YOU PROBABLY HAVEN’T THOUGHT much about wheels lately, unless you had to replace a tire after an unfortunate encounter with a pothole. And if you haven’t had one of those yet, you will.
The wheel, when teamed with the axle, is one of the six simple machines. I won’t list the other five, as I’m sure you remember them from middle school science.
The wheel, in the form of a potter’s wheel, first appeared during the Neolithic era, which, I’m also sure you remember, goes back some 12,000 years. The oldest evidence of wheeled movement was found in the form of miniature clay wheels, a few years later, around 4,000 BC.
So apparently it took some time before the Elon Musks of the day realized a wheel could be used for something more consequential than just kitchenware… like transportation.
Now, wheels of all shapes and sizes play an unheralded, yet important part of our lives.
Wait… not all shapes. Scratch that. Wheels are pretty much round.
Eight Wheels
What activity could possibly require eight wheels, you ask? Well, as long as participants have two feet… it’s Roller Derby.
If you’re old enough, you may remember Roller Derby from watching it on TV in the 70’s. It was basically big time wrestling on skates. Not anymore, according to Sonia Stucko, coach of the Marquette Roller Derby team. “Nothing is ‘staged.’ This is a real sport that takes months, if not years to learn.”
The local team, pictured above, competes for regional and worldwide rankings as established by the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association. In other words, this is serious stuff that skaters find challenging and rewarding. “We get so much out of it,” Sonia says. “The obvious is exercise. The not so obvious is the feeling of comradery and empowerment that it gives us.”
Sammie Hewitt started her derby career skating with the junior team but recently aged out of that and up to the varsity squad. “It’s super fun! Everyone is very nice, even if it looks like we’re all aggressive on the track.” Coach Stucko agrees. “You’ll see skaters high-fiving skaters from the opposing team when they have a good jam, or a great hit. Roller derby is extremely competitive, but there is much respect amongst the teams.”
Like any good competitive sport, it isn’t just for skaters. It’s for fans too. According to Pepper (that’s Sonia’s derby name), “A spectator can expect to see a full contact sport on 8 wheels. They’ll be surprised at the athleticism, and the strategy.”
Interested? “We are always looking for skaters, volunteers, skating and non-skating officials,” Pepper says. And what if you’re not sure if you’re ready? “Our regular bootcamp teaches skating fundamentals and the basics of roller derby.”
The Marquette Roller Derby team competes and practices at Lakeview Arena, though some of their bouts are on the road, in various Midwest venues. Their next home contest is August 15th. Roll on!
Four Wheels
I hate watching people speed by me doing 70 in a 50. There’s a time and a place for everything, and anywhere between here and Walmart ain’t it. The place for speeding is the Sands Speedway.
As a sports fan, I’ve always paid attention to the world of stock car racing, but because of the pandemic, I became an actual fan. NASCAR was the first sport to come back, with races on weeknights… under the lights. My sports Jones had found a fix.
If you’ve seen it on TV and are interested in some live action, you don’t have to make the trip to Talladega. Just head down M-553 to Sands Township and you’ll find the local track, across from the county fairgrounds.
Their season includes 10 races, with the first coming up on June 7th. According to track promoter Tina Brandel, “We are family friendly and have a kids’ play area so parents can watch their children and the race. Our prices are very friendly too… adults are $15, seniors and students are $10, 12 and under are free.”
It’s a unique quarter-mile track featuring an elevation change, something unusual in short track racing. With the paved oval built on the side of a hill, spectators get a great view from every seat.
If you’re looking for speed on four wheels… set your cruise control to 55 and head to Sands.
Two Wheels
It wasn’t that long ago when bikes were a simple, almost romantic alternative to the automobile. Not. Any. More.
The e-bike revolution has turned biking into a literal head-on-a-swivel existential hazard for anyone venturing out on our streets and multi-use paths.
As we head into peak biking season, let’s take a quick look at what you can, and cannot do. According to Chief Ryan Grim of the Marquette Police Department, “As it stands now, only class 1 e-bikes (pedal assist, no throttle, max speed 20 mph) are allowed on the multi-use path. Our current ordinance was drafted in order to be consistent with state law on this topic.”
And what about those e-motorcycles that have made an appearance on our streets? “Consistent with state law, those are considered ORV vehicles and cannot be ridden on city streets unless they are made street legal and licensed, and the operator must be licensed as well. They also cannot be ridden on the multi-use path.”
We’re waiting to see what comes of the recommendations made by the e-bike task force, but until then, riders need to observe the current laws, and most of all, be considerate of others. It’s not that hard.
One Wheel
Okay, technically, it’s not a wheel. But it’s a wheel in concept.
I’m talking about the new roundabout scheduled for the corner of M-553 and CR-480, better known as the Crossroads. If you’ve been paying attention to drivers who frequent that intersection, something addressing the congestion and backups is sorely needed. The current 4-way stop cultivates a me-first mindset, which doesn’t work when four people think they’re first.
The good news is, there’s a roundabout on the way. The bad news is, it won’t be here until 2029. According to Dan Weingarten of the Michigan Department of Transportation, “Road projects take time to design, plan and fund. MDOT projects are typically programmed five years ahead. 2029 was the time frame when funding from state and local sources came together to allow the partnership between MDOT and the Marquette County Road Commission.”
As long as we’re looking ahead, are there any other roundabouts planned for the county? “We have a project for US-41/M-28 at Teal Lake Avenue in Negaunee,” Weingarten says, “It’s in the planning stages, currently funded for 2031 construction. We monitor all of our region intersections for potential improvements, whether for roundabouts or other geometric or traffic control improvements.”
Round and round we go. Where we’ll stop, nobody knows.
Still Rolling
Early wheels were simple wooden disks with a hole for the axle. Six thousand years later, the original design endures. As inventions go, the wheel was a pretty good one.