By Christina Broadbent
To one BYU student gliding around on a unicycle is as comfortable as walking on two feet, and performing is not just a fun pastime, but a career choice.
Tim Hadley, 22, a junior from Cottage Grove, Ore., majoring in Portuguese, is known on campus as Pacobel the Unicycle Guy.
Hadley and BYU club “Y Juggle” have entertained at various campus events such as Fall Fling, and will appear in the Homecoming Parade next week.
Hadley said during his junior year in high school, he fell in love with the idea of roaming streets, carpets and mountain trails on one wheel when he chanced to see a unicyclist ride across a street one day.
“It was love at first sight,” Hadley said. “I just had to do it after that.”
Since that day, Hadley’s only transport has been the unicycle, which he describes as perfect – walking is too slow for him, and biking is too dangerous.
Shortly after he learned to ride the unicycle, Hadley took up juggling.
“While I ride, my hands are free,” Hadley said. “I figured I may as well do something with them.”
With that, a clown was born.
Hadley plans on becoming a semi-professional clown for parties and fairs, volunteering at hospitals and eventually starting his own clowning business.
He described clowning as a passion.
“I can return to passions over and over again without ever getting sick of it,” Hadley said. “They are what make me really feel alive.”
Hadley’s small smile turned to an enthusiastic grin as he described his favorite hobby – mountain unicycling.
“Once you get to a certain level of proficiency on a normal unicycle, the thrill is no longer if you can ride, but what you can do,” Hadley said. “It is the biggest adrenaline rush I know – to see where I can go.”
Sara Thornbrue, 18, a freshman from South Jordan, majoring in elementary education, is also a member of Y Juggle.
“Paco is a friendly guy,” Thornbrue said. “He is also funny and entertaining.”
This unicyclist is also a gentleman.
“Playing tricks on others is never my style,” Hadley said. “I want to make sure to avoid giving unicyclists a bad image.”
Instead, he loves to teach others to juggle and ride the unicycle. Hadley taught his sister to juggle by demonstration.
“I wasn’t able to learn to ride his unicycle because I’m too short,” Kristin Hadley, 20, a junior majoring in marriage, family, and human development said. “But it’s a great way of getting around.”
Hadley’s short-term goals include riding up to the Y on a unicycle and starting a BYU unicycle club.
