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LOGAN — A teenager from Cache County is ranked No. 2 in the nation for his unicycling skills. Now Kevin Kartchner is headed to the world championships in Italy.
Kartchner, 19, said he picked up the sport just six years ago. "One day I went like 20 yards and got that real exciting feeling of learning something new," he recalled.
But as his interest in the sport increased, so did his desire to move on to the more extreme side of it. That, he learned from watching YouTube videos.
For the most part, when I go to the skateboard parks anywhere I'm the first unicyclist they've seen grind (the) rail or jump down stairs.
–Kevin Kartchner
"For the most part, when I go to the skateboard parks anywhere I'm the first unicyclist they've seen grind (the) rail or jump down stairs," Kartchner said.
Now he produces his own videos, showing him landing jumps, grinds and spins. He's also sponsored, with special shoes and a new unicycle on the way for his trip to the world championships.
"(I'm) hoping to take home the gold in street (cycling), and I'm just super pumped," Kartchner said. "It's kind of like my ‘last hoorah' before my mission."
He'll leave for that LDS mission to Mexico in September. Until then, he hopes to continue to build his reputation as one of the world's best.
"I'm pushing myself to land new tricks," he said. "I'm pushing myself to progress."
Pulling tricks, can be tough on the wheel. Kartchner often changes around two tubes a day, as he pushes himself and the unicycle.
Kartcher's signature move: a jump into the air as his unicycle takes a more than 1,200 degree spin beneath him — something he hopes to pull off in Europe.
"I really like the feeling of being creative with how I land my tricks," he said.
Still, Kartchner said his increase in skill level over the last six years is just an example of what a bit of determination can do.
"It just goes to show you that if you put your mind to something and practice a lot, you can achieve it."
