Carrying people

We started out behind the grad library and Barbara stood on a railing while I held onto the frame of a door. I made it about 30 feet the first time, but by about an hour later, I managed to make it twice around the entire building. It is rather astonishing to see the range of expressions on people's faces: fear, disbelief, smiles, double-takes...

Later that summer, my friend Nicole was somehow talked into standing on one of the new stone pillars on the diag while I got her on my shoulders. That evening is rather amusing in my memory, because we were only amongst a whole gamut of amusing people on the diag, some singing, some playing an impromptu game of (baseball?), rollerbladers, BMX bikers (hey Bobby!) others just sitting. So we had an audience. This was also the first time I rode over grass. I felt adventurious that night.

One thing I'm reminded of when I talk about carrying people is my failed plan to carry somebody in the 1999 naked mile. Regardless, I trained for a month before this event. I carried a backpack which I built up to 85 pounds, including two front pouches (12.5 lbs each) and the backpack itself, which had 60 lbs. Thanks to Bivouac of Ann Arbor for helping me figure this out (I was too hunched over, before, with all the weight on my back). I carried the backpack for 1.5 to 2 hours every day, usually to / from classes and lunch. I also carried many random people, like Kristen from snowboard club, Fred from juggling club, and the Monkey brothers (Harry, Matt and George?) from unicycle basketball.

I am also greatly indebted to Teresa and Sem for all of their help with my 'training', both with the Mile and many other unicycling techniques... be it riding one footed, idling, carrying people, wheel-walking, picking up basketballs, riding big wheels, giraffes, etc. They are awesome, and if you ever get the chance to see them perform, do so! Sem has held the world's tallest unicycle record three times now, for heights of 44', 72', and 115'!

However, one of the people who helped me the most is Michelle, who Marc brought to juggling club. Right from the outset, when I asked if she wanted to try riding on my shoulders, she was into it. I was amazed! Here was somebody I'd just met, and she was willing to try it out. That night, we rode about three times around the Psychology atrium in East Hall, and then down the block of South U. and back, probably about five blocks in all.

Later, she helped me train again, when we met the night before the mile. It was raining, but I didn't care; it might, after all, rain the next night. This time, I had a helmet and knee / elbow pads for her to wear. I hope to post pictures soon from this night, because I know Marc took some! People were even more stunned, and some asked if this had anything to do with the next night. I just smiled.

This picture is from May 99. It's the second time Nicole has graced my shoulders. We did this when she came to visit, on a Saturday, and dropped in on the end of the juggling club meeting. We met a very persistent hippie named Thomas, but he did not manage to secure a date with Nicole. We gave him some melon, though. Either he or my friend Celia took this photo of us.