GILD said:*i get them comfortable with the dismount before they even try n ride*
Excellent advice, perhaps even more useful than pre-riding skill
requirements. Obie had a number of good suggestions as well, a nice
change for him.
Here's my take:
- Anyone can ride a giraffe with zero training. All they have to do is
go buy themselves one. All non-owners of giraffes should be reminded of
this if necessary. If you want to ride someone else's giraffe, they get
to pick the rules.
- To a lesser degree, the same thing applies to the riding venue. If
you're in a gym, for instance, where you have to worry about liability,
some rules will help protect you. Even the new rider who brings in
his-her own new giraffe might be asked to comply with the skill rules
before riding it in the club venue.
- If you have lots of riders and not enough giraffes, a lot of
requirements will be a huge motivator for your riders to increase their
skills. This will also keep the poor giraffe from getting mobbed all the
time. Until you have more than one or two, it will always seem more
special than the regular unis.
Below I will list a full-on set of rules you can use. Then if your
situation is less formal, leave out the ones you think you don't need.
But here are some of my requirements, in what I think is their order of
importance:
1. Basic orientation on the giraffe. This applies to all riders in the
venue, even if they're not going to ride it. The giraffe has the right
of way. Taller giraffes have the right of way over shorter ones. Don't
ride too close to the giraffe, don't hang around directly behind it,
don't mess with the rider. It would also include instructions on
dismounting; not letting the wheel shoot out from under you, especially
if you're 3' away from a wall (ouch!).
2. Though you can ride a giraffe with no backward or idling skills (I
learned to ride on one), you'll save lots of dismounts, falls, and/or
wear and tear/damage to the giraffe if riders can idle and go backwards
first. So if you're trying to encourage skill growth, safety, etc., I'd
go for the requirement of minimum 20 idles and proficiency at backwards
riding as well as transitions in and out of it on regular unicycles
first. What KcTheAcy listed was good.
3. Before riding away, the giraffe rider must first practice falling to
multiple points of the compass. If you're comfortable falling of to the
front, back, and both sides, you won't be so scared up there. This will
make you more confident, and less likely to get into trouble.
4. Your giraffe spotters should know what they're doing. If it's a
parent or friend with a new giraffe, show them the ropes before setting
them loose with the kid. This may save them a nasty sprocket bite or
other possible mishaps.
5. Last but not least, make sure they know how to dismount. It's very
likely to be a part of their very first ride, so they should not be
afraid to get down. This is mostly covered under #3, so not sure if it's
needed here.
The above list does not include maintenance. As mentioned above, chain
tension is very important, as is tire pressure. Make sure it's not too
gushy, or the thing won't steer well. Also, make sure the seat height is
appropriate for the rider. A seat that's too low introduces a danger
factor many people don't think of. A giraffe seat sometimes wants to get
out from under you. If you're riding with your legs all scrunched up, it
not only makes the cycle harder to ride, it can result in some sudden
catastrophic seat-drag dismounts.
--
johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
"jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com
"It's good to find something that makes boys into men and men into boys,
my opinion is that unicycling fits the bill." -- Lloyd Johnson
"Read the rules!" -- 'IUF Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/) -- 'USA Rulebook'
(http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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