My wife and I took our daughter to the circus today and I was a little surprised I didn’t see any unicycles. I did see some freestyle b*kes though… A sign of unicyclist oppression?
If we must endure ridicule about being in the circus, I’d at least like to see some impressive unicycle tricks when I actually go.
Since a while I’m circus-director of what probably may be the largest circus of The Netherlands. I’m not aware of such oppression. In fact I see today MUCH more unicycle act’s than 10 years back.
I guess you mean BMX? Probably flatland. Or bike-trial? Maybe Kunstrad?
But it explains why you don’t see a unicycle. In general you don’t contract a unicyclist if you already have a bicyclist - and vica-versa.
I went to the circus in 2011 and saw no unicycles, just a penny farthing. In other years since I have seen some.
I’ll be happy when BMX riders must endure people in public singing the circus song when they pass, and just saluting the unicyclists.
Maybe we should start the trend?
+1http://www.unicyclist.com/forums/images/icons/icon14.gif
In my experience, unicycles at the circus are not really common. I try to seek them out, but many shows don’t have one, at least not on the night when I’m there. I remember seeing one backstage at a Cirque du Soleil show; that would normally have been used in a wire-walking act, but for whatever reason it was not used that night. 
At Sedona muni weekend some hiker made a circus joke and then he stepped back right into a cactus. It was a beautiful moment.
I’d be disappointed as well, if I were to attend a circus with no unicyclists, considering all the circus comments.
Sadly, actually seeing impressive unicycle tricks in a circus is even more rare than just having them included.
For example, in the Cirque du Soleil show “O” (the water one, at Bellagio in Las Vegas), there is an ultimate wheel that zooms across in front of the pool at one point in the show. Very brief and quick, and that’s it. Actually, last time we saw the show, no UW. Okay, so a lot of the show happens in the water, but they do have a stage too.
But sometimes you hit the jackpot, and see some really great riding. I remember a small Shriner-type circus in the Sacramento area about 10 years ago, where a guy rode a unicycle across a not-so tight wire (the kind with a spring). He even stopped and did a stillstand in the middle. Not that interesting? The guy was empty-handed (no balance pole)!
Found a picture! It was April 2004. The guy is on a Schwinn, and I forgot that he had one of those ring-shaped reflectors. I have one on my 24" also.
