By Jack, grade 6

Unicycle hockey is the coolest thing. It is a sport that combines the uniqueness of unicycling with the fast-paced action of hockey. I like fast and action-packed sports. I have played hockey for about eight years.

This past summer I learned to ride a unicycle. I first came across the sport of unicycle hockey when I read an article about it in the Wall Street Journal. I was so excited about this sport that I contacted a member of the Massachusetts Unicycle Club in Berkshire, MA. The player I communicated with encouraged me to recruit some friend and start a team. His advice was to forget about balancing on the unicycle and focus on the game of hockey. He said at my young age my body could do amazing things and before I knew it, riding a unicycle would be second nature to playing unicycle hockey.

I am now motivated to combine my unicycle and hockey skills to see if I can play unicycle hockey competitively. I want to become a great unicycle hockey player and join the Berkshire, Massachusetts Unicycle Hockey Club.

To achieve my goal of becoming a fantastic unicycle hockey player, I plan to go to Berkshire, MA. I will travel there once I have gained the skills that will make it possible for me to join the Unicycle Hockey Club. This might take me several years of very hard training and lots of money and practice.

I believe it will be possible for me to reach this dream because I already know how to play hockey and I am good at it. I also have good coordination and recently developed the ability to ride a unicycle. Riding a unicycle is sometimes thought to be strange. Playing hockey on a unicycle is strange. But I don’t mind being weird as long as it’s a cool sport that I enjoy!

One reason I want to fulfill this dream is because I have a lot of energy and this would be a really fun and unusual way to spend my time and get out my energy. I am at a point in my life where I need to be able to direct this energy in a way that might make a difference in my future.

Another reason I would like to be an accomplished unicycle hockey player is that I have lots of natural athletic talent and it make a lot of sense to put these talents to good use. I have always been pretty quick at picking up new athletic activities. Because of this, I think I would be able to learn the necessary moves pretty easily. My balance and coordination will be an advantage for this sport.

A very important reason to go on this quest is that my choice is unique, challenging and creative. I enjoy taking on difficult tasks that really challenge me. It also means something to me because no one in the middle school does this sport. I would like to be the first! My unicycle friends would not believe I can ride a unicycle and play hockey at the same time. My hockey friends would not believe I can play hockey while riding a unicycle. Although there might be some reasons for my parents to say no to this idea of mine, the benefits of becoming a great unicycle hockey player outweigh the objections.

One objection that my parents could have is that I might get hurt. But, I will wear pads every time I get on a unicycle and practice unicycling and hockey in my driveway as much as possible. The pads I will need to wear are helmet, wrist, elbow, and shin pads.

Another objection they might have is that it will be expensive to send me to camps. In that case I will pay for the camps with my allowance from doing chores and work money (shoveling the driveway and mowing the lawn). I earned $100 over the summer mowing lawns. Additionally, I will not spend my money on video games. This will make my parents happy.

Finally, I went to a one week over-night camp last summer, which has given me confidence to be away from my family. I can make myself safe and pay for the expenses to help prove that I can do this.

So as you can see, I really wish to learn how to play unicycle hockey. Unicycle hockey demands balance, fitness, skills, sportsmanship, and creativity. I have all of these traits. Also, I already know the basic skills in both unicycling and hockey. This will make blending the two sports easier. It is a neat sport that no one in my school is playing, and I would love to be the first.

It would be fun if I could start a team in Maine when I get older. I know I will be able to overcome all the objections that my parents could think of: being safe and paying for camps. Finally, it would get me out of the house more often doing physical activities.

I want to be a professional unicycle hockey player more than anything I have ever wanted to be. I’m fascinated by a sport that combines the two sports that I enjoy the most and I know my quest will be successful!