+ One of my new aims is to begin with Flatland.

Philipp

Yesterday, it winded that much that the 10km races was canceled. This is why I am glad that the sun is shinning today and we can do the race. Furthermore  it’s a fantastic day doing some distance with the unicycle.

One of my new aims is begin to do Flatland.
At 18.00 the 10k started with the unlimited category. This means that every type of Unicycle is aloud. However Iprefer the 10k race in the limited 24″ category because I have no bigger wheel than 24”. 

Before the first race started I was very nervous. I looked at my watch and….No battery. My time stopper in my watch didn’t function, so I had to charged quickly because the race started in one hour and the track would be 10km in 4 rounds.
The best riders of the world (Japanese too were at the start line. In the first heat were male and female together what would make the race interesting. Connie C. the president of the International Unicycle Federation stepped to the front. She would give the whistle.
3….2…..1….go. The 10k began. 

In first position was a little japanese girl.She was really fast. I asked myself if she could hold the speed. In the second round I reached the first position but the japanese girl didn’t like to be in the second position so she switched in the 3rd round to the top again. The japanese girl wasn’t the only one who pushed me. There was also a very good rider directly behind me. His name was Martin from France.
The last meters both riders in front and in back are starting to speed up. I was already tired but I said to me I don’t give up – I give all. That’s why I rode with my last force to the finish line. Behind me Martin speed up too and the japanese Next to me. 10m before the destination he accelerated faster than me. The Japanese reached the finished line. With the last energy I was near the finished line too -  Martin too and…2m…and. I was first. Juhu… Huh that was exhausting and a lot of fun too. My Second World Champion title!

At the end of the day  I visited the Pirouett workshop from the japanese freestyle riders.

Philipp

In the last Unicon I had the plan to do a “real” Swiss Team. For this it was really important that we  had good unicyclist; and this we had . Nevertheless it was difficult because we couldn’t practising together because there was to much distance between us as we had German guys in our team too.

For doing such a good team like Danemark, Japan or USA we had to do something. It was still possible, but we needed help.
We had to change somethings in our performance. For doing good at a Group Freestyle routine it isn’t enough  to create only the group and the idea. People have to reorganize our structure too but exactly this makes it also more interesting. There aren’t a lot of place who talented and motivated young unicyclist can live their creativity.
In 2006 I began to search a teacher for a freestyle Practice. I found a great “sensei” in Julien Monney. In 2008 there came a second coach in the open freestyle practice, Gilles Saudan. I hope that I get during the years even more motivated people.  My idea is to built a group in which everyone can sound out their aims so that the motivation will be bigger in our team.

My other goals are:

- We should  doing more for getting new kids. —> Help create clubs and groups.(Internet site?)
- Free to test Skill Level 1-3, 4 and above needs a official tester who has to retested (1-3) when unicyclist would have Skill Level (4-10) Tested.
-Skill Level Test as Workshops at races, Hockey matches.
- Space for doing Workshops at Competitions. (Important step for more fun)
- Create conventions
- Create a Swiss Freestyle team for Unicon 16. Skill Level 5 required. Own practice beside Nidau. Changing practice places. Space for own Ideas.
- Hearing ideas from every Unicyclist. And helping to involving in the Unicycle scene.

What do you think about that? Comment please!

Philipp

Today was the big day for Emelie and me. In the morning I warmed up. After this little morgen activity I joined the Standart Skill judging workshop. In the afternoon I slowed down to be good prepared for my Freestyle competition in the evening. And while I was sleeping Emilie was presenting her individual routine.
(Emilie’s report of her performance: “like always I was very nervous. I prepared myself in my hostel’s room and as I was ready I went to the gym…but when I already should have been in the gym I remembered that I had to make my rock flat… fortunately Monika helped me and I finally arrived on time at the gym. As I was ready in costume, I warmed up (this time I didn’t scratch myself…!). I was the seventh guy to pass so I had a long time to become more and more nervous!!! Finally it was my turn. I was alone in the reforming area, Philipp wasn’t with me anymore, he wasn’t even in the audience. But I knew that  there were a lot of other poeple I know in the audience and that was very stressful.

The evening: I was sitting in a room behind the gym where the competition already started. I was very nervous. It’s not really easy to wait till you show begin. Unfortunately I was the latest of the experts. Now It was my turn. I step out of my cabin, turned some rounds in the warming up area  “Next Philipp Henestrosa from Switzerland” ok…breath… . I stood in the middle of the performing area. Olé!!! The show started. It was a lot of fun till…. The music began to scratch. That was very irrupted and irritant for me and I fell… The show must go on.  This is why I made the best of this tiny problem. I hope every one enjoyed my routine. What did you like? What not? Please write a comment. Can I do something better?

Philipp Henestrosa

PS: finally I was 4th place. I reached my aim not to fall more than 5 times =). So I’m lucky but the next time I would make it a lot better.
Emilie: I really enjoyed Philipp’s performance but I think I was at less as nervous as him while he was doing his performance….;o) Finally it was really good; Philipp was totally incarnating his routine’s personage and even if the scratches of the music disturbed him he stayed in his role from the beginning to the end of his routine. I especially appreciate his music and his style of freestyle which is not only an assemblage of tricks. His routine has an history and a soul! Congratulations!

For me was a quite day today. I hadn’t any competition, so I spent my time in practicing my individual routine in the gym. But the gym was overfull of people because of the hockey game and it was hard not to hurt or to be hurt by each others, but it’s quit funny. One of my friend from Korea offered me the Korea’s team T-shirt ! Cheers guy!

This evening were the artistic individuals junior experts. It was really impressed. The winner was my japanese friend and the second place had his brother (the two dragon ball’s boys). The first routine was ghost master and the second indiana Jones. It was comic and different from the common japanese style. Good jump!

Emelie:

As Philipp had already said this evening a New Year’Eve party had been organized. I went there for a while and talked with Benit and Julien (from Quebec) but  I was tired and the party wasn’t so good so I soon went back to the Hostel and enjoyed my self cooking meal and the ambiance there.
It was the first time in my life I went sleeping before midnight the night of the New Year’s Eve Celebration but like all the individual freestylers I was worried about my competition of the next day.

In the afternoon, I went in the gym for practicing. This evening was one of the greatest events of UNICON (at less for me); the artistic pairs freestyle experts and junior experts!!
It was a very nice evening, there were a lot of people watching and the ambiance was great. The two japanese guys I spoke with this afternoon presented a routine inspired by dragon ball and got the first place. What’s about the experts, it was intense…all the routines were good. For me the Thomas’ and Basile’s one was very interesting because they made all their pair’s performance on only one unicycle. So they invented a lot of new tricks and I think they had spent a lot of time developing it. Unfortunately, they fell down a few times and to make a pair’s routine on one unicycle is not “admitted” in the IUF rules. They were very disappointed but I think the audience really appreciated it. For me the best were Ryohei and Karan. All their routine was beautiful; costumes, music (flamenco), choreography and they were so synchronized. What’s more, they didn’t fell down or even waved on the unicycle. All was the movements were perfect with the music. But maybe my opinion is not so objective because I’m so fan of them, their style and the club TOYODA…I don’t know…you’ve to judge!!! Then came our two “Déjantés”, David and Gilles whose routine was…how to say that…Déjantée!! It was totally D&G’s style and everybody seemed to have appreciate it because they got the first place!! World champions for the second time!
The second place was attributed to an other pair of japanese (Yuka and Kaito whose teacher is Daiki) and the third place once again to two japanese girls. Ryohei and Karan only got the fourth place…

This evening was full of emotions and as final word for today I’ll say; “Yokatta!” what means “It was great”, in japanese.
Something to add,Philipp?!

Philipp:
Of course I have to add some things.
On this day I had a lot of things in mind to do. The competitions are: “50m one foot”, “30m wheel-walk”, “Downhill Gliding”, “Relay with the Swiss Power Team”, Track Coasting, Obstacle, “Slow Backwarts” and “Slow Forwards”. In the evening I judged the Pair Expert. (I love judging). The Day started with the 50m One foot err 8:45 and ending with the judging et 21:30. =D.
In the 30m wheel walk I’m now 2nd Worldchampion. In the Downhill Gliding I was first in my Age Group. What a great honor. The memories of this race are still feel-able. (my knees blooded) Unfortunately my kneepaths are slipped away when I was practicing. The Track coasting was interesting, there were only some people who could passing throw the strong wind. Coasting is a unicycle trick. There you have to put your feet on your frame and you have to coast as long as possible. The foot is not permitted to be on the pedals. The gliding are nearly the same but you are able to break with your shoes on the tire. (After this race my shoe and my tire had a whole. This was the best condition for my Individual Freestyle tomorrow. :S

What do you think about the wind of wellington?

It started with the 800m. It was really cool – 2nd place. I’m very happy with this result. I’m was under the 6 fastest rider and qualified for the 800m Experts. But before the Expert 800m started I rode the 400m and the 100m. In the afternoon was the Expert 800m. On the first 300m Kobayashi (Worldchampion) was in the front of us. I wanted to give all so I fought me forward. 100m later I was next of him. Then for 200m I was in front of the best riders. Hopely I can keep my position, I was thinking. Near the Finish line the Kobayashi and two other Unicyclist were faster then me. Finally I was in the 4th place. My conclusion was…. I hadn’t one…I was as like fast as in my age group and that’s pretty good because I had already done a lot of race before. So the 800m Expert are finished. Now I didn’t have a lot of time anymore. This evening I had to do a Freestyle Pairs routine. Surly Emile was waiting for me but I still had some competitions. I qualified fot the Expert 400m.After this first day on the Track I had 2 Medales in the pocket. Hopefully I can get an other tonight but it was the question how fit I still will be….
—-
What’s bout me, I began my day by practicing freestyle in the gym. It was nice because a lot of people were on the track too, so I was nearly alone in the gym. Only Basile and Thomas were here for a while and Britta and Bernd (from Germany), the others were some japanese freestylers. When I was at the point to leave the gym, David and Gilles arrived and Ryohei and Karan offered us some presents from Emiko (coach of TOYODA, which the unicycle’s club of Hirosaki) and from ours japanese families! ;o) So cute!!

Then I went back to the hostel to prepare myself because this evening we (Philipp and I)competed for the artistic pairs freestyle. So you can imagine how scary I was….What’s more we were the first of our category (age group 15+) to present our routine.
At 19h00 all the competitors were ready. We had a few time for practicing and I chose this time for scratching me on the ground…I was riding and suddenly I was landing on the ground, I didn’t understand what’s happened, I just felt my ass and my ankle hurting but fortunately it was not so hard and two minutes later I was on the side of the competing area waiting for the judges being ready.

“The next competitors are Philipp Henestrosa and Emilie Stegmüller from Switzerland…” Aaaaaaaaaah….
Three minutes later It was done… I fell down one time and Philipp didn’t do his backwards arabesque but It was pretty good… what do you thing, Philipp?!
Then we watched the others competitors of our category and of the next category (age group 20+)

After that went the moment of the awards, we got the third place ( my first medal!!) I think Philipp was not so satisfied but for me it was good; Better than the previous UNICON (and I hope worthier than next) and the groups who got the first and second places were japanese.

Britta and Bernd got the first place of the category 2o+!!! That’s so good, I’m proud of them, their routine was so cool or…romantic!

Back to the hostel I phoned my parents and went sleeping…

Emilie

In the morning I woke up early (again). I ate quickly my breakfast and rode my unicycle to the Water front where the arena was located. Luckily I was the first person in the gym so I could practice my routine calmly. At 8:10 people streamed in the gym.
It was cool. I showed the people my new tricks. After two hours of practice Emilie and my parents came in the gym.
Next step was going to the track. This step is a big one because we didn’t know how to get there.  This is why my mother and me took the bus 23 and drove up the hill. We got off. Don’t!!!! We got off to early. Now we had to walk 30minutes. On the track were a lot of people practicing racing. Now that are so many people on the track the bus are full. You were lucky if you got a place in the bus. You had to imagine every unicyclist was sitting on his little seat covered with his unicycle. The citizen were laughing when they saw the full bus.

There were so many unicyclist on one place. The greatest thing of that crowd were the colored t-shirt from each country and team. At Unicon it’s one of the coolest thing to change t-shirt. This year i had 4 T-shirt and one hooddie to change. In the last years I would every time to design the swiss T-shirt but I didn’t had the effort to do it. At this Unicon I changed that. I design the Unicon-Swiss-T-shirt. It was a lot of fun. The design is based on a swiss traditional dress. (mhh I already have a lot of creative ideas for next Unicon ).
All swiss were queuing up in back of our new friends the koreans. Of course there shouldn’t fail a group picture . My camera was ready to shoot. We made some “cookie”(sweet) pictures ;O. I love the one with the happy-go-lucky american who are holding the Norway Shield. She’s so a kind person. The parade are following the water front. Each unicyclist on different type of a wheel.

Now more than 650 Unicyclist were arriving a large wide place. Maoris were standing on the other side of the place. There was tree rows. One for the mens, women and one for the children. They all were in traditional clothes. The ritual began. One Maori stepped to us. He want to look if we are friends. He’s dance in front of us with a long wood stock. On the floor was lying a plant. I think it was a rose. John F. a unicyclist from USA walked to him and took his present. Now the Maoris began to dance.

After this amazing adventure with the Maoris Unicon started!!!! My first Workshop were for Freestyle judges.
The next thing was the Wristband Photo session in the entry. The wristband was from the last Unicon. That was a lot of fun with everybody who was there. Thanks!!. Now I have a new Unicon 14 wristband. That’s great. I loved doing the jumping picture.

How do you think about the “cookie” Opening Ceremony. Were you there too?

till tomorrow

Philipp Henestrosa