More than 50 students and members of the Woodside One Wheelers left early this morning on two charter buses destined for Washington, D.C., where on Wednesday, they will perform in the National Independence Day Parade on Constitution Avenue.
The Woodside One Wheelers (WOW), a performing circus arts group started at Woodside Elementary School in 2005, performed in the 2010 Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in the nation’s capital — capturing attention of bystanders as they wheeled past on unicycles. A group of the veteran WOW members said Friday, during the group’s final rehearsal, that the National Independence Day Parade is an even bigger deal.
Veteran Courtney Hall, 15, will be featured in the performance riding a three-wheel unicycle, which Hall said is tricky mostly due to its height. She estimated that the cycle rises 6.5 feet from the ground.
Caitlin Dailey, 12, one of the leaders in the parade, said it’s a job that requires added communication and additional practice.
Marie Ring, 16, one of the long-time WOW members, said she loves to unicycle and has gone 18 miles during one ride. She just got a new 36- inch unicycle.
The WOW group also juggles and balances on circus balls, and Dailey adds it’s great when family members they don’t see often ask, “What have you been doing this summer?”
“Just riding unicycle,” Dailey’s brother, Connor Dailey, 14, said.
“Well… I rode in the National Independence Day Parade,” Caitlin Dailey said with a smile, giving her expected answer.
“Nothing big,” Connor Dailey added.
A lesson she’s taken away from WOW, Caitlin Dailey advised people is to “find something you love,” and do it.
Hall, Ring, and the Dailey siblings all agreed during an interview Friday that that camaraderie formed in unicycle formations represents one of the big reasons they stick with WOW.
During the parade, the WOW performers will carry a WOW banner given to them by local legislators.
Sam Aseltine, 13, joined WOW as a fourth-grader and will be riding a giraffe, which he mastered over February break. He said Friday he felt a little nervous, “but excited too because I’ve never been to D.C. before so it’s a fun first time.” He planned to ride down early with his family, who will turn this week into a family vacation.
Asked what advice he’d offer for someone trying to learn to ride a unicycle, Asletine said, “Just keep on trying. If you fall, get back up. Sometimes take a little break, and go back and just keep trying.”
The group will tour Washington on Tuesday, visiting Mount Vernon and the national zoo. Some will take in a Washington Nationals baseball game, coach Eric Pulsifer said.
Because they’re staying downtown, members of the entourage will be able to walk to the National Mall and fireworks for the Fourth of July celebration.
The parade will not be televised, Pulsifer said, but one of the parent hopes to record the parade with a video camera. It begins at 11:45 a.m. and runs along Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th streets.
For more information about the Woodside One Wheelers, visit woodsideonewheelers.org or the group’s Facebook page.
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