Sunday, April 22, 2012

Spreading the Word on One Wheel

Many of you know that I started riding a unicycle about two years ago. I didn't want to make the claim that I could really ride a unicycle until I could pass the first skill level as defined by the Unicycling Society of America. One way to get certified is to record yourself and have an examiner verify that you have indeed performed the required skills.

For this level, the requirements are to mount the unicycle unassisted, ride 50 meters, and dismount gracefully with the unicycle in front of you. I've been able to ride the 50 meters for about a year and a half without difficulty. The dismount has taken a little concentration since I got into the habit of stepping off forward rather than backward when I was done. But that was just a matter of paying attention to how I finished and wasn't a big deal. The mounting unassisted part has come much more slowly. Over the past several weeks, I was finally able to do it fairly consistently and was ready to make my video.

For certification, I posted a raw video, but here's a spruced up version that I hope you'll enjoy. And, of course, I couldn't do something like this wearing just any old shirt. If you have video of yourself doing something entertaining in your Hergert Numbers shirt, please share!