Uni as in one as in lonely sport

Chrashing wrote:
*I'd start a club but until I find one other member that seems lame.


I'm thinking I'll go down to the local EMS sports store, and my
favorite b*ke shop and ask them if they have any sport events/demo's
that I could join in and promote Muni'ing. Cool idea? Anyone done
this? Does it work? Seems like it might at least help promote the
sport.

*


I too had a long time of being a lone rider.

Here are some thoughts which might be helpful:

Chances are there is someone else out there who rides, its just a matter
of finding them. The vast majority of unicyclists do not post on the
internet so try a few of the following avenues
-ask everyone who comments on your unicycling if they know of anyone
else who rides, get contact details if possible
-check if there is a juggling shop or club in the area, you can often
find existing riders or potential converts at juggling clubs
-if you find a shop selling juggling gear, ask if you can post a notice
for people to contact you if they want to go for a ride.
-check and see if any of the local schools teach circus skills as part
of their ciriculum.

One way of starting a club is to offer free lessons to people. Then you
only need 1 person who can ride, several people keen to learn and spare
uni or two. If you find some people willing to learn, chances are
eventually some one will get really hooked. Get them into Muni and,
bingo, you have a riding partner! Students are often keen to give it a
go so a local university or school is a good place to put up a notice.

The demos that have worked the best for us are are the show some skills
and then "try it out yourself kind". These are far more likely to
result in people getting into it than just watching some one else do it.
Any large gathering of people milling around is a good oportunity for a
demo. Try out local cycle races if there are any, or any fares etc.

All the best for starting a club.


--
peter.bier - Posting since 97

-Peter Bier

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Thanks for the great suggestions Peter,

I have looked, and found the juggling club. That is a great idea. Went
to a meeting and met a guy who drives in from Connecticut (not real far
away). He was busy traveling, and could not even make the juggling
meetings for a long while. I'll have to go another meeting and see if
he's back.

Right again on the local College lead, Vassar College has a Unicycle
and juggling group, 'Barefoot Monkeys'. I've tried to contact them, but
over the summer, no reply. School starts soon, I'll have to follow-up
again.

I encourage folks who seem interested, but have only had a few High
School kids really try it. After trying, they seem to think it's
impossible. I tell them it just takes practice.

I'll work on following up those other suggestions.


Hello Mikefule, You'll have to blame me for the humidity discussion,
My opening post wandered around a bit, before getting close to a topic.


Hello Brian,
A year of riding has been good to me, Thank you. I won't forget
following (me by foot) you and the Muni experts at the East Cost Muni
ride last year. I'm still working up to being able to follow along on
my Muni next time, if and when that happens. The riding I saw that day
was amazing, I feel fortunate to have been allowed to tag along with
such a highly skilled group. Hmmm, right now I need to watch that great
TWNR dvd again.


--
Chrashing - Unicycles are flying machines!

Regards,
Ken
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Thanks for the great suggestions Peter,

I have looked, and found the juggling club. That is a great idea. Went
to a meeting and met a guy who drives in from Connecticut (not real far
away). He was busy traveling, and could not even make the juggling
meetings for a long while. I'll have to go another meeting and see if
he's back.

Right again on the local College lead, Vassar College has a Unicycle
and juggling group, 'Barefoot Monkeys'. I've tried to contact them, but
over the summer, no reply. School starts soon, I'll have to follow-up
again.

I encourage folks who seem interested, but have only had a few High
School kids really try it. After trying, they seem to think it's
impossible. I tell them it just takes practice.

I'll work on following up those other suggestions.


Hello Mikefule, You'll have to blame me for the humidity discussion,
My opening post wandered around a bit, before getting close to a topic.


Hello Brian,
A year of riding has been good to me, Thank you. I won't forget
following (me by foot) you and the Muni experts at the East Cost Muni
ride last year. I'm still working up to being able to follow along on
my Muni next time, if and when that happens. The riding I saw that day
was amazing, I feel fortunate to have been allowed to tag along with
such a highly skilled group. Hmmm, right now I need to watch that great
TWNR dvd again.


--
Chrashing - Unicycles are flying machines!

Regards,
Ken
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I am a solitary man. I have trained in all sorts of sports for years
with and without partners, but if you have to do the distance you will
end up by yourself. I don't find it lonely but others do.

What I do miss is learning from others and being challenged by others.
Also, some days when I feel lazy and don't feel like riding, I know in
my heart that if some one was waiting for me at say 4.30, I would make
the effort to get there. Then invariably would have a great time.

To meet others and for a group ride, I organised my own event and will
do so again next year. I had 8 riders turn up and we all had fun and
learned heaps from each other.

Just post a notice here, put some posters in your local bike shops and
circus schools. You will meet someone.


--
onebyone

Bill Blogs is an alien!
www.municycle.com.au
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Riding with someone is really great.

I rode solo for one year before my brother learned to ride. Now we do
trials and MUni together. With someone to ride with I find I not only
ride more often and also try harder trails. It's also great to have
someone who can appreciate a difficult skill without asking "where is
you other wheel!@#"

The best way to find riders is to recruit them! All your friends are
potential riding partners!


--
UNIquelyCanadian - 8~)[==)--O

There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive
idiots.
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I know that there are other riders in the city where I live, but I have
no desire to meet them or go riding with them. The solitary aspect of
unicycling is one of the things I like about this sport. It is a very
Zen like thing for me, and I know that may sound silly, but that's how
it is. Most of my friends don't even know I unicycle. I am not ashamed
of it, but I don't deny it when someone "catches me" on the unicycle.
I'm not a bad rider, and I don't brag about it either. It is an
anonymous, solitary thing that gets rid of stress and makes me very
happy.

This may sound strange, but I know the minute my unicycling becomes
"social" and I start hanging out and riding with other riders, it will
lose that Zen-thing and become just another sport, and then I suspect
I'll lose interest. Maybe.

That's what I like about this forum. I can be completely anonymous, keep
my unicycling to myself, buy still exchange just enough thoughts on the
subject to keep one foot in the community in a virtual sense, and both
feet on the pedals in a unicycling sense! And, I have discovered that a
lot of you are very funny and interesting .

But physically, in the real, "off-line" world, I like and prefer the
solitary aspects of unicycling.


--
uni_zorro - the mask of unicycle

Mark is my name, uni is my game!
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I totally understand where you are coming from.

Cheers
The phantom


--
onebyone

Bill Blogs is an alien!
www.municycle.com.au
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