NYC Unifest 2012

I made the 18 hour drive up to New York from Florida to attend the 2012 NYC Unicycle Festival. Beforehand, I thought I was insane to travel that kind of distance to play on a unicycle (furthest I've traveled for a skill was North Carolina), but afterwards I have no regrets about going. It still could be the freshness of the festival at the time that I'm writing this, but right now I would rank the Unifest among my favorites when it comes to juggling/circus-skill festivals that I've been to.

The first day involved a 13+ mile ride starting in Manhattan, over the Brooklyn Bridge, through Prospect Park, and eventually ending at Nathan's in Coney Island. I borrowed a 26" unicycle for the ride, so the beginning was a bit shaky while I got used to the new size, but once I got going it was all good. Riding in city traffic was a bit interesting though. Being hyper-aware of surrounding cars whizzing by was very different than riding on a suburban bike trail in Florida. Once in Coney Island, we rode the Wonder Wheel and people showed off their tricks on the boardwalk.

The next two days were at Governor's Island. The activities here included unicycle basketball, hockey, workshops, games, and shows. I learned a couple new mounts, set a world record, and was inspired to get way better on a unicycle. Some of my goals that I was inspired to learn from the festival are juggling consistently while idling, hula hooping while riding, riding backwards consistently, hopping with no hands, jump roping on a unicycle, the hands free kick-up mount, and wheel walking. I have a lot to work on...

I wrote about the unicycle festival and posted some pictures, but I know whoever is reading this wants to see video. Well, here you go:
Would I make the trip back up to the NYC Unicycle Festival again? Most definitely...