My unicycle is spinning the 540 unispin, but then I make an error with the placement of my feet. My left foot lands on the crank just fine, but my dumb right foot totally misses it. But it isn’t over yet. In that same movement I kick my right leg kicks backwards while I lean forwards, resulting in a pretty crazy gymnastics-like save. When I feel I have it under control, I get very excited. This is a pretty silly but also sick way of landing my first 540 in a comp ever!
I was really excited about UFO because I looked forward to so many things. I did many different things throughout the day and I had a lot of fun.
Registration
For me UFO starts very early with waking up at home. Outside it’s still dark and very cold. We scrub the ice off of our car and drive to UFO! On arrival at the gym we help others with bringing in the equipment. Everyone is doing something, from hanging up posters to preparing workshops. It’s already so much fun! We prepare the administration-desk and then the registration of participants can begin!
Unicycle-workshops
After the opening ceremony I will provide some workshops. Paula and I are holding a unispins workshop. Together it’s really fun to help people of many different levels improve their skills! I’m also holding a sidespins workshop and helping translate a bit at Paula’s rolls workshop. It’s a challenge to simplify tricks, but it’s great when everyone can join the workshop. This is a great learning opportunity for me.
Trick-announcer
Something else I’m really looking forward to is being “tricks announcer” during the adult competition. I really have to work on my roll-knowledge, but I still ended up knowing more trick-names then I expected. Anyway, I’m really happy that I did it, even though I was pretty nervous and scared to embarrass myself at first.
Unicycle-competitions
Of course I also participate in the competition. At UFO there are 2 categories, junior and senior. Both with male and female mixed. For me, UFO is a great event to try some new tricks that aren’t very consistent yet. You could say I’m making it too risky, but that’s what makes it very memorable and super fun. The highlight of the “not consistent tricks” is my 540 unispin which I attempt to do as my last trick. Sadly I don’t land it for my qualification run, but somehow I still make it into the finals. Both battles are a lot of fun, and after (fairly) losing the first battle, my second battle is for 3rd and 4th place.
My crazy 540
The “small final” is my last battle of the day. And after a total of 5 missed 540 attempts from the qualification and first battle, I really want to land the trick now. I fail my first attempt and I feel the pressure building. And then with the second try I land it. Only with one foot, but with a very sketchy save I land it. That’s a sick ending of the comp for me.
Video:
During the day I had a lot of fun with my friends. From complaining about getting up early in the morning, to getting pizza together at the end of the day. It was great! But there is never enough time during a day like this. Often, many people are busy with helping to make the event possible. Still, when everyone puts in a bit of their time, it all works together to make an unforgettable day. Being a volunteer together with others is great. And I hope all unicycle events continue to have enough resources and passionate people to make them possible!
See you soon!
Maybe at winter EUC?!
