June 29th, 2010

350-Mile Trip Will Raise Funds for Diabetes

Rising Form IV student David Lackner is planning to ride a unicycle from Pittsburgh to Bethesda in August. The 6-day, 350-mile trip is a fundraiser for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

Lackner, a member of the Varsity Hockey team and a cellist, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes a year ago. He took up unicycling shortly thereafter. "I liked the idea of balance that unicycling requires, because diabetes requires balance," Lackner says. "Also unicycling is like diabetes because you never get a break. You can't coast on a unicycle or with diabetes."

The idea for the trip came up in conversations between Lackner and French Teacher Andrew Barter, who taught Lackner in Honors French. Lackner says, "Mr. Barter encouraged me to raise money for diabetes with a unicycle ride." For the trip, Lackner will be accompanied by his father on a bicycle. They have been training on weekends with 20-30 mile rides and will average close to 60 miles a day throughout their journey, ending in downtown Bethesda on August 14.