Off to the Races

Speaking of the upcoming uni convention (the North American Unicycle Competition and Convention, or NAUCC), one of the things I always look forward to is the racing. I've never taken part in the skills competitions; I'd love to put together a 3-minute routine, but I've never taken the time or put in the effort to pull one off.

Racing, on the other hand, requires little more than preregistration. On several occasions I have even shown up at the track without a unicycle (there are always so many to borrow and so many friends and acquaintances to borrow from). The one downside to borrowing is that the uni on loan is not necessarily the best cycle for the job. Still, most people don't take racing too seriously, especially in my age bracket (unlike the testy 18-24 year-old male demographic). The few of us who race in our late 30s and beyond are usually content to cross the finish line while still on a unicycle.

I, on the other hand, have always enjoyed and excelled at racing. When I was but a lad, I was the fastest runner in my small elementary school. I developed a taste for winning that was barely squelched by a lackluster semester on my high school track team. For years I enjoyed being the fastest runner on my pick-up softball teams in Central Park; since I rarely displayed any hitting prowess, it was always nice to leg out an infield single and then go first-to-third on a ground-ball out. But after high school. it seemed I'd never get a chance to race again. Then I discovered the NAUCCs.

In some upcoming entry I'll have to list all of my racing results, but I know that I've always done well within my age category. In fact, by some odd luck, I've ridden faster in each race from year to year to the point where I was the oldest competitor in the Expert heat of the 100m race last year (Expert heats have no age cutoffs), and I even finished ahead of some younger bucks. But in a few weeks, I'll be arriving in Memphis with an advantage: my Qu-Ax racing uni! I have a feeling I'll be breaking my old records again. I also have the guni (stuck in high gear) for the unlimited 10k race, which I have always done well with.

I'm definitely looking forward to the races. It will be interesting to see how I do this year since I'll be the oldest member of my age bracket (30-39). After this year, I join the 'geezer' group. The funny thing is, there aren't too many speedsters in their 30s, but there are quite a few fast riders in the 40+ group.