Joining Sheffield's Craziest Club

What is the wackiest club you can join in Sheffield? I may have found it. Unicycle hockey is not you're average run-of-the-mill sport and I'd never heard of it until the captain of Sheffield's team approached me and asked me if I wanted to join.

On invitation, I arrived at the Broomspring Lane, all-weather community sports pitch, with an open mind and an eagerness to learn a new skill. Sheffield's unicycle hockey team are a friendly bunch and very welcoming, they gave me a trial unicycle straight away to practice with, complete with fat tyres and banana-shaped saddle.

Andy Whelan, 26, vice captain, took me to one side and gave me my first lesson of getting on and staying on. The technique, he said, is to have the unicycle slanted towards you and then to "jump on, straighten yourself, then use the pedals, and the fence to gain control. The next stage is to get the balls to actually ride it forwards."

Assisted by the sturdiness of a rusty iron fence and the guidance of a master, I was cycling for one rotation of the wheel and then falling off. Despite my anticipation of great lacerations up the shin and getting my wrists scuffed like shoes, falling off isn't that bad. Coming off a unicycle is a walk in the park if you're lucky enough to fall forwards. However, if you fall off backwards then you're guaranteed to land on your ever-so tolerant behind.

My first experiences of unicycle hockey consisted of building confidence and shattering fear, they say your greatest enemy in this strange sport is being afraid. Whilst I was continuously falling off and dragging myself and the one-wheeled anomaly back to the fence to start over, the rest of Sheffield's 'only' unicycle hockey team were playing a friendly game against each other.

Rules of the game
• The goals must be six foot wide and four foot high.
• The bottom of the hockey stick must not be lifted above hip height.
• One hand must always be placed at the top end of the stick.
• The stick must not be released or thrown intentionally.
• Putting your stick under or through someone else's wheel is a foul.
• A goal can only be scored from within your opponents half
• You can hit the ball with your hand but you cannot score a goal like that.
• After a goal the non-scoring team restarts by playing the ball over the half way line.

"They're called rules but they're merely guidelines" said Ben Staples, 17, team member, "just keep your eyes on the ball and chase it till it's stuck to your stick!"


A week goes by and I was really excited to get back on the unicycle at practice. It's fair to say that the rest of the team seem to be pleased that I came back for another shot. However there didn't seem to be as many people thrashing a tennis ball up and down the pitch with their hockey stick this week, which made me think that they struggle with keeping the team numbers up. I later found out that one of the players broke their ankle, practising this brutal sport.

Another go and I reached halfway across the gritty all-weather pitch, this was the farthest I had ever reached and it was dually noticed by the vice captain, Andy. "I might actually be able to play for them sooner rather than later?" I thought.

Another go and I fell off after two metres, back to the drawing board. "Keep your body straight, your leaning too much into it which is making your legs have to peddle faster" Andy would say, repeatedly!

I tried again and reached halfway across the pitch for the second time in my unicycle career. For the rest of the practice session I managed to go forwards, dodging people as my arms flew chaotically in the air to keep balance. Soon I'll be ready for turning, which as Andy said will "just happen automatically, don’t think about that for now".

At the end of the session they all gathered round to talk about future plans for the team. One person mentioned that everyone puts "a pound in every week to rent out a hall or buy equipment to encourage new people to come along", which seemed to go down well with the rest. Another team member suggested about trying to apply for financial support off the council.

I looked around and saw a bunch of unicycle hockey enthusiasts, who are passionate about what they do. There are only 13 nationally recognised teams in England and this was one of them. Before saying goodbye for another week, I was kindly given a unicycle to take home and practice on.

Five weeks went by, and a lot of practice and now I'm in the team. At first, it all seemed like a bit of a joke. "Why not just play hockey like everyone else does, with your feet on the ground?" I would think. Now that I'm acquainted with this bonkers sport and the people in it, it's not so crazy anymore. In such a short amount of time I've become a member of one of Sheffield's craziest clubs and I intend to stay in it.

By LIAM DAY

Those Summer Nights

Sheffield is the place to be this summer, as plans were announced yesterday to repeat last year’s successful project of boosting nightlife on a Wednesday.

Wednesday Night Live, a scheme launched in 2008, is back again in hope to draw people into the city centre for some special summer late night shopping, drinking and dining.

Creative Sheffield are organising the programme with the intention of drawing people back into the city centre after they’ve finished work.

The scheme will also help to support businesses through the summer by providing early-evening economy.

This year, select bars, restaurants and shops around the city will all be providing evening services on Wednesdays between 5pm and 8pm, including special offers and events.

Brendan Moffett, Director of Strategic Marketing at Creative-Sheffield, said: “Creative-Sheffield aims to bring the city centre to life throughout the summer months for the benefit of our businesses and for the community to enjoy.”

She added: “The city centre has recently undergone fantastic transformation. Sheffield people should get out there and enjoy everything that the city has to offer. Let’s join forces and create a Summer to remember!”

Over 40 businesses were involved in last year’s programme, many of them reported the project a success and massive boost to their income.

Last year’s project saw a 73% increase of people recorded walking in the city centre on a Wednesday night during the summer, Creative Sheffield hope that 2009 shall see a further rise in this figure.

Jim Farnan, 20, retail assistant at T.K. Maxx, said: “We’re one of the stores in the city centre which will be staying open on a Wednesday night and I’m positive that we’ll gain a lot of business out of it.”

Other stores that are set to open till 7pm are John Lewis, Marks and Spencers, River Island and many more.

By Liam Day

Sheffield's Largest Market Is A Hit

Thousands of shoppers came to city centre last weekend to browse upon Sheffield's largest street market.

The World Snooker Festival Market took place from 30th April to 4th May selling various products and foods from all over the world.

The five day market was organised by Sheffield Markets in partnership with Marketplace Europe Ltd to coincide with the World Snooker Championship at the Crucible.

Ian Hill, Director of Marketplace Europe Ltd said: “We really like bringing such a big market into Sheffield, and this year the response from the shoppers was fantastic."

Whilst some people were watching live snooker coverage on a giant plasma screen outside the crucible, others were buying didgeridoos and ostrich burgers from the many stalls.

There was over 100 traders at the market selling world products, plants and continental foods such as cheese, sausages and paella.

James Davies, 46, Sheffield resident, said: "We came down here in the morning and stayed till it got dark. It's been brilliant to just wander around smelling and tasting all the different foods whilst keeping in touch with the snooker scores."

Organisers hope to return the market again next year to celebrate the World Snooker Championships at the crucible.

By Liam Day

Fully-Comp Sheffield Shopping Website

A new interactive shopping website was launched yesterday that is set to help residents of Sheffield with their buying needs.

The website, www.shop-sheffield.com, is designed to aid residents and visitors to Sheffield in finding what they are looking for in the city.

Using the interactive map and satellite imaging, users can find just about any kind of shop, pharmacy, even brand they want within the city centre.

The site can also be used to search for any retail job vacancies in the city centre, plus details and locations of any sales discounts, offers and events.

Behind the website are Sheffield City Council, Creativesheffield and Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Brendan Moffett, Director of Strategic Marketing at Creativesheffield, said: “Given the current economic climate and the consequential challenges that city centre retailers are facing, our aim is to create a coordinated approach that will help drive our city’s economy forward."

Hopes are that smaller businesses and shops will also benefit from the marketing and publicity that the site provides.

Caro Whiteside, co-owner of Prego in the West One Plaza, said: “This is a great concept, and we hope it will encourage more people to shop in Sheffield rather than going to other cities."

She added: "The site is a good marketing tool for independent retailers, and will help shoppers uncover some of the city’s hidden gems.”

Shopping and dining information regarding other areas of Sheffield can also be found on the site.

By Liam Day

Gripple Spider Gag

One of Sheffield's favourite inanimate statue's became animated yesterday as a spoof news report had thousands of people in stitches on April Fools Day.

Award-winning manufacturers Gripple Ltd, Savile Street East, Sheffield, removed their famous sculpture of a spider off their building a week ago not knowing that it would be the focus of a side-splitting humorous gag.

The hoax YouTube report by NNN news journalists has over 4000 views already, leaving the question on every ones lips, where has the spider gone?

The mock broadcast consists of a reporter interviewing staffs at Gripple Ltd, who voice their concerns about the spider walking off to pastures unknown.

James Lambert, 34, Employee of Gripple Ltd, said: "It was a great gag and I enjoyed acting in it. I hope it makes people who watch it laugh n'all."

Onlookers also acted out eye-witness accounts of the spider crawling off, backed up by CCTV type footage of the actual event itself with great computer animation.

The whereabouts of the spider are still unconfirmed and Gripple are asking the public to keep their eyes peeled.

By Liam Day