Minnesota Prairie Roots

WHILE THE SUMMER 2024 OLYMPICS are now well underway, I’m still focused on another Olympics of sorts held in northern Minnesota. Unicon 21, a convention and competition for unicyclists from around the world, recently wrapped up in Bemidji. I spent one day watching competitive events with my husband and our son, who flew in from Boston to attend. Caleb unicycles as a leisure sport, not competitively.

I’ve already recapped Unicon 21 and showcased competitive basketball, relay races and freestyle group performances. But I have more to show you. Today I take you back to the freestyle group competition at Bemidji State University. This was, by far, my favorite organized unicycle competition. This seemed more performance art than sport, although it certainly is an athletic contest. As a creative, I lean into art more than sports.

I didn’t see every performance. My schedule didn’t allow me to stay until the 10 pm end time. But I watched seven groups perform—two from Japan (previously featured here), one from the U.S. and the others from Germany.

The skill, talent, precision and more required to perform choreographed routines is impressive.

“THIS IS HOW WE ROLL,” printed onto tees worn by four unicyclists from The Wonders Unicycle Club, succinctly summarizes unicycling. This U.S. team won the hearts of the crowd not so much via a high level of performance skills, but rather with a cuteness factor. To watch a young girl wheel her way around the gym floor with two adults (presumably her parents) while helpful little brother assisted and then waited court-side, left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

But everything about the freestyle group show left me feeling just plain happy. These were athletes, performers, entertainers who wowed the crowd, who absolutely deserved to be on a world stage showing off their athletic and performance skills.

I can’t tell you who won the freestyle competition because I don’t know and, frankly, I don’t care all that much. These young people are all winners in my book. They chose a sport that few have mastered, that sets them apart, that requires patience, persistence, practice and a genuine devotion to the act of unicycling.

There’s something to be said for someone who steps outside the norm (riding on one wheel rather than two) and embraces something that would challenge most of us. I recall my son relentlessly attempting to get on his first unicycle as a grade schooler, He would place one hand on a work bench in the garage and then try to get onto the unicycle seat. Eventually he could stay on the seat, then pedal forward out of the garage. Soon he was circling the driveway and riding along city bike trails with ease and speed that, admittedly, scared me. Yes, he fell off, breaking a finger once when his outstretched hand hit the side of the van parked in the driveway. And, yes, even the international performers fell occasionally.

But none of these competitors fell short of creating a fun evening for those of us watching from the bleachers at Bemidji State. They entertained and wowed us, one wheel at a time.

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PLEASE click here to read my previous posts about Unicon 21. More to come.

© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling