Pine Log

Issue date: 10/1/08 Section: News

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Danny Williams is a man of many talents.

The Dayton freshman is easy to spot on campus-he's the guy riding the unicycle.

Why a unicycle?

"I started off just jealous that my brother could (ride a unicycle,)" he said. "We're real competitive, and I had to be better than him. And now I am."

Williams said when his brother stopped riding, he picked it up.

"It took me a year to learn, but I've been doing it for two years," he said. "I'm self-taught."

Thankfully Williams has not broken any bones or sustained any major injuries.

He gestured to his calves. "Up and down my legs, they get real scratched up from the peddles. I get about as much as a BMX person," he said

Since Williams is self-taught, he "doesn't try anything too crazy, unless I want to learn the hard way."

Among his favorite unicycle stunts are "riding with one foot or the tight wire trick, which is basically balancing on the edges of the sidewalks."

He recalled the day when "the Student Center wouldn't let me take my unicycle inside. I wasn't even riding it, and when I looked around on the inside, I got mad. I saw people with their skateboards."

But generally, the campus is "perfect for unicycling, I can pretty much do anything," he said.

Williams is 18 and his major is music education. "Being a music major is great for Williams because, he said, "We're a tight-knit group, like a family."

His sister, Holly Williams, went to school here, as do as some of his friends from back home. It also helped that SFA gave Williams an academic scholarship.

"I've played trombone since sixth grade, and as far as a career goes, I didn't want to do anything else," Williams said. "Music is my life."

He also is a member of the Lumberjack Marching Band.

"Other than unicycling and practice, I love Brick Oven Pizza. It rocks."

mmorgan@thepinelog.com

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