|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
Amusing if not complimentary. SCRAP THE SCOOTER Johanna Huden 397 words 3 August 2003 New York Post 23 English (c) 2003 N.Y.P. Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved. IF I got a free Segway trial, I'd probably give it a scoot, too. But is the NYPD serious about the "human transport system"? You have to wonder what Mayor Mike's smoking if he plans on paying money for yet another annoying, traffic-impeding, unnecessary and just plain weird mode of transportation on New York's congested streets. Midtown seems to be overrun with pedicabs this summer. But the smiling, fresh-faced college students who pull them can't be chatting with any real New Yorkers, because you won't catch one taking this touristy, uncool ride. And you have to laugh when you see a grown man in a suit weaving one of those ridiculous personal scooters up Sixth Avenue. Are our tough men and women in blue really going to hop on one of these 12 mph silly-looking Segways? Not if they hope to intimidate the bad guys. These contraptions look like they should have pink streamers and Hello Kitty stickers on them, not our big, brave keepers-of-the-peace. Could you imagine the jeers from a street crowd in The Bronx if an officer pulled a President Bush and went toppling head-first to the ground while pursuing a gangmember? Officer Chintua Alozie of the Manhattan Traffic Task Force told The Post, "You park it and go after the criminal." Then what's the point? "It has a bicycle lock if necessary." You stop it, lock it and then chase? Even locked, the Segway only weighs 90 pounds, so you can bet that some enterprising thief will steal it, leaving the tired officer flat-footing it back to the precinct. And can the Segway handle city potholes, metal grates and plates, horse dung and slow tourists? Some cars, even SUVs, can't, so how is this elongated tricycle (which doesn't meet state safety standards) supposed to tackle our rugged roads? Its job is to reach off-road areas and maneuver in heavy traffic. Um, that would describe the bicycle. Which is faster, cheaper, available and doesn't make our police force look like they' a) lazy, b) physically (even mentally!) challenged, or c) as Hans and Franz would say, "big sissy man on zer big girly unicycle." ============================================== Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists It's not against any religion, to want to dispose of a pigeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
Ads |
#12
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
JJuggle wrote: *Amusing if not complimentary. Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ * or accurate!!! -- GILD - Waffle-tosser If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things. -- Rene Descartes 'pleez check this out' (http://www.reuniteluna.com/) JUST SAY 'KNOW'! Namaste! Dave ------------------------------------------------------------------------ GILD's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/657 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#13
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
GILD wrote: *or accurate!!! * I was actually referring to the very last sentence. Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists It's not against any religion, to want to dispose of a pigeon. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#14
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
PERFORMER FIRED UP ABOUT JUGGLING ** WADE HENRY CASHED IN BUSINESS CAREER TO TOUR WORLD WITH HIS \"SUICYCLE.' ** FRASS AT THE FAIR By Mike Frassinelli Of The Morning Call 629 words 27 August 2003 The Allentown Morning Call FIRST B1 English Copyright 2003, Allentown Morning Call. All Rights Reserved. MIKE FRASSINELLI, a reporter for The Morning Call, prepares to throw a series of flaming torches up to juggler Wade Henry, seated on a basketball hoop-high unicycle at the Allentown Fair. Wade Henry -- yes, the Wade Henry way up there juggling burning torches while riding his 10-foot-tall unicycle -- planned for a sensible career. He went to a sensible college in his native Canada. He used his sensible business degree to land a sensible 9 to 5 office job in marketing. So what was he doing wearing a floppy leather pilot hat and juggling fire while riding what he calls his "suicycle" in front of a crowd that assembled on the midway Tuesday night at the Allentown Fair? He was continuing the career that turned out to make the most sense to him after all: the career of traveling around the world to make people laugh. He left his office job nearly a decade ago to travel with a buddy, but returned to his college hobby of street performing when they ran out of cash in Australia. Henry, 33, who now hails from Clearwater, Fla., is as good a street performer as you will see. Back by popular demand at the fair this year, he juggles chain saws, balls and the emotions of a crowd. He swallows fire and 4-foot-long balloons. He rides a unicycle that has a chair about the height of a professional basketball rim. And, in his most amazing feat, the married father of one had enough trust to let me throw fire at him Tuesday night. During the audience participation portion of the show, Henry called up Ron from Fogelsville ("Ron came all the way from Pennsylvania, wooooo"), me and a guy named Eric to help steady the unicycle while Henry climbed up it. Henry sat first on my shoulders, acting surprised that he hadn't yet reached the top of the unicycle. Following his advice, at the count of three we let go of the unicycle, turned in the other direction -- and ran like heck. As Henry stabilized himself on the unicycle, he called out: "No steering. No brakes. No insurance." He called me back again to help him with his torch juggling. He wanted me to light three torches -- juggling pins with cloth wicks. He pulled a lighter out of his pocket and held it for me to grab -- but held it just above my reach, prompting me to jump like a child trying to retrieve a ball in a game of monkey in the middle. A few more laughs were had at my expense when the lighter turned out to be a dud. I finally got three torches lit. Now it was time to throw them one by one to Henry. It was starting to get windy and I could feel the heat against my arm hair. Henry emphasized: "Mike, one at a time Not like the last guy!" Using the bent-elbow throwing motion Henry showed me earlier, at the count of three I gave him a nice chest-high toss that was easy -- for him -- to catch. The other two throws were on target, too, although I could have sworn I smelled burning arm hair after the third toss. Relieved that I didn't play Mrs. O'Leary's cow to the hay-filled barn that was the Allentown Fair midway, I thought my participation was over. Henry spotted a cute child in the first row. "Now, Mike," he said from way up on his unicycle. "Throw me the baby." -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists Cut up, Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances. Pass me the bottle, Mr Jones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#15
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
VICTOR LEWIS-SMITH'S COLUMN - POINTLESS BOOK OF RECORDS. By Victor Lewis-Smith. 555 words 23 August 2003 Mirror 6 English (c) 2003 Mirror Group Ltd THERE are people called physiognomists, who make a scientific study of the human face. But I may well be the world's only gastro-physiognomist, specialising in celebrity boat races that are so unpleasant they turn my stomach. There's Ruby Wax, who has a face like a bulldog licking p*** off a nettle, and who is so in my face when she's on TV that I feel like the nettle. Then there's Antony Worrall Thompson, half-chipmunk and half-Munchkin (with the emphasis on munch, to judge from his expanding girth). Nor should we forget Norris McWhirter, whose face bears the permanently pained expression of a man sucking a lemon, and who is so starchy that, if he stood alongside dead brother Ross, he'd still be the straight man. McWhirter's name will always be synonymous with the Guinness Book Of Records, that literary lemon he edited for some 40 years. I've long regarded it as a stomach-turning exercise of mind-numbing futility, whose sole purpose is to give ill-deserved media attention to overgrown schoolboys, whose sole accomplishment in life involves sitting in a bath of custard or *unicycling around the Isle Of Man.* So the 14 members of the Kabosh Theatre who crammed themselves into an Edinburgh telephone box this week must have been astonished when a spokeswoman for the Guinness Book said that, "We no longer recognise records for people in phone boxes", on the grounds that it is not a sufficiently serious enterprise. Really? Well, if the editors start regarding seriousness of purpose as a criterion for entry, their next edition is going to be the thinnest volume since The Pop-Up Book Of Saddam's WMDs. But what a pity they didn't announce that policy back in the early 60s, because I wouldn't then have had to endure a childhood blighted by attention-seeking idiots pushing peas with their noses from London to Norwich in a bid to get an entry. Nor would we have to put up with tedious stuntmen like David Blaine, who is proposing to spend 44 days locked in a glass case suspended over the River Thames, and expects us to watch him just because it'll be a world record. Even worse than the Guinness Book was its televisual spin-off, Record Breakers, on which people were actively encouraged to perform such pointless feats. Indeed, I once saw the McWhirter brothers cramming 70 children into a Mini, in exactly the sort of imbecilic exploit that the publishers of the book now claim to eschew. At this point, I should confess that in my younger days I wrote numerous letters to Mr McWhirter in a bid to be included in his book. But my attempts were always satirical, such as the time I asked to be included as "the first journalist to libel himself in print, then sue his newspaper for damages" after I'd used my column to call myself, "A fat, ugly, untalented hack with hair like a slashed sofa, diarrhoea of the mouth and constipation of the ideas". Come to think of it, I've just done the same thing again, so the Mirror's lawyers can expect a writ on Monday. -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists Cut up, Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances. Pass me the bottle, Mr Jones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#16
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
Don't see that anyone posted this article on 'Unicycle.com' (http://tinyurl.com/ll2y) and John Drummond. It's from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists Cut up, Maria! Show me some of them Spanish dances. Pass me the bottle, Mr Jones. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#17
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
ON ONE WHEEL FOR SICK KIDS Fiona Byrne 191 words 5 October 2003 Sunday Herald Sun 1 - FIRST 111 English (c) 2003 Herald and Weekly Times Limited SAMUEL Johnson will fulfil a 12-year-old pledge when he rides a unicycle from Sydney to Melbourne later this month. Johnson, the sometimes controversial star of The Secret Life of Us, tells the November issue of B. magazine, on sale tomorrow, he will make the unusual journey to raise funds for CanTeen, a support organisation for young people affected by cancer. Johnson was 11 when his older sister, Constance, a disability support worker, was diagnosed with bone cancer. She has made a full recovery, but the years she spent having treatment and battling the disease had a profound effect on Johnson. "When I was 14, I told CanTeen I'd ride a unicycle from Sorrento to Melbourne -- that's about 60km," Johnson (pictured above with his sister in B) tells the magazine. "I've modified the idea over the years. I thought if I unicycle from Sydney to Melbourne, people would be interested in the story." Johnson will leave Sydney on October 24 and plans to arrive in Melbourne at Federation Square on November 25. ============================================== Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists I believe in the Power of Good I Believe in the State of Love I Will Fight For the Right to be Right I Will Kill for the Good of the Fight for the Right to be Right ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
GOING OFF ROAD, ON ONE WHEEL ; A MOUNTAIN UNICYCLING CLUB ABIGAIL LEICHMAN, STAFF WRITER 1,101 words 2 October 2003 The Record All Editions.=.Two Star B. Two Star P. One Star B U03 English Copyright (c) 2003 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. Scott Bridgman's unicycle obsession began with a wheelchair. A fellow mountain-biker who'd injured his ankle demonstrated a wheelchair wheelie to Bridgman and invited him to try. But he couldn't manage even one. So disturbed was Bridgman at his lack of athletic prowess that, at age 44, he got himself a unicycle and determined to learn how to ride it. His girlfriend, Jennie Bruno, also went one-wheeled. Now, the two Morristown residents are part of a group that regularly takes their unicycles off road in the off-beat sport of mountain unicycling -- MUni for short. "It's kind of an unusual sport," Bridgman concedes. But he insists it's not extreme. Mountain unicyclists go only 1 or 2 mph and are suited up with safety in mind. "MUni is the act of riding over rough or uneven terrain on a unicycle specially designed for the task," he explains on his Web site, muniac.com. "The challenge is to maintain balance and control while moving through terrain that may include ... single track, sand, dirt, mud, streams, logs, log buildups, roots, rocks, bridges, drops, snow, ice, grass, uphills, and downhills." Bruno says they bought their unicyles hoping that improved balance would come in handy in skiing season. "We spent all of the summer of 1999 trying to beat this skill into our heads," she recalls. "After a lot of bruises and scrapes, we figured it out." And they were right about the balance factor: "For those out there that are looking for an off-season balance sport to keep you in shape, MUni is perfect," Bridgman contends. But it was not easy to master. The trick was installing a bar along a 20-foot wall of their basement, which allowed them to slide along as they practiced. They also picked up tips in Jack Wiley's "The Unicycle Book." Bridgman recalls that by July, a month after starting, they were ready to venture beyond the basement. "After a dozen attempts with an assisted start on smooth, level pavement, I managed to ride a very wobbly 50 feet before dumping off. That first ride gave me the confidence to know I could do it. Unicycling is so addictive once you get past that first ride." By November of that year, the pair had learned about MUni on the Internet and wanted to try it. "We decided to get a Web site going, figuring that maybe somebody else might be crazy like us," Bridgman says. "Lo and behold, we started to get some interest. Now we have 12 people in the group." The group, which rides about once a week unless the ground is too wet or snowy, includes two men from Manhattan, one from Caldwell, one from Cresskill, one from South Jersey, and two from Livingston. Bruno remains the only female, and the ages range from early 20s to late 40s. But they all have one thing in common aside from their unicycles: Every one of them has a technical job. "We seem to enjoy the challenges and technicalities of what's required to ride off road," says Bridgman. "You have to be able to do movements rapidly and correct your balance constantly on a surface area the size of a half dollar." Bridgman is an electrical engineer who makes specialty design and fabrication work with plastics and metals, a skill he has parlayed into custom unicycle accessories he sells on his Web site. Jeff Prosa, 24, of Cresskill, is a computer programmer. He says he once spotted a guy unicycling across the Queensboro Bridge and decided to buy one. "My friend and I became obsessed with it because it's so difficult to ride," he says. "Even just trying to sit on it is difficult because your legs have to adjust to the pedals." It's also a tiring workout. "I've done a lot of bicycle riding, and I thought I was in pretty good shape," says Prosa. "But after one loop on the unicycle, I was burned out." Now, he says, his bike is sitting in the garage with flat tire. "The unicycle is much more of a challenge, and I prefer riding in the woods." Bridgman calls MUni a "grabber sport," and Bruno explains that riders are always curious to see what they can accomplish next. "The thrill is getting the hang of that bend, or getting over that root that you couldn't do before," says the information systems analyst. "It's also a social thing. I would love to have another woman in our group." **** (SIDEBAR, PAGE 003) WHERE TO MUni The North Jersey MUni Invitational II, scheduled for Friday through Saturday, will include riders from as far away as California, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Each day's ride will last four to six hours. Registration is required, writes Scott Bridgman on his Web site (muniac.com), "but it's painless both to the wallet and body." Bridgman's site also includes a list of state parks where he has tried this sport, with commentary (muniac.com/trails.htm). For instance, he writes that Ramapo Mountain State Forest has "six good one-way runs" while Norvin Green State Park has "difficult terrain with huge, slick rock formations." Those who register with the site also get information on upcoming rides. **** (SIDEBAR, PAGE 003) MUni equipment Expect to pay between $85 and $140 for a new 20-inch model. You can check out bike stores or unicycle.com. Used equipment and custom accessories are available on muniac.com. Safety gear is a must, says Scott Bridgman. You'll need a good bike helmet, good knee and shin pads, arm and elbow pads, and a back pad to protect the tailbone. Padded cycling shorts and eye protection against flying twigs and dirt also are recommended. The slow speed helps keep down injuries, and unicyclists usually land on their feet. But falls come with the territory. "If you dump - I should say when you dump - you may have to tuck your arms into your body and roll," says Bridgman. "Arm protection allows you to roll out of a bad fall." Bridgman's own worst "dump" to date resulted in a bloody knee rather than a shattered kneecap, thanks to his pads. "Generally, the idea is to confine injuries to bruises, bumps, and sprains." Caption: ++++; PHOTO - A boulder is no obstacle for MUni enthusiast Scott Bridgman. "The challenge is to maintain balance and control," he says. ============================================== Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists I believe in the Power of Good I Believe in the State of Love I Will Fight For the Right to be Right I Will Kill for the Good of the Fight for the Right to be Right ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#19
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
*One-wheeled wonders; Group to present Unicycle Tour de Leola* Carole Deck, Correspondent 681 words 1 October 2003 Lancaster New Era/Intelligencer Journal/Sunday News English Copyright (c) 2003 Bell & Howell Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. It's the first time for young unicyclists to present the Unicycle Tour de Leola. But members of The C.L.U.B. (The County of Lancaster Unicycle Balancers) are sure it won't be the last one. The free event will take place Oct. 19 at Leola Elementary School, 11 School Drive, Leola. More than 90 unicyclists from four elementary schools, one middle and one high school are scheduled to take a 3-mile ride around Leola. Twelve members of The C.L.U.B. from Conestoga Valley Middle School and high school are participating in the event. Trainers for the midle school and high school are David Ramos and Sam Gruss. Other participants include Leola Elementary School -- Paul Hosler, trainer; John R. Bonfield Elementary School, Lititz -- Jerry McDonald, trainer; Paradise Elementary and Leacock Elementary -- Melissa Fritts, trainer; Doe Run Elementary -- Steve Fink, trainer; and Highland Elementary, Ephrata -- Cindi Hess, trainer. "Our goal for the event is to have people recognize the growing sport of unicycling," said Marti Beiler, who helped organize the event sponsored by The C.L.U.B. Registration starts at 2 p.m. at Leola Elementary School. The tour route starts at Leola Elementary and travels through the Maple Development (Sunset Avenue, Rose Avenue, Maple Avenue, Aspen Drive, Magnolia Drive, Conestoga Avenue, Blaine Avenue) and ends back at the school. Paul Hosler will be grand marshal and will lead the riders. Hosler, a Leola Elementary gym teacher, was instrumental in introducing unicycling to students in Conestoga Valley School District. Beiler emphasized that the tour isn't a race, and riders will ride at their own pace. C.L.U.B. parents will bicycle along with the unicyclists to provide assistance if needed. Their will be a free performance at 5 p.m. in the Leola Elementary School gym. Hot dogs, chips, ice cream and beverages will be available from 3 to 5 p.m. For Zach Wilson, 13, of Leola, riding a unicycle is more challenging than riding a bicycle. "You can do some really neat tricks... like side mounts, free mounts and my favorite riding with one foot," Wilson said. Most of the C.L.U.B. members began riding in fourth grade. Marti Beiler's son, Jason, 15, leads the group routines and is a national gold medallist. His aspiration is to compete in the International unicycle competition held in Japan this summer. The unicyclists ride on 20-inch and 24-inch wheels as they perform a variety of routines to demonstrate their skills. The students think doing the "Macarena" is more fun done on a unicycle. Melissa Gates, 13, of Leola, believes balance and confidence are necessary to succeed in the sport. "It takes persistence and practice.... You fall a lot while learning," Gates said. "Ride through life... on one wheel" is The C.L.U.B. motto. Krystle Chocker, 13, of Leola, is credited with the catchy motto that's featured on their T-shirts. "I hope lots of people come to our performance. It's entertainment and sports combined," Chocker said. For some students, learning to ride a unicycle made a difference in how they viewed sports. Christina Tabraham, 14, admitted it was a sport she could do and really liked. "I'm not into competitive sports. I unicycle because I enjoy it," Tabraham said. According to Marti Beiler, C.L.U.B. members benefit from their trainers, Ramos and Gruss. Both are international and national multi- gold competitors. Other C.L.U.B. members are Abbey Barton, Ian Anderson, Ryan Masser, Katie Jones, Jeremiah Martin, Jonathan Martin and Sarah Dommel. For more information about the unicycle tour, call Marti Beiler at 656-9264. Rain date is Oct. 26. PHOTOS; Caption: Carole Deck; (1)Members of The County of Lancaster Unicycle Balancers practice for an upcoming tour and performance. (2)Conestoga Valley Middle School students Zach Wilson, left, and Melissa Gates practice some moves on their unicycles. They are members of The County of Lancaster Unicycle Balancers. ============================================== Raphael Lasar Matawan, NJ -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists I believe in the Power of Good I Believe in the State of Love I Will Fight For the Right to be Right I Will Kill for the Good of the Fight for the Right to be Right ------------------------------------------------------------------------ JJuggle's Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24 View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/22148 |
#20
|
|||
|
|||
Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)
ACTOR'S SECRET PASSION CLARE MASTERS MATP 203 words 19 October 2003 Sunday Telegraph 1 - State 20 English (c) 2003 Nationwide News Proprietary Ltd TEN months ago, embarking on a unicycle odyssey between Sydney and Melbourne was just a drunken New Year's Eve resolution for rising young star Samuel Johnson. Now that the notion has become a reality, he's getting nervous about the prospect. "I'd had the idea earlier, but I decided somewhat hazily that I had to do it this year," he says. The rubber-faced actor, known for his role as Evan Wylde in television's The Secret Life of Us, is serious about the cause he's riding for: -- cancer charity CanTeen. "My sister had cancer when she was 12 and I was 11, and that led to a long-lasting relationship with CanTeen," he says. "Finding out that my sister had cancer shocked me to my very core. It completely changed my life." During the 1000km Seek LifeCycle for CanTeen, which he hopes will raise more than $600,000, Johnson will ride an average of 37km a day before crossing the finish line in Melbourne on November 25. You can make a donation to CanTeen by visiting www.seek.com.au and clicking on CanTeen or by phoning 1300 789 769. -- JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists Practicing democracy between wars is like being a vegetarian between meals. “You’re an instrument of God, bound by the limit of time and space. . . |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
Ever have to wait a long time to get your bike? | Lobo Tommy | General | 1 | April 8th 04 03:56 AM |
why did the cop that got killed not wait for backup | kathy | Mountain Biking | 4 | October 27th 03 09:20 PM |
Another Unicycle store | carjug | Unicycling | 0 | July 10th 03 06:36 PM |