Unicycle articles (but wait there's more...)

*Family cherishes unicycling pastime*

BY CLARE PFEIFFER RAMSEY
FREE PRESS SPECIAL WRITER
1,042 words
7 July 2005
Detroit Free Press
1
English
(c) Copyright 2005, Detroit Free Press. All Rights Reserved.

Since he was all of 9 years old, Andrew Wrobel has been known around his
corner of Grosse Pointe Park as the unicycle kid.

Now 19, Andrew has passed the legacy onto his 12-year-old brother,
Benjamin.

But when Benjamin rides his one-wheeled cycle around the neighborhood,
he hears, "Are you the unicycle kid's brother?"

So it goes when you have a family of unicyclists.

Along with Andrew and Benjamin, each member of the Wrobel family --
including parents Cathy and Bill, both 45, and sister Suzanne, 18 -- can
pedal a unicycle.

The Wrobel siblings -- who have a bit more skill and fearlessness than
their folks -- even race one another down the street.

They can hold hands and cycle in a circle, play hockey and basketball,
bounce up and down, reach down and touch the ground and perform dance
routines on their unicycles.

Andrew even plays on a unicycle basketball team, which is set to compete
this month in the North American Unicycling Championships and Convention
in Bowling Green, Ohio.

As one might imagine, the Wrobels are used to getting attention when
they bring out the unicycles.

The standard reaction, they said, goes something like this: "Wow! That's
amazing! Are you guys in parades? How long did it take you to learn to
do that?"

That was the response of Grosse Pointe Park resident Shannon O'Connor,
20, who just happened to be walking her dog on the Wrobels' street while
the siblings were out on their unicycles last week.

Yes, the Wrobels have been in parades, mostly with their unicycle club,
but they don't participate in nearly as many as they did when the
siblings were younger.

"For a long time, that's what we did on Saturdays," Cathy said.

With the kids' busy school schedules, Andrew's college courses, friends,
and other activities, they haven't had the time recently to dedicate to
practicing for parades.

They do, however, try to make the Grosse Pointe holiday parade in the
Village an annual event.

And how long does it take to learn unicycling? "About a year," Cathy
said.

That, of course, depends on your skills and dedication to practicing.

Once upon a time

Andrew was the first Wrobel to take up unicycling. He got his first
cycle -- a tiny red one that still hangs in the family's garage -- from
his grandparents when he was 9.

Cathy said her parents were treating their granddaughters to a big
American Girl doll extravaganza.

That wouldn't cut it for Andrew, so they wanted to do something special
for him, too. Enter the unicycle.

Andrew said he remembers being a little ambivalent about the gift. "Me
being the good kid, I was like, 'Thanks. I'm not sure what I'll do with
it, but sure, get me one.' "

Cathy and Bill had no experience with unicycles, just a little booklet
giving them tips on teaching Andrew how to ride.

Cathy took Andrew out each day that summer, holding his seat, walking
him up and down the block, practicing. It took him a couple months to
get the hang of it.

"His goal was to ride his unicycle to school -- and he did, with his
backpack and his violin case," Cathy said.

A couple years later, the Wrobels happened upon the Redford Township
Unicycle Club after Cathy had a chance meeting with a member at a
quilting show. "I was going, 'Somebody else unicycles?' To me this was a
revelation."

Through the club, Andrew learned more tricks from other unicyclists.

Suzanne eventually wanted to learn, too. Family lore is that it took her
just a couple of weeks to get the hang of it. And Benjamin was up on a
unicycle at age 5. He was so eager that he didn't want his parents to
hold the seat while he learned.

Over the years, the family has built up a collection of about 30
unicycles. They each have short standard cycles, plus they have
6-foot-tall ones called giraffes, racing cycles with large wheels, a
special homemade 8-foot-tall giraffe and even a cycle with a fat tire
for off-roading.

The Wrobels have competed in all manner of unicycling events -- racing
for speed and distance -- and performed in artistic events.

Suzanne and Andrew even competed together in a pairs artistic event,
which is similar to the kind of performance you'd expect from figure
skaters. "We were really little," Suzanne said.

"And they got along, which was amazing," Cathy added.

One wheel, many perks

Cathy said unicycling has kept the family close, allowed them to meet
wonderful people from all over the world, and given her kids a great
boost of confidence.

"It's a wonderful self-esteem builder because if you can do this, you
can do anything," she said.

Plus, Bill said, unicycling is a great way to keep fit, because unlike
on a two-wheeled bike, unicyclists pretty much have to keep moving to
stay up. "It's definitely an aerobic workout. When you are up, you are
going, and when you are not going, you are down."

All the years of unicycling have resulted in very few injuries, Cathy
said. "Most people think of it as a danger. 'Oh, it must be dangerous.'
But it's not."

In fact, aside from a few bumps and bruises, Cathy suffered the most
serious unicycling injury in the family. It came several years ago while
she was competing in a race.

"She was just this far from the finish line," Bill said, holding his
fingers a couple inches apart. "Cathy went down and just slid on her
face. It was horrible."

"But I got better. I got over it," she said.

You have to develop a thick skin of sorts to be a unicyclist's mother,
Cathy said. When most people hear the clank of unicycle falling over,
they tend to jump, but not her. "I don't even turn my head anymore,
because usually they are just standing there, fine."

The Redford Township Unicycle Club also offers unicycling lessons in the
fall and winter. Go to www.rtuc.org for more information.


--
JJuggle - Last of the Dogmato-Revisionists

Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ

I will now proceed to entangle the entire area.
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