Dimond Library: Inside and Out
Tuesday - Rows
Tuesday - Lights
Wednesday - Frisbee
Friday - Etched in Stone
Monday - Hydrant
Monday - From the Side
Monday - Through the Trees
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
The Man Behind the Unicycle
By Laura Henderson and Vin Spadafora
The University of New Hampshire faculty holds a number of individuals who are talented at many different things. Some are experienced in technology, others in business or the arts. But there’s one UNH staff member who’s skilled at something no other is - unicycling.
Bruno Pape, a Software Engineer for the Space Science Center at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, can be seen riding his unicycle across the UNH campus from Morse Hall up and around Main Street down to B Lot. He sports red suspenders and a straw hat as he juggles pins on a single wheel, making him a memorable celebrity at the Durham, N.H. college.
“I love everybody’s reaction,” he said. “Everybody’s been really supportive and it makes people smile.”
But unicycling wasn’t always so easy for Pape. The engineer started the hobby seven years ago after purchasing a unicycle for his youngest daughter.
“She can never figure out what she wants for Christmas, so one year I said, ‘How about a unicycle?’,” Pape said. He then purchased one for himself as well, and the two learned together. It took Pape two months to get the hang of it.
“I learned in an office building using the cubicle partitions to hold onto,” he said.
That summer, Pape started unicycling around the UNH campus before adjusting his routine when students returned in the fall.
"I rode around in the summer and I had no problem, and then it was ‘Oh my gosh, students. This is dangerous!’,” he said. Pape also had a few interactions with police in the early learning stages.
“Initially when I started riding around campus, I had policemen hollering at me to ride in the bicycle lane,” he said. “That was when I was more out of control. I’m guessing now, they probably wouldn’t care if I did that.”
While he’s never had any accidents involving other people, he’s had his share of bumps and bruises along the way.
“My major crash happened when I was unicycling with my daughter at Moharimet School,” he said. “I was trying to scrape the mud off my shoes while I was riding, and one of my feet slipped off the pedal, and I went right on my face.”
On another occasion in front of Holloway Commons, he was going too fast downhill and had to jump off into a snowbank. Though it is slightly more dangerous than other forms of transportation, Pape hasn’t had any major injuries. This streak of luck continued even when Pape began juggling pins as well.
“Our friends were cleaning out their garage and they said, ‘here, learn to juggle these and ride your unicycle,’” he said. Six months later, he was proficient enough to add the pins to his routine.
Although Pape imagines he won’t add another feature to his routine, he has had suggestions from friends.
“People want me to light something on fire,” he said, chuckling. Though Pape isn’t seriously considering lighting something on fire while on his unicycle, he finds the thought amusing. Instead, there’s one thing he can always hone in unicycling:
“You can always get better at it.”
The University of New Hampshire faculty holds a number of individuals who are talented at many different things. Some are experienced in technology, others in business or the arts. But there’s one UNH staff member who’s skilled at something no other is - unicycling.
Bruno Pape, a Software Engineer for the Space Science Center at the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, can be seen riding his unicycle across the UNH campus from Morse Hall up and around Main Street down to B Lot. He sports red suspenders and a straw hat as he juggles pins on a single wheel, making him a memorable celebrity at the Durham, N.H. college.
“I love everybody’s reaction,” he said. “Everybody’s been really supportive and it makes people smile.”
But unicycling wasn’t always so easy for Pape. The engineer started the hobby seven years ago after purchasing a unicycle for his youngest daughter.
“She can never figure out what she wants for Christmas, so one year I said, ‘How about a unicycle?’,” Pape said. He then purchased one for himself as well, and the two learned together. It took Pape two months to get the hang of it.
“I learned in an office building using the cubicle partitions to hold onto,” he said.
That summer, Pape started unicycling around the UNH campus before adjusting his routine when students returned in the fall.
"I rode around in the summer and I had no problem, and then it was ‘Oh my gosh, students. This is dangerous!’,” he said. Pape also had a few interactions with police in the early learning stages.
“Initially when I started riding around campus, I had policemen hollering at me to ride in the bicycle lane,” he said. “That was when I was more out of control. I’m guessing now, they probably wouldn’t care if I did that.”
While he’s never had any accidents involving other people, he’s had his share of bumps and bruises along the way.
“My major crash happened when I was unicycling with my daughter at Moharimet School,” he said. “I was trying to scrape the mud off my shoes while I was riding, and one of my feet slipped off the pedal, and I went right on my face.”
On another occasion in front of Holloway Commons, he was going too fast downhill and had to jump off into a snowbank. Though it is slightly more dangerous than other forms of transportation, Pape hasn’t had any major injuries. This streak of luck continued even when Pape began juggling pins as well.
“Our friends were cleaning out their garage and they said, ‘here, learn to juggle these and ride your unicycle,’” he said. Six months later, he was proficient enough to add the pins to his routine.
Although Pape imagines he won’t add another feature to his routine, he has had suggestions from friends.
“People want me to light something on fire,” he said, chuckling. Though Pape isn’t seriously considering lighting something on fire while on his unicycle, he finds the thought amusing. Instead, there’s one thing he can always hone in unicycling:
“You can always get better at it.”
Friday, February 10, 2012
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