Newswise — Students are gonzo for unicycles--and for donuts--at Harvey Mudd College. On April 1st, they plan to prove it, just as they have every year since 1976.
Learning to ride a unicycle has been an unofficial rite of passage for many students at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California, for decades. The college's unicycling club, officially known as "Gonzo Unicycle Madness," was formed in the 1970s--and to this day organizes an annual eight-mile-plus ride (each way) known as the "Foster's Run" to a popular donut shop in Glendora.
The donut shop was originally known as "Foster's Donuts" hence the name of the event, but has been bought and sold, and is now called "Donut Man." Regardless of the new name, to the dedicated students and alumni who are Gonzo Unicycle Madness, the traditional Foster's moniker will always remain. This year's event, the 30th annual "Foster's Run," is slated for Saturday, April 1st, at 8:00 a.m.
In a bow to tradition, the donut shop's owner still gives each rider, usually numbering about two dozen, a free donut. Upon returning to the campus, the ritual of the Foster's "shakedown" takes place--dismounting and then repeatedly jumping up and down in the dormitory courtyard--a necessary procedure after an 18-mile unicycle ride. Members of Harvey Mudd College's unicycle club view the event (held every year on the weekend of the spring time change) as a means to keep tradition alive at a time when skateboards are replacing unicycles on campus.
They also view the Foster's Run as a great way to adjust their minds before studying for finals--and to score free donuts.
Harvey Mudd's online admissions guide spells out that riding a unicycle is not a requirement to attend the highly selective college that specializes in math, science and engineering http://www.hmc.edu/admin/admission/faq_life.html#unicycles but it doesn't hurt.
This year's Foster's Run is expected to draw a larger-than-usual group of participants, in recognition of the 30th anniversary of the event—and of Harvey Mudd College's 50th anniversary. The highly selective and nationally respected private college was established by the education-minded mining engineer whose name it bears: http://www.hmc.edu/highlights/history.html
Photos of previous incarnations of the annual Foster's Run can be found at http://www.hmc.edu/org/gonzo/
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