Unicycling helps keep WesternU student's life balanced

Unicycling is an extension of Laura Poindexter’s desire to learn and do interesting things, which helps the College of Podiatric Medicine second-year student stay balanced.

"It’s a more compact form of bicycling, it’s easy for me to pick it up and carry it over my shoulder, I can fit it in my car, and when I ride past people it brings out interesting comments," she said.

The WesternU student often prefers to ride her unicycle the approximately half-mile from her home to the Pomona campus, instead of walking or driving. It can be a spur-of-the-moment decision, depending on the weather or if she needs to get to school quickly.

"Once a week, when I’m riding down Towne Avenue, people honk or give me a thumbs-up out the window," Poindexter said. "It’s almost like it brings out a different aspect of my personality, and other people’s personalities, too. If I’m riding the unicycle, I’ll take the attention."

Poindexter learned to ride a unicycle while attending Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, where she majored in chemistry. The college has a long-established unicycling club called Gonzo Unicycle Madness, and is known to leave club-owned unicycles around the dorms, enticing students to try them out.

During her freshman year, thinking she could use an eccentric hobby along with a little fun, Poindexter gave it try. A year later, she bought her own unicycle.

Poindexter knew she was good at riding when she was able to mount the unicycle without holding on to anything. "That was the dividing line for me," she said.

"I do try to keep various aspects of my life balanced — ¬studies, friends, exercise, research, hobbies and church," Poindexter said. "It would be very easy to focus on one thing and then lose my grip on the others. But with unicycling, as with life, I have to stay in the happy medium at all times, or else I will lose my balance and fall."