Braille Skateboarding <3 Electric Unicycles
By Jeffrey Will, Experience Manager
Some may be surprised to learn that many electric unicycle riders from backgrounds unrelated to board sports. So what happens when you mix some of the most talented skateboarders with electric unicycles? I was lucky enough to meet up with the incredible Braille Skateboarding crew in their very own playground last week.
Skaterboarders First Time On An Electric Unicycle
These guys are not only top shelf in their craft, but they take it a step further: they will skate anything you throw at them! If you don't already watch their Youtube Channel, you're missing out. Knowing these guys can ride just about anything, I couldn't wait to see how quickly they could manage to pickup some Solowheel skills, so I packed up some Glide 3s and a V10F into the trunk of my Lyft and made my way to their warehouse.
As someone who has trained a lot of first-timers, I can tell you skaters tend to learn pretty quickly, but even I was shocked to see just how quickly things went from shaky to pro.
A Game Of SKATE, Solowheel Style
Needless to say, the Braille crew not only learned to ride nearly instantly, but they went straight for a game of SKATE (think HORSE, but for skateboard tricks) to see who could pull off the craziest trick and be the last man standing. They even invited me to play along - which, if you know me very well, gave me hesitation because I'm not really a trick rider when it comes to electric unicycles. I don't even like riding off the edge of a sidewalk curb. But how could I resist this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?
Not only did they become comfortable with inclines, large ramps and drops - I also overcame some of my internal reservations and surprised myself with my own ability to keep up with this fearless bunch! In short order, we we launching off ramps and scrambling to create the next challenge difficult enough to lean down the pool of contestants. It dawned on me that I must be living out a dream in the middle of a Solowheel fantasy playground with a crew of some of the most talented skaters I'll ever meet.
We went from wild fits of laughter to utter terror and anxiety... and then straight to triumphant pride as we kept pushing the limits. It took quite some time to find them, but we finally whittled the contestants down to one.
Spoiler Alert: that final contestant was NOT me! These guys were nuts. The final stunts were not only impressive for electric unicycle riding in general, but the entire Braille crew were quite literally first-timers who had only learned to ride for just a few moments before the game.
WATCH: The Braille Skateboarding Crew Takes On Solowheel Glide 3
As we parted ways, I left them a wheel to call their own because I just knew the world needed to see more of this. Just think of what they will be able to accomplish with more than just an hour or two of practice!
And the best part of it all? This whole unforgettable experience was documented by their team. Here's the hilarious full-length adventure filled with all the successes and failures along the way.