Where there’s a wheel, there’s a way.

Rachel Sindelar has unicycled for 18 years. Her parents found the family’s first unicycle at a garage sale for seven dollars. She was six. Welcome to all-wheel drive! The sport hooked all three Sindelar kids and their parents. They visited their local Twin Cities Unicycle Club (TCUC) in Minnesota. They started attending weekly night practices.

Soon the Sindelars joined TCUC’s Freestyle Team. They began competing at national and international levels.

Freestyle unicycling involves honing skills on a 20-inch wheel. Athletes compete in gyms where they seem to defy gravity. They bounce, spin, ride on one side of the wheel, and much more. Some people pair off in dynamic dances.

“Riders are judged on both performance and skill level during their routine—similar to figure skating,” Miss Sindelar says.

The Sindelars flew to Copenhagen, Denmark, for their first Unicycle World Championship (Unicon) in 2008. The event happens every two years. Different countries host.

Miss Sindelar says it was exciting to see fans of the sport from all over the world. “The unicycle community is like a big family.”

This year marks her fifth time attending. Miss Sindelar is now the Communications Director for Unicon 21. Bemidji, Minnesota, is the host city for this year’s July 14 to 26 convention.

Unicon events include mountain unicycling (muni) and road and track races. Team sports are basketball and hockey. Urban and freestyle contests are well attended. Urban riders jump off handrails and ledges. They also bounce over stacks of crates.

What is Miss Sindelar most looking forward to at Unicon? Meeting old and new friends from across six continents! She also loves watching athletes pedal their skills. Riders amaze her with their talent. “The bar is raised every single time,” she says.

Why? Sports like unicycling can foster lifelong friendships with people from around the world.

For more about wheels, see Hubert Invents the Wheel by Monte and Claire Montgomery in our Recommended Reading.