Wheel appeal: Local unicycle club rolling along
Wonders Unicycle Club members prepare to practice for the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade.
Gannon McDonough of North Strabane Township has been riding a unicycle for two years. His brother, Gage, also rides.
Chris Augenstein, a member of Wonders Unicycle Club, rides a “giraffe,” a 5-foot-tall unicycle.
Cassie and Chris Augenstein of Fayette City dance on their unicycles recently at Thomas Presbyterian Church in Eighty Four. The couple won a national competition in 2013.
Sam Snowden, 15, left, learns to ride a unicycle with the help of experienced rider Ethan Bowman, 17.
Chris Augenstein wasn’t – pardon the pun – clowning around when he asked his wife, Cassie, to go unicycling on their first date.
Cassie recalled, “I was a freshman in high school and he was two years older, and I had a crush on him. In study hall one day, he said, ‘Do you want to go to unicycle lessons with me?’ I didn’t know what to think, I almost didn’t believe him. But he was serious.”
That was in 2004, and the two have been riding one-wheeled contraptions ever since.
The Augensteins, who live in Fayette City, are original members of Wonders Unicycle Club, which is affiliated with the Unicycling Society of America. The club participates in parades and competitions throughout the year, including the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Pittsburgh and the Canonsburg Fourth of July parade.
Wonders was founded by Bill Hamilton, a member of Thomas Presbyterian Church in Eighty Four, where the unicyclists practice. The club has 100 members; about a dozen participate regularly.
What’s the appeal?
“It’s fun. It’s the uniqueness. You don’t see them everywhere, so they’re pretty cool,” said Cassie, 26. “People associate the unicycle with clowns and circuses – we get comments like ‘Hey, you lost a wheel!’ and ‘Do a wheelie!’ and people hum circus music when we ride by, and we laugh about it. But we’re not clowns. We’re a sport. People compete, and it’s amazing what people can do on them.”
Including Wonders unicyclists.
In 2009 and 2013, Wonders participated in the North America Unicycling Competition and Convention, where several members won medals, including the Augensteins, who took first place in the adult pairs artistic freestyle event.
Wonders members meet Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the church’s Christian Life Center, and the club keeps several loaner unicycles on hand for anyone who wants to learn how to ride.
On a recent Tuesday night, about half a dozen people showed up to rehearse for the Fourth of July parade.
Brothers Gannon, 16, and Gage McDonough, 13, wheeled around effortlessly on the pavement and practiced riding on thin wood planks.
Seventeen-year-old Ethan Bowman, an ace unicyclist, gave encouragement to 15-year-old Sam Snowden, who showed up at the church the past few weeks and is working to get the hang of riding.
The McDonoughs have been riding unicycles for at least two years, and Gage said it took him “probably two or three weeks” to learn how to ride.
“You definitely have to practice a lot,” said Gage. “It’s a good challenge. Once you get the hang of it, it’s easy. I like doing tricks and learning how to do new tricks.”
Unicycling is established in Japan and some European countries. In the United States, the Midwest is in the middle of a unicycle boom, and some unicyclists commute to work and school.
Unicycles can range in price from about $100 for a conventional cycle with 20- to 24-inch wheels, to nearly $2,000 for a 36-inch wheel used for distance riding. Features such as two-speed hubs can push the price higher.
Other specialized unicycles include mountain unicycles, or Munis – the unicycle equivalent of a mountain bike, with fat, knobby tires – and giraffes, chain-driven unicycles that range between 4 feet and 8 feet tall.
Between them, the Augensteins own 15 unicycles, including a 5-foot giraffe.
“We’re really into it,” said Cassie, noting the couple danced on unicycles at their wedding.
For the Griffin family of Canonsburg, unicycling is a family affair.
Bob Griffin, president of Wonders, started riding after his son, Spencer, decided to take lessons when the club formed.
“I said, if I’m going to bring him, I’m going to learn, too,” said Griffin, an original Wonders member.
His wife, Nancy, and other son, Spencer, eventually took up the sport, and the family captured medals at the national competitions (events include freestyle, flatland and obstacle competitions, as well as racing, hockey and basketball) and competed in the World Unicycling Convention and Championships in Italy in 2012.
Griffin likes the unicycling community, a close-knit group.
“Unicycling has been an amazing experience for our family. It’s a wholesome thing. Unicyclists are a great group of people,” said Griffin. “It’s always been a lot of fun for us, and you see the same people and get to know them over the years. And everybody’s willing to help each other. We’ve known world champions who will stop and teach you a trick, because it helps move the sport forward and everybody wants to get better.”
Cassie Augenstein, who is replacing Griffin as president of Wonders this summer, would like to see more people take up unicycling.
“Anybody can ride a unicycle. It takes tenacity. Like everything else you do, it just takes practice,” said Cassie. “You’ve just got to give it time. Our oldest rider was in his 60s or 70s. Once you figure it out, you’ll be hooked.”
For information on Wonders Unicycle Club, contact the club at wondersunicycleclub@gmail.com.