One-wheel wonder: Sophomore learns to unicycle

The vast majority of students arrive at school by foot, bike or by car — but not sophomore Daniel Robinson. While others dread the morning commute to school, he easily navigates the streets on his unicycle.

After a few months of practice, Robinson was confident enough to unicycle to school. He finds unicycling much faster than walking one his one-mile commute to school. He even thinks that on days with particularly heavy morning traffic, his mode of transportation might be faster than driving.

Robinson randomly became interested in riding the unicycle eight months ago.

“It just seemed like something cool and fun to do,” he said. “I asked for a unicycle for my birthday, got one and just started practicing.”

Learning to ride was a challenge at first. In the beginning, he struggled with a technique many may not even consider when thinking about unicycling — mounting and dismounting.

“[Aside from tricks] the hardest part of riding a unicycle is just getting on and off,” he said. “It is also tough to ride on really rough terrain, but then, getting on and off would be even harder.”

The hilly geography of Saratoga has also made unicycling more challenging, making it harder to turn than it would be in a flatter placer, according to Robinson. In order to come to school, he has to ride up the slope on Herriman Avenue. Like a bicycle, the unicycle is difficult to control when moving very slowly or very quickly. Since it only has one wheel, maintaining balance on inclines is also tough.

Despite the dangers of unicycling, Robinson does not wear any special protective gear. He doesn’t feel the need, and so far, he has avoided major injuries.

“I only wear a helmet and long pants when riding,” he said. “So far, I have only gotten a few scratches and have fallen a few times. But the worst has just been a skinned knee.”

Aside from getting to school, Robinson rides his unicycle occasionally to other places, such as church or Safeway.

Now, after almost a year of practice, Robinson feels comfortable and confident unicycling, and has even learned to juggle on the unicycle. But still, he notes that it is more challenging than riding a bicycle.

As for the future, Robinson has his eyes on learning more tricks.

“Eventually I hope to learn more, but right now I can’t do much more than juggling while riding the unicycle,” he said.

“When I fall off, I’ll just get up and keep practicing,” he said.