But, of course.
In 1936, Fredy Zay performed 8 rings while on his giraffe (tall) unicycle. A picture appears in Juggling - the Art and its Artists by Karl-Heinz Ziethen.
Obviously.
Lee Naish is just one of the fools who have tried this.
Rumour has it that someone threaded a soaked wick amongst the spokes and rode with a
burning wheel, until the tyre caught alight.
Jeff Allen reports trying it with more success.
Yes, fire staffs, fire clubs and fire pois have all been twirled whilst riding a unicycle. [See below for fire pucks.]
Frank Birdsall rode a Miyata unicycle with a very extended seat-post while wearing painter's stilts, at the 1985 National Unicycle Meet in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Someone else was spotted and described at the 1994 UNC/DUKE/NCSC convention.
Others have also attempted this stunt, including Russell Wells, of Cardiff, who fell off and broke his arm at Unicon VIII in Guildford.
Dustin Kelm, Bill Karbo and Don Bursell from Minnesota have each tried a more unusual technique - using two giraffe unicycles, standing on one pedal each and holding onto the seats, they have makeshift stilts made from unicycles.
Joey Joey, of New York and Zurich, performs an act in which he swallows a sword, mounts his
unicycle and then jumps rope all at the same time. More details about his act
are available here and
here.
Charles Shapiro and David Altman (USA) undertook a fencing bout on Groundhag Day, 1998. History doesn't who won.
Eddie Moffat, formerly of the Austin One Wheelers, Texas, was arrested for "practicing his thrusts and parries with a stage prop sword while riding a unicycle on the street." A newspaper article records his arrest.
Acrobatics have been performed on unicycles, and with unicycles just as a prop. This includes standing on the shoulders of a unicyclist, and juggling.
There is a picture of a 6 year old girl doing a hula-hoop on a unicycling in The Unicycle Book by Jack Wiley.
The Amazing Larry Vee (Larry Vaksman) of Philapdelphia performs a hula-hoop on a giraffe, while passing clubs.
Beirne Konarski
has thrown and caught a boomerang whilst riding a unicycle.Riding on a slack rope is another trick done by many. Mark Sands describes it, and can juggle at the same time.
Yes, it has been done many times, but it is the people who were jumped over that deserve all the credit.
John Foss is pictured jumping over some Japanese youngsters, who later became famous. See John's description of the attempt for more details.
The Pontiac Unicycle Club, of Michigan, had unicyclists in the 1970s, who would jump over around half dozen people in shows, using a ramp about a foot high at the end.
Mark Sands can do perform a number of handstand skills involving a unicycle.
He can ride along, place both hands on the floor, press up into a handstand with the unicycle between his legs, walk around on his hands, then lower the unicycle down, and ride off.
He can also lie a unicycle on the ground, do a handstand over it (one hand on the wheel, one on the fork), lower his feet onto the pedals and ride off.
Sem Abrahams has a specially modified unicycle, with shoulder braces rather than a seat, and can ride with his hands on the pedals and his feet in the air.
Even I have tried flying a single-stringed kite whilst unicycling - it's no big deal. However, David Brittain, 15-time world stunt-kite champion, rides while putting stunt-kites through their paces. Simon Greenaway has tried it, and has some pictures.
I am sure many people have tried this. Aaron Lennox (USA) is one of them.
Unfortunately, there are many stories of people having their unicycles stolen - even ones locked up. Peter Thomas, of Sydney, even scored a black-eye "successfully" defending himself against a mugger who decided he wanted the unicycle.
Definitely in the "not recommended" category, there have been reports of unicyclists smoking marijuana or taking LSD whilst riding - best leave the unicyclists unnamed. No, I have not had any reports of heroin users injecting on a unicycle, but, then again, I really don't want to.
I have never heard any report of a person dying as a result of unicycling. Certainly, there have been broken bones and other serious injuries. Brady J. Becker once explained how his plans to join the circus were curtailed when he fell off a unicycle on an icy street into the path of a car travelling at 45 miles per hour, he will never be able to ride again.
Steve Dressler, of Hong Kong, surprised the Dean of his school at his university graduation ceremony in California, by whipping out a unicycle hidden under the stage and riding it a full-length gown before accepting his diploma.
Several people report having impersonating Elvis on a unicycle. Why am I not at all surprised?
Beirne Konarski has wheeled his dog, Dmitri.
Sadly, there have been several reports of unicyclists being terrified or even bitten by dogs upset by their unicycling.
In September 1997, Ross Mackintosh rode his 7 foot tall unicycle past a woman trying to rescue a cat stranded in a tree. He was called in to help, and successfully retrieved the cat from the tree.
Michel Arets, of Belgium, won the Blind-folded Unicycling race at the 19th European Juggling Association festival in Grenoble. The race was held on a large grassy field, with assistants calling out directions.
While that is impressive, it is nothing to learning to ride while blind. A number of blind people have learnt to ride unicycles, including John Lizza, who showed his skill in the 1983 USA Nationals.
These seem to be taken very seriously by their proponents.
Darren Bedford was the first, and perhaps the only, to try combining his love of Unicycle Hockey with his love of fire to produce a flaming hockey puck.
This does not seem to be taken quiet so seriously.
Less serious still! At the 1999 Madrid Unicycling Convention there were chariot-races, with each chariot drawn by the unicyclists.
Based on the fictional game from the Harry Potter series of books, Srarah Miller has written up the rules of Unicycle Quidditch.
Peter Bier reports trying this, with some success, at the Twin City Unicycle Club.
Lars Burgstahler reports playing it at a Unicycling Convention in Frankfurt, Germany, in April 1999. He also reported playing Unicycle Voelkerball, which seems to be a type of team dodge-ball.
Lars Burgstahler also mentioned a game called "Travel To Jerusalem" which is like musical chairs - when the music stops, grab and ride the nearest unicycle!
Chuck "The Hitman" Hiter
performs as a stunt-golfer.
Wolfgang Schaper tried it December 6th, 1995.
Greg Siple of Bikecentennial (who helped design the USA logo) produced a greeting card with an illustration of a unicycling Santa. It was reproduced in the Fall 1982 USA newsletter.
Sem and Teresa Abrahams, of Semcycle, were married on unicycles, along with the best man, maid of honor, father of the bride, and the celebrant.
Julian Orbach
Copyright © 1998-2003 Julian Orbach All rights reserved.
