Mountain unicycling

While cruising through mountain trails on a unicycle, junior Finn Bucher (he/him) said he feels a sense of freedom in being alone. Bucher took on this hobby in middle school during the COVID-19 lockdown. Mostly out of curiosity, he said that he was partly inspired by his mom, who unicycled in college.

“I enjoy it. I don’t do it too much anymore, but during COVID, it gave me a really good chance to be good at something,” Bucher said. “It gave me something to focus on during the long months of nothing.”

During this time, Bucher spent several hours a day practicing in his driveway with the goal of mastering the one-wheeled vehicle. Since then, he’s found his place among a small but welcoming unicycling community. Each year, Bucher attends the MFG Cyclocross race hosted near Seattle’s Greenlake neighborhood. Having won first place for the last two years in the unicycle category, he describes the experience as fulfilling. Still, Bucher said mountain unicycling comes with one unavoidable risk — falling.

“You have to learn how to fall to minimize injury or know when you can’t save yourself anymore,” Bucher said. “I still have a few scars from being out there.”

Voice impressions

Stepping into the world of performance, sophomore Andi Peterson (she/her) presents her ability to change her voice. Peterson said she loves messing around with her friends by making funny voices and doing impressions of well-known characters or celebrities. She also said that she first discovered her aptitude in middle school and is capable of a wide range of voices 

“I can do a Russian accent and British accent; I can do Jennifer Coolidge,” Peterson said. “I can do Lois (Griffin).”

Peterson is a member of theater and often finds that her talent proves useful in acting. Through it, she’s able to fully embody her characters and bring more emotion to her performance; improving her comedic expression. Peterson said she does these impressions for fun and practices from time to time.

“Sometimes I just sit in my room and I go, ‘Huh, what if I just do a British accent and call my friend,’” Peterson said.

She appreciates her ability and looks forward to using it in the future, whether that be in the next play or in a movie beyond high school.

“Maybe one day I’m on a stage, I can put it to use for something,” Peterson said.

Hand whistling

Lifting cupped hands to his face, freshman Miles Anderson (he/him) makes a noise resembling a whistle. By shifting his fingers, he can adjust its tone. Anderson first learned about hand whistling from a Youtube video in fifth grade and mastered the basics after a week or two of practice. Since then, he has passed on the skill to many of his closest friends.

“I thought it was really cool, since I couldn’t really whistle normally,” Anderson said. “So I decided to learn this and found out that it’s actually a really, really cool trick.” 

However, for Anderson, hand whistling isn’t just a fun way to break the silence — it’s also a way to connect with others. He said that others are often fascinated when he shows them how to hand whistle. 

“They’re pretty amazed and often want to learn it themselves, in which many have tried and some have actually learned,” Anderson said.

Anderson said that this talent helps him connect with the people around him, allowing him to spark conversation and make new friends.

“It’s just something to talk about and something to learn and bond over,” Anderson said.