"Riding a unicycle looked pretty cool, so I thought I’d try it," says Meadow H, 12. She started riding her unicycle, or one-wheeler, three years ago. "I thought it would be easy, but when I got on the unicycle, it kept going out from under me. I practiced until it got easier. Now I love it!"
Meadow is one of 80 kids from Andover, New Hampshire who ride unicycles. In fact, this small town of 1,800 people has unicycles rolling all around it. You can see them zipping in and out, gliding, and wheeling all over the place. Kids ride them to school, to the store, and to visit friends.
The unicyclists, ages 7 to 16, learned to ride from their coach Percy Hill. He teachers physical education at Andover Elementary and Middle School. A unicyclists for 30 years, Hill learned unicycling from gymnasts when he was 14. As an adult in the early 1970s, Hill figured that one good turn deserved another. So he decided to teach anyone who wanted to learn after school, free of charge. From there things started, well ... rolling. And they’ve been rolling ever since.
"I was really wobbly on my unicycle at first," said Kellie M, 15, one of Hill’s current students.
"Unicycling is like walking," says Hill. The secret is good balance and posture. "Your body must be straight," he adds. "If you bend your back and lean forward as you do riding a bike, the unicycle will shoot out from under you." If unicyclists fall, they usually land on their feet. Most routines do not require wearing helmets, but Hill recommends elbow pads and knee pads for beginners.
Today the town’s 40 most skilled riders perform on a precision unicycling team called the Andover One-Wheelers. They do dazzling routines of synchronized riding, spinning, circling, weaving in and out, zigzagging.
"The team’s favorite routines are choreographed to music," says Hill. "They look professional to me."
The team has performed at 150 fairs, festivals, and parades. Their biggest parade so far is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
To earn money to pay for their costumes and the trip to New York, team members washed cars, baby-sat, and held bake sales. Local businesses also made donations. "It was a thrill going to New York and being on TV," says Jed H, 13.
The kids hope to perform at Disney World next. They spend hours practicing and inventing new moves. "My favorite is spinning like a top," says Meadow. "First you slap hands with a partner and then you spin each other around."
Team members also have fun playing tag, basketball, and hockey on wheels. Some
do routines at an ice skating rink. "We call it icycling," says Kellie. A few are trying out
six-foot-tall unicycles, called giraffes. What’s next? "I’m thinking about the kids’ trying
unicycles on a tightrope." says Hill. Now that takes balance!
