Subject:      Re: Bunny Hopping Record?
From:         Unicycle@aol.com 
Date:         Wed, 28 Feb 1996 03:44:24 -0500 
Message-ID:   < 960228034423_155408992@emout09.mail.aol.com> 
Newsgroups:   rec.sport.unicycling 
Comments:     Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU 
X-Authentication-Warning: icicle.winternet.com: server set sender to owner-unicycling using -f 
cc:           unicycling@winternet.com 
Sender:       owner-unicycling@winternet.com 

tpearcejones@meto.govt.uk wrote: 
> So.. can anybody tell me, is there a record for 
> continous bunnyhops on a Uni.? (and I dont mean what music 
> to do it to... still there again.....) 
 
Breaking this record would be extremely tedious, and hard on axles, cranks 
and ankles. 
 
At the 1983 National Unicycle Meet in Syracuse, NY, we had a "Bounce-a-thon". 
Everybody hopped as long as they could. Wisely, the designers of this event 
imposed a 15 minute time limit. There is no telling how many bounces there 
were by the two riders that finished the whole 15 min., but one bounced a lot 
more times than the other. 
 
The winner was Noboru Sugiyama of Japan. Second place was me. 15 minutes is a 
really long time to be continuously hopping on a unicycle, especially in a 
very hot indoor field house. We were both covered with sweat. I found a more 
economical way to hop after the first 10 min, pausing briefly between hops 
(but without idling or otherwise turning the wheel). 
 
Riders were allowed to change foot positions, making only 1/2 revolution of 
the wheel when doing so. Otherwise, they had to keep hopping. 
 
Things would be different if this event were held at a NUC or UNICON today. 
It probably wouldn't be held at all, because we know that the majority of the 
riders who entered would probably finish the time limit and it would be hard 
to pick a winner! 
 
CAUTION: Too much hopping will metal fatigue and eventually cause your axle 
to break, so take it easy. This is true for any axle, though some will break 
much sooner than others. It also depends on rider weight, and how hard you 
are landing. 
 
In that event, try something that's easier on the equipment (though nasty on 
the body), giraffe mounting! See how many times in a row you can freemount 
your giraffe without a miss. 
 
As far as I know, the record is 130. There are probably performers out there 
who do it in every show, hardly ever miss, and may have racked up even more, 
but the 130 was done under competition conditions, at the 1981 Redford 
Mini-Meet in Livonia, Michigan. It is both a men's and women's record. The 
women's record is held by Carol Bahorich, who was later a world champion of 
Individual Freestyle, Pairs and Standard Skill. She was using a 4 1/2 foot 
tall Penguin unicycle. The men's record is held by me (what a braggard!) on a 
6 foot Schwinn. Neither one of us missed at the end. This event was held 
immediately after lunch on a day with a busy schedule, and nobody thought it 
would last so long. We just agreed to stop! 
 
Stay on Top! 
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone 
unicycle@aol.com