Re: levels...

cotter@cae.wisc.edu
Mon, 19 Apr 93 11:42:13 CDT

According to terry@santafe.edu:
*
*
* Does anyone know what the current definition of the unicycling levels
* is? I have encountered the levels in three places, and each one is
* different. Jack Wiley's "The Complete Book of Unicycling" has one
* version, my video came with another version and the stuff on the video
* was even slightly different from the pamphlet that accompanied it.
*
* Does the definition change regularly, or at least get revised?
*
* What level are you Andrew - assuming you go in for that sort of thing?
*
* What about other people? I'm no level, but might try to get some at
* the National Unicycling Meeting in July/August. Do people take these
* things seriously? In juggling there's Dave Finnigan's levels, but no
* juggler worth their salt has anything to do with them (perhaps that's
* a bit unfair). In any case they're not widely known and no-one seems
* to give a damn about them (I certainly don't).
*
* Terry.
*
The current 'official' unicycle levels that have been adopted by the
IUF (International Unicycling Federation) and USA
(Unicycling Society of America) are the ones that go to level 10
and are printed from time to time in the OOW (One On Wheel).
When I started to ride unicycle the TCUC (Twin City Unicyle
Club) had their own levels (1-4) with four being the hardest (but
it wasn't that hard). I completed all four levels in a little over
a year. Then USA put out their new levels (1-10), they were much
different than the the first set that I went through. Within another
year I got up through level 6. Then IUF and USA got together and
made up some new levels that were supposed to be better. Since
the levels were different I had to retest, and it took almost 3 years
for me to pass all the levels again and get through level 7. Now there
is a new level rule committee out to help define all the tricks in
the levels so there is less descrepencies (sp).

Levels are what you make of them. There original purpose was so people
could challenge themselves on new tricks. Also the levels are designed
to make a well rounded unicyclist. Most clubs use levels as a way of pushing
the kids. It seems that kids work better when they have
something like levels to work for. My sister (Constance Cotter)
who is President of TCUC uses the levels to push the kids. It seems
that when a rider gets to a high enough level (about level 7 or 8) he/she
quits doing the levels and work on other original tricks. Doing the
levels in a artistic routine would be quite boring. Also, professional
unicyclers don't make money showing what level they are. There is some
die hard level people who still do the levels. Right now there is nobody
who has completed level 9 or 10. There is four people who are level 8
(Constance Cotter, Bill Karbo, Dale Granberry, Glen Granberry).

There are some people who refuse to do levels. They want unicyling
to be 'level' free. I think that unicyling is what you want it to be.

I just talked my sister and she said that another reason that people
quit doing levels is that they don't want to do tricks with both feet
(ie both left and right foot) because it isn't worth the time to learn
it both ways. Also some riders may quit doing levels because there is
a trick in a lower level they can't do and this would put them at a
lower level and make them 'not as good rider' as a higher level rider.

My sister also said that being a well rounded rider (from
the levels) was a key part in becoming the World Champion in Artistic.

The level sheet that came with the level video is officially wrong. A
new revised corrected sheet will be mailed out some time in the future
to all those video level holders.

When I get a chance I will post the levels.
__________________________________________________________________________
Andy B. Cotter CAE UW - Madison
cotter@cae.wisc.edu Application Support