Sara Chastain first glimpsed a unicyclist performing at an Everett park when she was 8.
She remembers wanting to give it a try – except she thought it would be cooler to hop the unicycle off a picnic table.
Now a 19-year-old college student, Chastain can perform that move and quite a few others. She is one of a small, hard-core cadre of unicycle enthusiasts in the area who participate in extreme unicycling.
In the last decade, unicyclists have increasingly taken the sport out of traditional performance venues – parade and gyms – and adapted it to other terrain.
The term “extreme unicycling” covers a lot of ground. Extreme unicyclists scream down mountain trails over rocks and snow, and perform daredevil moves on urban bridges, curbs and stairways. Some ride long miles on unicycles with extra-big wheel and others work their skills with the skateboarders at skate parks. Many try it all.
Most extreme unicyclists are young men, and Chastain theorizes that’s because the sport requires more upper body strength. A big hop, for instance, requires grabbing the seat and yanking upward. She doesn’t have the physical strength to do some stunts, such as jumping onto a stack of seven pallets, a move she has seen her male counterparts do.
Still, Chastain is no girlie-girl. Her calves are hard as bricks and she often rides miles around her home near Silverlake. If she had any interest in team sports, she guesses she might have been good at track or soccer. But this isn’t a sport for conformists, and Chastain, with her dyed black hair and penchant for Goth rock, pedals in her own direction.
In a sport with a high likelihood of a painful, possibly debilitating landing, she seems fearless. She ticks off her past wounds nonchalantly: many, many bloodied knees and a wrist broken so badly a few years ago she can no longer play the violin or do a pushup. She has skinned her knee to the bone and earned a scar on her shin that resembles a cheese grater. A few times Chastain hurt enough that she couldn’t walk for a few days.
Sometimes she’ll cycle to the Mill Creek Skate Park and encounter some skateboarders she doesn’t know. Inevitably, comments about clowns and circuses start flowing and Chastain will respond by hopping onto her unicycle and dropping into the bowl, a move that leaves boarders speechless.
“They’ll say, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe she did that,’” said Chastain with a smile.
People are afraid of the unknown, she said. She’ll let others give it a try, and they discover it’s a lot tougher than riding a bike. A rider’s muscles stay tense constantly so there is no coasting, she said. There’s also no brake. It takes most people at least several weeks to learn the most basic maneuvers.
Chastain began unicycling at the Uniques Unicycle Club in Lynnwood. The club performs freestyle moves in parades and at other events. She stopped practicing with the team a year ago. The appeal of parades worn thin, she said.
Uniques coach Steve DeKoekkoek described Chastain’s skills as advanced.
“She not only knows the advanced freestyle skills but is able to do trials moves and put it together as someone who is entertaining and interesting to watch,” DeKoekkoek said.
Chastain owns a dozen unicycles, stacked around her mother’s Everett garage. She’s working on building a custom tricked-out unicycle with old Schwinn motorcycle parts, 4-inch wide tires, a tail pipe and a sissy bar.
She said the challenge of mastering a new skill is what keeps her pedaling on the edge.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Give it a try
Children and adults who would like to give unicycling a try can learn through the Uniques Unicycle Club, a family-oriented organization in Lynnwood.
Most people who take up the sport are exposed through elementary school programs, although others see a unicyclist riding and just want to give a try, said Uniques coach Steve DeKoekkoek.
He learned how to ride at age 16 and never quit. He now rides with a group of adults, ages 30 to 50, on a variety of terrains, including trails and long road rides.
Unicycing isn’t an expensive sport to get into. A good basic unicycle costs less than $120. The heavy-duty unicycles used for mountain unicycling and trials start at $250.
The club practices from 6:45 to 8:45 p.m. Tuesdays at various locations.
Dues are $70 a year for the entire family.
For more information about the club, call DeKoekkoek at 206-890-1024.
Know your uni
Flatland: Freestyle skills typically performed in a gym or outside on pavement.
Unicycle trials: Riding a unicycle up, over or down an obstacle. This type of riding is a test of technical skill that can take place anywhere, including the woods or city streets. The goal: tackle the obstacle without falling.
Street unicycling: A combination of trials and freestyle techniques typically done in urban areas. The obstacles serve as props for eye-popping tricks.
Mountain unicycling: Riding a unicycle some distance through natural terrain, such as up or down a steep hiking trail. Combines the challenge of cross-country riding with technical skills.
Touring: Riding a unicycle with larger wheels at longer distances and higher speeds. A typical ride might be 10 to 30 miles.
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