wos extremely difficult to learn how to ride. I'm sure you con imagine that, but it's exactly like it I k 116 people Like most students, freshman Lauren Tesh enjoyed activities such as hiking, doodling, mountain biking and traveling, among other things. But one of Lauren's hobbies stood out from the rest: Lauren was a unicyclist. Lauren began riding the unicycle in the second grade when several of her P.E. teachers wanted to get a team together to perform. A few students showed interest, and the learning process began. "I wanted to learn because it looked like fun and it was rare for someone to ride it, so Ithought it would be cool," Lauren said. Learning to ride the unicycle was a big c~llenge for Lauren. It took her months just to learn the tesic riding motion. Extra tricks like riding backwards and idling took even longer. ... • fi "It was extremely difficult to learn how to rile," Lauren said. ''I'm sure you can imagine that,' but it's exactly like it looks." Lauren's brother, junior Justin Tesh, affirmed the difficulty level of learning to ride, recalling his amazement at his sister's rare talent. "For Christmas, one year, she got a unicycle," Justin said. "I didn't believe she could ride it, but next thing I know, she's literally riding circles around me, going backwards, and even doing jumping on it." Lauren had many opportunities to perform n es her talent previous to attending Harding. Her elementary school team was able to perform at a halftime show for the Wake Forest basketball game in North Carolina, one of Lauren's most memorable experiences. As her skill with the unicycle grew, Lauren learned more and more difficult stunts, including riding a six-foot-tall "giraffe" cycle. "It's very impressive," Justin said. "It's actually pretty funny to see fifth graders ride on them." While riding the unicycle was not Lauren's only talent, it was certainly one of the most fascinating. Many of her friends discovered this hidden talent belatedly due to the fact that Lauren did not bring her unicycle with her to Harding for the fall semester. However, with requests and performances in high demand, she made the decision to bring her cycles to campus for the spring- both the regular unicycle and the six-foot-tall one! Many of Lauren's friends and family, including her brother, attested to the fact that Lauren's unicycle talents only reflected how unique and individual she was as a person. "I love having Lauren on campus with me this semester," Justin said. "She is a really fun person and a great unicyclist. I really couldn't ask for a better sister." Heidi Tabor
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