pl)

247 words
8 February 2005
Dominion Post
8
English
© 2005 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.

KEN LOOI knew it would take a big effort to break the unicycling world
record -- but dodging drunks and streakers, swerving past broken glass
and several falls to the tarmac made it even harder.

Mr Looi, from Johnsonville, cycled around Wellington's Basin Reserve
from 8am on Saturday till 8am on Sunday, completing 814 laps, or 378
kilometres, of the ground. He beat the previous 24-hour record by more
than 50km.

Watching for the entire ride were supporters and enthusiasts who
recorded every lap, massaged Mr Looi's cramped muscles and cheered him
on.

His ride, which will appear in The Guinness Book of Records, was also a
fundraising boost for the tsunami relief effort. More than $2200 was
pledged on the Internet to support the ride, and at least $300 was
donated on Saturday.

Unicycling Federation spokesman Steve Pavarno, who was there for all 24
hours, said Mr Looi had ridden well in the heat.

"He was bit tired at the end, but he managed to walk away, which is
fairly remarkable."

Mr Pavarno said that many people had stopped in and cheered for Mr Looi,
but on Saturday night other intoxicated people had obstructed him,
broken bottles in his path and run naked through the park.

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

No history is bad that is truthful. - -from- Don Quixote

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

- The Circus of Death by Human League
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GizmoDuck

February 8th 05, 10:29 PM

Thanks for that :p

By the way, in reference to the previous article about Debbie Hyder (I
don't think she frequents RSU, or probably spends less time on the
internet and more time riding ;) ), I missed her trip to NZ- but aside
from Bungy Jump off a bridge in Queenstown, they were also the first
people I know of to take the Helibike trip- dropped off a 2000m mountain
with their unicycles strapped below the helicopter- and then having an
awesome downhill MUNi ride all the way to the bottom. Apparently there
was a journalist from one of the Australian Mountainbike magazines there
on the same helibike trip and lot's of photos were taken- so if you're
in Aussie do keep an eye out in the local mountainbike magazines.

Ken

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)

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harper

February 9th 05, 03:10 AM

This story warranted a signature line change.

--
harper - Riding a Fat

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

JC is the ONLY main man. (except for Ken Looi)
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Klaas Bil

February 9th 05, 09:06 AM

On Tue, 8 Feb 2005 15:29:00 -0600, "GizmoDuck" wrote:

>Debbie Hyder (I
>don't think she frequents RSU

She does, infrequently. One can say she infrequents RSU.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
people who unicycle are shyly exhibitionistic - GILD

GizmoDuck

February 9th 05, 09:56 AM

harper wrote:
> *This story warranted a signature line change. *

Aw, shucks :p thanks Greg. JC is a legend

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)

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GILD

February 9th 05, 09:59 AM

i can feel another 'useless poll' (http://tinyurl.com/6zywk) coming
on...

:p

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
alice 'roosevelt' (http://tinyurl.com/5ngze) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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john_childs

February 9th 05, 10:24 AM

harper wrote:
> *This story warranted a signature line change. *

It's tough to keep up with the southern hemisphere this time of year.

--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
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Klaas Bil

February 10th 05, 08:21 AM

On Wed, 9 Feb 2005 03:24:10 -0600, "john_childs" wrote:

>It's tough to keep up with the southern hemisphere this time of year.

I reckoned harper referred to Jesus Christ, who is equally present on
the northern and southern hemispheres, I learned as a kid (in
different words). :-)

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
people who unicycle are shyly exhibitionistic - GILD

JJuggle

February 21st 05, 04:55 PM

*Motley Crüe's circus of excess alive and kicking; The quintessential
'80s hair band, Mtley Crüe revived its bad-boy in kicking off a new your
-- with mixed results.* CONCERT REVIEW

BY EVELYN McDONNELL

702 words
19 February 2005
The Miami Herald
F1
4
English
(c) Copyright 2005, The Miami Herald. All Rights Reserved.

Mtley Crüe has built its career on blow-dried metal riffs, recycled
theatrics, bad-boy antics and a tractor-trailerful of infamy. They're
Spinal Tap for real, with touches of tragedy.

.................

Still, there was always a dramatic human element to the Crüe that
elevated them above, or dropped them below, the ranks of Warrant, Poison
or Cinderella, a poignancy to their living out the ultimate adolescent
male fantasy. For one, guitarist Mick Mars, the most talented musician,
suffers from a degenerative rheumatoid disease that stunts and hobbles
his growth. With a dwarf on a unicycle and tattooed contortionists
offering some live girl-on-girl action, the Crüe called their concert a
''freak show.'' For once, maybe this wasn't the usual carnivalesque rock
'n' roll slumming.

........

--
JJuggle - To Protect the Innocent

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
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JJuggle

March 2nd 05, 02:55 PM

Travel: WEEKENDS
CYCLES, ART AND WINE

PATRICK MULLIN
With files from Adam Bisby
636 words
2 March 2005
The Globe and Mail
T1
English
All material copyright Bell Globemedia Publishing Inc. or its licensors.
All rights reserved.

Unicycle games

Toronto

If you thought unicycles were the sole preserve of fire-jugglers,
consider checking out the action at Exhibition Place this weekend. For
three days, unicycle enthusiasts from around the world are descending on
Toronto to compete in the decidedly unusual Toque Games. Riders will
duke it out for supremacy in events such as the high jump, long jump and
UMX — yes, a one-wheeled version of BMX. The Toque Games are part of the
Toronto International Bike Show, so there's plenty to occupy the more
conventional side of your brain.

Cost: $13 a person.

When: March 4 to 6.

Where: Exhibition Place, 100 Princes' Blvd., Toronto.

How: Visit toquegames.com.Gallery music series

....

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
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JJuggle

March 7th 05, 03:58 PM

Who sez unicycles don't belong in the circus?

From a March 4, 2005 Miami Herald review of Motley Crue's current
tour:

"and the finale, a cover of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The U.K.,"
featuring all the circus performers onstage at once. The strippers ate
fire and walked on stilts; the dwarf belched fireballs and rode a
unicycle, and even the roadies, dressed as evil clowns, squirted fire
extinguishers at the crowd."

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
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s7ev0

March 9th 05, 11:56 PM

Apologies if this has already appeared, but this thread is getting too
long to search through (couldn't find "deer cull" using the forum
search).

Found this while googling for unicycle stuff. It's from Ananova -
http://tinyurl.com/4j35c

Unicyclist rides unaware through deer cull

A unicyclist has been fined after sparking a manhunt by sneaking into a
US park and riding unaware through a deer cull.

Indiana Conservation Officer Scott McDaniel says several of the hunters
were so stunned to see the unicyclist, who has not been named, in the
park during the deer hunt that they feared being ridiculed if they
reported him.

Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park, including the trails the unicyclist
rode on, had been closed to the public during the course of the deer
cull for safety reasons.

Mr McDaniel says eventually one of the hunters called the park office
and said: "I'm not crazy, but there is a guy on a unicycle riding down
the Fall Creek Trail headed north.

"Over half the hunters had seen him riding through trails all over the
park over an hour's time, but no one wanted to chance being thought of
as crazy for reporting such a bizarre sight.

"After a search by three Conservation Officers and several property
workers, I found the culprit as he was exiting the park. I received
several funny looks from passing motorists as I turned on my lights and
siren and initiated a traffic stop on Post Road east of the park.

"The individual was not a protester but merely was unaware that the park
was closed to the public for the hunt. He had got into the park via a
horse trail after going over the fence bearing a posted sign which
prohibited entering from that location," reports Shelbynews.com.

--
s7ev0 - E pluribus uni

:)
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john_childs

March 10th 05, 12:23 AM

s7ev0 wrote:
> *Apologies if this has already appeared, but this thread is getting
> too long to search through (couldn't find "deer cull" using the forum
> search).*

I remember the story so I know it had already been posted. It was a
hard one to find. It took several searches before I found it. I found
it using a search on "shelbyville" which was the name of the newspaper
story that Ananova linked to.

No need to apologize for the duplication. It's better to have that
story in this thread and it'll be easier to find in future searches.

Here's the old thread: 'Don't shoot the Unicyclist!'
(http://tinyurl.com/6ad4a)

Here's the text from The Shelbyville News:

Unicyclist invades Fort Ben deer reduction hunt

By JACK SPAULDING

Thursday, December 18, 2003

Indiana Conservation Officer Scott McDaniel had an interesting
interloper invade the last day of the deer reduction hunt at Fort
Benjamin Harrison State Park. The park was closed to the public during
the course of the deer hunt reduction but, apparently, not everyone was
paying attention to the directives.

"It was a safe hunt with out incident," said McDaniel. "However, day two
did offer some excitement. One of the hunters participating in the hunt
called the park office and said, 'I'm not crazy, but there is a guy on a
unicycle riding down the Fall Creek Trail headed north.'

"Ordinarily, I would have been skeptical, but about 40 minutes prior to
the complaint I had seen an unicyclist on 56th Street just west of the
state park while I was getting fuel for my vehicle.

"After a half-hour search by three Conservation Officers and several
property workers, I found the culprit as he was exiting the park. I
received several funny looks from passing motorists as I turned on my
lights and siren and initiated a traffic stop on Post Road east of the
park.

"The individual was not a protester but merely was unaware that the park
was closed to the public for the hunt. I asked if he read the signs at
the designated entrances stating the park was closed due to the hunt. He
stated that he did not see the signs.

"I inquired as to where he entered the park. He stated that he rode in
off of 56th Street, and there is not a designated entrance at that
location. He had accessed a horse trail by going over the fence bearing
a posted sign which prohibited entering from that location."

For his actions, the unicyclist didn't fare well.

"I ticketed him for entering the state park from a non-designated
entrance and explained to him where to enter the park and that there is
also an entrance fee," Officer McDaniel said.

"Later in the day as hunters were checking out, the unicyclist was the
topic of conversation among the hunters. Over half the hunters had seen
him riding through trails all over the park over an hour's time, but no
one wanted to chance being thought of as crazy for reporting such a
bizarre sight. I was in good graces with many of the hunters when they
found out the unicyclist was ticketed for disturbing their hunt."

--
john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
Gallery: '' (http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/john_childs)

\"otherwise we'd just sit around a table and try to agree on what the
fastest time for a 1 hour time trial should be.\" -- john_childs
demonstrating a deep understanding of time
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JJuggle

March 14th 05, 02:28 PM

Not exactly unicycling, but about one of our own.

IF YOU THINK TALK IS CHEAP, LISTEN UP; WITH NEW GADGETS GALORE, A
TYPICAL FAMILY CAN SPEND $200 OR MORE A MONTH TO STAY IN TOUCH.

Deb Kollars Bee Staff Writer
1,637 words
13 March 2005
The Sacramento Bee
METRO FINAL
A1
English
Copyright 2005. The Sacramento Bee. All Rights Reserved.

One afternoon this past week, Mike and Susan Riegel and their son, Jess,
sat at the table with the latest monthly cell phone bill spread before
them.

It was $132 - $40 more than expected - and the family was doing what
families do in such times: Squinting at the rows of numbers, trying to
figure out who had done all the talking.

The son solved the mystery:

"I went over 40 cents."

A pause.

"Dad went over $2.50."

Dramatic pause.

"Mo-om? You went over $37.50."

Ah, the price of living in a communications wonderland.

Just a few years ago, a family might have spent $50 or so for telephone
service each month, maybe more if they were big long-distancers. Today,
with the explosion of telephone, wireless and Internet options, a
household such as the Riegels' can easily spend $200 or more a month to
stay connected with each other and the world.

On the one hand, it has never been easier for people to stay in touch,
thanks to e-mail, voice mail, text messaging, instant messaging, phone
cards, free nights and weekends, and cell phones that work even on
mountaintops.

On the other, we are paying quite a price - financially and otherwise -
for all this conversation.

Between 1993 and 2003, annual household telephone and Internet costs in
the United States rose from an average of $658 per year to $1,080 - a 64
percent increase, based on a review of consumer expenditure patterns
logged by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.

By comparison, among other major categories tracked by the bureau during
those same years, average annual household spending on food rose 21
percent, entertainment 27 percent, health care 36 percent, housing 40
percent and alcoholic beverages 46 percent. Spending on apparel dropped
2 percent.

"We've had an explosion of telecom items to spend money on," said Dan
Jester, an economist with Economy.com, a consulting firm based near
Philadelphia. "We are definitely communicating more."

Explosion is a good term for what has happened in the telecom industry.
Ten years ago, just 6 percent of households had Internet service and 16
percent had wireless service, according to an annual national survey by
the Yankee Group, a technology research firm in Boston. Last year, the
survey found 66 percent of households had Internet service and 65
percent had wireless. The Yankee Group found an even higher average
expenditure rate for telephone and Internet services than the Bureau of
Labor Statistics: $153 a month as of 2004.

The rush to connect carries a price beyond the financial. Parents worry
about their kids spending hours at the computer sending instant messages
back and forth to friends - or maybe strangers. Classroom teachers
compete with students more interested in camera phones than lessons.
Cell phones ring in the middle of movie theaters, restaurants and even
funerals.

Tori Trask, a marriage and family therapist for Kaiser Permanente's Elk
Grove medical offices, said she has seen increased family conflict over
unexpectedly high bills and parental attempts to set phone and Internet
limits for children.

She also worries about those who can't bear to turn off cell phones
during therapy sessions.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I think technology is wonderful. But
this kind of constant connection can be addictive. I get concerned when
people can't shut off the rest of the world for an hour and focus on
their own health."

The telecom wave is reminiscent of the changes that swept the world of
television, starting in the 1970s. Cable. Premium channels. Satellite.
Videos. Viewed as luxuries early on, they soon became entertainment
staples, said Yale M. Braunstein, a professor of information management
at the University of California, Berkeley.

"Everyone wondered how people would be able to afford it," Braunstein
said. "But they kept adding channels, and people kept buying them."

Similarly, he said, communications services once seen as optional
pleasures have become necessities for many.

The Riegels are a quintessential example. The family lives in a rural
corner of Granite Bay, on a generous plot of land. It has a rustic home
that Mike Riegel built, a pen for goats, and studios for himself and his
wife, both artists and college art instructors.

Six years ago, the Riegels had a single Pacific Bell phone line coming
into their house, and four phones scattered about their home and
studios. Their monthly phone bills ran high, often reaching $125. They
made many long distance calls to family in the Bay Area, and also paid
long-distance rates on most local calls because of their rural location.

Looking back, it was 1999 when the Riegels first dipped their toes into
the telecom abyss. Their first cell phone was a heavy gray model that
they shared. They paid $50 a month for the convenience.

The next year, their high school daughter, Alli, wanted to use the Web
for school research. That's when the second phone line appeared (about
$12 a month more) and a dial-up Internet service (another $20 or so.)

Soon came a fax machine. A cell phone for Alli when she started driving.
New cell phones for the other three and a sensible family plan. Call
waiting. Caller ID. Four more portable phones. A faster wireless
broadband Internet service. And most recently, phone cards to keep in
touch with Alli, now 20 and studying in Italy.

Together, the bills total about $2,500 a year. At that pace, the Riegels
will spend $25,000 over the next 10 years staying in touch.

To this active and creative family, it is worth it. Their $68 monthly
package with AT&T for two phone lines comes with unlimited long
distance, which they put to good use.

Mother and daughter e-mail every day, and have discovered the wonders of
computer instant messaging. *The son, an accomplished unicyclist, spends
at least three hours a day on the Internet, editing unicycle movies,
creating Web sites for others, and doing research for school. *

And all feel safer traveling with cell phones.

"It's so convenient, you'd be stupid not to have a cell phone," Mike
Riegel said. "I think we're pretty average in how much we use these
things."

According to telecom experts, the per-minute price of talking actually
has gone down over the years because of competition among long-distance
companies, wireless firms, and most recently, providers of phone service
over the Internet. In addition, consumers have seen price breaks come in
the form of bundled packages of phone, wireless, Internet and cable
services.

Even with the reductions, though, people often find themselves spending
more over time because they opt for ever bigger "buckets" of monthly
minutes and extra features such as text-messaging and phones that can
take pictures and deliver e-mail.

In addition, communication costs also are going up because many are
switching from dial-up Internet services to Broadband, which tends to
cost more, said Su Li Walker, an associate analyst with the Yankee
Group.

As people absorb the rising costs, the bills become as mundane as the
electric company's.

"I usually don't even think about it. I just pay them every month," said
Jeannie Gandler, a mother of two living in suburban Granite Bay.

But every now and then, bills arrive that cannot be ignored. Sometimes
they show up after teenagers have been text-messaging away, unwittingly
running up charges in triple digits.

Two weeks ago, Gandler took a rare second look at her long distance bill
from MCI, found a $212 tab from her numerous conversations with family
in Montana and California, and decided something had to change.

"I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I could have bought a plane ticket,' " she
said. She shopped rates, found a $100-a-month plan with SureWest that
offered unlimited long distance, and signed up immediately.

Gandler and her husband, Scott, still will spend about $160 a month for
all their communication services. They haven't analyzed it closely, but
have a vague sense that they are saving less these days, and spending
less on charity and vacations because of the creeping telecom costs.

Other families make other adjustments. Some quit subscribing to
newspapers and magazines. Some do more work at home, spending less on
transportation. Others deduct telecom expenses on income taxes. Still
others give up land lines altogether, using wireless exclusively.

Many have been able to absorb the hit through rising incomes. According
to the same Bureau of Labor Statistics survey that tracks household
expenditures, average income rose 47 percent between 1993 and 2003.

"It's a lifestyle change," said Israel Balderas, a communications
consultant in Washington, D.C. Most people, he said, don't need to talk
on the phone as much as they do. Or check e-mail every hour. But they
like it. So they do.

The Riegels would be the first to agree. Now that they have those
options in their lives, they are willing to pay the price for chatting.

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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JJuggle

March 14th 05, 02:30 PM

The SATs have dropped the analogies section and this is the example of
what's been lost that I've seen in several press reports: "Yurt is to
domicile as unicycle is to . . .,".

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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U-Turn

March 14th 05, 02:48 PM

It's interesting that a person named Dan Jester shows up in an article
containing the Unicycle Jester... www.unicyclejester.com

--
U-Turn - Member of Generation XO

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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JJuggle

March 15th 05, 07:13 PM

*Press tour isn't a typical star trip; Trailer in tow, actor stops in KC
to promote movie*

By ROBERT W. BUTLER The Kansas City Star
633 words
15 March 2005
The Kansas City Star
1
3
English
Copyright (c) 2005, The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved.

Matthew McConaughey has a four-day beard and a wardrobe of jeans and
work boots. He looks and talks like he should be out laying pipe or
climbing phone poles.

In fact he's a movie star on a cross-country promotional tour for
"Sahara," the new action-adventure film

....

People like Michael Chastain, a boilermaker from North Carolina whose RV
was parked just down the road from McConaughey's. Shortly after the
movie star set up camp Friday, the goateed Chastain, in bib overalls and
ball cap, wandered over to say howdy.

Chastain was surprised to learn his new neighbor was a celebrity.

"You know, I haven't seen one of his movies," Chastain said Monday. "But
he didn't hold that against me. He's about as down to earth a person as
I ever met."

Sunday morning the two went fishing.

"Then I tried to teach him to ride my unicycle. ... got a little bit of
everything in there," Chastain said.

....

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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unicycle6869

March 15th 05, 07:34 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *Who sez unicycles don't belong in the circus?
>
> From a March 4, 2005 Miami Herald review of Motley Crue's current
> tour:
>
> "and the finale, a cover of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy In The U.K.,"
> featuring all the circus performers onstage at once. The strippers ate
> fire and walked on stilts; the dwarf belched fireballs and rode a
> unicycle, and even the roadies, dressed as evil clowns, squirted fire
> extinguishers at the crowd." *

My girlfriend and I actually just saw this concert last night. It was
pretty entertaining and a good show overall. Better than I thought it'd
be. The midget unicycled around the stage for like 30 seconds during the
last song. Wasn't too impressive but kinda funny to watch.

--
unicycle6869 - Level 9 Rider

Jamey (formerly known as tuna6869)

SMILE-It makes people wonder what you're up too!

Party Hardy, Rock 'n Roll
Drink a keg, Smoke a bowl
To all you preps who think you're cool
Think again cause stoner's rule!!
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uniprincess

March 15th 05, 09:06 PM

i agree, it was a pretty good show! lots of fire on stage and a
unicycle! much better than expected. really surprised to see a
unicycle!!!

lindsey

--
uniprincess - unicyclist
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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:02 AM

Copyright Independent Newspapers, Ltd. Feb 19, 2005
If you were stuck on a desert island but were allowed a book, CD, meal,
gizmo and companion (outside your close family), what and who would you
choose?

--------------------

Ken Looi

--------------------

Book

Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (all five). There
can't be a better place to ponder the meaning of 42. If you haven't read
it, that's life, the universe and everything in a nutshell.

CD

Lying under a coconut tree, looking out to sea, Salmonella Dub playing,
and a good book . . . that would go down pretty well.

Meal

I guess I'd be living on fish and coconuts, so if someone could drop off
a chicken burrito, that would be kinda cool.

Gizmo

Not a unicycle! Perhaps a laptop, so I can keep up to date with the
outside world, catch up with e-mails, and finally get around to updating
my website, www.adventureunicyclist.com.

Companion

The Kennett brothers -- local mountain bike legends. Can I take only
one? Don't know if I can talk about bikes all day; but they'll be good
value.

* Ken Looi is Wellington's latest world-record holder. On his unicycle,
he completed 814 laps of the Basin Reserve, or 378 kilometres, in a
24-hour marathon ride -- breaking the previous 24- hour record by more
than 50km. He is also the president of the New Zealand Unicycle
Federation.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

--Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:23 AM

These next couple ones are about the uincycle club I am in. Enjoy.

Copyright 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
A Division 1 swimmer in college, Jon Cahill was well accustomed to the
buoyant support of the water as he powered to a win. But when he hopped
on a unicycle for the first time in his 30s, he fell down. Many times.
"Riding a unicycle is like falling all the time. That's really what it
is, a controlled fall," he said.

After countless hours of tipping over, and an equal number of bumps and
bruises, he finally got the hang of it.

"I finally had a whole day to myself and practiced for like eight hours.
By the end of the day I could ride around the gym."

By now, cruising on a single wheel is as natural as swimming for Cahill,
a physical education teacher at Wentworth Intermediate School for more
than 25 years. And thanks to his passion for it, a couple hundred
students in Scarborough are now very familiar with the odd sensation.
And they can juggle a bunch of bowling pins at the same time.

The Gym Dandies, one of the biggest circus troupes in Maine, sprung from
a chance meeting with a dancer and juggler that visited Wentworth
Intermediate School.

"I wanted to learn, so I just practiced and practiced until I knew how.
I was like a kid; I wanted to go around and show everyone."

The sight of an adult, an "older" person, doing cool tricks sparked the
interest of schoolchildren, and Cahill had soon devised a way to
incorporate juggling, unicycling and other circus disciplines into his
daily physical education class.

"It was started as an unconventional way to meet the needs of kids," he
said.

With just 10 kids and a pile of tennis balls, Cahill organized a
juggle-a-thon in 1981 to buy a few unicycles. Now he has a retired
bicycle mechanic keeping 125 unicycles, including ungainly 6-foot
"giraffe" models, in top shape. And the arsenal of circus toys has grown
to include juggling pins, diablos, devilsticks, bola boards, stilts,
rolling globes, hula hoops, rings, spinning plates and more. The 225 Gym
Dandies practice daily to master them all.

"At first we performed at just the elementary schools. When the younger
kids saw the upper kids perform these amazing feats of daring, they
wanted to get involved."

The Gym Dandies were soon taking their act throughout southern Maine,
and in 1984 the Maine State Arts Task Force recognized the group for its
contributions. The following year the Gym Dandies appeared in the Maine
State Parade.

"The kids are really amazing. Some fourth-graders work really hard for
two years and start riding the six-footers. It's really something to see
50 kids on giraffes at once."

Participants in Gym Dandies generally range from third- to ninth-
graders, with a number of high school kids acting as junior instructors.
With 225 Gym Dandies, Cahill needs the help of all 11 instructors. The
Dandies practice in groups five days a week, which translates to 10
after-school sessions a week and two performance group practices.

Inevitably, some of his students surpass Cahill's circus abilities. Dana
Bennett, now a ninth-grader, can juggle seven balls at once, a feat
highly regarded in the juggling world.

"I can do five balls, and that's really difficult. His five ball is
excellent. He can juggle five balls while riding the giraffe," said
Cahill.

The giraffe itself is a daunting vehicle. If a rider has mastered the
short unicycle, including solo mounting and riding backward and in
circles, he can graduate to the 6-footer. Most students need the help of
a wall or another person to get on, but the experts can hop on by
stepping on the wheel, then the pedal in a quick, fluid motion. Riders
such as Bennett can perform challenging step-walks, which propel the
cycle by using one foot on the tire.

Once the juggling motion has been learned, kids can juggle pretty much
anything, from bowling pins to fruit. And almost all of the Gym Dandies
can juggle while riding the unicycle. But with safety a growing concern
in all youth sports, Cahill doesn't use anything dangerous - "no knives,
no flaming torches." And kids wear the same gear Cahill dons when he's
out doing another favorite sport, in- line skating. Everyone is required
to have a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and shin pads.

Danger isn't needed to impress the crowds, Cahill said. When the Dandies
performed in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.,
in 2000, the crowd of 10,000 applauded the four dozen unicycle riders.
Then another 50 or so Dandies came spinning by on 6-foot giraffes. The
applause was deafening.

"We stole the show, absolutely stole the show," said Cahill.

On a smaller scale, the Dandies have staged shows at schools and at the
Maine Mall. Beginner Dandies perform balancing acts, using rollers under
boards, and set up 125 spinning plates. The more advanced kids juggle in
groups, and unicycle riders demonstrate choreographic routines.

"The focus is to have as many kids as possible out in the routine,"
Cahill said.

The opening act is often "Chaos to Order," a 70-strong mass of
unicyclists, using a little shock value to introduce the typically
one-hour performance. Later acts include ancient and obscure Chinese
circus implements such as diablos, or juggling sticks.

The Gym Dandies travel extensively. Their most recent appearance was the
International Bike Festival in Montreal, which attracted more than
40,000 cycling fans. And they'll soon be taking the ferry to North Haven
Island to perform for the North Haven Community School, a K-12 school
with 75 students.

Though Cahill, 56, said he may not be able to continue as the lead Dandy
much longer, the future of his skilled troupe looks promising. A booster
club actively raises funds every year to help out with performance,
equipment and travel costs.

Plus, participation is at an all-time high and in 2004 the Gym Dandies
will perform again on July 4 in Washington, D.C.

"Anyone who wants to can get involved. There's no doubt - there is
danger without the proper gear."

Cahill's son Ted, in fact, suffered the worst injury in Gym Dandy with a
broken arm, but it was incurred before the advent of padding. Now an
opera singer in Manhattan, Ted may be invited to ride a unicycle in one
of his operatic performances.

"This is not an interference sport, though," said Cahill. "We have one
kid this year who is in a wheelchair. Really, the only limitation is
space, and 250 is tops."

With so many Scarborough school kids now rightly calling themselves Gym
Dandies, it begs the question: why Gym Dandies?

"There was a kindergarten class at Pleasant Hill that used to practice
with us. The teacher there, Pat Kosta, would bring them over and along
the way she started calling them `Jim Dandies,' " which according to
Webster's Dictionary means an "excellent and very pleasing person or
thing."

It's a definition that seems to suit the Dandies just fine.

News Assistant Paul Livingstone can be reached at 791-6308 or at:

.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

--Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:27 AM

Copyright Portland Newspapers Jan 11, 1999
The gymnasium at Wentworth Intermediate School is busy with balls
rolling, scarves flying, wheels turning, plates spinning and kids moving
every which way around the shiny wood floor.

While elementary school children in other towns and cities play on the
monkey bars or choose sides for touch football during lunch recess,
these school children would rather practice their so-called "circus
arts." They are members of the Wentworth "Gym Dandies," and physical
education teacher Jon Cahill is their ring master.

"It impresses me every year that they are willing to do this," says
Cahill, who started the circus-arts group in 1981 with 10 kids and a box
of tennis balls. After a three-year break in the early 1990s, Cahill
revived the group in 1995. He now boasts a circus of 230 third-, fourth-
and fifth-graders. Four teachers, working two hours every day after
school, help supervise practices where kids work on juggling scarves,
balls and clubs, some while riding unicycles.

"I'm asking for some scarves and bean bags for Christmas so I can
practice at home," says Natalie Brown, a third-grader who joined the
group this year.

"This is better than sports," says Andrew D'Amour, a fifth-grader who
has been working on juggling five balls. "There's a lot more things to
do here."

Juggling and circus-arts shows have seen a revival in the past couple of
years in Maine. Local performers such as Blink, a Brunswick juggling
group, Mike Miclon of the Oddfellow Theater in Buckfield, and standbys
such as Randy Judkins and Avner the Eccentric can attest to that.

Northern Sky Toyz used to sell a couple of kinds of juggling balls in
its Old Port store. Now, manager Curtis Armstrong devotes an entire wall
space to juggling balls, beanbags, clubs, rings, scarves and other
hand-eye tools such as devil sticks and diablos.

The chairman of the International Jugglers' Association lives right here
in Maine. Sam Kilbourn, who is also a South Portland lawyer, attributes
juggling's popularity to the fact that "you feel empowered. It doesn't
look possible. It doesn't even feel possible. It's all right brain. You
have to relax, let go, don't think."

Kilbourn's juggling association claims 2,500 members, mostly beginners
and families. Thirty or so of them live in Maine. He hopes to start a
juggling club at the new Casco Bay YMCA in Freeport this winter.

"A juggling club is a place to teach each other and share," says
Kilbourn. "It's a real social thing. That's the most fun part of it."

This resurgence of interest in juggling and other circus arts is no
surprise to Cahill. From the birth of the Gym Dandies 18 years ago,
Cahill has known that if you give kids some balls to juggle, some
unicycles to ride and some time to practice, they will be hooked.

"We've spent a lot of time pushing highly competitive activities on the
kids at a young age," says Cahill. "But this is where kids are at this
age. They are at the circus. They want to have some success, and they
want to have some fun."

"A lot of kids have a hard time finding constructive ways to use their
energies," says Carol Barron, a fifth-grade teacher who helps out with
the program after school. "This benefits them tremendously."

Nothing in Cahill's background would suggest his skills as a ringmaster
--- no circus clowns or jugglers in his family closet, no trapeze
artists hanging from his family tree. Fifty-three, with graduate degrees
in recreation and physical education, he was named Maine's physical
education teacher of the year in 1996.

Back in 1981, when the school brought in a dancer/juggler to entertain
the kids at an assembly, Cahill learned to juggle. He decided to teach
juggling to his phys-ed students, to help develop their hand-eye
coordination and while away some midwinter time.

Once the kids started juggling, they didn't want to stop. Cahill formed
an after-school group for the kids who wanted more. He learned right
along with his kids how to juggle scarves, balls and bowling pins. The
kids were spurred on by the teacher who dropped the balls as often as
they did. They saw how he carried his juggling balls with him
everywhere, on recess duty, lunch duty, between classes. They heard how
he broke the monotony of jury duty by practicing his juggling during
courtroom breaks and deliberations. The kids responded to his enthusiasm
and the way he made each of them feel he or she was accomplishing
something.

Cahill soon realized, as any good ringmaster does, that the kids needed
variety to keep them interested. Enter unicycling, which Cahill hadn't
the faintest notion how to teach, let alone ride. He got some help and
learned right along with the kids.

Soon they were surpassing him in skill, and clamoring for bigger
challenges. He got the idea to put on performances for the whole school
and the community.

That's when the program really took off. Cahill started charging the
students a $35 annual activity fee and holding juggle-a-thons to raise
money to buy more equipment. From local school performances, they've
graduated to the Maine Festival, the Portland Family Festival and the
Maine State Parade. They plan to perform for the state Legislature this
year and may provide the halftime entertainment at the national women's
wheelchair basketball tournament in Springfield, Mass.

"It's fun to do it in front of people and see how amazed they look,"
says Matt Ciavarella, a fourth-grader perched on the leather seat of his
6-foot-high unicycle.

Matt --- wearing a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads, just in case - --
is one of 24 Gym Dandies who can ride the "giraffe," as the 6- foot-fall
unicycles are called. Like all his fellow giraffe riders, Matt is so
small that he must climb to the top of the unopened bleachers against
the gym wall to mount his unicycle. He says it took 100 days of practice
last year to graduate to the 6-footer. To move up from the smaller
unicycles, kids have to be able to do 20 "stationeries," which means
going back and forth in the same spot without losing their balance.
Unicyclists also must be able to go 10 feet back and forth, four times
each, before they are allowed to move up.

Brandon Baines, a fifth-grader who has been riding a unicycle for two
years, did 21,500 stationeries on the giraffe. for almost two hours
earlier this school year --- more than what's listed in "The Guinness
Book of World Records." Now, he is learning to juggle with his eyes
closed.

"You've gotta get the rhythm going," he says as he closes his eyes and
does a couple of flips and catches before the balls plop to the floor.
"I practice tons, a least seven times a day."

When kids graduate from Wentworth Intermediate to the middle school,
they can remain a part of the Gym Dandies. Connie Cardamone is the
parent of a sixth-grader, Alex, who has been a Gym Dandy since fourth
grade. She likes to tell people about how Alex begged her to buy him a
unicycle and then practiced for hours every day that summer so he could
graduate to the giraffe. Now, he and a few friends walk over from the
middle school one day a week to continue practicing with the Gym
Dandies.

"Now, he's getting into doing tricks on the 6-footer," Cardamone says.
"He comes home so excited. It's obviously good for his self- confidence.
And it's one structured way he can get two solid hours of exercise plus
be with his friends."

While boys outnumber girls in the Gym Dandies, Cahill says girls are
just as skilled at juggling and unicycling.

The head of the international association agrees with that. "The fact
is, there are lots of women involved in juggling," says Kilbourn, who
takes part in the international juggling festival every year. "If women
want to be good they are good."

A juggler's most valuable attribute, Cahill says, is a willingness to
practice. Barron, the teacher, recalls one little boy who practiced
juggling scarves for an hour, flailing them around without much
success.

"Finally, he got it and was so proud of himself. He asked if he could
keep the scarves out until his mother got there," Barron says. "It's
nice to see some who aren't the . . . stars be able to shine at
something that's physical. Among their classmates, this is very cool."

--
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--Kaycee
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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:30 AM

Copyright 2002 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
A Division 1 swimmer in college, Jon Cahill was well accustomed to the
buoyant support of the water as he powered to a win. But when he hopped
on a unicycle for the first time in his 30s, he fell down. Many times.
"Riding a unicycle is like falling all the time. That's really what it
is, a controlled fall," he said.

After countless hours of tipping over, and an equal number of bumps and
bruises, he finally got the hang of it.

"I finally had a whole day to myself and practiced for like eight hours.
By the end of the day I could ride around the gym."

By now, cruising on a single wheel is as natural as swimming for Cahill,
a physical education teacher at Wentworth Intermediate School for more
than 25 years. And thanks to his passion for it, a couple hundred
students in Scarborough are now very familiar with the odd sensation.
And they can juggle a bunch of bowling pins at the same time.

The Gym Dandies, one of the biggest circus troupes in Maine, sprung from
a chance meeting with a dancer and juggler that visited Wentworth
Intermediate School.

"I wanted to learn, so I just practiced and practiced until I knew how.
I was like a kid; I wanted to go around and show everyone."

The sight of an adult, an "older" person, doing cool tricks sparked the
interest of schoolchildren, and Cahill had soon devised a way to
incorporate juggling, unicycling and other circus disciplines into his
daily physical education class.

"It was started as an unconventional way to meet the needs of kids," he
said.

With just 10 kids and a pile of tennis balls, Cahill organized a
juggle-a-thon in 1981 to buy a few unicycles. Now he has a retired
bicycle mechanic keeping 125 unicycles, including ungainly 6-foot
"giraffe" models, in top shape. And the arsenal of circus toys has grown
to include juggling pins, diablos, devilsticks, bola boards, stilts,
rolling globes, hula hoops, rings, spinning plates and more. The 225 Gym
Dandies practice daily to master them all.

"At first we performed at just the elementary schools. When the younger
kids saw the upper kids perform these amazing feats of daring, they
wanted to get involved."

The Gym Dandies were soon taking their act throughout southern Maine,
and in 1984 the Maine State Arts Task Force recognized the group for its
contributions. The following year the Gym Dandies appeared in the Maine
State Parade.

"The kids are really amazing. Some fourth-graders work really hard for
two years and start riding the six-footers. It's really something to see
50 kids on giraffes at once."

Participants in Gym Dandies generally range from third- to ninth-
graders, with a number of high school kids acting as junior instructors.
With 225 Gym Dandies, Cahill needs the help of all 11 instructors. The
Dandies practice in groups five days a week, which translates to 10
after-school sessions a week and two performance group practices.

Inevitably, some of his students surpass Cahill's circus abilities. Dana
Bennett, now a ninth-grader, can juggle seven balls at once, a feat
highly regarded in the juggling world.

"I can do five balls, and that's really difficult. His five ball is
excellent. He can juggle five balls while riding the giraffe," said
Cahill.

The giraffe itself is a daunting vehicle. If a rider has mastered the
short unicycle, including solo mounting and riding backward and in
circles, he can graduate to the 6-footer. Most students need the help of
a wall or another person to get on, but the experts can hop on by
stepping on the wheel, then the pedal in a quick, fluid motion. Riders
such as Bennett can perform challenging step-walks, which propel the
cycle by using one foot on the tire.

Once the juggling motion has been learned, kids can juggle pretty much
anything, from bowling pins to fruit. And almost all of the Gym Dandies
can juggle while riding the unicycle. But with safety a growing concern
in all youth sports, Cahill doesn't use anything dangerous - "no knives,
no flaming torches." And kids wear the same gear Cahill dons when he's
out doing another favorite sport, in- line skating. Everyone is required
to have a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads and shin pads.

Danger isn't needed to impress the crowds, Cahill said. When the Dandies
performed in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington, D.C.,
in 2000, the crowd of 10,000 applauded the four dozen unicycle riders.
Then another 50 or so Dandies came spinning by on 6-foot giraffes. The
applause was deafening.

"We stole the show, absolutely stole the show," said Cahill.

On a smaller scale, the Dandies have staged shows at schools and at the
Maine Mall. Beginner Dandies perform balancing acts, using rollers under
boards, and set up 125 spinning plates. The more advanced kids juggle in
groups, and unicycle riders demonstrate choreographic routines.

"The focus is to have as many kids as possible out in the routine,"
Cahill said.

The opening act is often "Chaos to Order," a 70-strong mass of
unicyclists, using a little shock value to introduce the typically
one-hour performance. Later acts include ancient and obscure Chinese
circus implements such as diablos, or juggling sticks.

The Gym Dandies travel extensively. Their most recent appearance was the
International Bike Festival in Montreal, which attracted more than
40,000 cycling fans. And they'll soon be taking the ferry to North Haven
Island to perform for the North Haven Community School, a K-12 school
with 75 students.

Though Cahill, 56, said he may not be able to continue as the lead Dandy
much longer, the future of his skilled troupe looks promising. A booster
club actively raises funds every year to help out with performance,
equipment and travel costs.

Plus, participation is at an all-time high and in 2004 the Gym Dandies
will perform again on July 4 in Washington, D.C.

"Anyone who wants to can get involved. There's no doubt - there is
danger without the proper gear."

Cahill's son Ted, in fact, suffered the worst injury in Gym Dandy with a
broken arm, but it was incurred before the advent of padding. Now an
opera singer in Manhattan, Ted may be invited to ride a unicycle in one
of his operatic performances.

"This is not an interference sport, though," said Cahill. "We have one
kid this year who is in a wheelchair. Really, the only limitation is
space, and 250 is tops."

With so many Scarborough school kids now rightly calling themselves Gym
Dandies, it begs the question: why Gym Dandies?

"There was a kindergarten class at Pleasant Hill that used to practice
with us. The teacher there, Pat Kosta, would bring them over and along
the way she started calling them `Jim Dandies,' " which according to
Webster's Dictionary means an "excellent and very pleasing person or
thing."

It's a definition that seems to suit the Dandies just fine.

News Assistant Paul Livingstone can be reached at 791-6308 or at:

.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

--Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:32 AM

See the Dandies The Gym Dandies will perform "The Greatest Kids' Show on
Earth" at 6:30 p.m. tonight and Friday at the Scarborough High School
gymnasium. The group will perform juggling, unicycling and rolling-globe
routines. The event is a fund-raiser for the group's July trip to
Washington, D.C., where members will perform in the National
Independence Day parade. Tickets are $5 for adults, free for children
accompanied by an adult. For more information, visit
www.gymdandies.org.

Best friends Dana Bennett and Brandon Baines are among the senior
members of the Gym Dandies Children's Circus. At 16 and 15 respectively,
they're past the age when most of their peers stopped performing with
the nationally recognized Scarborough group.

Out of about 250 children participating this year, the majority are in
the third, fourth and fifth grades. That's the age when the program,
based at Wentworth Intermediate School and run by Wentworth teacher Jon
Cahill, is introduced to students. Only four members are in high
school.

In the past, said Bennett, Gym Dandies hardly ever stayed on through
middle school. That's not the case anymore. As high school members like
Bennett become more common, younger members realize they don't have to
quit at a certain age. They watch older members serving the group both
as mentors and as skilled performers.

Cahill, who founded the group in 1981, knows he's lucky to retain the
older kids. "I really appreciate their effort and loyalty to the group.
They're really giving back now," he said.

Sixteen-year-old Cassie Kapinos, who has been a member for eight years,
said she finds equal satisfaction in mentoring and performing. "Now that
I'm older, I get more of a connection teaching and volunteering with
younger kids," she said.

Bennett and Baines serve almost as older brothers to some of the younger
members, like 12-year-old Joe Nappi. At a recent practice, they taught
him yo-yo tricks and listened to his long stories, like the one about
how he overslept and was almost left behind during the group's trip to
Canada, where it performed in the Montreal Bike Expo.

Performances like that one, plus the upcoming appearance at the National
Independence Day parade in Washington, D.C., can serve as motivating
factors to remain with the troupe, said Bennett.

And while some of his Scarborough High School classmates are surprised
to learn of his ongoing participation with the mostly younger group,
they're also impressed by his well-developed skills.

"They usually think it's cool and ask me to juggle," he said.

Bennett's claim to fame is his ability to juggle five balls. "I've
worked on six and seven a bit. . . . Most kids can get to four. Anybody
can juggle five; it just takes a little more practice," he said.

That's part of the dilemma faced by older members. As they acquire more
advanced skills, more practice time is needed to hone them.

"Lots of kids who stay in reach a whole new level of skill that requires
more practice," said Cahill. "It requires hundreds of hours of
practice."

At the same time, other extracurricular activities start to vie for
their attention.

Bennett manages to do both - Gym Dandies and other sports. The two "can
interfere with each other, especially now that school sports are
directly after school," he said. During soccer or baseball season, he
finishes one practice, then walks over to the Wentworth cafeteria to
catch the end of his weekly Gym Dandies practice.

"After all these years in the group, I get a little leeway. I enjoy both
of them, and I think Mr. Cahill understands that. He knows it's not
because I don't like Gym Dandies that I show up late."

Cahill is just satisfied that Bennett is part of the group. "I feel a
loss every time a kid drops out," he said.

Baines said his commitment to the group has increased as he's gotten
older. "I see kids coming into it (Gym Dandies), and it encourages me to
do it more, because they look up to me," he said.

They admire him with good reason. Last year, he and Bennett won second
and first place in the Maine yo-yo championships. During group
performances, the two often take the spotlight, performing complicated
routines with juggling pins and six-foot unicycles.

Bennett is ambivalent about being the center of attention. "I honestly
feel like I'm stealing the show from kids that should be having more fun
than me," he said.

Kapinos feels similarly. "It's time to give them a chance. . . . We've
had the spotlight for the last three or four years. It's time for the
others. They're the future of the Gym Dandies. If they don't get
recognized, who knows if they'll stay with it," she said.

With role models like herself, more might.

News Assistant Victoria Gannon can be reached at 791-6309 or at

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

--Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

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KcTheAcy

March 16th 05, 04:33 AM

Copyright Portland Newspapers Jul 5, 2000
Parade watchers in the nation's capital are used to seeing the best acts
the country has to offer during the National Independence Day Parade.

So it was no small compliment that as a group of fifth- and sixth- grade
unicyclists from Scarborough turned onto Constitution Avenue on Tuesday,
the crowd roared with approval.

"It was unbelievable," said Jon Cahill, founder and director of the Gym
Dandies. Crowds along the entire length of the parade continued to give
the 80 unicyclists rousing cheers.

Half of the youngsters were on 6-foot-high models as they paraded along
Constitution Avenue for 50 minutes, from 17th Street to 7th, past the
White House and the Washington Monument, in front of 400,000 people,
photographers and television cameras.

The group, which practices after school once a week at Wentworth
Intermediate School, has been preparing for an entire year, since the
national parade committee called Cahill and invited his group to
perform.

It was the first time a unicycle group participated in the annual
parade, or any other in Washington, D.C., as far as the organizers
know.

The youngsters raised $40,000 to pay their way down. Another 46 parents
came as chaperones, and about 30 more came on their own to watch.

The Gym Dandies' reputation preceded them, and they were stopped all
around town by people who wanted to wish them well. They were wearing
distinctive Gym Dandies T-shirts that let people know who they were.

The kids were on 20-inch models and 6-foot "giraffes." They rode in four
columns, occasionally doing a "ride back" -- a circling back in
formation.

The weather was 88 degrees with a light breeze and sometimes overcast
skies.

"It was very fun," said Kate Thomas, 10, who rode a 20-incher. "It was
exciting to be able to show people what we can do."

"Once you've learned how to ride it, it's not that hard," said Amanda
Brezack, 10, who also rides a 20-inch model. "It's actually quite easy.
The learning part is hard, though."

Mike Hathaway, 12, graduated to a giraffe last year. He's been riding
for four years.

"It was awesome. The crowd cheering, everybody taking pictures of you
and videotaping you and stuff," he said.

Cahill, who has taught physical education at Wentworth for 28 years,
started the Gym Dandies in 1981 as a way to excite students about
physical education. This spring the group won the Governor's Council on
Physical Fitness Award in the youth division for breaking new ground in
physical activity for youth.

There are now more than 200 students in the group.

The group's biggest events before Tuesday's performance included
performances before 1,000 people in Scarborough and at the Maine State
Parade in Lewiston-Auburn.

The Gym Dandies will leave Washington this morning and are expected to
arrive in Scarborough between 10 and 11 p.m. Police will escort the
youngsters from Exit 6 of the Maine Turnpike to Wentworth.

David Connerty-Marin can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

"It was awesome. The crowd cheering, everybody taking pictures of you
and videotaping you and stuff." -- Mike Hathaway, 12

--
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--Kaycee
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JJuggle

March 18th 05, 02:36 PM

More desperate metaphors.

*FOLKS ARE DYING TO LEARN TRUTH ABOUT STEROIDS*

David Whitley, Sentinel Columnist
649 words
17 March 2005
Orlando Sentinel
FINAL
D1
English
Copyright 2005, Orlando Sentinel. All Rights Reserved.

It's not often people set their VCRs for C-SPAN3, but you do not want to
miss today's congressional circus.

.....

Send in the clowns.

Jose Canseco will be shaking a seltzer bottle at Mark McGwire. Sammy
Sosa will attempt to ride a unicycle around perjury charges.

--
JJuggle - Organizing a mutiny of preverts

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain

The narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
To the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
The drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
And his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped
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JJuggle

March 28th 05, 04:06 PM

FOLK TALES: ONE-WHEELED WONDERS: UNICYCLING MORE POPULAR LOCAL COLLEGE
STUDENT DEMONSTRATES HIS SKILLS

Stefanie Scarlett The Journal Gazette
881 words
26 March 2005
Journal Gazette
Final Edition
1D
English
(c) Copyright 2005, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette.

"Where's your other wheel?"

That's the usual tired question that unicyclists get from an uninformed
public who thinks it's being funny.

The best answer, according to www.uni cycle.com, is: "Real men (or
women) don't need two wheels."

Unicycle enthusiast John Drummond, president of unicycle.com, loves to
get his revenge by pedaling over to people on bicycles and asking, "Hey
is that thing hard to ride?"

Having a sense of humor is a requisite for taking up the sport.

While unicyclists probably won't take over the world anytime soon, there
are growing numbers who share this singular passion.

One of them is Luke Schutt of Fort Wayne, a freshman at Taylor
University, Fort Wayne.

Luke, 20, has been unicycling since last summer, when he got tired of
walking the mile from home to school.

Yes, he owns a bicycle, but that "takes too long" to prepare for riding,
for some reason.

He bought his first unicycle, a 20-inch freestyle wheel, on eBay last
year because "it was different, and it looked fun."

Different, it is.

Just getting on the unicycle (an ike?) is difficult enough, let alone
riding it.

Experts suggest practicing this first step on a deck or anywhere near a
fence or railing where there is something to hang on to. Mastering the
art of side-to-side balance isn't too difficult; it's the
forward-and-backward balancing act that gets tricky and can require a
great deal of arm-flailing.

"I liken it to breaking a horse, it wants to shoot out from under you,"
Drummond says. It takes about 10 to 15 hours of practice for most
beginners to get the hang of riding a one-wheeler.

Luke spent a month practicing in his basement before "I could ride more
than 20 feet. Well, more than 10 feet," he corrects himself. He's fallen
off a few times since then, but usually lands on his feet, although "not
necessarily gracefully," he says with a grin. "I wouldn't say I've
mastered it yet."

He demonstrates by riding around the Taylor campus.

His arms are held out only slightly, except when negotiating a turn,
which requires more balancing action.

His longest journey so far is about three miles at Foster Park, until he
was stopped in his tracks by the mud.

But he vows to learn to master it, on his new 24-inch mountain tire,
just like he did with the snow this winter.

On pavement, in good weather conditions, he estimates he gets a speed of
7 to 10 mph, much slower than a bicycle.

But it's not really about the need for speed; it's about what you can
do.

The Unicycling Society of America lists 10 skill levels, each with
several requirements.

It's a hobby that mostly was associated with circuses and juggling -
there are at least 30 unicyclists in Indiana, according to an unofficial
roster at unicycle.com. Some of them are affiliated with the Peru circus
and some are members of the Purdue University Unicycling & Juggling
Club.

But that trend started to change about seven years ago, when some guy
took a uni off-road.

Since then, that sub-group has multiplied and the bigger mountain tires
are selling like hotcakes.

Drummond is headed to a competition this month, which has 130 riders
registered.

BMXers beware. The uni-xers are hot on your trail.

The convention includes a bunch of competitive races: coasting, riding
backward, one-foot racing and wheel-walking.

And there are the extreme freestyle tricks, which is like "ballet on a
unicycle," Drummond says.

Here are some other games that uni-riders like to play: basketball,
hockey, jousting (yes, with poles), tag and something called "sheep and
wolves," where players "gang up on the good rider."

All of which raises the obvious question - are these people nuts?

Well, one group of Calgary off-road unicyclists is named, appropriately
enough, the "Unipsychos."

But Drummond insists unicyclists are perfectly normal people who don't
necessarily harbor a death wish.

Off-road riders and tricksters always wear helmets and wrist guards.

Plus, you're usually not going that fast, he says, and you're not
falling that far.

Most of the time, you'll land on your feet, so serious injuries are
rare.

Luke is hoping to add new tricks to his repertoire as well.

So far, he can ride up a curb (it's a lot harder than it sounds) and do
a hop or two.

He recently perfected the free mount, or getting on the unicycle without
hanging onto anything.

He might find himself teaching, in addition to learning.

Several students on campus have told Luke they want to learn how to
ride.

And another hockey playing, jousting tag team is born.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

'Link' (http://tinyurl.com/5vcng) to article with picture.

--
JJuggle - Organizing a mutiny of preverts

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

i've worked so hard, don't you understand,
making maple syrup for the pancakes of our land.
do you have any idea what that can do to a man?

--------------------------------------------------------

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

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JJuggle

March 29th 05, 02:41 PM

I add this because it contains a bit of anonymous history the details of
which will probably never be known.

MUSICIAN FROM VALLEY HITS NOTE IN; NAVY BAND VERSATILE TURLOCK HIGH GRAD
HAS ROOTS IN BLUEGRASS.

Michael Doyle BEE WASHINGTON BUREAU
1,021 words
27 March 2005
The Fresno Bee
FINAL
B1
English
Copyright 2005. The Fresno Bee. All Rights Reserved.

WASHINGTON

Frank Solivan II serves his country some hot licks.

The Turlock High School graduate cradles his mandolin and makes it yelp.
He straps on his Fender Stratocaster and rips into country swing. He
picks up the fiddle; he hits that high and lonesome sound.

In a word, the 28-year-old former high school cellist is versatile.

Enough so that he usually concludes a show with "Anchors Aweigh,"
perhaps the least likely bluegrass tune of all time.

Except, of course, for an official band of the U.S. sea service, in
which Solivan has found a noteworthy outlet for his native passion.

"I tell you what," confided Solivan, "I've got one of the eight best
jobs in the Navy."

The others, for the record, are held by Solivan's bandmates in Country
Current. The seven-member bluegrass and country group, and its audio
engineer, make up part of the overall U.S. Navy Band.

They're all military, but they're not what springs to attention given
the phrase "military music."

On a recent weekday morning, Country Current was picking through its
paces in a nondescript trailer at the Anacostia Naval Station. The band
is actually two-in-one. There is a seven-man country configuration; when
the drummer and pedal steel guitar player leave, Country Current becomes
a straight-ahead bluegrass unit.

The band selected Solivan about two years ago, adding his
guitar/mandolin/fiddle and songwriting skills to a famously long-lasting
ensemble.

"We were looking for a guitar player," said Master Chief Musician Wayne
Taylor, a University of the Pacific graduate and 18-year veteran of
Country Current. "The rest was icing on the cake."

Inside the crowded trailer, wires snaking underfoot, the musicians face
each other in a circle. They are in uniform, black shoes polished. Over
Solivan's left breast is the scarlet-and-yellow National Defense Service
Medal ribbon. Country Current's members all hold at least the equivalent
rank of petty officer first class -- Solivan's rating is musician first
class -- and they all have endured Navy boot camp. Several have served
in the fleet. Still, eyes closed, they sound like any good-timing
civilian band.

"Hang on a second," one musician says, realigning a guitar string.

"Time's up," Solivan says, one second later.

They dash into an Alan Jackson tune, "Don't Rock the Jukebox." When
they're done, they break the song apart and tinker.

They try again. Satisfied, they move on to what sounds like an
electrified "Foggy Mountain Breakdown." They're a tight outfit; they can
turn square corners.

"There are times when you need to have your martial bearing, for sure,"
Solivan said, "but we also all like to joke around and have a good
time."

After about 90 minutes, Solivan puts down his electric guitar and picks
up his mandolin. The musicians, now reduced to five, pull into a tighter
circle. They try out a new vocal arrangement.

"It sounds like ABBA," Chief Musician Keith Arneson says; the banjo
player sounds dubious about 1970s-era Swedish pop groups.

As an organization, the Navy Band also includes a choral group, a rock
group, a jazz band and a concert orchestra. All are rooted in
legislation signed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925, designating the
first official U.S. Navy Band.

Since then the proliferating groups have incited both praise and the
occasional off-handed gibe. During mid-1990s debate over federal arts
funding, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and other lawmakers repeatedly
stated that Pentagon spending on military bands exceeded the $136
million spent annually on the National Endowment for the Arts.
Environmentalists have deployed a similar comparison -- with its hint of
misplaced priorities -- in complaining about insufficient spending on
solar power.

More typically, though, the uniformed bands invite a pronounced loyalty
that is accentuated in wartime. Playing "Anchors Aweigh" at a concert's
end, Solivan said, will invariably get the audience up and cheering. The
old salts love it.

For Solivan, raised amid other performers, it's spelled "heaven."

HIS FATHER, FRANK, PUT BREAD ON THE TABLE BY WORKING AS A CARPENTER AND
ROOFING CONTRACTOR. HE PUT A SMILE ON HIS FACE BY PLAYING BLUEGRASS;
FRANK SOLIVAN, THE SENIOR, IS STILL ACTIVE AS \"AMBASSADOR AT LARGE\"
FOR THE CALIFORNIA BLUEGRASS ASSOCIATION. SOLIVAN'S GRANDMOTHER, TOO,
TROD THE STAGE IN HER DAY.

\"SHE WOULD RIDE A UNICYCLE AND PLAY THE MANDOLIN,\" SOLIVAN SAID.

Solivan played violin, viola and cello in the Turlock High orchestra. No
unicycle, though. By the time he was 13, he was playing fiddle in local
bluegrass festivals.

Solivan's father provided another kind of career direction as well. He
brought his teenage son to work atop steaming hot roofs on summer days.
That helped focus Solivan's own aspirations.

"I was not going to do this roofing b.s. for the rest of my life,"
Solivan recalled vowing.

He ventured off to Alaska after high school, where he handled a
jackhammer and worked in a warehouse. He was up late playing music, and
up early driving a school bus. He won the Alaska state fiddling
championship four times. When he heard of a Country Current opening, he
studied hard, auditioned several times and won the part. Then the real
work began, as he had to learn about 200 songs.

The pay is decent but not spectacular; a petty officer first class with
two years of service makes about $45,000 a year. It also offers some
unique benefits.

Like others on the bluegrass circuit, Country Current frequents the
annual Grass Valley Bluegrass Festival. Unlike others, it's playing next
month at the annual "Blessing of the Fleet" at the U.S. Navy Memorial in
downtown Washington.

--
JJuggle - Organizing a mutiny of preverts

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

not content merely to be insane,
he's an idiot as well.

--------------------------------------------------------

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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JJuggle

March 30th 05, 03:49 PM

'Enthusiasts take the one-wheeler to class' (http://tinyurl.com/67c3r)

The Daily Pennsylvanian

By jennie wissner
March 25, 2005

On a typical afternoon, Locust Walk is filled with students walking,
running and stumbling to class. Groups cluster together to chat, and
bikes roll by here and there.

But every now and then, one of Penn's semi-famous unicyclers weaves his
way through the crowd.

One prominent Penn unicycler is College freshman Joe Graff, who has been
riding the single wheel for almost three years.

Graff has walked to class a grand total of one time the entire year.
According to him, unicycling is faster and much more fun than walking.

College junior Emmanuel Ergas, a unicycler since January, rides to
campus for practice, although he doesn't ride every day. He's taken a
week and a half hiatus from unicycling because he twisted his ankle
riding down a set of stairs. But that's not going to stop him.

"Once I get back on, I'm going to try to ride as much as before and do
even more crazy things," he said.

Nursing freshman Amber Oberholzer is perhaps the only female unicycler
known to Penn. She and Engineering freshman Mark Fickett learned to ride
together this September.

Fickett said he occasionally rides his unicycle to class and always
rides it on his way to his a cappella group or for longer distance
trips, such as to the train station.

But to the three males, a unicycle is more than just a unique form of
transportation. It's also a vehicle they use to perform impressive
tricks.

All three know how to ride down stairs. Fickett said that he's jumped
from the wall that lines Perelman Quadrangle down to the ground, and
Graff said that his favorite unicycle pastime is riding on difficult
mountain terrain.

Whether on their way to class or cascading down the stairs of Van Pelt,
they've all received their fair share of attention.

"Sometimes you'll get the 'Hey buddy, you're missing a wheel on your
bike,' and then there's the people who give you the encouraging 'That's
hardcore!'" Ergas said.

Graff said he's been asked "shouldn't you be in the circus?"

Numerous onlookers have also asked them for permission to take a spin on
their unicycles. Of course, the curious first-timers fall right off.

Aside from fun, Graff said that unicycles have their practical purposes,
too. He added that they are a lot less expensive than bikes and much
easier to maintain.

Also, Graff never has to worry about a stolen unicycle. Although he
doesn't expect any theft, he has a plan.

He said that he'd chase after the thief, but "if [someone] can steal it
in front of me and ride away faster than I can catch them, then they
deserve to keep it."

Wharton senior Selim Aykut, who has seen a unicycler on Locust Walk
before on his way to class, said that he thinks "it's kind of
eccentric."

Engineering sophomore Jeff Benshelter has yet to spot a one. However, he
said that unicycling on campus "is unique. ... It's a hard talent in
itself, and to do it on a daily basis is interesting."

So what does it take to be a unicycler?

"It just takes perseverance," Graff said. "People think they don't have
the balance for it, but no one does when they start." According to
Graff, it just takes practice.

"I just recommend it to everyone," Ergas said. "All you need is the
determination to be awesome."

--
JJuggle - Organizing a mutiny of preverts

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

not content merely to be insane,
he's an idiot as well.

--------------------------------------------------------

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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JJuggle

April 6th 05, 01:49 PM

SNAPSHOTS; DAD, DAUGHTER ARE HAPPY TO SPIN THROUGH LIFE ON ONE WHEEL

CROCKER STEPHENSON
647 words
5 April 2005
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Final
02
English
Copyright (c) 2005 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All
rights reserved.

Ali Leinbach is in the fourth grade and lives six or seven blocks from
Richards Elementary in Whitefish Bay; the school isn't very far, but
most days, Ali's dad, Ken, gives her a ride.

Not all the way, however. Ken prefers to drop Ali off about a block from
the school. He does this because he doesn't want to call a lot of
attention to Ali or to himself.

The reason he and Ali might attract a lot of attention is that Ken takes
Ali to school on a unicycle. Apparently, a pillar of dad and daughter
perched on a single wheel is the sort of thing that attracts notice in
Whitefish Bay.

Starting at the ground, there is the unicycle, a blue Schwinn with a
24-inch-wheel and a blue tire. The seat is worn to the point that its
stuffing is poking out. The frame is scraped, but Ken says that's just
because it's old. Walking, he says, is more precarious than riding a
unicycle.

Then there is Ken, who measures 6 feet 1 when he's standing. He's
something short of that on the unicycle, but still, he's lean and
angular and, frankly, kind of tippy-looking.

Then, seated on his shoulders, is Ali, who's about 4 feet 6. On school
days, Ali always has a pink backpack, filled with books and things,
hanging from her shoulders. Sometimes, in one hand, she'll have her
viola. Sometimes, in her other hand, a package. She appears as
comfortable on Ken's shoulders as she does seated on the couch in her
living room.

Ali has been riding Ken around for years, and they've never fallen.
Nonetheless, Ali always wears a helmet and wishes her dad would wear
one, too.

Ken, who is the executive director of the Urban Ecology Center, owns
four unicycles. One is a 6-footer, which he rides in parades. The other
is a child-sized 3-footer, which Ken would have used to teach his kids
how to use if either Ali or 13-year-old Micah were the least bit
interested.

The two other unicycles are standard-size, which is about 4 feet. He
keeps one at home, the other at work. Ken rides a bicycle or takes a bus
to work and uses the unicycle for noon-hour errands.

Ken has been riding unicycles since he was in third grade, and he's
never had one stolen. What is amazing about this is that Ken never locks
his unicycle. Even when he lived in Chicago, he didn't lock it. He's
come out of stores or restaurants and found people playing with his
unicycle, but no one's ever snatched it. He's not sure why.

The thing kids most often say to Ken when they see him on his unicycle
is, "Pop a wheelie!" Adults say, "When are you going to get another
wheel?" or they shout, "Hey! You lost a wheel!"

Ken says that one of the nice things about being on a unicycle is that
people feel free to interact with him. People meet his eyes. They return
his smile. When he lived in Chicago, where he used to work at the Field
Museum, he thought he had never lived in a more depressing place. Then
he started commuting to the Field on a unicycle, and the whole city
seemed to brighten.

It's a brighter world that Ali sees, seated on her father's shoulders.

--
JJuggle - My yin ate my yang.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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JJuggle

April 6th 05, 01:50 PM

UNICYCLING PUTS WHEEL TO WORK

John Meyer Denver Post Staff Writer
1,029 words
5 April 2005
Denver Post
Final
D.14
English
Copyright (c) 2005 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All
rights reserved.

Moab - An intimidating sign greets thrill-

seeking mountain bikers when they arrive at the world famous Slickrock
Trail overlooking Moab in the red rock canyon country of southeastern
Utah. The basic message: If you ride here, you could die here.

'Injuries are fairly common,' the sign warns. 'Unfortunately some of
them have been quite serious.'

Despite the dangers that lurk on Slickrock's steep and often bumpy
descents, 160 adventurous unicyclists swarmed over its pitted, pink
sandstone Saturday to socialize, show off and shame the two- wheelers of
Moab with the bold proposition that one wheel is plenty.

Typical greeting from a mountain unicyclist to a mountain biker: What's
up with the extra wheel?

The occasion was the sixth annual Moab MUni Fest, MUni being shorthand
for mountain unicycle.

'It's a legend within mountain unicycling,' said Lars Lottrup, who came
from Denmark. 'The scenery is so great.'

Mountain unicycles have wider tires than street models, and some are
equipped with hand brakes. Most riders in the MUni Fest, a three- day
affair, were adept at descents that would make many mountain bikers
quake with fear.

'Unicycling is about balance, and balance is always challenging,'
Lottrup said. 'You have to look ahead and fight for your balance. You
have to fight your fear as well.'

Melissa Hansen, a 17-year-old from Lindon, Utah, loves mountain
unicycling for the 'adrenaline rush.' She can 'wheel walk,' a neat trick
that means providing propulsion with the feet applied directly to the
tire instead of the pedals. Her father, Guy, shocked the crowd by riding
one Slickrock descent backward.

'It's just a great sport,' said Guy Hansen, 51. 'It keeps me in shape,
and it's just a thrill every time you ride.'

The sport tends to attract individualists and technical thinkers. Many
are engineers. Jim Roberts, a research chemist for NOAA in Boulder,
started riding unicycles when he was 11 but left the sport for 25 years
because it 'wasn't cool' when he got to high school.

'Then my parents said, 'We still have your unicycle in the garage, why
don't you tell us we can get rid of it or take it with you,' so I took
it with me,' the 6-foot-4 Roberts said.

Three years ago, he heard about mountain unicycling and was intrigued by
the hopping tricks mountain unicyclists do on natural obstacles such as
boulders and ledges, giving their sport a kinship with skateboarding.

'I couldn't imagine even jumping up a curb,' Roberts said. 'I checked it
out and I thought, 'That's incredible, I can't see how he does that.'
The second thought was, 'Gee, I have to try that.' So I did, and the
rest is history.'

Roberts says unicycling offers a good physical workout, especially for
core muscles, but he especially loves the technical challenges.

'You're always on the edge of falling off,' Roberts said. 'In fact, in
order to go forward, you have to lean forward and unbalance yourself.
There's always a tension between control and movement. You're always
playing with that. Almost every time I go out, I find something I didn't
think I could do that I do.'

On Friday, many of the MUni Fest riders tackled the Moab Rim Trail,
which involved a long, steep climb to a ridge overlooking the Bohemian
adventure destination of Moab. Most hiked uphill with their unis, and
many hiked down its steep, rubble-

strewn sections rather than tempt fate. Especially careful was John
Payne, 60, whose motto was, 'I can hike anything they can ride.'

'I made it to 60,' said Payne, who lives in San Marcos, Texas, 'and I
intend to keep on going.'

Payne, a former FBI agent, got involved in unicycling when he lived in
Minneapolis, a hotbed for the sport.

'You don't get an immediate positive feedback when you start,' Payne
said. 'The first thing that enters your mind is, 'This is impossible.
I'll never do this.' But there are some of us who just figure, 'Well, if
it's impossible, I guess I'll just have to learn how.' These guys like a
challenge.'

Mountain unicycling legend Kris Holm of Vancouver, British Columbia,
thrilled the gathering on Slickrock with his tricks, which included a
pedal grab: bouncing and hopping the uni high enough to catch a pedal on
a boulder, balancing that hanging stance and then hopping again to land
the tire on the rock.

Holm, 31, got interested in the sport when he saw a street performer
playing a violin while riding a unicycle. Since Holm played the violin,
he thought he'd try the unicycle. That was 19 years ago. Now he has his
own line of mountain unicycles.

'It's a sport for people who don't mind a challenge and don't mind not
getting something at first,' said Holm, a geologist for an engineering
company. 'People who do technical things realize nothing worthwhile do
you get first try. It always takes work. If it didn't take work, it
would be boring. Unicycles have a threshold in the beginning. They
demand determination. You've got to be the sort of person where you can
get on, fall off, get on, fall off. Pretty soon you're riding, and
you're wondering how you didn't know how to do it before.'

Holm is an inspiration for many, including Ben Plotkin-Swing of Boston,
who said it took him six months to learn how to do a pedal grab.
Plotkin-Swing isn't sure where he's going to college next year, but he
probably will be a math major. He likes mountain unicycling because it's
different.

'You're not going to see lots of people doing it,' Plotkin-Swing said.
'It fits how I think about things. It's not a super-fast sport, it's
more about planning, figuring out the best way to do things and working
on it.'

--
JJuggle - My yin ate my yang.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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U-Turn

April 6th 05, 02:20 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *[b] When he lived in Chicago, where he used to work at the Field
> Museum, he thought he had never lived in a more depressing place. Then
> he started commuting to the Field on a unicycle, and the whole city
> seemed to brighten.
> *
I went to school in Chicago for a while, and outside of business hours,
it is a stark, bleak, cold place. NYC is totally different.

--
U-Turn - As long as my feet keep movin'...

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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JJuggle

April 12th 05, 03:33 PM

I grew up in the East Village although we called it the Lower East Side
then. I love the East Village. :D

I do think some of the actors could have suffered for their art and
learned to ride.

PHILOSOPHER IN THE EAST VILLAGE

GARY SHAPIRO
1,107 words
12 April 2005
The New York Sun
English
Copyright 2005 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC. All rights reserved.

MIRROR, MIRROR A drama in the East Village involving sexual ambiguity is
not in itself newsworthy; in fact, it would make news if there were not
plays in the Village on this subject. But "Narcisse," which ended a
brief stint Sunday at the Theater for the New City, is noteworthy as the
American premiere of a work by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, the Enlightenment
philosopher.

As a philosopher, Rousseau, along with John Locke, profoundly influenced
democratic political theory. Outside of philosophy, Rousseau is
remembered for a dramatic life that included running away as a teenager,
leaving his children in a foundling hospital, quarreling with Diderot
and Hume, and writing in various forms, operatic and novelistic.

Written while Rousseau was only 18, this play centers on a love story
between Narcisse and Angelique, whose marriage plans are interrupted by
Narcisse's love for a portrait of a woman, which is actually an image of
himself.

The portrait is portrayed by Carolyn Tunney, who wears a wig as large as
ram's horns and a costume that resembles a large corset. *In the show,
unicycles are brought (but not ridden) on stage, a symbol of people
trapped in solitary self-love, unable to travel on the two axles.* A
secondary love story, between Lucinda and Leander, hovers in the
background.

The ending is made as insincere and implausible as possible, so that the
play appears to show that narcissism is not overcome.

--
JJuggle - Charlie! They took my thumb!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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GILD

April 12th 05, 03:41 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *I do think some of the actors could have suffered for their art and
> learned to ride.*
wouldn't that've changed the meaning of the play?
or that 'self-love' bit at least?

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
alice 'roosevelt' (http://tinyurl.com/5ngze) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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JJuggle

April 12th 05, 04:04 PM

GILD wrote:
> *wouldn't that've changed the meaning of the play?
> or that 'self-love' bit at least? *
No.

--
JJuggle - Charlie! They took my thumb!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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GILD

April 12th 05, 04:07 PM

:p

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
alice 'roosevelt' (http://tinyurl.com/5ngze) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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Klaas Bil

April 13th 05, 06:22 AM

On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:33:51 -0500, "JJuggle" wrote:

>I do think some of the actors could have suffered for their art and
>learned to ride.

Well, the theme song "I'm On a One-Wheel" (and the other music) for
that production was written by someone who rides, i.e. no-one less
than our 'own' dogbowl !

Read more about it here: <http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/39365>.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"When it comes to the family jewels, you won't be having fun until they're having fun. - Jake D"

JJuggle

April 13th 05, 12:25 PM

Klaas Bil wrote:
> *On Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:33:51 -0500, "JJuggle" wrote:
>
> >I do think some of the actors could have suffered for their art and
> >learned to ride.
>
> Well, the theme song "I'm On a One-Wheel" (and the other music) for
> that production was written by someone who rides, i.e. no-one less
> than our 'own' dogbowl !
>
> Read more about it here: <http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/39365>. *
Wow, I remember that thread. I tried to download the song but my
workplace blocked access and I subsequently forgot about it. My
apologies to Steve (dogbowl) for not making the connection. And thanks
to Klaas for pointing it out.

--
JJuggle - Charlie! They took my thumb!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

------------------------------------------------------------------------
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GizmoDuck

April 14th 05, 07:19 PM

Gee- they sure love unicyclists down in Nelson!

Another mention of unicycling in the Nelson Mail- this time Rachel Shaw
doing the solo 12hrs Nelson Enduro mountainbike race:
http://tinyurl.com/54796

Good on ya!

Ken

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)

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JJuggle

April 18th 05, 11:59 AM

BARRINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL'S RICHARD WHEELER JR. NAMED STATE PRINCIPAL OF
THE YEAR

MICHAEL P. McKINNEY Journal Staff Writer
666 words
14 April 2005
The Providence Journal
East Bay
C-01
English
ï¿½ 2005 Providence Journal/Evening Bulletin. Provided by ProQuest
Information and Learning. All Rights Reserved.

Richard K. Wheeler Jr., the Barrington Middle School principal whose
school champions teaching teams to better know and reach youngsters and
who, on occasion, has been known to *ride a unicycle around school*,
will be named Rhode Island middle school principal of the year.

Wheeler has been chosen from three finalists by the Rhode Island
Association of School Principals, John Golden, the association executive
director, said yesterday. A formal ceremony will be held for the state's
principals of the year in elementary, middle and high schools on May 25
at the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel in Warwick.

For Barrington, regarded as one of the state's best public school
systems, Wheeler is the third principal since the late 1990s to win
recognition. Last year, Arlene Miguel, principal of Hampden Meadows
School, was named elementary principal of the year. At Barrington High
School, John Gray was named high school principal of the year in 1998.

"I am very proud for my faculty," Wheeler said. "I think this is an
honor that, when you are recognized, it is not any one person. This is
definitely something that represents the entire school."

Schools Supt. Ralph A. Malafronte yesterday said the school district is
"very excited" about the recognition of Wheeler.

The association solicits nominations, and principals are nominated by
colleagues or superintendents. Each candidate must fill out an
application. A team from the state principals association picks
finalists and visits each school to interview the superintendent,
teachers, colleagues and the nominated principal.

Golden said Wheeler is respected for his understanding of what a middle
school should be -- it is not the junior high school of old, where it
was simply a matter of what classes the age group would take.

"Middle schools are designed to meet the development needs of early
adolescents," Golden said. "The middle school model tries to do that
through things like where a teacher works with small groups of
students."

Wheeler said there are nine teaching teams, in which a set of teachers
work with the same group of students and can bring a thematic,
interdisciplinary approach to a variety of subjects. "So that the small
groups of teachers get to know those students very well," he said. "It's
like having a bunch of small schools within one school."

The key, Wheeler said, is to treat youngsters of middle school age with
respect and keep them interested, give them direction. He said test
scores have been among the top in the state.

It's an age when students go through lots of changes, "so it takes a
group of people to really work with them and who they trust."

Wheeler, who grew up in Barrington, has been principal since the early
1990s. He has been on the board of directors of the New England League
of Middle Schools for many years, including as president of the league
for a time.

The middle school, named as a Blue Ribbon school last year, has been
something of a model. It has been visited by representatives of some 400
schools over the years, Wheeler said.

"We've had schools from as far away as Australia," Wheeler said.

Before becoming principal, he taught Barrington students who were having
difficulties. He had been a reading specialist for the East Providence
schools and worked at Harmony Hill School in Chepachet, according to a
biography on the middle school Web site.

Wheeler also performed as a clown for eight years, though not recently,
he said. He said he found the clowning skills, the humor, useful as part
of his teaching method when he was teaching special education students
-- a skill to help him make connections.

*These days, it's within the realm of possibility that he will sometimes
ride a unicycle around school with a sandwich board bearing an
announcement or an advertisement for something students may be
interested in. *

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

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JJuggle

April 25th 05, 11:47 AM

WHEEL BE ROLLING ALONG

Mike Blackburn
230 words
23 April 2005
Evening Gazette
3
English
(c) 2005 Gazette Media Company Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Unicyclists from across the globe are descending on Teesside this
weekend for an action-packed three-day convention.

The British Unicycle Convention, hosted by The Stockton Unicycle and
Juggling Club, is the largest of its kind in the UK.

More than 250 riders are converging on St Michael"s School, in
Billingham, from the UK and as far afield as the US, France, Germany,
Brazil and Australia for the 12th annual event.

Those attending include several world champions along with probably the
"most exciting rider" in the World - Simon Wells from Australia.

Events include the British Unicycle Trials competition, the British
Unicycle Hockey championship and the British Unicycle Freestyle
competition.

One of the more unusual events was last night"s Ceilidh - conducted on
unicycles.

Roger Davies, of The Stockton Unicycle and Juggling Club, said the
annual convention has helped raise the profile of the sport enormously.

He said: "Our club alone has 60 members and it has been estimated that
one and a half per cent of the UK population can ride a unicycle.

"It"s a lot of fun, the fitness benefits are great and it"s a lot less
dangerous than normal cycling - 90pc of the times you fall off you land
on your feet!"

The event includes unicycle workshops to learn everything from how to
ride to "ridiculously hard tricks".

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

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JJuggle

April 25th 05, 11:48 AM

UNICYCLISTS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD DEMONSTRATE THEIR SKILLS IN N-E

350 words
25 April 2005
Newsquest Media Group Newspapers
English
© Copyright 2005 Newsquest Digital Media.

FOR all those who think that one wheel is better than two, the
North-East was the place to be when enthusiasts from across the globe
gathered for a unicycle convention.

Fans took their cycles to Billingham, Teesside, for the three-day event.

It was an eclectic bunch, with unicyclists from as far away as Australia
and Brazil travelling to the British Unicycle Convention in the town's
St Michael's School.

Delegates on their cycles were doing a variety of stunts - even playing
hockey and ceilidh dancing.

Ruben Pedros, 27, who travelled from Valencia, in Spain, for the
convention, said: "I found out about it from the Internet. I've been
unicycling for about eight months, but it's not easy to find other
people who do it. This event is great because I can meet fans like me."

Despite remaining something of a fringe pursuit, unicycling has a
die-hard following and is growing in popularity around the world.

Paul Tasker, one of the organisers of the convention, the only one of
its kind in the UK, said: "In Japan it's taught in schools as part of
the curriculum, every school kid there is given a unicycle for sports
lessons."

A social worker by day, Mr Tasker, who lives in Stockton, got into
unicycling through his neighbour and event co-organiser Roger Davies.

Mr Davies, who runs his own website, unicycle.com, said: "It's great
because we'll go to a convention in Germany and the people we meet there
come over here for this event. Almost everyone who is anyone in the
world of unicycling is here."

Rodrigo Racy, 27, travelled from Sao Paulo to take part, but the
Brazilian is used to long trips having recently entered the Guiness Book
of Records for unicycling across Spain for 34 days off-road.

He said: "It's not so popular to unicycle in Brazil. I learned because I
was in a circus. It's lots of fun, though, everyone should try it."

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

the narcotic that forges their union, is a substance known only to one
to the clown it is known as dominion, it’s a secret that he’ll give to
none
the drug which gives the clown power, means the circus can never be
stopped
and his dream can go on unhindered, ’til the last human being has
dropped

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KcTheAcy

May 1st 05, 03:47 PM

(Copyright 2005 Liverpool Daily Post and Echo Ltd.)
A DAREDEVIL cyclist last night called for more people to join him
conquering North Wales' peaks - on one wheel.

Store supervisor Stuart Owen, from Hawarden, has already unicycled down
Snowdon twice.

Last week he trekked across the Sychnant Pass and the hills near Gwrych
Castle with Dutch friends Walter and Ernst de Valk, who introduced him
to the sport.

Stuart, 35, said he is the only mountain unicycling - or muni -
enthusiast in Wales but is hoping to attract more people to the sport
after linking up with Prestatyn enthusiast Kathy Wood.

'The only way to get more people involved in it is to have a unicycle
meet, so we're hoping to set one up in Rhyl in the near future where
people will be able to learn the sport,' he added.

'I was never into any sport before I started muni but it's really
enjoyable The hardest part is learning how to unicycle, but once you've
done that, it's easy.'

Muni involves walking to the top of a mountain and then unicycling down
on a cycle with a 24-inch diameter wheel, two and a half inches thick,
like a motorbike wheel.

Details about forthcoming North Wales unicycle events and about
unicycling and muni in general will be published on the website
www.onewheel.has.it

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 1st 05, 03:52 PM

Wheel be rolling along; [FINAL Edition]
Mike Blackburn. Evening Gazette. Middlesbrough (UK): Apr 23, 2005. pg. 3

(Copyright 2005 MGN LTD)
Unicyclists from across the globe are descending on Teesside this
weekend for an action-packed three-day convention.

The British Unicycle Convention, hosted by The Stockton Unicycle and
Juggling Club, is the largest of its kind in the UK.

More than 250 riders are converging on St Michael's School, in
Billingham, from the UK and as far afield as the US, France, Germany,
Brazil and Australia for the 12th annual event.

Those attending include several world champions along with probably the
"most exciting rider" in the World - Simon Wells from Australia.

Events include the British Unicycle Trials competition, the British
Unicycle Hockey championship and the British Unicycle Freestyle
competition.

One of the more unusual events was last night's Ceilidh - conducted on
unicycles.

Roger Davies, of The Stockton Unicycle and Juggling Club, said the
annual convention has helped raise the profile of the sport
enormously.

He said: "Our club alone has 60 members and it has been estimated that
one and a half per cent of the UK population can ride a unicycle.

"It's a lot of fun, the fitness benefits are great and it's a lot less
dangerous than normal cycling - 90pc of the times you fall off you land
on your feet!"

The event includes unicycle workshops to learn everything from how to
ride to "ridiculously hard tricks".

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 1st 05, 03:57 PM

(Copyright The Hartford Courant 2005)
Let's play "Guess the Word Origin!" Can you select the correct
derivation of these terms?

1. Boarders (people who live in rooming houses) are so called because
...

a. many worked in sawmills making boards b. they often slept on boards.
c. their food was served on long boards d. rooming houses were made from
boards

2. "Free-wheeling," meaning loose and undisciplined, derives from ...

a. a steering wheel that's easy to turn *b. a style used in riding
unicycles * c. free rides once available on stern-wheel steamboats d. a
car designed to coast with the engine disengaged

3. When someone betrays an ally, it's called a "double-cross" because
...

a. writing one "X" over another voids the first X b. two hot- cross buns
were once used as a signal to begin a coup c. the two crosses are
associated with the two thieves crucified with Jesus d. such traitors
often looked cross-eyed at their victims

4. "Jaded," meaning dulled by overindulgence or worn out by overwork,
derives from ...

a. aristocrats who owned so many items made of jade that they didn't
appreciate them b. blue jays, whose bright color soon becomes tiring c.
the Icelandic word for a mare d. a variation of "faded"

Answers:

1. C Early inns and rooming houses served food on long boards, so people
who paid by the week for a space at the board were called "boarders."

2. D During the early 1930s, engineers designed cars that would
automatically coast freely downhill without being slowed by their
engines. After many accidents and burned-out brakes, these "free-
wheelers" were discontinued.

3. A In the 1800s, many illiterate people signed their names with an X
(a cross). By folk tradition, writing another X over the first one, that
is, double-crossing, voided the original signature.

4. C When English explorers searched Iceland, they encountered a
native-born mare much smaller and scrawnier than an English horse. The
Icelandic word for "mare" sounded like "jade," and Brits began applying
this term to any horse that looked skinny and worn out. Soon they were
describing people who were tired or surfeited as "jaded."

(The green gemstone "jade," by the way, takes its name from the Spanish
"piedra de la ijada," literally "stone of the loins," because jade was
believed to cure pain in the kidneys.)

Rob Kyff is a teacher and writer in West Hartford. Write to him in care
of The Courant, Features Department, 285 Broad St., Hartford, CT 06115,
or by e-mail at .

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 1st 05, 04:01 PM

Copyright The Arizona Daily Star Apr 8, 2005
Found two weeks ago at a North Side house

More than 350 stolen bicycles police found at a North Side home may be
returned to their owners Saturday.

The bicycles - road bikes, mountain bikes, BMX bikes, kids' bikes,
antique bikes and even a tricycle and a unicycle - were discovered about
two weeks ago, at a house near East Blacklidge Drive and North First
Avenue.

"It's a potpourri and mishmash of everything," said Sgt. Carlos Valdez,
a Tucson Police Department spokesman.

It took police several days to document and move all of the bikes using
moving vans. Among those quickly identified were six performance racing
bikes that altogether are worth $15,000, Valdez said.

The bicycles had been on the roof, in the yard, in storage sheds and
inside the house.

Police decided to give them back to the public - at least those who have
some proof of ownership - all at once because it was the easiest and the
best way to do it, Valdez said.

Police continue to investigate the people who live at the home, but no
charges have been filed, Valdez said.

The gates to the house were locked with bike locks Thursday, but a few
bicycle rims still could be seen hanging in a storage shed.

Police also seized several computers, digital cameras and security
cameras from the home, according to a search warrant return filed in
Pima County Superior Court.

Police searched the property March 24, after nearby residents told
police of suspicious activity at the house.

Officers also found methamphetamine, along with scales and syringes,
according to the search warrant return.

Detectives believe the people stole the bikes and sold them or took them
apart and sold the components for money to buy drugs, Valdez said.

Neighbors said the problem went on for a year as cars came and went and
people wearing backpacks rode in and out of the property day and
night.

Drugs are behind nearly all of Tucson's property crimes, from burglaries
to bike thefts, said Capt. Terry Rozema, who leads the Police
Department's new property crimes division.

About 8,700 property crimes were reported to police last year, he said,
and meth may be related to as many as half.

At first, neighbors who called police didn't think their complaints were
heard.

They planned to start a 911 phone tree to let police know when
suspicious activity was peaking.

But police were conducting undercover work. About 20 officers from the
bicycle unit and property-crimes division were involved in the
investigation.

If you go

What: Bicycle return event

When: Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon

Where: Tucson Police South Substation, 4410 S. Park Ave.

How it works: There's no guarantee your bike will be there, but to claim
your bicycle, you'll need a police report number or proof of ownership,
such as a photograph or a detailed description of your bike. Police
won't take calls for information about the bikes.

* Star reporter Alexis Huicochea contributed to this story.

* Contact reporter Becky Pallack at 629-9412 or at
.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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Klaas Bil

May 2nd 05, 05:55 AM

On Sun, 1 May 2005 10:01:49 -0500, "KcTheAcy" wrote:

>More than 350 stolen bicycles police found at a North Side home may be
>returned to their owners Saturday.
>
>The bicycles - road bikes, mountain bikes, BMX bikes, kids' bikes,
>antique bikes and even a tricycle and a unicycle - ...

So, whose unicycle was it. Someone we know?

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
"When it comes to the family jewels, you won't be having fun until they're having fun. - Jake D"

harper

May 2nd 05, 09:06 PM

I made the Puget Sound Business Journal. The links are active for at
least a week. 'THE FRONT PAGE'
(http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/05/02/) has the photo
which can be somewhat enlarged. 'THE STORY ' (http://tinyurl.com/96o72)
is about unusual commutes in the area. I ended up as the cover photo but
about third in the stories section entitled 'ROAD WARS.'
(http://tinyurl.com/96o72)

--
harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

"My world view has come crashing down like a drunk clown on a giraffe,
riding through a cactus patch..." -evil-nick on "Entry of the
Gladiators"
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U-Turn

May 2nd 05, 10:02 PM

harper wrote:
> *I made the Puget Sound Business Journal. The links are active for at
> least a week. 'THE FRONT PAGE'
> (http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2005/05/02/) has the
> photo which can be somewhat enlarged. 'THE STORY '
> (http://tinyurl.com/96o72) is about unusual commutes in the area. I
> ended up as the cover photo but on page 2 as story number three in the
> stories section entitled 'ROAD WARS.' (http://tinyurl.com/arsql)
>
> Out of the 80 or so photos taken the publication picked the one with
> me just falling off of a curb ride next to the bicycle lane on Ravenna
> Avenue in Seattle. The interview was good and the story not too
> screwed up. It was fun although I was not told that the topic was the
> DANGERS of alternate commuting. *
Even though you were hijacked a little, Greg, which I think is wrong, I
think the article turned out well.

In 100% hindsight, it seems as though the skater's -policy- of hitting
"terminal velocity" and jumping railroad tracks was destined for
statistical failure. For commuting and general transportation in
traffic, one would not be wanting to hit top racing speeds, but instead
build a lot of conservatism in. In short, in competitive racing you go
all out, in commuting your primary goal is safety. In commuting, any
loss of control is a big no-no, whether it results in an accident or
not. For example, around here if I blast through an intersection
without stopping, I'm an idiot; if I blast through and take a dive in
the middle, I'm reckless and dangerous and incompetent and a menace. If
I stop, get off, and walk through, I'm courteous, respectful, and a
smart, friendly guy. Too politically correct? Not really, it's all
self-serving: there are lots of narrow, blind corners here with
potholes. I don't want anyone to have an excuse to take out a
unicyclist and get away with it.

It's so cool that you guys have so many alternate commuters. Even a
rowing commuter! Around here even a casual jogger or bicyclist is out
of place.

I've used both the Cielencki sealed and Azonic A-frame pedals in rain
with huge success. There's essentially no difference from dry
conditions, at least in conjunction with the 661 Duallys. My biggest
problem in rain is that my glasses fog up. However, my eyesight is such
that I can remove them and still get by. Since I have astigmatism too,
the ground bumps look a little weird for a while until my eyes adjust.
In traffic though, I'd have to have contacts.

Nice going, Greg!

--
U-Turn - As long as my feet keep movin'...

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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harper

May 2nd 05, 10:06 PM

This is the text section that contains my story from the May 2, 2005
edition of the Puget Sound Business Journal:

Some athletic commuters gear up for their falls. Greg Harper, for
instance, falls frequently. And no wonder: The research engineer at the
University of Washington Nuclear Physics Laboratory rides a modified
unicycle to work. It's an 11-mile round trip from Seattle's Crown Hill
neighborhood to the UW, and Harper said he prepares for it by wearing
knee and elbow pads every day.

Now 52, Harper has been unicycling since he was 11, but he only started
riding to work four years ago. At that time, he purchased a Coker, a
unicycle with a 36-inch in diameter tire that he calls a "gigantic speed
machine." When he sits on top of the Coker, Harper's head is a full 7
feet off the ground. Harper likes the height because he can see more
when navigating traffic.

When Harper decided he wanted to go even faster than the 9 to 12 miles
per hour possible on the Coker, he designed his own unicycle with gears.
A standard unicycle has just one gear because the rider needs to be able
to outrun the cycle when falling forward. The geared unicycle, which
goes as fast as a regular bicycle, is impossible for its rider to
outrun.

"You're in for quite a tumble if you can't outrun it," Harper said. "If
you learn how to ride a unicycle, you learn how to fall."

Even Harper has his safety limits. He won't ride when it's raining,
because his feet can slip off the pedals too easily. In the dark winter,
Harper trades in his unicycle for a bicycle because he can't avoid bumps
in the road that merely jostle a biker but throw off a unicyclist.
Though Harper knows how to stop and stand still on a unicycle without
losing his balance, he often finds crosswalk signs he can hold until a
light changes.

My comments:

Knee and elbow pads every day? Only with BlueShift, not the Coker. On
the trail, I don't even wear a helmet on the Coker.

Falls frequently? On BlueShift at high speeds, too often. On the Coker I
rarely miss a mount or have a UPD. Certainly not when commuting.

--
harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

"My world view has come crashing down like a drunk clown on a giraffe,
riding through a cactus patch..." -evil-nick on "Entry of the
Gladiators"
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GILD

May 3rd 05, 07:03 AM

harper wrote:
> *I was not told that the topic was the DANGERS of alternate commuting.
> *
they obviously realised that u don't understand the 'D' word

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
'alice' (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?) 'roosevelt'
(http://tinyurl.com/963jr) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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onewheeljoe

May 3rd 05, 02:52 PM

Nice Picture! The article annoyed me however because it is easy to see
how they overstate the dangers of commuting by bike or uni.

While I'm sure that 40-60% of traffic accidents do go unreported, I
doubt that pedestrian deaths go unreported. That reporter suggests that
bikers are dropping dead like squirrels in traffic without being
counted.

--
onewheeljoe - house of one-five

****************************
Rumors, like young chickens, come home to roost.
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monociclos

May 3rd 05, 10:38 PM

Spanish newspaper article:

( Click on the images to enlarge )

'[image:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albums/galerialibre/TentacionesPortada.thumb.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/8hs4n) Here you can see the front page with a litle
unicyclist at the top of the page

'[image:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albums/galerialibre/TentacionesPg18_001.thumb.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/c2zlr) First page
'[image:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albums/galerialibre/TentacionesPg19.thumb.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/aa6tp) Second page

'[image:
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albums/galerialibre/TentacionesPg20.thumb.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/drudt) And third page of the article!!!

To see a slide show of those pages 'Click here'
(http://tinyurl.com/aw32y)

Cheers!

Pepe, Monociclos.Com

--
monociclos - Doin` trials

www.monociclos.com Unicycle related stuff in Spanish
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harper

May 3rd 05, 11:40 PM

monociclos wrote:
> *Spanish newspaper article *

Muy bueno. Muchas gracias.

--
harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

"My world view has come crashing down like a drunk clown on a giraffe,
riding through a cactus patch..." -evil-nick on "Entry of the
Gladiators"
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KcTheAcy

May 4th 05, 01:32 AM

Growing Into a Children's Champion; Teenage Volunteer Takes the Prize
for Career of Helping; [FINAL Edition]
Jacqueline L. Salmon. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.: May 1,
2005. pg. C.04

Copyright The Washington Post Company May 1, 2005
Brad Dutton, who recently won an award for his volunteer activities with
Fairfax County's Department of Family Services, is a seasoned do-gooder
who's been at it for more than a decade.

He's ridden his unicycle to raise money to buy gift cards for needy
kids, collected and distributed baby clothes and toys to low- income new
mothers and their infants, wrapped presents for foster care children,
solicited donations from businesses, collected school supplies and
Halloween costumes for children whose parents couldn't afford them and
assembled Easter baskets for poor kids.

And he's only 17.

The cheerful 11th-grader, a 6-foot-6 forward on the James Madison High
School varsity basketball team, won the Youth Volunteer Service Award,
one of several awards presented annually by Volunteer Fairfax, a
nonprofit organization that promotes volunteerism.

Helping kids comes naturally to Dutton. At one time, he said last week,
"I was one of those kids getting the gifts and the food. It's nice to
give back."

Dutton was nominated for the award by Family Services social workers and
others who have worked with him over the years.

"He just has a wonderful spirit about him," said Tilly Blanding,
supervisor of community-based services in the Child Abuse Prevention
Program in the Department of Family Services, who let out a whoop of joy
at the awards luncheon when Brad's name was announced. "You just wish
more kids had that outlook."

Dutton got involved in helping with Family Services activities because
his mother, Carol Dutton Buro, a management analyst in the department's
children, youth and family division, manages several of the programs.

When she was a single mother, Buro brought her young son along when she
worked on the projects. Some of Dutton's earliest memories are of toting
around Barbie dolls, trucks and other toys as he and his mom sorted
gifts donated to the department's Holiday Spirit project, which collects
them for children in the foster care system.

At the time, recalled Dutton, "I didn't realize I was being helpful to
people. But I was."

His involvement grew from there. As a grade-school student, he dressed
up as a Christmas elf and rode his unicycle at Wal-Mart and handed out
candy to children waiting for Santa Claus. Wal-Mart paid him in gift
cards, which he donated to the Holiday Spirit program.

He also helped out at baby showers for mothers-to-be in the department's
Healthy Families program, which provides help to low- income mothers,
and wrapped gifts for various programs.

As he got older, he provided day care to young children and infants so
their parents could attend a sex-abuse awareness program.

"He's great with kids," his grateful mother said.

And once Dutton got his driver's license, he hit the road, recruiting
friends and teammates to pitch in. They picked up donated school
supplies from Riggs Bank branches across the Washington area and
delivered donated cribs, Easter baskets and other items to Family
Services social workers, who gave them to clients.

He has even played Santa Claus at the department's holiday parties for
needy families.

For many years, life wasn't any easier for Dutton and his mother than
for some of those they helped. Strapped for money, mother and son moved
several times, and Dutton bounced from school to school. At times, they
relied on charity themselves.

His mother said that bred a special tie between her son and the kids he
helps.

"He saw what we went through," she said.

With his mother's marriage to D.C. dentist Ronald Buro several years
ago, Dutton acquired three stepsiblings and, eventually, a half sister,
Nicole, 2. The family lives in Vienna.

Dutton delights in his new family and -- for the first time in his life
-- has the luxury of living in a big home in a lush, wooded
neighborhood.

But he doesn't forget the past.

Kids who need help "aren't any different from me," he said.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 4th 05, 01:36 AM

An articel on the image people are fighting...

"They're off to join the circus: Students are set to show off their
skills at the PNE"

kid fun I It's every kid's dream, to run away and join the circus.

Some kids in Vancouver actually get a taste of it. After school and on
weekends, they go practice handstands and high-flying acts with a
20-year-old outfit called CirKids which has set up shop at the PNE.

For some, it's an extra-curricular activity like soccer or band
practice. Others are seriously bent on a circus career and head off to
full-time circus school in Montreal.

Every year, the Vancouver students of all varieties show off their
death-defying acts and daredevil stunts at the PNE Garden Auditorium.

This year's mayhem, which ends today, has the theme SuperHeroes Defend
Circus Metropolis.

According to artistic director Jay Nunns, it's your classic good-
vs.-evil show involving superheroes battling their arch nemesis and an
evil ringmaster who brings his band of freaks to town to try to take
over.

It's got a comic book theme which Nunns thinks is perfect for the
times.

To show off the students' talents, he has concocted a show in which
gargoyles come to life and a dramatic act in which 16-year- old Cameron
Fraser does trampoline tricks on a unicycle.

Another performer is 17-year-old Erin Tipple who mostly does swinging
trapeze but for this show, she will be doing contact juggling.

The Gladstone Grade 12 student has had to do some juggling of her own to
fit school in with circus practice but she has found it's all worth
it.

"When you're performing, all the adrenalin is going through you. The
audience is there but you just feel more within yourself than you ever
have been before. When I do my swinging trapeze, it's just me and the
trapeze. Nothing else really matters after that. It's the sensation of
feeling like you are flying. It's the greatest thing for me."

Although Tipple doesn't plan to make a career of the circus, she is
grateful for the time she has spent in it. "I will always love the
circus."

Nunns urges everyone to get out and support the show. "It's kind of a
neat positive thing young people are doing."

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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JJuggle

May 4th 05, 05:24 PM

W.VA. NATIVE TO UNICYCLE FOR CHARITY

226 words
3 May 2005
23:29
Associated Press Newswires
English
(c) 2005. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A Charleston native wants to break a Guinness
world unicycle record while raising $10,000 for young Afghan circus
performers.

Zach Warren hopes to break the unicycle record of six hours, 44 minutes
for 100 miles. More importantly, he plans to present a hefty check to
the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children, a group of about 50 kids
whose training and performances help heal the trauma of growing up in
war-torn Afghanistan.

Warren, 23, a Harvard University divinity student, found out about the
circus from a high school friend who was in Afghanistan doing
humanitarian work. Now Warren will make the same trip. The accomplished
juggler plans to share his skills with the children.

"I felt called to do a ministry through laughter and circus performing,"
he said.

Warren is accepting pledges for each mile traveled in his record attempt
and has raised about $2,000 so far. He'll go for the record on May 19 in
New York City.

Warren has been riding about 40 miles a day.

"There's no coasting on a unicycle," he said. "You can't relax."

------

On the Net:

Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children: http://www.afghanmmcc.org/

100 Miles for Kids: www.unicycle4kids.org

--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

'7th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
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U-Turn

May 4th 05, 06:55 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> *W.VA. NATIVE TO UNICYCLE FOR CHARITY
>
> 226 words
> 3 May 2005
> 23:29
> Associated Press Newswires
> English
> (c) 2005. The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
>
> CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - A Charleston native wants to break a Guinness
> world unicycle record while raising $10,000 for young Afghan circus
> performers.
>
> Zach Warren hopes to break the unicycle record of six hours, 44
> minutes for 100 miles. More importantly, he plans to present a hefty
> check to the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children, a group of about
> 50 kids whose training and performances help heal the trauma of
> growing up in war-torn Afghanistan.
>
> Warren, 23, a Harvard University divinity student, found out about the
> circus from a high school friend who was in Afghanistan doing
> humanitarian work. Now Warren will make the same trip. The
> accomplished juggler plans to share his skills with the children.
>
> "I felt called to do a ministry through laughter and circus
> performing," he said.
>
> Warren is accepting pledges for each mile traveled in his record
> attempt and has raised about $2,000 so far. He'll go for the record on
> May 19 in New York City.
>
> Warren has been riding about 40 miles a day.
>
> "There's no coasting on a unicycle," he said. "You can't relax."
>
> ------
>
> On the Net:
>
> Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children: http://www.afghanmmcc.org/
>
> 100 Miles for Kids: www.unicycle4kids.org *

'Website here' (http://www.unicycle4kids.org/kinesis/template.php) Looks
like he is using a Sem 45" wheel with solid tire... interesting.....
interesting..... I wonder if this is the one Tom Miller built for Floyd
Beattie in 1986?

--
U-Turn - As long as my feet keep movin'...

Weep in the dojo... laugh on the battlefield.
'LiveWire Unicycles' (http://www.livewireunicycles.com)
'Strongest Coker Wheel in the World'
(http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albup39)
'29er Tire Study' (http://u-turn.unicyclist.com/29erTireStudy/)
'New York Unicycle Club' (http://www.newyorkunicycle.com)
-- Dave Stockton
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JJuggle

May 5th 05, 07:16 PM

WHEEL OF LIFE CHARLESTON NATIVE UNICYCLING FOR CHARITY

Rusty Marks
640 words
4 May 2005
Charleston Gazette
P1D
English
(Copyright 2005)

A unicycle's a strange vehicle to use to change the world. Charleston
native Zach Warren is going to try.

On May 19, Warren hopes to break the Guinness world record for the
fastest 100 miles on a unicycle.

He hopes to use the stunt to raise $10,000 for the Afghan Mobile Mini
Circus for Children, a group of about 50 children whose training and
performances help heal the trauma of growing up in war-torn Afghanistan.

The 23-year-old Harvard University divinity student said he found out
about the mini-circus from a high school friend who was in Afghanistan
doing humanitarian work. When another friend told him about Afghanistan,
Warren figured it was more than coincidence, and decided to go to
Afghanistan and see the circus for himself.

Warren is known on the streets of Charleston as The Jolly Juggler. He
can juggle just about anything from flaming torches to toilet plungers.
He hopes to share his juggling skills with the children in the circus.

"I felt called to do a ministry through laughter and circus performing,"
he said. For many Afghan children who grew up under a Russian war,
repression by the Taliban and the guns of warlords, the circus offers a
chance to learn to laugh and play again.

"It's one of the few things over there the kids get to laugh and smile
about," said Dr. Stafford Warren, Zach's father. Dr. Warren plans to
travel from Charleston to be with Zach when the unicyclist goes for the
world record May 19 in New York City.

"He's a very committed young man," Dr. Warren said. "He likes to do
things he thinks make a difference in the world."

It will be a daunting task. To beat the world unicycle record - 100
miles in six hours and 44 minutes - Zach figures he'll have to average
almost 15 miles per hour. To help go faster, he has a special unicycle
with a 45-inch wheel.

"If you have a small wheel, you're going to be turning the pedals like a
madman," he explained. Warren has been practicing by riding about 40
miles a day.

It isn't easy. Unlike a bicycle, the pedals have to be in constant
motion on a unicycle or the big wheel just won't turn and Warren will
fall. "There's no coasting on a unicycle," he said. "You can't relax."

He figures he can last 100 miles - if the unicycle doesn't break down,
if the wind doesn't slow him down too much or knock him over, and if his
bottom holds out.

"The seat has been the hardest part for me," he conceded. "I'll get 20
miles into a ride and I'll have this awful rash."

Warren has already raised about $2,000 of the $10,000 he hopes to give
to the children's circus. He could have picked a smaller amount of
money, or just spent time with the kids, but decided he needed to help
out both financially and in person.

"If I'm going to Afghanistan, I really want to help the kids there," he
said. "I need to give something."

Donations may be made through a Web site Warren has set up, www.unicy
cle4kids.org.

Checks can also be sent to The Harvard Divinity School Jugglers MMCC
Campaign, 114A Prospect St., Apt. 3, Somerville, MA 02143.

Can you really change the world from the top of a unicycle?

"For me, unicycling is a metaphor," Warren said. "It's a metaphor for a
globalized world.

"You have one wheel, one world, and all these different spokes
connecting things."

--
JJuggle - THUMB!

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

'7th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
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GILD

May 6th 05, 10:04 AM

JJuggle wrote:
> *[b]"The seat has been the hardest part for me," he conceded. "I'll
> get 20 miles into a ride and I'll have this awful rash." *
is this guy trying to do it on the oldest equipment he can find or
doesn't he know any better?

forget about donations, shall we club in and buy him an airseat?

are the NY people planning on going to the venue on the 19th?

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser and Time-bider

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
'alice' (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?) 'roosevelt'
(http://tinyurl.com/963jr) longworth
I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://tinyurl.com/ywxgb)
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KcTheAcy

May 7th 05, 07:32 PM

Hats off to new McDonald's for hair-raising art
Chris Whitehead. Chicago Sun - Times. Chicago, Ill.: Apr 22, 2005. pg.
67

The new McDonald's downtown just opened, replacing the Rock 'n' Roll
McDonald's, but it doesn't have a catchy name of its own yet. The 50th
anniversary McDonald's sounds too corporate.

So how about the Helmet Hair McDonald's? Among the sculptures around the
place (there's one that I swear is a woman telling a kid with a
basketball to go play somewhere else) is a statue of Ronald McDonald on
a unicycle, with a little girl next to him on a tricycle.

She, being on an obviously dangerous vehicle, is wearing a helmet. He,
straddling a cycle renowned for its safety and ease of use, is wearing
his trademark hair and a crazed expression.

He's also either stepping on a flower pot, or about to trip over it.

Maybe the whole idea is to give people something to argue about while
they eat. Nothing like helmets to get a conversation going. And, judging
by the people I see cycling, it's certainly true to life: kids in
helmets, adults in hair.

Capitalists, beware

Here's a reaction to the proposed deal between the New York Stock
Exchange and Chicago's Archipelago that you might not expect:

"Now we have, for the first time, the capacity for foreign corporations
or foreign countries being the equity owners of the largest equity
market in the United States, and if for some perverse reason, profit was
not their motive, but in fact some deviant purpose to accomplish some
end, they would have vital control."

That's how Paul Jankorski (D-Pa.) described his worry to his fellow
members of the House Financial Services Committee. "They could utilize
this exchange for horrendous purposes," he said.

I thought that was already Bush's plan for Social Security.

No problems after all

Speaking of which, I was all set to rail about the money (ours) being
spent on the Social Security circus roaming the land, when I got an
e-mail from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. "Mankind has now entered the gate
of a golden time of affluence and peace for everyone born on earth," he
says.

So never mind. Sounds like those benefits will keep on coming.

You're not in Kansas anymore

Wondering what to do next Wednesday? Head to London for the Bonhams
auction of Rock and Film Memorabilia. Lots of movie posters (I'm taken
by one for 1943's "Captive Wild Woman"), but the big item is the dress
Judy Garland wore as Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."

Bonhams thinks it'll go for more than $47,000, so don't forget your ATM
card.

Multi-talented

Elsewhere in the old country, British lingerie maker Triumph
International chose an American, Liz Zara, as its new spokesmodel.

The Californian, chosen from hundreds of applicants, will become "the
new face of the lingerie maker," though judging from the photographs the
lingerie outfit has plans for the rest of her, too.

Buy hello, sell goodbye

You probably saw the story this week about the MIT students who created
a software program that generates nonsense academic papers.

There might be a future for them in business journalism: "Wisconsin's
egg market Monday was higher for mediums. ... Trade sentiment was steady
to at times fully steady. ... Offerings were tight to short and held
with more confidence while demand was fairly good to good."

Traders speak their own language, but when it resembles English, it's
easy for simple types like me to get confused.

Named for Frasier Crane?

As U.S. Bank readies for its move next week from the Wrigley Building
across the river to 360 N. Michigan, it's sending letters to customers
to reassure them. The new office "will be conveniently located in the
Cranes Building at the corner of Michigan and Wacker."

That'd be the one that has "Crain Communications" in whopping big
letters above the entrance. You can read it from across the river. You
can read it from inside U.S. Bank, it's so big, though you might wonder
why the Cs and Ss look too small.

Now we know

Rich people who spend too much wind up not being so rich. That's the
conclusion of a study by JPMorgan Chase.

It looked at Forbes magazine's list of the world's 400 wealthiest people
in 1982 and compared it with last year's list. Only 13 percent stayed on
the list; 205 fell off because of the way they managed their money (145
either died or gave the money away).

"If you want to stay wealthy," said Benoit Dumont, head of JPMorgan's
private bank in Geneva (the Swiss one, of course), "you shouldn't stay
concentrated."

And don't spend too much.

Got it. Wealth, here I come.

Contributing: AP, Bloomberg News

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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JJuggle

May 12th 05, 08:33 PM

JJuggle wrote:
> THIS IS NOT A VERY NICE STORY, BUT THE LAST SENTENCE IS BETTER THAN
> FICTION AND VERY LIKELY A FIRST IN NEWS REPORTING.
>
> *EAST BAY ROUNDUP
>
> 892 words
> 13 December 2004
> Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, CA)
> 4
> English
> (c) Copyright 2004, Contra Costa Times. All Rights Reserved.
>
> Livermore Unicyclist held in father's slaying
>
> A Livermore man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his
> 80-year-old father over the weekend, police said Sunday.
>
> Officers responding to a report of an injured person found the man's
> body Saturday morning in the bedroom of a home on the 3000 block of
> California Street, police said.
>
> The Alameda County Coroner's Office identified the victim Sunday as
> Kristian Aaland of Livermore.
>
> Police said they determined that the victim's son Hans Aaland, 46,
> smothered his father while he slept. An autopsy is scheduled for today
> or Tuesday, a coroner's deputy said.
>
> Hans Aaland fled the scene, but was found two hours later walking on
> Old First Street. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and was
> booked into Santa Rita Jail.
>
> Police said he admitted killing his father, but didn't give a motive.
>
>
> The younger Aaland was a frequent attraction at local events, calling
> himself the "Living Livermore Totem Pole" as he wheeled about on a
> tall and elaborately decorated unicycle.
>
> He was arrested in March 2003 for assault with a deadly weapon and
> resisting arrest after he swung a stick at police. Aaland had been
> spotted outside Foothill Hill School in Pleasanton, where a student
> had a restraining order against him. He fled on his unicycle and
> officers gave chase. *
FYI, this guy has been found 'incompetent' (http://tinyurl.com/7t9l6) to
stand trial.

--
JJuggle - Enhanced Digit

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

'7th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
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GILD

May 13th 05, 07:48 AM

JJuggle wrote:
> *FYI, this guy has been found 'incompetent' (http://tinyurl.com/7t9l6)
> to stand trial. *

> -Quote from that article -
> * Before his arrest, Aaland was known for riding around the Valley on
> his unicycle and quoting scripture. *

now that's one way to get rid of the 'clown-thing'

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
'alice' (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?) 'roosevelt'
(http://tinyurl.com/963jr) 'longworth' (http://tinyurl.com/78ybd)

I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://www.lyricsdir.com/d/deep-purple/child-in-time.php)
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JJuggle

May 13th 05, 01:45 PM

LIFE'S A BREEZE ON ONE WHEEL

EVA SAN MARTÍN
887 words
12 May 2005
El Pais - English Edition
Herald Tribune
8
English
(c) 2005 EL PAIS, SL/IHT.

Unicycling and its dazzling array of tricks are a fast-growing fashion
for urban youth

Vertigo is an alien concept to them. And so are handlebars. Everyday new
unicyclists, with their spread-out arms and furrowed brows trickle into
the vast cement expanse at the base of Madrid's skyscraping business hub
of Azca. The normally sparsely populated area once used by gangs of
break-dancers to flaunt their moves is now peppered with an eclectic
troupe of one-wheeled acrobats.

Aresillo arrives lugging a bizarre object he calls 'Imposible,' that
certainly looks quite impossible to ride, let alone control. It is a
kind of one-wheeled scooter with a 20-centimeter-wide platform that
glides down stairs at unbelievable speeds. Pepe, Arantxa and Pedro, all
of them Azca regulars, arrive after him... and then come Danielo, who
has just arrived from Germany, Juanpe, who at 30 is the group's veteran,
Domingo, Víctor, J., Álex and Toño. They are armed with wheels,
connecting rods, screws, monkey wrenches, gloves, helmets, shinpads and
spare tires.

For these fervent fans of one-wheel cycling, urban barriers are not
obstacles. They use them instead as ramps, trampolines and hurdles to
jump. Lack of legislation on the matter has become an ally for them.
Unlike traditional two-wheelers, they travel on the subway with their
cycles. And the uses of this unusual mode of transport are so varied
that some have even unicycled the entire pilgrimage trail to Santiago de
Compostela.

A new generation of unicyclists is rushing onto the city's streets,
leaving behind circus tents and stages to conquer public urban spaces.
Many young people have already swapped their mountain bikes,
rollerblades and skateboards for the unicycle. Their ergonomic air
seats, adjustable crank arm lengths and of course, their lone, single
wheels, allow them to do all sorts of crazy tricks, such as climbing up
to the top of the Grazalema castle in Cádiz without touching the ground
with their feet, or gliding down the 40 steps leading to the entrance of
Madrid's Picasso Tower.

"You can do all kinds of crazy things on a unicycle. Really incredible
stuff," Pedro, 20, says before pedaling away. This Madrid native has
been riding since he was in school. It took him a week to gain his
balance and he hasn't lost it since. Antonio, 31, required a little more
time - one year - to master his unicycling techniques.

There are almost weekly meetings of unicycle enthusiasts across Spain.
Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, Alicante, Cartagena and Majorca have all
hosted unicycling events. Every year dozens gather in the Basque region
of Guipúzcoa for the Behodia-San Sebastián race. Some train in groups,
other prefer to do so alone.

Raw's training methods are simple, he pedals out of his house in Seville
and lets himself and his vehicle drop down any hill and staircase he
finds. In Alicante Fede, 22, meets every Friday at 6pm with other
enthusiasts to train in a small street in the town's old quarter. Once a
month they organize a get-together called the Masa Crítica, a gathering
"of some 50 people riding unicycles and other wheels," who take over the
city's streets. For Fede, one of the great advantages of the unicycle is
that "it leaves your hands free, which is great when moving about town.
It might be slower, but because nobody dares to call it a bicycle you
can bring it with you on the train, the subway and the tram."

J. lives in Madrid. Every morning he cycles down to university. It takes
him 40 minutes, including "four strategic drink stops," he says. "I hang
it next to my coat and there it waits for me," he adds before turning to
a group of fellow unicyclists who gather under the shade of the remains
of the Windsor Tower, which was destroyed by a fire earlier in the year.

The group has strutted its stuff for hours now, and sweat patches are
visible on their shirts. They have shown off their "slowlys" (glide with
two feet resting on the wheel), "gliding" (glide with one foot on the
wheel and another on the frame) and "coasting" (glide with two feet
resting on the frame). "Riding a unicycle is a way of life," J. says.
"It frees my mind to think, I enjoy the search for balance and the
excitement resulting from this defiance of gravity."

Álex is 21, and every Sunday he leaves his home in the Madrid suburb of
Boadilla del Monte to train with his colleagues in Azca. He starts
mentioning techniques such as "crank grabs" and "pedal grabs" that are
virtually impossible to understand for the uninitiated. Despite this, he
accepts he is only a newcomer. "The ones who really know about it are
Juanpe and Pepe."

Pepe is the webmaster of monocilos.com, a website that in 2002 got 27
hits a month but that today gets some 2,500. He uses his website himself
to fish for spare parts to adapt his vehicle to his needs. The parts are
changing quickly, pieces that were square last year are circular today.
All of it reveals the quick progress of a sport that is gaining
supporters by the day.

--
JJuggle - Enhanced Digit

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

'7th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
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GILD

May 13th 05, 01:50 PM

that's got to be one of my favourite uni articles in a while

i'm not sure if english isn't the writer's first language or if we're
reading a translation, but it has a fascinating 'feel' to it

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
'alice' (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?) 'roosevelt'
(http://tinyurl.com/963jr) 'longworth' (http://tinyurl.com/78ybd)

I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://www.lyricsdir.com/d/deep-purple/child-in-time.php)
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unisk8r

May 13th 05, 05:36 PM

so this is what the Spaniards are up to:
http://tinyurl.com/a7hhl

from www.monociclos.com (NOT monocilos.com as spelled in the article)

--
unisk8r - One Wheel Wander
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Klaas Bil

May 14th 05, 09:07 AM

On Fri, 13 May 2005 07:45:29 -0500, "JJuggle" wrote:

>LIFE'S A BREEZE ON ONE WHEEL

Fascinating article indeed. It seemed to be several years in the
future. I liked the quote that no one dares to call a unicycle a
bicycle.

Oh and has anyone heard the word "slowlys" for two-footed gliding
before? All the other terms were correct English (correct in the sense
that us unicyclists use them that way), leading me to think I've
missed something.

Klaas Bil - Newsgroup Addict
--
wouldnt you be grumpy if somone just said you had PMS? - jagur

JJuggle

May 16th 05, 01:47 PM

CYCLISTS TO RACE ON ONE WHEEL

Jane MARSHALL
470 words
14 May 2005
The Press (Christchurch)
2
English
© 2005 Fairfax New Zealand Limited. All Rights Reserved.

The threat of punctures may have halved but two multisport rookies have
doubled their demands to complete their maiden Coast to Coast race.

Wellingtonian Ken Looi and Aucklander Tony Melton will tackle the cycle
legs of the annual 240km multisport gutbuster from Kumara beach on the
West Coast to Sumner in Christchurch on one wheel.

The duo will compete in the February 10 and 11 teams race and ride the
55km and 70km cycling stages on a unicycle.

Melton said "the challenge" to try something different had lured the two
into entering the mountain running, cycle and kayak event.

"It's an extension of some of the other events we've done and the Coast
to Coast is well known around the world," he said.

The race rules state the cycle legs must be completed on a "cycle" but
Looi suggested to race director Robin Judkins that he could carry
another wheel on his back, strapped to his entry bib.

"If Ken and Tony carry a wheel then technically they are using bicycles,
therefore, they are within the scope of the race rules," Judkins said.

It is not the first time the cycle stages have attracted innovative or
interesting pedal power.

Nine-time champion Steve Gurney used a "pod bike" in 1990 while
Trans-Atlantic rower Rob Hamil did the cycling section in 2003 on a kick
bike.

Judkins said he and his technical director had discussed Looi and
Melton's entry.

"We actually found a case in the United States where a unicyclist had
done the same thing and the race director came to the conclusion that
the entrant could legally take part," he said. "That was good enough for
me."

Both riders have extensive experience on the one-wheeled cycle.

Looi is awaiting confirmation that his world record attempt of riding
378km in 24 hours on a unicycle will be accepted into the Guinness Book
of records.

He also has a bronze medal from the downhill and cross country
championships at the unicycle world championships in Japan.

"This will be the ultimate challenge," Looi said of the Coast to Coast
race.

"And we enjoy pushing the boundaries of what can be done on a unicycle."

Melton -- who must learn how to kayak for the 67km paddle section of the
race -- has been unicycling for 15 years and has won medals at the
Australian unicycling nationals.

He will tackle the treacherous first 55km leg but has no concerns about
jostling for position in the bunch.

"I'll average probably 20 to 25km per hour but cyclists with two wheels
will go a lot faster," he said.

The pair will use an "epicyclic" for the race which is an internally
geared unicycle and the only one of its kind in New Zealand.

--
JJuggle - I like to watch.

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

'7th Annual LBI Unithon' (http://jjuggle.unicyclist.com/lbiunithon) -
Saturday, June 11, 2005.
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GizmoDuck

May 16th 05, 02:00 PM

:p What can I say!

'Speights Coast to Coast' (http://www.coasttocoast.co.nz)

This is probably one of the best known multisport/adventure races in the
world, and we should have a pretty awesome team cycling wise. Now I
just have to work on my mountain running!

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)

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GILD

May 16th 05, 02:06 PM

with balls the size of yours', mountain running and learning to kayak is
likely to be the least of your concerns

break legs!

--
GILD - Waffle-Tosser, Time-bider and JCTK

if you can't say anything good about someone, sit right here by me.--
'alice' (http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/custom.html?) 'roosevelt'
(http://tinyurl.com/963jr) 'longworth' (http://tinyurl.com/78ybd)

I feel like a fugitive from the law of averages.-- William H.
Mauldin
...using nietzsche's metaphysics to escape from
christianity...-'metro_tramp on the value of metaphysics'
(http://tinyurl.com/4sjw6)-
it's hard to be sure, and good to be paranoid...john childs on life on
the internet
'NAMASTE!' (http://tinyurl.com/4qcxw)
'Dave' (http://www.lyricsdir.com/d/deep-purple/child-in-time.php)
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GizmoDuck

May 16th 05, 02:21 PM

Tony's got a much tougher job- he hasn't even got a kayak yet! I used
to be a runner so I think I can cope with that OK- apart from the river
crossings (I have a habit of getting swept away). How well Tony Kayaks
and how fast I run will be the main determining factor in how well we
do; I don't think we'd lose all that much time in the cycling sections.

--
GizmoDuck - NZUNI

o-kO
'www.adventureunicyclist.com' (http://www.adventureunicyclist.com/)

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KcTheAcy

May 23rd 05, 03:15 AM

Guinness PLC (NAICS: 312120, Duns:21-012-9250 )
The Charleston Gazette. Charleston, W.V.: May 20, 2005. pg. 9.A

Copyright Charleston Newspapers May 20, 2005
Charleston native Zach Warren's attempt to break the Guinness world
record for the fastest 100 miles on a unicycle has been postponed until
fall.

Warren, a 23-year-old divinity student at Harvard University, had
planned to go for the record Thursday in New York City as a way to raise
money for the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children, a traveling
mini-circus that helps children in Afghanistan. Warren, a juggler and
unicyclist, is traveling to Afghanistan to help teach with the circus.

Warren found a better, safer place to try the feat at the Dover
International Speedway, a NASCAR track in Dover, Del. The track features
low wind and good grades for unicycling, but Warren won't be able to use
the track until after he returns from Afghanistan.

The new date for the record attempt will be Oct. 11. To find out more
about the project, visit www.unicycle4kids.org.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 23rd 05, 03:16 AM

CRITERIUM WILL SKIP BICYCLE FESTIVAL; [ALL Edition]
BRIAN CLARK, BEE SPORTS EDITOR. The Modesto Bee. Modesto, Calif.: May
20, 2005. pg. B.2

Copyright The McClatchy Company May 20, 2005
There will be fewer spinning wheels than in past years at Modesto's
annual Family Cycling Festival.

The Save Mart Criterium, run previously in conjunction with the downtown
event to be held Saturday, will take a year off, according to event
director John Field. He said downtown construction, which forced
organizers to tweak the course last year, has become a problem.

Last year's criterium drew more than 300 riders for the 10 races, run on
a quarter-mile, L-shaped course with the start-finish line at 13th and H
streets.

Field had concerns about potential race-day conflicts with contractors
possibly needing access to the county's office and parking garage
project, which borders the course on H, 12th and I streets.

So, instead of crossing his fingers and hoping for the best, he decided
to call it off.

"They've got stuff out on the street every other day," Field said. "It's
hard to control what's going on exactly.

"We can't stop the progress of them building their buildings. Those
things happen."

Field said he never considered moving the event to a later date because
he wanted it to run with the festival.

He said he received a couple of calls from riders disappointed about
word of this year's break, but assured them the event would return next
year.

The loss of the criterium certainly won't put a damper on the day for
cycling enthusiasts.

The festival, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes a giant bicycle stunt
show, a race for kids, a "cop"-etition, professional unicyclist John
Foss and plenty of other activities, including food, music and
giveaways.

For more information on the festivities, call 529-9303.

Bee staff writer Brian Clark can be reached at 578-2300 or
.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 23rd 05, 03:25 AM

Big wheel on campus rides to help Afghans
By Peter DeMarco, Globe Correspondent | May 15, 2005

Heads spin as Zach Warren rides through the traffic hell that is Harvard
Square on a unicycle taller than a mailbox and more wobbly than a
rowboat. Onlookers can't help but smile -- a unicycle does that to
people, Warren says. Some can't help but stare -- because, well, what if
he falls?

ADVERTISEMENT

''Would I do that? Are you kidding me?" asks freshman Diana Link, who
paused in front of the Out of Town News stand as Warren flashed by, his
sneakers eye level to most drivers. ''At least he has a helmet on."

As crazy as Warren might seem during his daily ride to Harvard Divinity
School, where he is a first-year graduate student, it's nothing compared
with what he'll be doing this fall. That's when he'll be going for the
world record in speed unicycling.

Not familiar with the record? To break it, Warren will need to pedal 100
miles in just fewer than seven hours. Or, as his website says, ''Zach
must maintain 112 Rotations Per Minute (RPMs) to tie the world record.
That is nearly 2 rotations/second!"

Oh yeah -- he can't fall, either.

But that's OK, because Warren last fell from his unicycle . . .

''Today," he says, answering a reporter's question. ''Every day I fall
off it."

What hasn't been said is that Warren doesn't care about the record
nearly as much as about raising $10,000 for the Afghan Mobile Mini
Circus for Children.

For the past three years, the circus has traveled from village to
village, setting up in local schools. Composed of about 40 Afghani
teenagers and a handful of trained performers, the circus aims at
teaching Afghani youth how to tell stories, act, dance, play soccer, and
enjoy other fun activities that children have had little exposure to
during warfare and under Taliban rule.

Warren, 23, plans on joining the circus this July as a juggling
instructor (he's been a professional for five years) after a monthlong
tour of Ireland, where he'll be riding his unicycle and escaping from
straitjackets at performances for special needs students.

''Zach will be great" in Afghanistan, said Christopher Taylor, a
childhood friend who introduced Warren to the Mobile Mini Circus. ''In
many ways, he's a walking circus himself."

Warren says he picked up unicycling while at college in Indiana, where a
friend sold him his unicycle because he needed cash to go skydiving.
After about four days, he got good enough to ride the cycle to class and
soon became renowned as the town unicyclist.

''I'm a pretty forgetful person. I left it all over the place, but
people always returned it," he says.

When Warren moved to Somerville last fall, he started riding his
unicycle to class again, as well as to Central Square bars and generally
wherever he needed to go, eliciting smiles from most passersby.

''The greatest thing is when I talk on my cellphone while riding," he
says. ''Then people really go nuts."

ADVERTISEMENT

Unlike in Indiana, though, Warren now locks his unicycle. ''I had the
first one I brought stolen," he says.

To break the unicycling speed record, set in 1987 by Takayuki Koike of
Japan, Warren must finish his ride in less than six hours, 44 minutes,
21 seconds. And by his own admission, he hasn't come close to Koike's
time.

In fact, Warren's longest ride ever is 40 miles. With his summer travel
plans and research work -- Warren will be analyzing laughter patterns of
Afghani children he meets -- he won't have much time to train before his
Oct. 11 ride at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.

Still, he hardly seems fazed.

''I can run a marathon fast. In just under three hours," he says. ''So
just add on another four hours."

Then again, Warren, who hopes to teach psychology, has fairly
philosophical views on success and failure.

This is a man who, while interviewing for a Rhodes scholarship, took out
juggling balls to explain his outlook on life. (''Juggling . . . is
about letting go, taking risks. Sometimes you have to drop something to
pick up," he says.)

One of the classes he's taking this semester is titled ''The Science of
Happiness." He's also taking a class called ''Death and Dying." ''So I'm
tempering things out a bit," he says.

Warren is also good friends with one of his mother's medical-school
classmates, 60-year-old Dr. Jules Lodish, who suffers from ALS -- Lou
Gehrig's disease -- and has reached the point where he can only blink
his eyes.

''We've been e-mailing for four or five years. We talk about all sorts
of things: girls, what it's like to be a father, what it's like to be a
mute quadriplegic," Warren says of Lodish, who communicates with the
assistance of a computer. ''He's so incredibly humble. He's someone who
lives his life at the threshold, despite what most people would call an
impossible circumstance."

Regardless of how his attempt goes, Warren says he's committed to
raising the funds for the Mobile Mini Circus through ride pledges.

Berit Muhlhausen and David Mason, the Danish couple who founded the
group, hope that such a donation will help them reach 25,000 new
students this year.

''Our Afghan artists who know just a bit [about] riding [a] unicycle
cannot believe what Zach is going to do," they wrote in an e-mail from
Afghanistan. ''Nobody has ever done anything like this for us before."

Of course, for Warren, the unusual is really kind of ordinary.

''That sure is a big wheel," said student Joseph Shamis, 22, gawking as
Warren zipped past on his unicycle, disappearing into Harvard Yard.
''Wouldn't you do it if you could?"

For more information about Warren's ride, go to www.unicycle4kids.org.

© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

http://www.maineunicyclist.2ya.com/
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KcTheAcy

May 23rd 05, 03:28 AM

Learning to ride a unicycle -- on a wheel and a prayer
By Peter DeMarco, Globe Correspondent | May 15, 2005

''Trust your wheel," Zach Warren says as I clench the edge of a dirty
loading dock, my legs quivering as I struggle to stay upright on a pair
of pedals.

ADVERTISEMENT

''Don't be afraid to hurt the unicycle," he assures me. ''Treat it like
it's an old shoe. It's meant to be knocked down and beat up."

I thank my instructor for his advice but inform him that it's not the
unicycle's health I'm worried about.

It's my own.

To truly appreciate the feat Warren will be undertaking later this year,
when he attempts to break the world record for speed unicycling 100
miles in a row, I ventured to give the unicycle a try. About 10 seconds
into my first lesson, I realized just how much trouble I was in.

Bicycles -- bless them -- do all the tough work for you. They distribute
your weight, provide handlebars for support, and permit you to coast
when you're tired or bored.

To stop, you just hit the brake.

A unicycle couldn't be more different.

Every muscle in your body seemingly has to fire to keep you upright,
there's nothing to steer with, and your legs can't rest for a second.
Fail to apply pressure equally to both pedals, and you instantly tip
over.

Believe me, I've got bruises on my rear end and elbows to prove it.

In a way, the required footwork is akin to working the gas and clutch
pedals in a standard-transmission car. But it's so unusually difficult,
it makes tightrope walking look easy.

Still, practice does help.

At the beginning of our lesson, in a warehouse parking lot behind
Cambridge Bicycle, simply mounting the unicycle seemed impossible. On my
first few attempts, I pedaled the bike clear out from under me.
Frightened of falling yet again, I had to force myself to keep trying,
taking deep breaths as I repeatedly leaped onto and slipped off the
45-inch-high seat.

But persistence pays when it comes to unicycling, and after about five
minutes I was perched atop the upright seat, both feet off the ground.

Holding onto the edge of the loading dock with my right hand and
Warren's shoulder with my left, I began pedaling ever so slowly,
eventually getting to the point where I could pedal several feet without
slipping.

Finally, it came time for me to try riding without either Warren or the
loading dock to lean on.

I have never hurled myself out of an airplane, but letting go of my two
crutches felt like a step into nothingness.

I pedaled all of six inches before my equilibrium went haywire, like a
compass at the North Pole, and the unicycle shot out from under me.

''I don't call this the prayer wheel for nothing," said Warren, a
Harvard Divinity School graduate student, joking about what was needed
to stay on it.

Offering what I construed to be encouragement, he added that it
typically takes someone ''300 to 400 times" to get the hang of
unicycling. I only had another 20 minutes for my lesson, but during that
time, on one magical ride, I pedaled nearly three turns of the wheel --
about six feet -- on my own before wiping out.

It wasn't pretty, but for those few brief seconds, riding a unicycle
felt as natural as walking. ''Freedom!" I cried out impulsively, waving
my hands in the air.

My unicycle teacher just laughed. ''You did great, man," he said. ''It's
a really strange wheel."

--
KcTheAcy - Ohh Baby

¤-Kaycee
http://gallery.unicyclist.com/Kaycees-Unicycle-gallery

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