Single-wheel enthusiasts from around the globe descend on Bemidji for Unicon 21
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It was likely a first for the Sanford Arena. On the second night of Unicon 21 the Bemidji venue hosted unicycle sumo. And by all accounts, the event was a slobberknocker.
Competitors balanced on unicycles battled around a large chalk circle drawn on the arena floor.
Like traditional sumo wrestling there are two ways to win: either force your opponent out of bounds or knock your opponent off balance so they topple over and touch the ground.
Zach Strassberg-Phillips emerges as the unicycle sumo champion.
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His approach: flatten the competition.
“Take them out while you can. While they’re off guard. I even won one battle with just like, my interpretation of a haka,” he said, referring to the war dance performed by the Māori people of New Zealand. “And then they just like backpedaled out. No contact required."
Strassberg-Phillips traveled from his home in Oregon with his team of six to attend the gathering. This is his first Unicon and first time visiting Minnesota. He said Bemidji has been very welcoming.
“Everything from like the ice cream shop, having a shirt for us, to a random rotating sign having like, 'Welcome Unicon 21.' To all the people watching the parade being so excited,” he said. “And I just think if America in general could just accept more of these kind of niche communities and support us, you know, that it would be a better and more diverse and amazing country.”
Bemidji: ‘A no-brainer’
Unicon 21 co-director Kirsten Goldstein was in the crowd. She said Unicon started in 1984 as a convention in Syracuse, N.Y.
“And it was a gathering of just unicyclists from anywhere that they could come from to meet like-minded people, like-minded unicycle enthusiasts,” she said. “It was every year for a little while until they realized it was too much work. It was growing too fast. And so, it became an every other year event.”
But why this year in Bemidji? For Goldstein and her co-director, Connie Cotter, it was a no-brainer.
“We really determined that Unicon hadn’t been in the U.S. in over 20 years, and it was time to host again,” Goldstein said. “So, by process of elimination, we decided that we were going to end in the Midwest. And if we were going to be in the Midwest, we were going to be in the state that we live in.”
As an adjunct geography professor at Bemidji State University, Goldstein said northwest Minnesota’s lush forests and beautiful landscapes also played a role in her decision.
“A lot of people will learn about the Mississippi in their elementary classes. And now here they are barely 20 minutes away from the start of the Mississippi,” she said. “So we’ve really encouraged people to explore the area and get to know it.
Events over the next two weeks encompass workshops, social events and games such as sumo. But there are also competitions for those who want to prove to themselves and others that they’re the best on one wheel. They’re divided into seven categories: track, freestyle, urban, muni, road and the team sports of basketball and hockey.
And that’s why, at that moment, Goldstein said she had to leave. “Tomorrow I’m doing the 10K race. So, it’s just a straight shot 10K race,” she said.
Briefly redonning her co-director hat, she explained the different kinds of racing unicycles.
“There are two different categories. Unlimited, where your unicycle can be really any size with any crank length. And then there’s a standard which is a set size wheel, and a set size crank so that everyone has the same unicycle device that they’re competing on versus this unlimited where you can monkey with it and create your own unicycle.”
Those different one-wheeled rides are on display early the next morning when Goldstein joined about 200 unicyclists at the start of the 10K outside the Sanford Center. Competitors were divided into 17 waves or heats.
The competitors mounted their unicycles and balanced against each other before the start.
The starter shouted “One! Two! Three! GO!” and the racers took off.
The course snaked around the outskirts of Lake Bemidji before finishing at the state park.
After the event racers relaxed, rehydrated and enjoyed a meal of pancakes and watermelon.
This was Martin Limderfelser’s first Unicon and his first time in Minnesota. He came all the way from Germany. Limderfelser said he enjoyed the course.
“I liked it quite a lot. Because yeah, I liked it — straight route. And it has some trees on the side. So not too sunny. Not too hot,” he said. “And yeah, really quite nice.”
Veteran Unicon-er Felix Regelsberger from Austria agreed with Limderfelser. But he was especially impressed with the community and the Minnesota landscape.
“The people are welcoming. That’s a very big plus,” he said. “And then I love how you have the lakes everywhere from teeny tiny to huge. That’s a very cool feature.”
Goldstein finished the race in about 24 minutes, maybe a personal best. She said she can switch between her role as co-director and unicycle racer because of the strong organization behind Unicon.
“We’ve put together a team that trusts each other and is willing to pick up pieces so that people can also enjoy the competition,” Goldstein said. “We’re all volunteers. We have this really great balance of being able to be supportive. And bring it both ways. It goes both directions.”
Goldstein said the next location for Unicon hasn’t officially been decided but they're looking at Austria.
If so, does she plan to attend?
“Oh definitely!” she said. “I know the director of that one, we go back a long way. So, we might be helping with that one as well.”
