Jemima Houzé

Jemima Houzé, a pupil at Jersey College for Girls, loves riding her new unicycle.

What’s your obsession?
‘I just love to ride the unicycle. It feels amazing and I’d like to just show people that it is good fun.’

What got you into it?
‘I got my unicycle for my birthday in February and I want to get good enough to ride and do tricks and things. ’

How often do you do it?
‘I practise nearly every day. I’d like to get a world record or something like that. I want to learn to skip a rope on my unicycle, or juggle or hula hoop on it as there are world records for all of those. In America they have Unicycle Olympics!’

Where do you do it?
‘When I was learning to get my balance it was winter so I practised inside the house in the hall, but my dad didn’t like that because I kept crashing into the stairs and door frames and scratched the paint a few times, so I don’t practise in the house now.

Is it easy to get into?
‘It takes a lot of practice and determination because at first it seems so hard. On a two-wheel bike you have stabilisers when you are learning, but unicyling is very difficult at first because there is nothing to hold you up.’

What skills do you need?
‘Good balance and not to be scared of falling off a lot when you are learning.’

Is it popular in Jersey?
‘I don’t know really. I have not seen anyone else riding around on one and people always stare at me when I’m unicycling, but I don’t mind that because they are just surprised to see me on one wheel.

People make jokes like your bike is broken, where are your handlebars, you have lost half your bike and things like that – but I don’t mind. I have a friend who is going to learn now and I know a man who was really good at uniclycling and juggling when he was a boy, but he doesn’t do it now he is a grown up.’

What do you like about it?
‘It is good fun and good exercise and you can learn lots of tricks and do cool things on it.’

What do you need to do it?
‘A unicycle.’

How do I get into it?
‘You could just buy a unicycle and practise a lot .’

• Know anyone with an offbeat passion? Put them in touch with the jepGO… team