Protective gear and the image iof unicycling

Jack Halpern wrote:
*Greetings

One thing that bothers me a bit about protective gear, other than it
being uncomfortable,
is that when non-unicyclists see unicyclists riding around in full
armor, especially wearing
a helmet, is that it creates, or reinforces, an impression that
unicycling is dangerous.

In Japan, an important idea we have been pushng in promoting the sport
is that unicycling
is safe -- safer than bicycles, skates, roller blades, skateboards,
etc. The heavy armor
can create the opposite impression. I am not opposed to protective
gear, and am convinced
that it is essential for such activities as Cokering in traffic, but I
do have reservations about ｆｕｌl
gear for every kind of unicycling, especially kids in schoolyards --
there hundreds of thousands
of them in Japan.

John Foss and the others who support protective gear, are you saying
that helmets etc.
should always be worn for any kind of unicycling? Maybe someone can
draw up a list of
priorities by kind of uicycling activity.


Stay on top, Jack Halpern
Executive Director for International Development
International Unicycling Federation, Inc.
Website: http://www.kanji.org
*


well, just to bring this back ot, that is; the \"image\" of unicycling
being \"safer\" than other sports...

japanese people (in general) aren't any more or less safety-conscious
than anybody else, but i have noticed that a lot of japanese people are
more inclined to buy and use all of the gear, clothing, and accessories
for a given sport, if that sport is introduced or displayed as
\"requiring\" that equipment.

when i first moved here, for instance, japanese people who went hiking
would only go after donning their woolen knickerbockers with embroidered
suspenders, gartered knee socks, european-brand hiking boots, and
tyrolean caps with the pheasant feathers in the brim. a few years
later, nearly everybody had switched over to head-to-toe goretex and
nike boots. even backpackers out for a summer weekend in the mountains
around kyoto (where there is no snow after february) carry crampons and
folding snow shovels... because it's -de rigueur-. if you go into a
sporting-goods store, you'll see in-line skates and all of the safety
equipment sold alongside, and it's rare to see people on in-line skates
without knee, elbow, and wrist-guards. skateboard shops carry the
latest skate helmets. *ike shops have all the safety equipment you
could want for road and mountain *iking... and generally, \"serious\"
riders wear helmets.

it's true that the average cycle-commuter (from the house to the train
station) here never wears a helmet. if you see somebody wearing street
clothes and a helmet riding a *ike, nine times out of ten, they're a
-gaijin-. many municipalities have helmet laws for kids, though.
this has not affected cycling in a negative way, as far as i know.
japanese road-racing enthusiasts and triathletes dress to look as nearly
like tour de france and ironman participants as possible, inclucing the
latest helmets.

japan has a helmet law for motorcycles and motorscooters (50cc).
everyone complies with this law; the exceptions being -bosozoku-
(motorcycle gangs), and fashion-conscious people in their teens and
early twenties (who wear their helmets dangling behind their head with
the chin strap around their throat... so they don't muss-up their
hair-do). japan also has a seatbelt law... but apparently only for the
front seat! i have yet to see a car over here with seatbelts for the
rear passenger seat. it's still a bit disconcerting to be sitting
beltless in a taxi while the driver is safely strapped-in.

i don't really see the point in portraying and promoting unicycling as
being \"safer\" than other activities... and it may be a bit
misrepresentational; not to mention unseemly, since a lot of the vendors
who carry or will carry unicycling equipment also sell *ikes,
skateboards, inline skates, etc. isn't it enough just to promote
unicycling as being lots of fun?

safety is mostly a matter of an individual's skill, ability to assess
and manage risks, and in the end; desire to be safe. snowboarding is
very popular here, despite injuries and deaths each year from beginners
trying to emulate the pros that make those exciting videos. my feeling
is that if you portray unicyclists wearing safety equipment
(wristguards, especially!), most japanese people will unquestioningly
accept it as part of the sport, and that can't be a bad thing.

rick


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