Day 287 - Segway to Go

segway master

Today's adventure was so interesting and unusual that I wish I'd put it on my list of challenges for the year...maybe I'll do that retrospectively....shhh, don't tell!

;-)

I've been intrigued by the Segway for what seems like years and years...I remember there was several years of pre-hype, when this revolutionary product known as IT (or alternatively by the codename ginger) was announced, but no further details.  Speculation was rife, and rumour had it that this thing was going to be bigger than the internet.

When it was finally unveiled in 2001, it was thus a bit of a disappointment, seeming not that different from the Sinclair C5, which had promised so much but delivered so little.

However, ignoring how much use it was, it did look like a much better all round product than the C5...and I've wanted a go on one ever since. 

So when someone at work offered to organize something, I couldn't refuse the chance to participate in a Segway Rally Experience, an organised event at Kingsbury Ski Centre.

three amigos

Of course, being such a litigious society these days, the Health and Safety rules did their best to sap as much of the fun as possible out of it, and ensured that any use of the word adventure was purely metaphorical. 

Mostly, the rules simply mean that we all have to look a bit silly whilst we have fun.

The Segway itself is an interesting beast.

shoal of segways

Here are a dozen or so of them awaiting their riders...of course, such intrepid adventurers wouldn't want to risk the kind of life-threatening danger that can occur at the frankly insane speed of 14mph, so they were all limited to around 8mph. 

I did manage to sneak a go on an unlimited one (the instructor's), and the difference was stark...unlimited is so much more fun!!

We had two hours of training, games and a short sojourn around the lakes (to justify the use of the word rally in the advertising)...the games were essentially relay races, with a variety of random difficulties thrown in (slalom, do a 360 around a cone, that sort of thing).

It didn't always go according to plan, as I think this photo demonstrates...

and that's f#*tkin' teamwork

This is, however, very reminiscent of my experience at work...the boss on her own off to one side looking on (in despair?!)...a few people that almost appear, at a casual glance, to be vaguely working together...and a significant number of outliers who are off doing their own thing, sometimes innocent, sometimes mischievous...

And there's me, taking some time out to grab a photo of the mayhem for my blog. 

But anyway, that aside, I did get a certificate which proudly proclaims that I have Mastered the Segway...

So, you know, that was nice....


B-)