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KRAKAT l Sissy Weber and .. Jared Trosclair • See page 4 FIVE BALL BOUNCE ON THE UNI - BIKE! See page 3 Official publication of the Un icycling Society of Am erica. ©1983. Memb ership f e e of $6 yearly includes newsletters. For more information and membership F ROM YOUR E DITOR : application, see back pages. Hi , folks, welcome to t h e Summer issue . Even t hough OFFICERS the National Unicycle Meet has already happened in Syr a c use , I President: NY, for the time being your mouths will only be watered by this photo of one of the slow races. That's RENEE SEEL Kenneth Fuchs Vice-President: on the left, riding next to Gordon Mitton her sister RACHEL, I believe. Secretary: The meet was again one of Al Hemminger the best ever, with many Treasu r er: members attending who had never had the chance in the Liz Mills Directors: past. More about that in the Fall issue, which you Floyd Crandall can expect to be out quite Paul Fox JeanPaul Jenack soon. Ne wsletter Editor: Next year's meet is already on the planning board. 1984 USA President JAN John Foss LAYNE will be overseeing the 1984 meet in Findlay, Ohio. Contributing Editor: JeanPaul Jenack The scheduled weekend is the weekend of July 20. The meet will be held at Findlay College, with facilities basically the same as at the 1979 NUM, which was also held FOUNDER MEMBERS there. We are all looking forward to another great get­ Bernard Crandall together in Ohio in '84! Paul Fox Another major unicycle meet is planned for 1984. It Nancy Fox is to be the first INTERNATIONAL UNICYCLE CONVENTION. Pe ter Hangach Sponsored by the IUF (International Unicycling Federation) , Pat r icia Herron the convention is planned to take place the weekend of Bill Jenack July 27, or in other words the week after the NUM. The Gordon Kruse place is Syracuse University in New York, using the same Steve McPeak facilities that proved so successful for this year's meet. Fr. Ja. J. Moran Competitive events will not be as extensive as at the NUM' s ; Dr. Miles S. Rogers with maybe a few races and artistic riding events, the Charlotte Fox Rogers emphasis will be on riders' getting to meet, ride together, Andy Rubel and share their experiences & knowledge. Also to promote Dr. Claude Shannon the sport of unicycling in any way possible on an inter­ Jim Smith national as well as national level. More details will be ( Dr. Jack Wiley in upcoming issues of ON ONE ! In the meantime, keep on riding, and pushing the Send news about yourself, your club, or idea of one wheeling to everyone you come across with an any other news or articles to be pub­ lished in the newsletter to: interest. Also continue to keep those questions, comments , suggestions, articles and pictures corning. We would es­ USA Inc. ON ONE WHEEL pecially like to hear from the areas of Texas and Calif.; P.O. Box 40534 we know you members are out there, what are you doing? Redford, Michigan 48240

Send membership inquiries, book orders, Stay on top, etc., to: '>....,,')L;s?" Secretary, USA Inc. John Foss, the Uni-cyclone P.O. Box 40534 Redford, Michigan 48240

UNICYCLE HOTLINES: Call these people for up-to-date information on unicycle news, CONTENTS: and the upcoming National Meet. ON ONE WHEEL VOL. 10 NO. 3 JeanPaul Jenack (NY) 516-334-2123 SUMMER, 1983 John Foss (MI) 313-476-0507 Al Hemminger (MI) 313-537-8175 The Mobile Unicycle Club 3 Uni-bike . 3 Reproduction or use of the material in Chuck Marquette 4 this newsletter without the express per­ Mardi Gras Unicyclists 4 mission of the Unicycling Society of Adjustable giraffe uni 5 America, Inc., is prohibited. Unicycling in Alaska. 5 Skill level questions & answers 5 We are not responsible for articles and pictures unless accompanied by a request USA Secretary at the circus 6 for their return and a self-addressed Pierre Bernier. • • 7 stamped envelope. Please include same Groucho Marx on uni. 7 with any inquiries requiring an answer. Arnold 8 I I Feature Article: Unicycle Racing 9 Chris Mayes. • • • • 11 All views expressed in this newsletter are thos e of the r espective authors. Ultimate Wheel Insert . . 11 They a r e not necessarily those of e ither memb e r s or officer s of the Unicycli ng So c iety of America . ON ONE WHEEL 7 - 8 3 page 2 T HE UNl - BIKE The re are some wh o might say " Ick , there ' s a on the cover of the unicycling Newsletter !", so I put a unicycle there also, just to be s afe . It is really still an unanswered question wh e ther or not a cycle like the Uni-bike, or a c ycle with two wheels on top of the other, is a bicycle or not. C Sure, it has two wheels, but - - - and it goes like I» that. And so, a voiding this problem, we will move on. CD- That's USAm KEN KRAKAT on the cover of this C) issue, and he's a hardcore juggler/unicyclist from .. Dearborn Heights, MI. He is doing a five ball I» bounce with lacrosse balls, and the puzzle for this ::, issue is to spot the five balls! It is an impres­ c::r sive juggling trick, made even more so by the un­ CD usual cycle he is riding. .. USAm TOM MILLER built the cycle, but the idea .. came from USA Secretary AL HEMMINGER, who originally IC attached two wheels, facing outward, to a Japanese Concord unicycle. The c ycle on the cover is a NEWS FR OM MOBILE, ALABAMA really beautiful machine with a green frame & yellow tires, a change from the average blue or chrome uni. USA m SETH GRANBERRY writes that he and his The Uni-bike features a special pin in the two sons, GLEN and DALE, have enjoyed the past axle between the two wheels, which can be pulled two National Unicycle Meets that they have been out to make the wheels turn independently . With to . S ince the '82 NUM in Minnesota they have the pin in, the wheels turn together, in the form bui l t an ultimate wheel and both Glen and Dale of a regular uni., or a kangaroo uni. With the can ride it. Glen is also working on mastering pin out, both pedals have a tendency to gravitate the freemount on to his 6 ft.and the side jump toward the bottom of the wheel, and it is almost mount. Dale is working on hopping and is start­ impossible to ride normally. Al uses this feature i ng t o l earn to juggle (off the unicycle). when he first presents the cycle to someone. He As far as the MOBILE UNICYCLE CLUB goes, will first ride it, and then just before letting they now have 27 active me mbers, the majority the new person try , secretly pulls the pin out to of t he m being between 11 and 14 year s old. make the other rider wonder how he can ride so They do have one Senior Member, JOHN ENFINGER, good! This can also be used i n a similar way in age 61. Seth says,as far as he knows, they are a clown act. It is an all-around good clown cycle the only club in the Southeast area of its kind. just because of it's looks. It brings to mind an Last February the Mobile club rode in almost endless stream of ideas for funny lines and thre e Mardi Gras Parades and performed in a gags. half-time show for the University of South The Uni-bike can be used as a learning tool Alabama & Ba thone Cookman basketball game. Their for unicyclists at various skill levels; when per forma nces include group riding, a half-dozen learning to ride, or learning to walk the wheel, ride rs on 6 ft g iraffes, several handle bar units, it prov ides an extra meas ure of stability that two " horse" unicycl es , one foot riding, backwards can make things more safe & easy. ridi ng, t eeter-board riding, juggling on 8½ ft un i c yc les, and on ultimate wheels. They also had a basketball r outine where one rider on a standard unicycle dribbled down court and shot ANDY'S ODD SPORTS & THE PHILADELPHIA JUGGLERS CLU B only to be intercepted by a r ider o n a 6 ft who shot a t the other end and was blocked by a third US Am ANDY D'ALLESANDO has a catalog of ouggling , rider on the 8½ ft who dribbled down court for a Unicycling and Fun Equipment in wh ich he offers for slam dunk. sale a number of quality unicycles , and various Their members have also participated in the other "expensive toys". He has also been sending Diabetes Bike-0-Thon the last couple years , with your Ed . copies of calendars & newletters of the Glen winning a Schwinn Bike (two wheels) for Philadelphia Jugglers Club. The c lub, which has col lecting $382 .00 in pledges, the mo st for ma ny unicyclists in it, meets at the top of the that year. Dale rode his Miyata 16 " the f irst steps at the Phila. Art Museum the 2nd & 4th Sun­ year (10 miles) at the a ge of 6. That's days of e very month, and seems to be very well 13 ,200 p edals! ! ! organized. An upcoming event, of interest to all jugglers and unicyclists in the PA area is this:

RED LANDS, CALIFORNIA JUGGLING, UNICYCLING AND FUN JAMBOREE! USAm WARREN C. WOOD, Director of the Great Sat. & Sun. October l & 2 , 1983 at One Bowhouse Row Al l Ame rican Youth Circus, corresponded heavily & East River Drive, in Philadelphia. Beginners with our founde r BILL JENACK when the USA Inc. welcome! Features : free admission, workshops, open began and was anxious to have his group become as­ juggling, club pass ing, open unicycling, 9 mile sociated wi th us o nce again, when he recently sent unicycle ride (a monthly event at the club), buy, in a r e - establishment of his membership. The Great sell, swap props. Questions call Andy (215) 667- y Circus , the wor ld's oldest community circu s , has 0146 (6-9 pm) or Dick (215) 874-2843, or write P.O . been me ntioned quit e frequently in older issues of Box 1071 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004. Please registe r thi s news l e tter and some of the circu s' cycles have by calling or writing. been p i ctured in Jack Wiley 's BICYCLE BUILDERS BIBLE . The c irc us has an e xtremely large and tal- ON ONE WHEEL 7 - 83 page 3 ented unicyc l e act , and we are proud to once again have them as a USA me mber ! 'n I.

MARDI GRAS UNICYCLISTS WEST HAVE N, CONNETICUT Every day at 4 p.m. the c orner of Melrose and CHUCK THE JUGGLING UNICYCLIST, alias USAm Ellerslie streets in LaPlace, Louisiana turns into CHUCK MARQUETTE sent your Ed. a newspaper article a three-ring circus. While i ts true that most about h imself, showing pictures of him mounting neighborhoods become circuses during after - school and riding his beautifully chromed 16 footer built hours, few are as real as this one. This started by USAm TOM MILLER. A very enthusiastic uni­ about a year and a half ago, when USAm JARED TROS ­ cyclist , Chuck has been riding for 3 years, and CLAIR persuaded a skilled unicyclist to let him has been working his way up the tall unicycles try the one wheeler. carefully (note his ground crew), and hopes to "I just saw this guy riding a unic yc le down someday extend his giraffe up to 20 feet. He also the street, and I said, 'That looks hard.' I asked rocks and rides backward on his 12 footer, as well him.if I could try, and in three days I wa s riding' as j uggles on it, and does numerous tricks on his 1t. Jared recalls. Later, he passed hi s skills standard uni., which was built by HAMILTON'S BIKE on to his 9 year old brother JOHNNY, and to now- SHOP i n Wichita, Kansas. He is also able to jug­ USA members MARK & MIKE CANTRELL, 15 year old ( g l e wh ile riding his ultimate wheel. People tell twins . The four boys then passed their lls on Chu c k t hat he 's crazy, but he does it anyway be­ to nearly 25 neighboorhood children. cause he l i kes "blowing minds" and he.likes the "Everybody on Melrose knows how to ride, " said one performer. challenge . The two Cantrells and the two Trosc lairs formed a group called the UNOS, and have be en per ­ forming in small circuses in the New Orlean s area . They hope to make it big someday. "I just close the curtains," says MARY CAN ­ TRELL, mother, "I don't even look." Jared is pictured on the cover of t his issue BOOK REVIEW= with girlfriend SISSY WEBER. Your Ed. doesn ' t know if Jared takes her to the drive-in u sing that HOW TO BUILD UNICYCLES AND ARTISTIC form of transportation, but the idea is right' by Jack Wi ley. Even during all this, there is still plenty This is the first complete how-to book devoted of time for the boys to participate in t h e fest­ to the s ubject of building these cycles. Covers ivities of the Mardi Gras Festival. For t hose standard unicycles (including small wheel, midget, who don't know what Mardi Gras is about , Jared big whee l, ultimate wheel, handlebar, off-centered has described it in this way: wheel and kangaroo models), handlebar units, gir­ Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is a hol i d ay in affe unicycles (including small wheel, short, tall, the New Orleans area. It is always 41 days be­ multi- wh eel and zigzag models), and a variety of fore Easter. It means eat, drink & be merry artistic b icycles. The book is plastic ring bound because for the next 4 0 days you do pena n c e and to lie flat on the workbench, and though material fast. Now Marid Gras is not just one day like covered is simila r to that f o und in the BICYCLE you may think, the Mardi Gras Carnival season BUILDERS BIBLE , a lso by USAm JACK WILEY, should starts about 3 weeks before Mardi Gras day, and prove exceptionally handy to the actual unicycle this means for about 3 weeks you can see any num­ o r artistic b ike builder. ber of p arades each day. You'd have t o see it to The pri ce is $7.95, plus $2.00 postage and bel ieve it! Names of riders in the photo above h a nd l i ng . CA r e sidents add 6% sales tax, and Can­ are not known. Get them to subscribe! adian a nd f o r e ign orders add $1.00 extra. Send check or money order to Solipaz Publish­ ing Company, P. O. Box 6 23, Stockton, CA 95201 You can a l so o r der THE BI CYC LE BU ILDERS BI BLE ON ONE WHEEL 7 - 83 page 4 f r o m thi s address . Do n't send your o r ders to t h e USA , we don' t hav e these t wo books ! Mob i l e, Alabama, USAm SETH GRAN BERR Y was a b l e t o make contact wi th him and get h i s address . He is now a USA member, and when he gets home to read his newsletter, it is hoped it wi ll be the thing for him and he will continue his subscription in future years. Perhaps he would like to write us a story about his one-wheeled adventures in North America!

SOME SKILL LEVEL QUESTIONS USAm DIXON R. MILLER, of Blakes l ee, PA , ha s DORSET , ENGLAND written in with a number of interesting and valid questions regarding the USA Achieve ment Leve ls . USAm D/\VID Here we will list the questions a nd answers . MARINER , proprietor o ~ DM Engineering Q: What size cones are used in the official ob­ sent t his photo o f stacle course, and whe r e can they be procured? a custom made g i r- A: The Society owns a set of 10 traff i c cones t ha t are used at national meets, but these are expensive things to buy, and are not to be removed from your local road crews. The cones used at the height can be adjusted to 4'6", 5'6" or 6'6". unicycle meets are 18" high and have 11" square I t comes apart and fits into a suitcase. Though bases. They are made of a soft plastic material it is a l ittle heavier than DM's regular giraffe and though they look s table, they fall o ver quite uni ., it i s certainly a beautiful cycle and does easily if you hit them. A good substitute for the job. DM makes several different unicycle these would be bleach bottles or 2-liter soda models including double-chain 6' giraffes and 28" bottles. Fill the bottles with about 3" of water regular unicycles. For a catalog, you can write: to keep them in place, ahd to simulate the "tip­ DM Engineering, 7 Telford Road, Ferndown Industrial piness" of the plastic cones. Using these bottles Estate, Wimborne, Dorset, BH21 7QW. is as acceptable as using traffic cones. Q: Is there a block placed on the starting line for mounting in the various levels, or is it a CHARITON, IOWA free mount? !::_: In Level I, when it says "Mount unicycle unassisted", this means any type of mount, USAm KAREN MESSAMER, a teacher at the elemen­ but there must be no support, and no block. In t ary schools of Chariton, teaches unicycling and the higher levels is is assumed that you can a l ­ j uggling to 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. As ready do this, and a block is then not even needed. o f February of this year, she had 35 accomplished Using a block may make it a little easier to learn u nicyclists and 50 or more jugglers . but learning to mount without it actually teaches ' In April, Karen presented a workshop on circus the rider more. As the wheel goes back beneath arts at WM Penn College in Oskaloosz. The main the rider's balance point, he automatically gets objective was to promote the teaching of juggling that chance to feel where it is. He is then lean­ and unicycling i n other schools across the state ing forward, and has no choice but to start pedal­ a s part o f their physical education curriculums. ing forward to avoid falling. This also famil:i.r­ Unicycling has been a part of the Chariton schools ize s the rider with the idea of pedaling backward, curriculum since 1976. She gave away packets at and is a step in the direction of learning to rock the workshop containing several articles of inter­ and ride backward. est to t he teachers attending, including the art­ Q: In level 3 riding backward, what is the mount­ icle on how to construct a unicycle charm out of ing procedure? !::_: When not stated, any type of two paper clips, reprinted with permission from mount can be used. The idea here is merely to a past i ssue of this newsletter. This article show the ability to ride backward, and the mount was found to be most interesting by the teachers. is not important. The best way to do it would be Karen has found the back issues of the USA to ride forward, stop, and then continue backward News l etter to be the most informative and inspir­ for 50 yards or more , then stop and go forward ational ma terial she has found on the subject of again. unicyclig. Q: In leve l 4, are stirrups used on the pedals i n hopping over the 2 x 2"? A: Stirrups, or toe UNICYCLISTS IN ALASKA! clips, are dangerous on a u;icycle, but some riders use them anyway. If you can jump the obstacle USAm TODD DAVIS of Fairbanks, Alaska writes: with the toe clips, you can probably learn to do " In July t here were several people that saw it without them in just a few minutes' practice. PIETRO BIONDO (see Spring '83 issue) on his giraffe Since no unicycle limitations are listed, it i s riding up the Parks Highway into Fairbanks. allowed, but the intention is for you to use the Others r e ported seeing him riding out of town. I'm same unicycle for all for levels, with no changes Sorry I missed talking with him. from the way you normally ride. Most riders hold " I just got turned on to your publication by onto the front of the saddle and line up the pedals USAm LESTER PURSELL. Les started riding in his so t hat they are relatively level before jumping , mid- 60 ' s and is now somewhere in his mid-70's and and then it is similar to using a pogo stick. going strong . I met Les in our Golden Days Parade Thank you for your questio ns, your Ed. hopes and I have enjoyed riding with him the past few these_ answers are sufficient. Please send in any years ." questions y ou have , readers, they can be of benefit Thanks , Todd . Wow , Pietro made it all the way to many other unicyclists when presented th~ ~ay . to Alaska ! Earlier this year when he passed through ON ONE WHEEL 7 - 83 pa ge 5 umbrella, just wait ing for some younger kid to color when he got hom e. I then remembered the "aims" of our Society and t hought that somewhere we as a group could help in futu re yea rs. I don ' t t hink that such arts should be eliminat ed from the c ircus completely. A recent viewing o f t he R i ng l ing I Bros. An~ual TV Event confirms t his in my mind, as the y did use a number of unic yc l es in t he show, inc luding a two wheeled unicycle f rom t he cl ow n coll e ge. A great credit should be in sto r e for the co l lege , and our good friends from the r e for this hap?ening. I think perhaps future gener~tions of Shrine _Clown~ will be people from our Society w ho may a1_d in increased use of the unicycle. This is something that could happen via the circus arts programs_ now_ run in various el ementa r y schools where unt and other circus arts are taught. FAIRFAX , VI RGINIA . I keep ask1n_g myself if a new market for good un1cycl es 1s beginning to open up in the u .S. as it A busy sp ring and summer o f parades and shows has in Japan where schools are bu ying them fo r such was highlight ed b y an appearance by the OAK VIEW programs. It would be interesting to hear from some ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EXH IBITIONAL ACTIVITIES CLUB at of our rn~mbers ~ho are involved in school programs the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in what their experiences have been in teaching these Washington, D. C. on J uly 9. The young performers skills. Could it be possible that such an a cti vity in this group helped to recognize the Museum's could complement and balance out the amount of Fantastic Festival of Flight; the club staged 3 contact sports in school systems in future yea r s? shows before large audiences. Unicyclists from Co_uld this result in less serious injuries to school Oak View performed a variety of skill activities children? What are Your views? on their standard unis, then switched to 5, 6, 8 Stay On Top--AL HEMMINGER and 10 ft . giraffes to enthrall their audiences. In addition to unicyc ling, Oak View also demon­ strated German gym wheels, balancing, tumbling, stilt wa lking, juggling, rope t wirling, contortion and quartet adagio. The photo shows Mike Hinton ··-.0,. · ,•!"'·.._. performing on his 10 ft. giraffe with historic ~ • ' I • U . S . rocke t s in the background at the National Air and Space Museum. This spring marked the first professional performance by an Oak View unicyclist; SCOTT DIN­ EEN rode various sized unicycles and juggled while performing for the Royal Hanneford Circus in New York . Also, two second graders, JASON DEMPSEY and STANLEY HAWK, rode with the club for the first time this summer.

USA SECRETARY AL HEMMINGER VISITS CIRCUS Since m y initial involvement with unicycling activit y which began w ith my daughter's desire to GENEVA, SW ITZER LAND l earn to ride t he mac hine I've re-kindled interest in attending annual "Big Time" circus events when USAm ERNEST FUR­ appearan ces are amde in my general area. The 75th BLUR writes t o t e ll us annual Shrine Circus in Detroit which was produced of his performe r s . He by Hanneford Circ us , Inc. was the most recent of sent your Ed. thi s these events that my daughter and I attended. As photo of "Al debert et usual it w as a most marvelous production and con­ ses Potes" (Aldeber t tained many beautiful and talented acts. The Shrine and his Buddies) , the Clowns were also on hand doing their thing. be st amateur unicycle Naturally when my daughter and I attend these act in the French events our eyes are open and we become somewhat speaking par t of Swit­ "one sided" in our views and look for some of the zerland, possibly the circus arts which we have become involved with. entire country. They These include not only the use of unicycles, but have been riding for also bikes, juggling , rope spinning and others. over 5 years and have a terrific act c ombined with This year we came away a little disappointed juggling, tumbling and clowning. There are 4 mem ­ because there were no unicycles in the show. And bers in the group, CHRISTIAN GMUNDER, PASCAL CRAU ­ although our publication is geared mainly toward SAZ , PHILIPPE DUCOMMUN and MICHAEL FURBL UR , the our "one wheel wonder", I feel it is fit to men­ son o f Ernest, who is also Geneva Gymnastics Champ ­ tion that there was also no rope spinning, and a ion . They perform in parades, for gym shows , c hur c h groups, etc . They all their start in very limited use of juggling and bicycling skills. got Ernes t's school club wh i ch offers ; Gymnast i cs , ac­ It was only on the way home and fumbling robat ics , unicycling, j uggling , t r ampoline and through the thick ad-laden program that I found more . The cyc l ists i n the club also play unicycle the use of the unicycle in the 75th edition of the hockey ! circus event. Naturally it portrayed a funny look­ ing clown on a unicycle on a w ire carrying an ON ONE WHEEL 7 - 83 page 6 iii, L' I' I. - V I L LE , •, L: L lH' · I Nt!\•/ Vo,\m l'lU

FAMOUS . UNICYCLE CHASE SCENE! Did you know that in the Marx Bros. 1941 film THE BIG STORE there i s a climactic unicycle chase scene? Chases by bad guys out to " do him in", Groucho runs through the sporting goods department of "the big store", grabs a bi cycle, and strart riding frantically up and down the aisles. Harpe grabs a pair of ro l l er skates and starts skating on top of the ail se s . On a sharp turn Groucho fa i l s to negotia t e a cur ve, runs into a wa l l, and the bicyc le ,, eco mes a break-apart bike -- one unic yc le and one ha ndl e­ bar unit! Dumping the handleb ar uni t , Groacho rides the unicycle around one end of an aisle. when Harpo comes skating off the en d and lands on hi s shoulders! The y ride aro cnd th e ai sle once more, and then Gcoucho rides through a doorway, knocking Harpe off of his shoulders . A BACKWARD UNI CYCL IST Al l of the unicycle riding in THE BIG STORE Now that we have found PIETRO BIONDO, we can was done by the late USAm JOE HOLE, pro f i l ed in start to look for BILL LODEN of Booneville , Miss. the January, 1975 USA Newsletter. Joe Mole wa s Bill , a student at the Unive r si t y of Mi ss ., r o de a and remain s one of the all time great s of un i­ un i cycle which was a pparenly i dentical to the one cycling. (Editor's note: Back issues of t he used in the a r ticle above , backward f o r 14. 8 mile s Januar y, ' 75 Ne wsletter st i ll ava i lable , $2 . 00 in 40 minutes . To a c complish t his feat he tu rne d per copy. ) his saddle around backward t o keep hi s pe dal s f r o m In 1975 USA Director JEANPAUL J[NACK vi sited unscrewing . An article about his r ide wa s pub l i sh­ Joe at his home in California, and of th e ch ase ed in many papers around the coun t ry by one of the scene Mole said, "the most difficult part of the news services , and told how Bill i s looking to es­ scene was getting Harpo's double t o land on my tablish his record with Gu iness . Good luck Bil l , shoulders . Du r i ng one of t he att emp t s , my tooth we hope you get to read this someda y , t oo. All go t chi pped by one of hi s rolle r skates ! lhe members in the Mississippi area , i f you see any fi nal sce ne in the movie us ed trick photog raph y, unicyclists going backward (or any other d 1rec t ion) , si nce it never did come out r i ght in the filming !" p l ease ask them if they would like to be assoc iated ·; wi th the Unic yc ling Soc i e t y of Am e r ica ! ON ONF. lv!IEEL 1 - 83 ; ~; ·~· -,~~: ... ., .. :,~ -(- "'. (

Arnold Wheels (602) 967-7676 1310 E. 8th Street, Tempe, Arizona 85281

ARNOLD WHEE LS the Uniques have incorporated a so called USAm LAR RY CHEBOWSKI, known to his fans and "fifth" level to the USA skill levels. They students as ARNOLD WHEELS, has been riding unicycles call it the Wheelmasters level. To obtain the since 1947 and has ridden in over 1500 parades Wheelmasters level they must be able to rid e a si nce 1955, including all the major parades in Ariz., number of different unicycles including gi r af fes , as well as many others throughout the country. ultimates, B.C. wheels, and minis. Some of these parades were at our earlier National This year the Uniques plan to ride in o ver Unicycle Meets which he attended, dating all the a dozen parades and performances that have way back to 1973. He is the only unicyclist known already been lined up. For their night parades that bowls on a unicycle, with an average of 165 they attach glo-sticks to the spokes and ri de and a t op game of 269! He can play an accordian illuminated. GOOD IDEA! During the off season while r iding and can do a very entertaining uni­ they per form at school assemblies and special cycle a ct from 10 to 30 minutes, usually as a clown events in malls. Recently they were taped t o character. He has performed for a wide variety of appear on a local television show called events s ince 1950, doing both civic, public and How Come?, which is a question and answer type p rivate affairs from s~all parties to large com- program. Also they appeared on P.M. Northwest , pany shows of 15,000 people. a local T.V. magazine program. Arnold his large cycle collection around in The philosophy of the Unique Unicycle Club a 23 foot step van wh , ch doubles as a billboard for has always been that whoever wants to join the m himself . From the ph0 to we can see that his col­ can do so as long as they have a unicycle . lection includes quite a variety of unicycles and Those that don't have a unicycle are encou raged bicycle s, including 2 and 3 wheeled unis, some sort to practice with a member who has one. They don ' t of accessory uni, a car or motorcycle tire uni, require dues, but those who do ride in shows cycles that can be ridden when he is wearing stilts, must have a Uniques T-shirt, etc. and even a bowling ball wheeled uni with a bowling Any input from other members of the US A pin built into the frame. would be greatly appreciated by Carl. Ideas Arnold Wheels has taught classes in clowning to on practice sessions and how to work with the " kids " young and adult, and is also a custom cycle variety of skills would be benefitial. For builder, who will build any type of cycle you want those who wish to write Carl or the club to your specifications. their address is:

THE UNI QUES, OF LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON The Uniques P.O. Box 2594 USAm CA RL VARNER is currently directing a Lynnwood, WA 98036 group of active unicyclists in the Seattle, WA phone: (206) 334-6208 area . THE UNIQUE UNICYCLE CLUB started out with four membe r s wh o learne d to ride in their e l em ­ Carl also invites anyone who may be entary schoo l phys . e d . class . They have now in the Seattle area to visit a practic e session grown rapid ly to a 40 member team with ages which are held on Monday evenings. Just call ranq1ng f rom 9 yr s . to 70 y r s . for directions! Many me mbers of the Uni ques ha ve r eached l e vcel 4 of the US!1 skill levels . So , for a ON ONE WHE EL 7 - 83 page 8 spec1al 1n c ce ~t 1ve to trv ne w things and to ,· a1 sec t :c(· l r irve l of r1 ·i1 ng dli i l ity h i ghe r , No w you a r e r e a d y t o go . Co ns i der the r ace you a r c abou t t o t r y . Each of t h t r ad i tional races a t Lh e unicyc l e meets has its o wn necessa r y FEATURE ARTICLE: s ki lls and s tra t e g ies r equ ired t o best comple te it , and t hi s is o ne of the things that makes u n i ­ T HE S KI LLS OF U I C YC L E RACING cycle rac 1ng mo r e inte r esting than a me r e mi ndless by John Fos s , Editor , Livonia , MI spri nt down t he t r a ck . Of c o u r se s kill a nd a rtic ­ ( This i s intended to be t he defin i tive story u l a tion a r e needed; you are riding a unicyc l e , a o f u nicycle r ac ing t o da te . See a l so a rtic l e in veh i c l e wh i c h has a natura l t endency t o fal l down ! Fall , 1980 NEWSLETTER, pa ge 1 7 . Acce l e ration must be carefully c ontrolle d t o keep you "on top". Each r a ce has 1ts own a dditional Racing. It s eems t o be a bas i c i nstinct o f qualiti es , l isted below. hu ma ns . As s oon a s people find something that moves , like frogs or boats o r a irp l ane s , they try 100 YARD SPRINT. Acce leration i s c ruc i al . You to find another one s o the y c an racP it . Unicyc l es mus t have as mu c h fo r ward lean as possible at the are no e xcept i on . An d si nc e rac i ng is a big part beginning , and r ea lly ma sh d own on those pedals , of a nationa l uni cyc l e meet, I would l ike to g ive wi thout fa l l ing fo rward! This , o f c ourse a ppl i es a Le w ll[JS a s one who is a n av i d uni . racer. t o all the r a ces . Once you f a l l you are o ut of First , your un i cycle must be adjusted to fit you . the race , and have no chance at any p l acing . There­ The saddle height mu s t be s e t so tha t your knee i s f ore you must be careful i n this as we l l as all straightened al l the way out with your hee l on the race s to s tay up! Prac t icing the acce le r atio n pedal . When you r f oot i s then properly p laced on without fal ling will make yo u fast er. Practicing the pedal , ther e will be a small bend in the l eg wit h more t han one person i s especially he l pfu l , which i s correct fo r all riding conditions except because the ride r that has practi ced all a lone may UMX (uni c y c l e mo to-cross) or otherwise rough ter­ fa ll wh e n trying to keep up I i r h riders t hat may r ai n rid ing . For this t ype of riding the saddle j ust be faster t han he. Fo r this reason it is shou l d be l owered about 2 inc hes to prevent you helpf ul t o try to remember t " no t l ook at , o r f r o m bounc i ng off your seat when you hit a bump think about t he other riders in a race, because wi th your l e g exte nded . you have your own balance to ma intain, not the irs . For ma ximum peda ling effic i ency , the balls of The next p l ace to be careful in the 100 i s your fee t should be c entered over the spindles in a t the point where you reach your top speed . This the ped a l s . This makes the peda l an extension of will probably come before you reac h the hal fway you r ankle and toe joints a nd is also the correct point, and can be a crisis spot. If you continue posi tio n for bicycling. Your feet should be on to spee d up until you reach your top poss ible the pedals this way for~ races (wa lk the wheel speed, you wi ll fall forward as soon as yo u r e a c h e xcepted). it because you will not be able to pedal that Be fore starting off in a race ma ke sure you tiny amount faster that i s needed to cancel your are comfortably positioned on the saddle, and that forward body lean. In other words, in the 100 you your feet are correctly positioned on the pedals. actually aren't pedaling as fast as you possibly ( Tryi ng to adjust yourself while mov ing down the can. If you did, as soon as you started to lean track wil l result in a loss o f speed and concen­ slightly forward, you would fall and be out of trat ion , and perhaps a dismount. the race . You can develop a pedal rhythm, similar Almost al l of the faster ride r s at the meets in a way to a drummer's drumroll, that c an make hold t he front of their saddle s from the beginning your more stable at full speed. to the end of a race . It ma y look strange, but Though you can usually land on your f eet and the hand holding the saddle steady helps to better in a dismount, safety equipment is still ho l d the body to the unicyc le, so you and it can a must for anyone who is a serious unicycle racer . better wo rk together. It also releases your legs 220YARD SPRINT. The main difference between t h is f r om the extra work of the unicyc le and race and the 100 is that where you gave it all you holding you o n to it, so they can concentrate o n had for the 100, you must give it for more than j u s t peda ling . twice the distance for the 220. Fatigue i s a factor near the e nd of a unicyc l e race, a nd in frequent cases , one of a pair o f side- by - s ide riders will fall before the f in ish line because the other ride r has made that ride r l ean too f nr f o r ward . Always keep your head a nd conc e ntr o te o n your own balance point, until you are ::.!..!. ihe way a c ross the finish l ine. ~iders ofte n fal l right at or near the line bec" _se they seem to think that they can coast across? 880 AND ONE MILE RACE. This is the killer. The hard part is to pace yoursel f so that you don' t run out of energy before the race is over, but to go fas t enough. The fatigue-falls are most commo n in this race . When I race the mile, I use psychology, similar t o that u sed in bicycle road races. I get in place behi nd the first place rider and follow him for the first 3/ 4 o f the r ace o r so, and then pass him and try to make a b ig space between me and anybody else. Th is can wo rk f or you too. Following t he l ead rider we ars him o ut both physically and me ntally . MARK SCHAEFER set the out door r ecord fo r t he o ne He has to determine what the speed is t o be , and mile race like t his : note f oot placeme nt , s add le then he has to worry wh ethe r o r not i t is right . height and grip o n saddle . His time : 4 : 33 . 02 ON ONE \v!IEEL 7 - tl 3 page 9 . ,~11 r 1~ 1e r slo\•Je r , make . The best way to avoi d this is to be sure ,: :, 1 l L' y,1u mo r ely •·01101-. ci lony . ~1aybe you ca n not t o stop a t a ll, through practice , pra ctic ing . :' !'" e at:1e !1u. 1.-J t o ma ...;. e h i m t hink you a r e tiring , THE OBSTACLE COU RSE . The official USA Obst acle : u s t before you pas s hi m. Reme mber t o leave a Cou rse ,~ill be detailed in t he next issue of ON s pace fo r him t o fa ll down, just in c ase he does , ONE WHEE L, because it is an artic l e in i tse l f , you don ' t want him taking you with him! and a great l earning t ool. The l ead rider ma y look behind himself, and TRAI NING. I can describe the type o f training ( this may cause him to fall. You should never session that has worked for myself and USAm MA RK look back yourself, this is a unicycling no-no! SCHAEFER, holder of the one mile and b ackward Turning your head around effects your balance, records. First, if your local track i s within a and this is not needed . Re me mber to keep your mile or two, ride there . This will warm you up . mind on your own balance alone. Don't talk, and If you get there by o ther means, you should ride try t o b reathe rhythmically , justlike a runner a few times around the track before starting . Do does (unicycle racing seems t o borrow equally from some stretching excercises. The first race we r un n ing and bicyc le racing). practice is the mile, to get it out of the wa y . Once you have passed the l ead rider you are We have found that we still have energy afterward vulnerable yoursel f . This is where the fatigue­ to practice the other races. For starting you can fall s take place, and if you r e me mber this, you use a hurdle, garbage can or handy shoulder. Ride can purposely avoid them. Don 't pay any attention the mile at the speed you think is best for you, to t he other riders, and bewar e of them using and time yourself so you know what you have done . psychology on you! After you have finished your mile, keep riding. SO YA RDS BACKWARD. Helmets recommended! Riding Don't stop! Take a slow l ap or two around the backward is scary, and can be dangerous. Though track and allow your breathing to slow down and hea d fa lls are quite rare, a helmet will make you your body to recover while your legs are still (or a t least Mom ) feel better. Practice some following the familiar motion. This is better backward d ismounts to be familiar with what to do than stopping because your l egs stay loose, and when you have to. Forget the unicycle. Rolling wil l make you a better unicyclist. o ve r backward can bring you right back up to you r After doing our r est laps, Mark and I do fee t ! Make sure your lane is clear before start­ some special training laps. One lap of pedaling ing . Once I have started in a backward race, I l eft footed, one lap of right footed, and one lap don 't look around, I just go. Rules are the same of backward. The one foot with both feet keeps a s t he other sprints, only backwa rd. If you drop our bodies even, and all three are helpful, not your unicycle, try to keep it out of the lanes of only in the races, but in all forms of riding. o ther riders. Practice staying in your lane, and After this we run through each of the other don 't stop! Too many riders slow down because they races one or more times . Us ing a stopwatch can think they have crossed the line, and this wrecks give an idea of how fast you are. In the next the i r times. Keep going fast until you see the issue there will be a list of the fastest NUM line well "in front" of you. times for each of the traditional racing events 50 YAR DS ONE FOOTED. This is one of my favorites listed above. Compare your times with these . because it involves a high l eve l of skill all the EQUIPMENT. There are two kinds, the first of way down the track, but jus t about any one foot which is SAFETY EQUIPMENT: rider c a n do it. In the first 5 yards you mu st "Attention, all hands -- and other body parts . push as hard as you can to get going, but be care­ This is the brain. We're now going to ride down ful i n the transition to one foot. Work out a this trac k as fast as we can on a unicycle." s ystem whereby you don't have t o look for the line, "Hey, brain. This is the stomach. How about beca use you know just how many pedal turns you sending some _food down here ? " c an make before crossing it. I start with my "Oh, quiet your rumblings." pe dals level, right foot back for all races, and "Hey, brain. This is the knees. I don't fo r this race, rather than looking, I just count have any protection on. What if Mr. Uni-Freak thr e e turns of the wheel and lift my right foot. he r e takes a face- flop? That would hurt us." As my right foot goes around the bottom of the "That's right. He y , Uni-Freak. Go get your stroke for the third time, this is just about knee pads, gloves and elbow pads." whe re the line is; just under three revolutions . No sport is perfectly safe. I like to think Once your are riding o ne foot , accelerate as hard that unicycling is safe because a 24" unicycle can as you can , but remember tha t this i s a delicate us ually never go faster t han its rider can run, process . not even downhill (this is the problem with roller 10 YAR DS WALK THE WHEE L. Ru l e one , of course , is s kates & skate boar ds). Bu t a rider can still c o s tay up. When you are first the wheel fall down, and the main spots of ground friction this is all the strategy you need. Some walk the are the palms of the hands and the knees. Elbows wheel races are won by the rider who goes slow & are the next most vulnerable area, in a rolling ste ady, because everybody else falls. Don't fall! dismount, and a helmet is a good idea too. Any­ Lo ts of practice will make you a fast wheel walke r. one riding fast on a unicycle should have, at the At that point, one of the t ough spots of the race bare minimum, a pair o f heavy gloves and knee pads . is wh ere you go from a l eaning forward, acce l er­ I for one think they should be required at unicycle at ing position, to a l e ve l ed- off position. This meets. Though at the last 3 national meets the 1s wh ere your fall ma y occur if you are going fast, tracks have been rubber, injuries still occur . At and i t o nly takes more practice to learn to avoi d the annual regional/ Mini Meet of the Re d f ord Club , it . Do n't let the other riders' falls distract the infamous Wonderland asphalt has taken its t o l l you , just keep on wa l k ing! of riders over the years , at least one a year get ­ 1 0 YARDS SLOW. This is a supe r-skill race, and t ing some really nasty scrapes. Also remember . takes mo r e practice t han the others to do well. Once you have your safety equipment, the only t i mes Lise your arms f or balance , and concentrate on tha t you wi11 fall will be the t imes wh en you forge t balance . A p r o b lem wi th th i s rac e is t he dif fi ­ t o wear it! ,: u l t~· 1r, judging o, hether or no t a ride r has mom­ •.:c nta r1 l / s t OP!-"-'C: , anc1 some ri e1c 1·s may be d i squal - ON ONE WHEE L 7 - 83 pa g e 10 1 :1e ~ ! G1 sma:J e r s t ops thcin a f i nishi ng rider may UNICYCLE EQUIPMENT . In a long race, you lift those peda ls up & down endless times. Light pedals UNI - VERSE are what you want . You also want a good grip to Here is a teeny- we e ny- uni - rhyme from PIERRE keep your feet on . Ma rk Schaefer and I use turf UNI-GONZALE S , a member who would like to r e main shoes with very s harp rat -traps , made by Skyway anonymous : Recreation of California. Howe ver we don' t rec­ ommend these pedals to other r iders because they By the cycle I lived ; unicycled I died , a r e extremely sharp, and have scratched anything They said i t was murder , from a blue- jean clothed leg to bare metal. Shop It was Cycle(cide) Celled Aphi lia! around for a good pedal that is right for you. Toe clips are not r ecommended by me, but some rid­ ULTIMATE WHEEL INSER T INSTRUCTION S ers use them and seem quite confident with the m. A light unicycle is best for s printing down These u ltimate wheel inserts are made by USAm the track, and the alloy-rimme d MIYATA is the best TOM MILLER, and made available to our members. thing in this department. However for the mile, Now you can make one, too! See illustration on Mark prefers his t riple-spoked SCHWINN, saying back cover of this issue. that the heavier wheel a c ts as a flywheel, stead­ YOU WILL NEED: ultimate wheel kit (if you are not ying him . making it yourself), 3/4" plywood, bicycle rim, In case you were wondering how fast 24" uni­ 1/2" pedals (rat traps suggested), rim strip, tube cycle wheels turn in the various races , I have & tire (smooth sidewall recommended). f igured some o f them out. To ride 100 meters in 16 seconds , t he riders average rpm is 196. For Quality of the finished product will depend upon 15.5 sec., 202. And for 15 sec. (the record is the construction of wheel. Caution is advised 14 . 89) , 209 ! Now to compare with the pedaling when riding the Ultimate Wheel as on all unis. speed of mark Schae fer when he rode the mile as 1. Selec t rim size (24" or larger recommended) . pictured at t he beginning of this article, riding 2. carefully measure the inside diameter of rim the mile in j ust over 4½ minutes gives him an rpm at several different points as the rim may not of 184.75, not much slower than above ! For a 5 be perfectly round. min. mile the speed is 168, and for 5½ min, 153. 3. Draw circle on the plywood the same size as the largest diameter measurement. Last but not least in unicycle racing or any other 4. Cutout circle with saw and shape to fit inside type of s porting event, remember sportsmanship! the rim. A snug fit is better than loose. It is not so important who wins, even at a National Mark position of valve hole on wood. Meet , as long as everyone rides to the ver y best 5. Remove circle from rim and place ultimate of his or her ability . Ha ve fun, and stay on top! wheel insert in the center of plywood. Mea­ sure carefully! 6. Trace the outline of the main body of insert. 7. Drill hole in center of outline for sawblade and cut out for insert. 8. Place insert through hole and trace outline of the crosspieces, one per side. 9. Remove insert and with wood chisel cut cross­ piece outline to a depth of 1/8". Remove wood to the same depth so cross piece sits flush with side of plywood. 10. Re-install insert and drill mounting holes using crosspiece holes as guides. 11. Cut notch for valve . 12. Remove insert and sand both sides of plywood. 13. Bolt insert in place. Place wheel on sol ' d surface and pound the heads of carr i&ge colts to seat shoulders into crosspiece. Now tight · en nuts until wood begins to creak. 14. Remove excess bolt by cutting or break off USAm CHRISTOPHE F MAYES sends along this photo excess by using short back and for th strokes . of his circus group in Kent, England. The riders, Peen end of bolt to smooth sharp ends and to from left to right are, DAVID, CHRIS, LIZA and REB­ prevent nuts from backing off. ECCA . Yo ur Ed. is not sure if these are members of 15. Place plywood in rim (line up valve hole with h i s immediate family or not, but either way, this notch) and hammer a nail through each spoke is where the unicyclists come from in his area. hole. Use nail set to drive nails in. Chris is a policeman (bobby?), and is hoping to 16. Install rim strip, tube and tire. send us a photo of him, in uniform, riding his uni. 17. Install pedals. Careful to put right pedal Chris has also sent in a copy of a newspaper in right-hand threaded hole. article featuring a picture of Prince Charles hav­ HAPPY RIDING! ing a go at a unicycle. We weren't able to get the * OPTIONAL- countersink bolt holes opposite cross­ necessary permission to reproduce the photo, but pieces so washer and nut won't protrude from think you members might think it interesting to side of wheel to snag leg. know some of the people that are actually trying Questions? Need more information? Write or the one wheeled machines. Charles is not looking call: too steady in the photo, being supported on both TOM MILLER Jo s i des , but who knows ... maybe he will want to try CUSTOM CYCLES it again s ome time! I f not , the photo may still 2711 N. APPERSON serve as the inspiration to thousands of othe r would­ KOKOMO , IN 4690 1 be unicyclists to try it, saying , " If Prince Charles ( 317) 452 - 2692 can be silly enough t o t ry o ne , s o can I !". - .... :: 11,·· V, ( (1) II I (1) Doc ' ' I -....J -..J ~~ -c - - CV ~ ~1r- C fTt ~ -; -i cc ~~ (1) I ) ll1 f'll rnz~ rn / _. zo _. i!::, C f1' ~ • .,,., ,v ~ r- ~ 11) r- I/'. rn II\ ~[)Q r--2 "'V rrt~~ ~~ ~~ ( VI r-

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