By JoAnn Ireland
The Unicycling Society of America (USA) (https://uniusa.org) and the San Luis Obispo Unicycle Club (https://cpunicycle.wixsite.com and Instagram: @cpunicycle) hosted the North American Unicycle Convention and Championships (NAUCC) (https://cpunicycle.wixsite.com/naucc-2026). NAUCC took place in San Luis Obispo, CA with a population estimated to be approximately 47,000 (more if you include Cal Poly students) from July 12 – 18, 2026. There were about 70 competitors who attended NAUCC 2026, along with many additional non-competitors and spectators.
The NAUCC is an annual unicycling competition in which riders from any North American country can compete in six unique disciplines including: freestyle (individual, group, and x-style), muni (mountain unicycle) races (cross country, uphill, downhill, and cyclocross), road races (criterium, 10K, and marathon), team events (basketball and hockey), track (100m, 400m, 800m, one-foot, slalom, and wheel walk), and urban (flatland, jumps – high and long, street, and trials).
Registration for competitors was $135 (early), $165 (regular), and $205 (late/on-site). Registration for non-competitors was $35. Membership to USA is required at least for competitors and that’s $40 for an individual, or $75 for a family or club of up to 20 members.
There was quite a schedule of competitions and events over the one week convention and championships. The convention and championships events were mainly located indoors and outdoors at local elementary, middle, and high schools (basketball, criterium, freestyle, hockey, jumps, slalom, track, trials, and x-style); at local trails and parks that included the Santa Rosa Skate Park (muni, 10k, and street), along picturesque California State Route 1 also known as the Pacific Coast Highway (marathon and half marathon), and outdoors at Mission Plaza (flatland). The California weather was great for most outdoor events, and competitors put on their best performances in gyms without air conditioning; however, some outdoor events had rather hot weather including the 10k that resulted in a few disqualifications and slower times for some.
Mountain Unicycle (muni) Ride at NAUCC 2026
Road Race Events at NAUCC 2026
Some competitions had to be moved on short notice to alternate venues, like a dirt track for the track events, so results were not eligible for records. There were also no official muni competitions due to permitting challenges for a large group, but the San Luis Obispo Unicycle Club instead broke up interested attendees into groups by ability (beginner, advanced, and expert) and gave tours of some of their favorite nearby trails. Daily email newsletter communications were distributed to participants to provide more timely updates regarding the schedule, locations, or any urgent volunteer requests; the event website was also updated.
Criterium Event at NAUCC 2026
Here’s some details about and photos from a few of the competitions. The criterium is a shorter event that is characterized by its tight turns and agility elements, like having to make an 180 degree turn followed by an acceleration.
X-style Event at NAUCC 2026
X-style is where riders can show off their most difficult skills and performance and falls do not count.
Freestyle (not photographed) is like artistic figure skating or gymnastics on a gym floor while on a unicycle for individuals or pairs, and is more analogous to synchronized swimming for the group or club freestyle events. These events include elaborate costumes, often makeup, and are set to music and riders are judged on how well they put on a show.
Flatland Advanced Event at NAUCC 2026
Flatland Expert Event at NAUCC 2026
Flatland is where competitors demonstrate various tricks, combinations, and attempted tricks on flat ground during a timed run, and is edgier and more urban in feel than freestyle. Competitors also attempt a best trick. It has been my absolute favorite event to watch.
Street Advanced Event at NAUCC 2026
Street Expert Event at NAUCC 2026
Street is a competition that takes place at a skatepark and includes the use of rails, ramps, and stairs during a timed run. Competitors also attempt a best trick. This year, one competitor, Heidi Judson, used an ultimate wheel, which is a wheel with no seat, adding to the overall difficulty of the competition.
Trials Event at NAUCC 2026
The Trials event was especially a highlight this year, located outdoors at the Bishop’s Peak Elementary School. In trials competitors have one hour to complete as many challenging sets of obstacles (e.g., narrow wooden beams, wooden pallets, logs, pipes, steep climbs and descends, and tires), also known as lines, as possible. It uniquely also included a large comfortable chair like one you would see in a family room, a mattress, a bike rack, a U-Haul truck with a metal ramp, and a pool table without the legs where riders could try to get a tennis ball into one of the pockets. Beginners had their own course with fun chalk drawings to follow along the pavement, including a bumble bee’s path, or lily pads to hop on. Many of the lines were designed with multiple degrees of difficulty, allowing for a very efficient use of materials and volunteer labor to assemble and disassemble the course over one day. Trials is a must watch to see serious unicycling skills and thought in how the rider will complete each line, as well as the occasional spills. The high jump and long jump events also took place concurrently.
Extensive explanations, complete rules, judging criteria, and required safety gear can be found in the USA Rulebook Amendments, which is used in conjunction with the International Unicycling Federation (IUF) Rulebook. At all of the events that I watched and throughout the championships, the unicyclists truly made an effort to support and help each other. Other NAUCC activities included a closing dinner on the beach where there was some torch juggling.
For any NAUCC, I would suggest trying to bring a unicycle because vendors weren’t in attendance. However, often individuals bring multiple unicycles, so if you know how to ride, you might be able to borrow one, but be sure to bring your own safety gear if you do want to compete in any the events. Unlike IJA conventions and juggling festivals, there isn’t an official gym space where people go to just practice for the entire convention, NAUCC is a very competition-based convention for the entire week. If you’re not competing in an event, you’re cheering on the competitors, or serving as a volunteer.
Festivals located on the west coast of the United States can result in lower attendance, which can then impact the overall revenue of the event. Last year’s NAUCC, located in Redford Township outside of Detroit, Michigan, had 130 competitors, with many additional non-competitors; by comparison, this year’s NAUCC had approximately 70 competitors who completed events. UNICON (https://www.unicon22.at/en), which takes place every two years, took place in Steyr, Austria from July 25 through August 7, 2026 could have also impacted the attendance at this year’s NAUCC.
Sensorio Outdoor Art and Light Display – Paso Robles, CA
About a 40 minute drive north from San Luis Obispo near Paso Robles is the picturesque outdoor art and light display, Sensorio (https://sensoriopaso.com), ticket prices start at $71/person plus fees. At Sensorio there are walking paths through seven distinct exhibits and is well worth a visit if you are in the area. English / Australian artist Bruce Munro designed five of those exhibits, the first of which was, “Field of light,” that features 100,000 stemmed spheres in a multitude of changing jewel-toned colors that move with the wind. Munro’s other exhibits at Sensorio include: Light Towers, Fireflies, Gone Fishing, and FOSO (fiber optic symphonic orchestra). “Dimensions,” is another incredible exhibit, designed by the artist collective HYBYCOZO, a collaborative studio of artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk in cooperation with musician Alen Hulsey. The dimensions exhibit features many large-scale metal sculptures that explore the relationship between light and music, and invites visitors to play with the spinning interactive elements, observing the shadows and light. Hearst Castle, the estate of publisher William Randolph Hearst and designed by architect Julia Morgan, is also about an hour drive north from San Luis Obispo, located near San Simeon.
The USA affiliated club 406Cirque out of Bozeman, Montana has submitted an application to host next year’s NAUCC in the summer of 2027. The Unicycling Society of America does sponsor other upcoming events, including the STOMP Unifest (https://stompmunifest.blogspot.com) in Pelham, Alabama that is taking place October 15-18, 2026; as well as the annual Moab Munifest in Moab, Utah that typically occurs in March.
An upcoming unicycling event, presented by the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus (https://bindlestiff.org), is the New York City Unifest that occurs over Labor Day Weekend, September 3-6, 2026 (https://nycunifest.com) with events in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The MONDO (https://www.mondofest.org) juggling and unicycle arts festival in St. Paul, Minnesota is also another festival to try out your unicycling skills, MONDO 38 is taking place February 5-7, 2027.
Incredible volunteers put together the NAUCC 2025 including the members of the San Luis Obispo Unicycle Club. It takes a lot of effort to put on the events and the volunteers play a huge part in the overall success. The USA President is Tim Slason, Vice President is Dale Grzych, Secretary is Dan Galanto, Treasure & Membership is Rick Tharrett, and Directors included Nick Braun, Alison Martin, AJ Kinsella-Johnson, Brian Anderson, Jacob Hinshaw, and Scott Julian. There were also numerous volunteers at each of the events to help make it a very successful convention and championships.
JoAnn Ireland
JoAnn Ireland is a longtime hobbyist juggler who especially prefers juggling beanbags, joggles (running and juggling), and occasionally rides a unicycle. She is grateful for the opportunity to have been able to attend many IJA and regional juggling festivals.