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Niu, who declined to give her age, has watched firsthand as fears of COVID-19, the coronavirus-caused disease, have gripped the country and affected travel, and she’s happy for now that she’s symptom-free. “I started to notice the flights were so light,” she said. “I had never seen it. Literally, it was one person taking one row. I guess the flight industry is getting hit pretty good, too.” As a precaution against the virus, Niu has been wearing a mask and rubber gloves in the airport, and she pulls a blanket over her head when she sleeps. “It looks weird, but I’m not the only person,” she said.
After completing his junior season in memory of hs grandmother, NIU guard Eugene German is entering the NBA draft a second time. ... As he did last year, German left his options open to return for a senior season by not signing with an agent. The second team all-Mid American Conference guard scored 20.4 points per game and grabbed 5.2 rebounds per contest. His 1,569 career points leave him sixth in program history.
In mid-2013, toward the end of NBA season, while Niu was auditioning for Season 8 of America's Got Talent, her father, Gui Zhang Niu, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. "It was a surprise," Niu said. "He was a very healthy and strong man. He never even had a simple cold. There were no symptoms, no pain, nothing." The diagnosis came after Niu's father went to the hospital after having trouble swallowing his food. With her father set for chemotherapy treatments, Niu withdrew from America's Got Talent, finished the remaining commitments on her performance schedule and shifted her focus toward taking care of her dad.
While Niu was tending to her father, she occasionally found time to practice in order to stay sharp. During one of her practices, Niu fell backward off her unicycle and fractured her wrist. It was the first major injury she suffered through all her years as an acrobat. Niu's father was released from hospital near the end of 2013. As she recovered from injury, a return to performing was on the horizon for Red Panda. Then her father's cancer came back and spread quickly. In May 2014, he passed away at the age of 75. Afterward, Niu's mother dealt with health complications. Performing at the halftime of games was the last thing on Niu's mind. "It was hard," Niu said, fighting back tears. "It was really hard."
A year later, her mother's health is much improved. Last October, having fully healed from her wrist injury, Niu started plotting her return and began practicing again. For years, Niu's routine consisted of spending two to three hours per day perfecting her act. But given the time off, she pushed herself and changed the routine to seven hours a day in an attempt to regain her flexibility and form. In the morning, Niu would do light stretches, go for a short run and pedal on her unicycle for 15-minute intervals. After a short run, she got back on the bike to complete her practice.
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