The Michigan Daily-Friday, July 17, 1981-Page 15 On one wheel Unicyclists seek club sports status By RON POLLACK Daily sports writer The cycling experience begins with a tricycle. In time, the three-wheeler is outgrown, and a bicycle takes its place. For most people, this is as far as it will advance. But for others, the final progression of man's mastery over the wheel is reached with the unicycle. For the average person, "it takes 20 hours, about two hours a day to become somewhat adept at it," said Brian Bar- vier, a student at Michigan and a unicycling enthusiast. "At that point, you are in good shape, you've got the basic skills-mount it by yourself, ride 100 yards, and dismount gracefully. Af- ter a few hours, you finally find your balance point. Once you can go 20 feet, it's a matter of falling down and getting back up." ACCORDING TO Barnier, most unicyclists originally become involved in the activity as a result of seeing someone else riding a one-wheeler. "It's usually a pickup type of thing where you see a friend doing it, and you try it," said Barnier. "People on their own don't have a lot of incentive, since you fall down a lot at first. "My cousins rode and got my little brotherto try it, and when he could ride a five-foot unicycle, I decided it was time to try. Then he taught one of his friends from around the corner how to do it. It spread through their family. Then my cousins on the other side of my family started. It just spreads." At the present time, Barnier is trying Barnier, "every year somebody has in- vented a new trick." There is a two- minute time limit, and all of the tricks are given difficulty ratings." In the other type of trick-riding, props, music, costumes, and lighting are used, in addition to the unicycle, Barnier says that this category is 1968 - Year of the Tiger It doesn't matter if you side with the players or the owners in the current baseball strike, there is one thing that everyone agrees on-it is an unfortunate situation. So in order to partially relieve the misery of any baseball junkies going through withdrawal, throughout the duration of the strike the Daily is providing a look back to a more pleasant time-1968. There was no free agent compensation, no NLRB, no court injunctions-and no strike. And for those of you who don't remember, in 1968 the Tigers were winners, World Series winners, in fact. Each day the Daily relates the results of the previous evening's Tiger game-minus 13 years. July 16-Tigers 4, A's 0 OAKLAND, Calif. (UPI) - Denny McLain notched his 18th victory last night to keep the Detroit Tigers on top of the American League race as they attempt to capture their first pennant since 1945. McLain ended a three-game Tiger losing streak by pitching an eight-hitter to give Detroit a 4-0 victory over the Oakland A's. The triumph enabled McLain to become the first 18-game winner in the majors this season with an 18-2 mark. It also maintained Detroit's 61/2-game lead over the Baltimore Orioles, who chalked up their seventh straight -vic- tory by downing the Chicago White Sox, 4-2. McLain struck out eight and didn't walk a batter in posting his ninth straight win. The Tigers backed him with nine hits off of loser Chuck Dobson and two relievers, with Al Kaline stroking a solo homer. The Tigers picked up an unearned run in the first inning when Mickey Stanley doubled home Dick McAuliffe. Tom Matchick's single scored Willie Horton with a second tally in the next frame after the Detroit outfielder had singled and Bill Freehan walked. Kaline opened the fourth with his fifth homer of the season over the left field fence. Freehan sent Dobson to the showers in the sixth by singling home Jim Northrup, who had doubled. Oakland's biggest threat came in the first inning when the A's got men on fir- st and second with one down. But McLain made Sal Bando bounce into a double play to douse the fire. Last year McLain had compiled 17 victories when he dislocated his toes on Sept. 17 in a mishap at his home. He didn't pitch again until the final game of the season, Oct. 1, when the Tigers needed a victory over California to tie Boston and force a pennant playoff. McLain lost that game, but finally achieved Number 18 in the '68 cam- paign with yesterday's victory. Elsewhere in the American League, Minnesota's Dean Chance went the distance as the Twins blasted the Boston Red Sox, 12-3. Boston's Gary Bell took the loss. Detroit AB R H McAuife, 2b. 4 1 0 Stanley. ci ...... 5 0 2 Northrup, rf ........... 2 1 1 Kaline, lb ............. 4 1 1 Horton, if .............. 3 1 2 ComeIf...... 5 0 5 Freehan c..... 2 0 1 Matchick,ss........... 4 0 2 Oyler, ss .............. 50 0 Wert, 3b......... 3 5 0 McLain, p ............. 4 0 5 TOTALS 31 4 9 Oakland AB R H Donaldson, 2b ......... 4 5 0 Caterlb.......... 4 5 2 Monday cf ........... 4 05 2 Band, 3b ...... 4 0 2 Jackson, rf. .. 4 05 1 Rudi, if............ 4 50 0 Duncan, c............. 3 5 0 Kubiak, ss ............. 3 5 0 Dobnn, p ....... 2 0 1 Segui, p .. .. .0 a0 Gosger,-ph ............1 5 0 0 sanders, p............. S 0 0 TOTALS 33 8 Detroait. ........... .... 110 Ot Oakland......... .. 000 000 RBI 0 1 0 1 0 0 4 RBI 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0o-o Daily Photo by PAULEtTnOA UNICYCLIST BRIAN BARNIER demonstrates trick-riding of the sort that will be seen at the National Unicycle Meet to be held at the Track and Tennis Building August '7-9. Unicycling, though not an overly popular sport, has been growing in the Ann Arbor area, to the point where a unicyclist is not an uncommon sight on the Diag. to get enough people interested at the University to start a club. He says that he knows of three other people who have expressed an interest in forming such a group. Barnier adds that for a successful club, "an ideal number would be seven people." Another of Barnier's objectives is to eliminate a misconception about unicycling. "We want to try to raise consciousness of unicycling so that people know that unicycles aren't just in circuses," he said. AN OPPORTUNITY for unicyclists to do just that will occur on August 7-9 when the National Unicycle Meet is held at the Track and Tennis Building. Events in this meet include races from 10 yards to one mile, relays and an ob- stacle course. In addition to races, there will bea trick-riding competition. In the trick-riding events, there are two major categories. The first category is one in which the unicyclist uses only his one-wheeler and attempts as many tricks as he can: According- o "either the traditional circus-type act or something representing ice skating. For this class, people can use different- sized unicycles." THE LAST category in the meet will be the parade competition. The parade routines are judged for creativity, technical difficulty and general ap- pearance. Barnier says that at least two Guin- ness Records will be challenged, they being the unicycle long jump and 100- yard dash. The meet is sponsored by the Redford Township Unicycling Club and san- ctioned by the Unicycling Society of America. In addition to a contingent from Michigan, clubs from South Carolina, Washington D.C., Ohio, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Washington, California, Texas, Puerto Rico, Sweden, and Japan will compete. Bar- nier adds that Ann Arbor's mayor, Lou Belcher, has proclaimed August .7-9 - nicyeling Days." - - - E-Kubiak, Bando. DP-Detroit 1, Oakland 3. LOB-Detroit 7. Oakland 6. 2B-Stanley, Jackson, Northrup, Monday. HR-Kaline (5). IP H R ER BB SO McLain (W, 18-2) .. 5 8 0 0 0 8 Dobson(L7-9). . 5 5 4 3 3 4 Segui.......... 2, 5 3 0 3 3 sanders ......... ... 1 0 0 0 1 1 WP-Segni. T--2:28:.A-15,587.