UNICON World Championships

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

Contrary to popular belief, this sport is far from uni-dimensional. At the UNICON World Championships, unicyclists compete in a variety of races, including hockey, sprints, and even a unicycle marathon (well, 42 kilometers is marathon enough for balancing on that seat). Check out these other innovative one-wheeled wonder-whys:

Standard Skill: Riding on an 11 x 14-meter lane, participants are awarded for the creativity, difficulty, and execution of up to 18 performed tricks, including riding with the seat dragging on the floor, coasting while standing up, and executing 740° spins.

Slow Race: Riding across a board that's 10 meters long (and only 6-inches wide for competitors older than 11), a unicyclist must cycle as slowly as possible without stopping. The winner in 2008 took nearly 1 minute 11 seconds.

Wheel Walk: In this race, participants propel the unicycle not by pedaling but instead by pushing the tire with their feet.

Basketball: In unicycle basketball, a player must stay mounted at all times, except to dunk the ball (okay, so the hoops are lowered) or block a shot. The rules state: "The player is allowed two steps. A step is a half revolution of the wheel, meaning that each wheel revolution is the equivalent of two steps because pedaling with one leg only moves the wheel half a revolution."

Freestyle: There are individual-, pair-, and group competitions here, in which competitors perform to music, with an emphasis on creativity, use of props, and variety of skills. Props: Always a questionable addition to a sport, no?

Trials: Riders earn points by "cleaning" (completing) a course of 15 to 40 sections that can feature stairs, ledges, benches, grinding rails, and narrow platforms called "skinnies." The trials can last two or three hours, depending on the difficulty and the attention span of the riders.

High Jump and Long Jump: Essentially, this is the same sport that athletes try without a unicycle: Riders hop over a bar or cross the ground, stick the dismount, and ride away to show control. The high-jump champ in 2008 cleared 3 feet 7 inches; the long jump winner traveled 9 feet 4 inches.

Have a one-track mind? UNICON has all your options at: www.unicon15.co.nz.

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