Skills origins

[unifoss@CERF.NET]

Alberto Ruiz wrote:
>I plan to discuss in the future other skills developed on the last 7 years.
>Stuff like backward gliding (John Foss?), side ride on a giraffe (Brett
>Bernard), etc.

I'll take the credit for backward gliding (foot behind frame), and also wheel
walk with feet behind frame (not yet successfully done), and wheel walk bwd one
foot behind frame. Credit for wheel walk bwd both feet behind frame goes to Mark
Schaefer from Redford, MI. He performed it in 1981.

Daniel Dumeng did a side ride on my giraffe at UNICON I (1984). Brett was the
first one I've seen to ride both into and out of it.

>I would like somebody else to initiate discussion on skills developed
>before 1986. Remember, I was too young to ride then (I learned when I was
>40 years old).
>
>How did Walk the wheel got started? How about Gliding?

Walk the wheel probably goes back to before the turn of the century. Woods &
larson did sideways wheel walk in the 1940's (as seen on cover of Oct. 1977
NEWSLETTER). Aaron Anderson, from Seattle, WA came to the 1981 NUM with a
T-shirt that read: I glide 2. At the 1980 NUM, I noticed no deliberate gliding.
At '81, Mark Schaefer and I did it, Aaron did it, Peter Holmgren and Joakim Malm
(Sweden) did it, and maybe others.

>Gliding is more difficult than wheel walking probably for the same reason that
>you have more control of your car when you acelerate than when you brake.

As a former driving instructor, I can't agree with that statement!

Here are the names of some tricks, mounts, and transitions that I thought up
myself: (if curious, ask for description)

- side jump mount, leg around, to giraffe
- riderless uni. spin (+ variations)
- cyclone spin
- armpit ride
- hopping seat on side 180 jump to seat in front facing backward
- pedal walk
- first to use "axel" jump in performance; I saw Randy Barnes do it in '80
- bwd wheel walk, one foot, standing on frame, seat in front

John Foss, President International Unicycling Federation unifoss@cerfnet.com

[Jack Halpern]

Ken Fuchs wrote:
|> I'm also interested in who invented, first performed, first performed in
|> public various unicycling skills. (It should also be stated exactly when and
|> where each of these "first" events occurred.) I add to and slightly modify
|> John's list of "unicycling skill firsts" below:

|> A. Who thought of a skill first.
|> B. Who thought of a skill first and told other people about it.

|> etc. etc.

Your long list is just too much work, and there is thin hope of getting that
info (I don't think it's important to know the history in so much detail).

The real important ones are, as you say,

|> WHO THOUGHT OF A SKILL FIRST WITH CONVINCING PROOF TO BACK THE CLAIM.
|>
|> WHO DID A SKILL FIRST WITH CONVINCING PROOF TO BACK THE CLAIM.

Getting "convincing prrof" is easier said than done. If the proof is not
convincing, we could still credit the inventor, with a note that the proof is
not conclusive.

|> with convincing proof of their "unicycling skill first". Even our
|> contemporaries, particularly the Japanese and other unicyclists who do not
|> know english, or those that simply don't know where or how to submit their
|> claims will be left out of unicycling history.

I'll try to publish a short article in JUA news on this. Can you give me a list
of skills that you think are specifically approporiate to try to find inventors
in Japan? Though Japanese unicyclists do real top class stuff, it's ususally
after they see it done in Unicons, but I'm sure they invented some (I have a
feeling that stand-up gliding was done here first or simultaneously...?)

Stay on Top,

Jack Halpern

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