Cal Poly Unicycle Club: Balancing Challenge and Creativity on One Wheel

Unicycle Club members practice tricks.

Given one wheel and hours of dedication, Cal Poly’s Unicycle Club has grown in popularity. Every Tuesday and Friday night, the club meets on the basketball courts in front of the Sierra Madre Residence Halls. They teach each other new tricks and compete in lively basketball games, all atop their unicycle. 

Given the difficulty of learning to unicycle, the group has become tight-knit and resembles a family. They encourage new people to join and have over 30 unicycles for beginners to try on. A welcoming and quirky group, the Unicycle Club hopes to continue expanding and spreading its passion for unicycling, despite how hesitant some may be to try. According to the club, trying is the best and only way to start. 

“Part of unicycling is that you’re going to fall a lot,” Unicycle Club President Jacob Hinshaw said. “But it’s also a great filter for the kind of people you get because you have to stick around for a few hours just falling. We’re willing to look like we’re not great at what we do sometimes, you know? I feel like that’s something people can respect.”