Gold medal champ Champion

PINE GROVE - Sustaining a broken right thumb on the first day of practice probably helped Eli Brill earn unicycling gold.

"It forced me to become more creative with my thumb being injured," said the Pine Grove 15-year-old.

Brill harnessed that creativity, enabling him to win four gold medals and one silver at the North American Unicycling Convention and Championship (NAUCC) U-Games, 2010. He was named the North American Flatland Champion Expert at the games, held July 10-18 in Berkeley and San Francisco, California, despite being injured and being the youngest competitor in the flatland event.

His other gold medals were 1st place finishes for the 15-16-year-old age division in Advanced Street Competition; high jump, 92 cm; and speed trials, 27 seconds. He earned second place in the long jump with a distance of 205 cm.

In Trials, riders must successfully complete a timed obstacle course; in Street Competition, riders maneuver around obstacles within an urban environment (stairs, rails, etc.); and in Flatland, riders do tricks on flat ground.

"I had to use different strategies. I was doing Flatland tricks off of my street competition obstacles and that was something different for the judges to see.

"You're given points for flow, style, and creativity, and to win, you have to balance all of that out and do the tricks in an order that's appealing and has variety," he said.

Showing support for Eli at the California event were his parents, Steve and Holly Brill, Pine Grove; sister, Olivia; grandparents, Stan and Peg Wapinski, Saint Clair; and his cousins, Joey Wapinski, Nazareth; and Abby Lescavage, Minersville.

The sense of camaraderie and respect for each rider's skill are an appealing part of the competition, according to Eli's mother. Brill has made friends from throughout the U.S., as well as with fellow riders from France, Australia, and New Zealand, since he began unicycling almost three years ago.

"The competitors and parents are all like family," Holly Brill said.

"As we're battling, we're cheering for each other. You're building on each other's tricks and trying to one-up each other. The battles are so much fun," said Eli, who rides a Kris Holm (brand) Flat Unicycle.

He explained the Flatland preliminaries are 2-minutes in length, with the unicyclists demonstrating their skills. The semi-final battles are 2-minutes each, with one rider taking 15 seconds, and the next rider using the next 15 seconds to display his tricks, and so on.

One move Brill was able to pull off during the semi-finals was called a "rolling wrap to a 540 side spin". Brill was the only unicyclist to complete the trick in the NAUCC and only the second person to ever successfully maneuver the move during a competition; a rider from France landed it before Brill in a different competition.

Following the semi-final round, Brill was top seed out of eight eligible riders.

After attempting a double flip with a 360 spin during practice at the beginning of competition week, Brill came down hard, and sat on his right thumb. He iced and taped his broken thumb, and continued with his plans. "All week long, I practiced turning with my left hand," said the right-hander.

No stranger to injury, Brill has had to overcome setbacks before. In December 2009, he broke his left elbow while wrestling as a freshman for Pine Grove Area High School. In March 2010, he broke his left foot and right wrist while going down a rail on his unicycle, while being filmed by his good friend, and fellow unicyclist Pat Lally, of Pine Grove. Unicyclists hoping to get sponsored often send videos of their routines to potential business sponsors, seeking support.

In part, because of his "never quit attitude," Brill has secured two sponsorships - from unicycle.tv, based in Germany, and from "Unhuman," a clothing line from Illinois. He also acquired his new Kris Holm Flat Unicycle just a month before this year's NAUCC. While at the NAUCC, Brill conducted a workshop on technical flip tricks for fellow riders and was also asked to perform in the variety show, following the opening ceremony.

Brill continues to practice daily, and tries to lift weights three times a week, to maintain his core strength. His goal is to compete in the Unicon World Championships, held in Italy on July 20-31, 2012.

To view Brill in action, visit www.unicycle.tv and find Brill's picture profile, or type in his name on YouTube.

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