Part 1
General Rules and Definitions

1A  General

1A.1  Scope of Rules

This rulebook is intended to govern all unicycle competition sanctioned by the International Unicycling Federation, and can be used as a guideline for other competitions.

1A.1.1  Unicon

All IUF Unicons (International Unicycling Conventions) must abide exclusively by these rules. Further rules may be added to cover specific situations, but they may not override the IUF rules without prior approval by the IUF Board of Directors. All additional rules must be published well in advance of international competition, and published together with registration forms.

1A.1.2  Other Uses for These Rules

National or local unicycling organizations may have their own rules. Though they may use IUF rules as a basis for their own rules, in national or local competitions, those rules can no longer be called IUF rules. To get proper results for Unicon qualification it is needed to follow the IUF Rulebook as described above.

Any national organization that wishes to get its modified rules approved by the IUF for a national competition must submit a proposal to the IUF Board of Directors at least 90 days before the start of the given event. If approved, the national competition can still be recognized as an official IUF event.

To host an “official IUF event” means that the results of this event are comparable with results from other official IUF events and can count for possible qualification restrictions. Rules, which are approved for use at a national or local competition by the IUF Board to be used, must not be referred to as IUF rules to prevent confusion for the riders.

1A.2  How to Use This Rulebook

This IUF Rulebook is organized by discipline. Each chapter includes a overview, competitor rules, officials rules, and organizer rules. Additionally, Chapter 1 covers general rules, not tied to a particular event.

How you approach the information in this rulebook will depend on what role you play. The information has been organized with a goal toward separating rules by role, so that you can safely ignore sections that do not pertain to you. For example, if you are only interested in muni as a competitor, you can ignore other chapters and you can mostly ignore the officials and organizer rules within the muni chapter.

The following table gives some guidance for what information you need for various roles:

1A.3  How the Rulebook is Updated

This Rulebook should be updated after every Unicon. This is meant to be the only time that changes to the Rulebook are made, although exceptions are possible in extraordinary cases.

Updating the Rulebook is the responsibility of the IUF Rulebook Chair, who will head the Rulebook Committee, but may optionally name one or more sub-committees, e.g. for various Rulebook Chapters. The Rulebook Committee will officially start meeting at the close of the Unicon, though the Chairperson can open it before, to take advantage of having so many persons physically together.

The Rulebook Committee voting time frame and official members of the Rulebook Committee will be determined by the IUF Rulebook Committee Chair and the IUF Board of Directors. The Committee should strive to finish their business and make their specific proposals to the IUF Board within three months of the close of the Unicon. If they need more time, they may ask the IUF President for a time extension. The IUF President is responsible for making sure that the Rulebook committee stays focused and on schedule.

Anyone may submit a potential change to IUF Rulebook at any time through https://unicycling.org/contact/. These will not be official proposals, but suggestions for potential topics during the next Rulebook session.

1A.4  World Champions

1. For each individual event that is held at championship level at Unicon, World Champions are determined in the classes and gender categories of the respective event.
2. For classes other than the Senior class, the World Champion title is preceded by the corresponding class name, e.g. Junior World Champion.
3. Only winners of the respective final or final-ranking/overall-ranking of championship level events at Unicon are designated as “World Champions”, respectively “World Champions” preceded by the corresponding class name. Age-group winners may use the term “Age-Group Winner”, but this does not refer to a World Championship title.

1A.5  World Records

Especially for Unicon or other large conventions, the host is strongly encouraged to ensure that the competitions are conducted and recorded according to the current IUF World Record Guidelines. Competitors will in principle expect that the quality of the results is suitable for world records.

If this is not realistically possible, then the competition results cannot be used for new world records. In this case, every effort must be made that competitors are made aware of this at least two months in advance.

1A.6  Ownership of Data

Each Unicon or other large unicycling convention is a piece of history. At the conclusion of a Unicon or other international event, or within one month thereafter, the convention host must supply the IUF with all competition and other results, in an agreed digital format (e.g. pdf). This will include all data collected to determine placement and winners at all levels and in all events held at the convention. This data is considered public, and is not the sole property of the host.

Attendee registration details, judging sheets, protest forms, and related paperwork are not necessarily public. They are the shared property of the host and the International Unicycling Federation. On request by the IUF Board within a year after closing of the Unicon, the host must make these available to the IUF. Digital data can obviously be copied. Data on paper can either be copied, or the originals can be handed to the IUF.

If requested, the host and convention officials must also provide further information, not necessarily in writing, about decisions made, methods used, and other details covered in the process of planning and running the convention. This information can be invaluable to future hosts, and must not be hidden or lost.

1A.7  Hierarchy of Officials

These people make the competition events work. All of the tasks detailed below must be covered for the events to work. Names must be assigned for all the jobs listed below, to create a hierarchy of authority for the convention. All officials are expected to work objectively and impartially.

1A.7.1  General Officials

IUF Board Of Directors: The IUF Board represents the interests of the IUF on convention requirements, both in the area of competition rules and the necessary spaces and facilities for them, and for any other requirements that go along with putting on an IUF convention. If problems arise in meeting the IUF requirements, the IUF Board and Convention Host work together to find solutions or compromises. The bulk of this should happen during the early planning stages for a convention, when facilities and schedules are being assembled.

IUF Convention Liaison: The Liaison is an optional person who can represent the IUF Board when communicating with convention hosts. The Liaison essentially has the same powers as the IUF Board, but must report to the IUF Board and take direction from it.

Convention Host: This is a single person, or a collective group, that has made the commitment to host a unicycle convention using IUF rules and guidelines. By agreeing to host an IUF convention, they also agree to follow those rules and guidelines wherever possible. If known problems arise in the arrangement of facilities, schedules and events, the Host and the IUF will work together to resolve the problems. For the most part, the Convention Host is the ultimate authority for what happens, and does not happen, at the convention. The exception is any IUF requirements for convention facilities or contents, and rules for IUF competition events.

Top Competition Officials: Each discipline has a set of authority positions which may include Race or Event Director, (Chief) Referee, Artistic Director and/or Chief Judge. They are not autonomous, and must answer to the Convention Host. For Artistic freestyle, it is highly recommended that none of these jobs be combined, and that there be at least one separate person for each. For other disciplines, combining these roles may be the easy way to organize those events.

1B  Competitor Information

1B.1  Personal Responsibility

All attendees should remember that they are guests of the convention hosts, and ambassadors of our sport to all new riders, visitors from far away, and to people in the hosting town. Remember that the Host is renting the convention facilities, and attendees are expected to treat them well. Each rider is responsible for the actions of his or her family and non-riding teammates. Riders may lose placement in races, risk disqualification from events, or be ejected from the convention if they do not work to minimize disruptions from these people. The International Unicycling Federation does not support performance enhancing drugs in sport and strives for clean competition.

1B.2  Supervision of Minors

A parent, guardian or other designated person, must supervise all minors.

1B.3  Knowing The Rules

Lack of understanding of rules will be at the disadvantage of riders, not officials or the IUF. The IUF is also not responsible for any errors that may occur in the translation of rules and information into languages other than those in which they were originally written.

1B.4  Your Privilege

Entry in the competition is your privilege, not your right. You are a guest at the Host’s event. You may be in an unfamiliar country, with different customs that are considered the norm. The Host and convention officials determine whether certain events, age groups, or policies will be used. As an attendee, you are obligated to obey all rules and decisions of convention officials and hosts.

1B.5  Nations Represented

For events where the number of participants is limited by country, there may be some question of what country a rider, pair or group may represent. Riders must represent the country in which they hold citizenship, or in which they are a legal resident. For example, if a rider is attending school in a different country, and is in that country legally, the rider can either represent that country or the rider’s home country.

If necessary, citizenship or residence may be established with a passport, driver’s license, or legal ID for the country the rider wishes to represent. Riders on extended vacation, exchange students, and other temporary residents of other countries are not eligible to represent those countries, except in multi-rider events (see below).

For Pairs Freestyle or other two-person events, the pair can represent any country that either rider is eligible to represent.

For Group Freestyle, sports teams or other multi-rider events, the group must represent the country that the greatest number of the group’s riders is eligible to represent. If there is a tie in this number, the group can represent either of the tied countries.

1B.6  Transgender Riders

The IUF is committed to providing an open and safe environment for people of all genders. A rider may register with the gender competition category with which the rider identifies most.

1C  Host Information

1C.1  Convention Aspect

All competitions at a Unicon need to make every effort to have equal time for the convention side of Unicon by involving as many competitors as possible and making the event spectator-friendly for other Unicon participants as well as non-unicyclists. Any of the following are examples to achieve this goal:

• Workshops related to the event
• Fun competitions based on the event
• Instant results for the spectators
• Ways for other competitors to be introduced to the event
• Entertainment during breaks in the competition (such as half time entertainment)
• Schedule of the events posted in multiple places

1C.2  Required Events at Unicon

The following events are required at Unicon. Hosts are free to add events or variations that do not appear here, as long as there is no conflict with existing rules. If hosts are unable or unwilling to include any of these events, they must petition the IUF Board according to their Host Agreement and section 1A.1.1.

Required events:

• Track (Racing & Other events): 100m, 400m, 800m, One Foot, Wheel Walk, and IUF Slalom, Track Coasting, Relay (4x100m), see chapter 2.
• Road Racing: at least two races, see specific requirements in chapter 3.
• Muni: Cross Country, Uphill, Downhill, Cyclocross; see chapters 4 and 5.
• Freestyle events: Artistic (Individual, Pairs, Small Group, Large Group), X-Style; see chapters 6 and 8.
• Urban: Flatland, Street, Trials, all Jumps events; see chapters 9, 10, 11, 13.
• Team Sports: Unicycle Hockey A, Unicycle 5×5 Basketball A; see chapters 14 and 15.
• Non-competition events: workshops, judging training

Recommended additional events:

• Track (Racing & Other events): Slow Balance, Downhill Gliding
• Road Racing: a third event
• Team Sports: Unicycle Hockey B, Unicycle 5×5 Basketball B, Unicycle 3×3 Basketball
• Additional novel or experimental events
• Non-competition events: additional workshops, fun games, social events, sightseeing rides, muni rides

1C.3  Sponsors

The convention host has the option to seek and obtain private sector sponsorship; for example The Unicycle.com Freestyle Awards, the Coca-Cola Hockey Cup, etc. This will allow opportunities for external funding to defray costs for host organizations and competitors. Sponsors are limited to organizations that would not bring the IUF into disrepute and are consistent with the aims and objectives of the International Unicycling Federation, Inc.

1C.4  Materials & Equipment

The Host must supply all necessary materials and equipment to run the competitions, such as a timing system, starting posts, cones for the IUF Slalom, etc. Other materials such as paper and writing materials, judging tables, printers, basketballs, hockey sticks, etc. are also necessary.

1C.5  Early Announcement of Rule Changes

For international competitions, written rules are needed for any planned events not described in the IUF Rulebook, and for events where additional rules are required. These special rules could be variations on the optional events found in this Rulebook. Such rules should be published at the same time as registration forms, or earlier, and must be published at least one month before the start of the event. These rules can be published along with registration forms, and/or on the convention web site. Competitors need to know the specific rules so they can train for those specific events! Hosts also need to decide on rules early, so there is less to worry about near competition time. Rule changes may be a necessary reality, for reasons such as changes in venue, weather or available equipment. When this happens these changes must be posted to the convention web site immediately. Examples: Dismount rules or timing details for off-track races, obstacle information for Street Comp, planned age divisions or combination awards.

If competition events or games not found in the IUF Rulebook are planned, written rules must be provided. These rules, if not pre-existing, should be published at the time of announcement of those events. This generally means at or before the posting of registration forms. For competitors to properly train, and be on an equal footing with local riders, all must be aware of the rules to be used.

1C.6  Registration Forms

Because of the various options available to riders in different events, riders may enter different events in different age groups. A properly structured registration form is essential for making these choices clear to the participants. For example, a rider may enter Pairs as an Expert with an older rider, but may wish to compete in Individual Freestyle in his or her own age group. Before publishing, a Unicon registration form should be examined and approved by members of the IUF Rules Committee or Board of Directors. No rider may enter any event until his or her registration form has been completed, including payment and completion of waivers and/or signatures. No minor may compete until a parent or legal guardian has signed his or her release.

1C.7  Classes

1. Classes reward championship titles. Boundaries of a class ensure equal conditions to compete for that title. There are two classes:
   1. Junior (<15)
   2. Senior (15+)
2. Classes can never be merged. Organizers may choose to only offer competitions in one of the classes, but if they allow competitors of both classes, they need to be separate.

1C.8  Age Groups

1C.8.1  Mandatory Age Groups

1. For all events in which age groups are to be ranked, the organizer must offer at least the mandatory age groups. An exception is made for competitions that have a general restriction on the age of participants, which may mean that mandatory age groups are not included. The mandatory age groups are U11 (0-10 years), U15 (11-14 years), U19 (15-18 years), U30 (19-29 years), U50 (30-49 years), U70 (50-69 years) and 70+ (70 years and older).
2. Mandatory age groups will persist regardless of the number of registered participants and can therefore be guaranteed for the participants.

1C.8.2  Additional Age Groups

1. The host may publish (“offer”) additional age groups for all events in which age groups are to be ranked before registration opens, based on the maximum expected number of riders and their age spectrum. These additional age groups must be subdivisions of the mandatory age groups, i.e. the boundaries of the additional age groups must not exceed those of the mandatory age groups. When publishing, it must be made clear that these additional age groups are not necessarily final and therefore cannot be taken as guaranteed.
2. A subdivision into maximum the following age groups is possible (including the mandatory age groups): U9, U11, U13, U15, U17, U19, U21, U23, U25, U30, U35, U40, U45, U50, U55, U60, U65, U70, 70+
3. Additional age groups will be combined after the registration deadline on the basis of the registered participants within the mandatory age groups. In a competition with more than 50 riders, six riders are needed to complete an age group. In competitions with less than 50 riders, six in each age group are still highly recommended, however three riders are the minimum to complete an age group. Combining is done according to the following principle:
   1. The convention host must combine additional age groups with less than six riders (three riders for smaller conventions) if needed. The combining process is to be done on a per-event (per-discipline) basis.
   2. When combining, combine the smallest age group (that is, the age group with the smallest number of participants) with its smallest neighboring age group either up or down. If more than one age group is the smallest, choose the age group with the smallest neighbor for combining. Continue this process until all resulting age groups (combined and/or original) have at least the minimum required/recommended number of participants. Men’s age groups and women’s age groups are never combined.
4. In exceptional cases it may be decided to split offered additional age groups after the registration deadline.
5. The final (combined) age groups for all competitions must be published at the latest seven days before the first day of the convention. Once published, age groups will not change even if competitors drop their events.

1C.9  Awards

Because awards are paid for out of the convention budget, the type, number, and quality of awards are the choice of the convention host. However, these awards must abide to these stipulations:

• Men and women competitors must be awarded equitably
• Different Class competitors must be awarded equitably within the same competition (i.e. 10k Standard and 10k Unlimited)
• Awards should be equal within the ranks of Teams, Age Groups, and Champions (i.e. 0-14 in Freestyle must be awarded equitably to 16-17 Muni Cross Country)

Generally there are trophies for Champions or for 1st-3rd places in finals, medals for 1st-3rd places in each Age Group for each event, and optionally ribbons or certificates for lower places. The IUF has most frequently awarded 1st-3rd place in most events, but this too is up to the convention host. Once the competition has finished, a personal certificate must be made available to each competitor with a summary of their complete results. This can be done as an online download, and/or sent through e-mail, and/or made available as a physical copy on the event itself. The design of the certificates is up to the convention host.

1C.10  Safety Equipment

Safety equipment worn by riders must meet the definitions for each, which are found in chapter 1D.1. Hosts may only deviate from these rules for safety equipment if this is inevitable. The status of “inevitable” has to be documented and must be approved by the IUF Board of Directors. Any deviation from the IUF safety equipment requirements must be approved and announced at least two months before the event. Additional inevitable changes that arise just before or during an event cannot be approved by the event director alone. The approval of two IUF representatives is required in addition to the event director’s approval. These changes are once again only allowed in the case of the inevitable, and not, for example, due to the wishes of the competitors or judges.

1C.11  Protests

1. An official protest form must be available to riders at all times. All protests against any results must be submitted in writing on the proper form. The form must be filled in completely. Mistakes in paperwork, inaccuracies in placing, and interference from other riders or other sources are all grounds for protests. All Chief Judge or Referee decisions are final, and cannot be protested.
2. The default protest time (counting from the posting of results) is 120 minutes, unless there is a shorter time specified for certain events (for example: track racing). By default for all results published after 8 p.m. on the same day or on another day, the protest deadline is 12 p.m. (noon time) on the day after publication, unless something different is specified for certain events. Every deviation from the default protest time has to be clearly announced when the results are posted, including stating the protest deadline on the results list itself. The protest time may be extended for riders who have to be in other races/events during the protest period.
3. All protests will be acknowledged within 30 minutes from the time they are received, and an effort will be made to settle the issue within those 30 minutes.
4. Protests handed in after awards have been delivered will not be considered if the results have been posted for at least three hours before the awards. If awards are delivered before results are posted, it is recommended to announce the schedule of posting and the deadline for protests at the awarding ceremonies.
5. The host may decide to make official video of some competitions, for example at the start line and/or the finish line, or the 5-meter-line in case of the 50 m one-foot race. This must be announced before the competition to let the competitors know about their option to protest through this video. Regardless of whether official video is available, all possible sources of evidence are generally allowed as a means of verification in case of a protest, including (but not limited to) private photos/videos and eyewitness reports. If someone submits a protest and has evidence that they want to be considered, they must state that with their protest. If possible, it is recommended that digital material is copied onto an ‘official’ computer for analysis. As an alternative, the evidence must be readily accessible, e.g. through a contact person and phone number.
6. In case of video evidence (regardless of its origin), a referee without good skills in video analysis should ask for a skilled assistant in order to prevent incorrect interpretations.
7. The referee decides which evidence they will consider, and the ‘value’ they assign to the various pieces of information. Generally, official camera footage and judge reports will have higher ‘value’ than private evidence. The objective is that all riders will be judged as fairly as possible.

1C.12  Open Practice Area

For Unicon and other large competitions, at least one area with a smooth safe riding surface, sheltered from the weather, must be made available for all or part of the day on most or all days of the convention. These areas are to be used for non-competition events such as workshops, skills exchange and free practice.

1C.13  Program Book

At Unicons, all registrants shall be provided with a package of pre-printed information containing a full schedule of all events, maps and directions to all event locations, and as much rule and background information as possible. This information shall be provided when registrants first check in at Unicon. Unicon organizers should consider placing as much of this information as is practical in an official Program Book. This can make excellent reading for family members and spectators, and gets them more involved in our sport. It’s also a great place to sell ads as a source for convention revenue. At other unicycling events, it is recommended that pre-printed information be provided to all participants.

1C.14  Availability of Rulebook

The host must make sure there are plenty of copies of the rulebook for officials to study on the spot.

1C.15  Photography and Videography

The following rules are required for Unicon and are highly recommended for other large international competitions.

In events with closed perimeters, it may be necessary to limit the number of photographers and filmers (hereafter called “shooters”) allowed inside. We want great documentation of the events, but not at the expense of safety, and of spectators’ ability to see as well.

The following guidelines apply:

• Shooters must either register ahead of time to be inside the perimeter of an event, or have actual press credentials (professional photojournalists, TV news people, etc.).
• Registered shooters must have some form of ID given to them, whether it be a pass on a lanyard, a volunteer shirt, or something else to help identify them.
• The Referee or Head Official for the event has the final say on shooting that can affect the riders and/or spectators’ view.
• The Referee or Head Official should appoint a Media Manager to manage this task.
• If a Media Manager is used, that person is still under the authority of the Referee or Head Official of the competition.
• Media Managers must have a good understanding of the needs of shooters to get the job done.
• Shooters must follow the instructions of the Media Manager or Referee/Head Official, and of the officials at the location.
• Shooters must generally stay aware at all times of the movements around them.
• If shooters continue to get in the way and/or not follow instructions they are to be ejected from the perimeter.
• It is greatly appreciated, but not required, that the shooter submits his or her top shots to the Media Manager during or directly following the convention to be used for the press.
• Flash is never allowed unless specific permission is given by the event director.

1C.16  Publication of Convention Information

Convention dates and other information must be announced and/or published at the earliest possible date. The best way to control the publication of convention information is with a convention web site, with regular updates to provide all the latest information. For Unicon and other large events, registration forms should be made available no less than eight months before the convention start date. A list of all planned competition events, including all rules and information pertinent to quality training, should be published at the same time with newly available data to be added as soon as it is known. Wherever possible, hosts should provide maps, directions and other information to help make people’s convention as enjoyable as possible.

1C.17  Publishing Results

Results of national and international championships must be published including details such as time, distance, and total score. For each event, the names and represented nationality of competitors as well as the names and nationality of all officials shall be published. In the artistic events, countries and names of the entire judging panel must be published.

1C.18  Option to Remove People From Events

The host is allowed to remove an individual or a group if they are acting aggressively or abusively against others. These individuals/groups should be given a first warning, followed by removal from the specific event by the Host or the Chief Judge/Referee who is in charge for the competition where the problem appears. The person(s) should only be removed from that competition to have a chance to calm down. If the aggressive or abusive behavior continues, it is also possible to remove the individual or group from the rest of the convention.

1C.19  IUF Public Meeting

The Unicon host will provide time in the convention schedule for the IUF Public Meeting. At this meeting, the IUF will elect officers or other volunteers, and otherwise do business and encourage the opinions and assistance of all interested convention attendees.

The meeting time should be as close to the end of the convention as possible, excepting on the final day, as people may have to leave before that time. At minimum, the meeting should be during the second half of the convention.

A minimum of two hours should be allocated, during which no other official convention events, other than open gym or other informal activities, should take place.

A meeting room must be provided that has adequate space/seating, lighting and acoustical properties to communicate and conduct the meeting. A lecture hall or theater are optimal locations, and a sound and/or projection system would be very helpful.

Other IUF meetings may be held during the convention, both public and private, but the strict requirements apply only to the big public meeting.

1C.20  Changes and Cancellations

The host reserves the right to make changes, if necessary, to ensure the success of a convention or competition. Sometimes these changes must be made at the last minute, such as in switching outdoor events for indoor in the event of rain. Sometimes activities must be cancelled due to events beyond the host’s control, such as weather or power outages. When changes or cancellations are made, notification must be posted, communicated and/or distributed as early as possible.

1D  Terminology

Event hosts must learn and use the proper names and terminology for our sport and competition events. They should take care not to continue the misuse of outdated or incorrect names and terminology. The correct ones must be used in all announcements, advertising, publicizing, internal and external documents, and especially in any official documents, such as those within, and printed out by, convention software. For example, the specific artistic event names are Individual Freestyle, Pairs Freestyle, Group Freestyle, Flatland, Street Comp, and Standard Skill. Note that the word Artistic is not part of any of the individual event names.

While we call our event “Unicon” (Unicycling Convention), remember this word is unfamiliar to the general public. Remember to spell out the full name of your event so people know what it’s about. If it doesn’t say unicycle or unicycling, the general public may not know what your event is about.

1D.1  Definitions

Age: Rider’s age for all age categories is determined by their age on the first day of the convention, regardless of whether any events occur that day. Time of birth, time zones and date of arrival at the convention are not relevant.

Championship Level: The Championship Level is the highest competition level of an event. Championship titles are only awarded from finals or final-rankings/overall-rankings at Championship Level. Championship Level events are usually defined without any preffix or suffix in their name.

Coasting: Unless stated differently, coasting is riding without touching pedals, cranks or any part of the wheel including the tire. (Freewheeling on a freewheel unicycle is not coasting.)

Convention Level: The Convention Level is a competition level in which no championship titles are awarded. The Convention Level supports the convention aspect of an event to allow for a broader field of participants who cannot or do not desire to compete at the highest level. Convention Level events must clearly indicate their affiliation to the Convention Level by a corresponding preffix or suffix in their name.

Expert / Junior Expert: The former word for the top category in events that don’t have a system to determine Finalists. Expert or Junior Expert mean events at championship level where there is only one round of competing and a final-/overall-ranking is determined based on this single round.

Figure: (noun) 1. A unicycle feat or skill, such as walking the wheel or riding backward, used to describe skills in the Standard Skill event. 2. A riding pattern, such as a circle or figure 8.

Finalist, Finals: A Finalist is a person, and “the Finals” is the last category or group in any event that has multiple rounds. For example in Track racing, the top riders from the age groups compete against each other in the Finals of most events.

Freewheel: Mechanism allowing the wheel to rotate while the cranks are stationary.

Gearing: Any mechanism that transfers the rotation speed of crank arms to a different rotation speed of wheel.

Gloves: (For racing) Any glove with thick material covering the palms (Leather is acceptable, thin nylon is not). Gloves may be fingerless, such as bicycling gloves, provided the palm of the hand is completely covered. Wrist guards, such as those used with in-line skates, are an acceptable alternative to gloves.

Head Coach: A leader of a team in Basketball, Hockey and Freestyle Large Group. A competitor who may or may not be riding in the event but is able to speak on the team’s behalf with Judges and Officials.

Helmet: Helmets must be of bicycle quality (or stronger), and should meet the prevalent safety standards for bicycle (or unicycle) helmets, such as ASTM, SNELL, CPSC, or whatever prevails in the host country. Helmets for sports other than cycling or skating are not permitted, unless the Referee makes exceptions. Helmets are required for some events as described in the Safety section of each chapter.

IUF: International Unicycling Federation. The IUF sponsors and oversees international competitions such as Unicon, creates rules for international competition, and promotes and provides information on unicycling in general.

Knee pads: Any commercially made, thick version is acceptable, such as those used for basketball and volleyball, or any with hard plastic caps. Knee pads must cover the entire knee and stay on during the whole length of the competition. Long pants, bandages or patches are not acceptable substitutes.

Muni: Mountain unicycling, or mountain unicycle. The previous term for this was UMX.

Non-unicycling Skills: (for Freestyle judging) The riding of any vehicle with two or more wheels on the ground, and any skills not performed on a unicycle. Any skill with more than one support point on the riding surface, such as standing on the unicycle with it lying on the floor, or hopping while standing on the frame (seat on floor); two contact points with the riding surface (wheel and seat), both carrying part of the rider’s weight. The term also refers to skills such as dance, mime, comedy, juggling, playing music or riding vehicles that do not meet the definitions of unicycles.

Prop: Almost anything other than the unicycle(s) being ridden by competitor(s) in a Freestyle performance. A unicycle being used for a non-unicycling skill (such as a handstand on it while it’s lying down) is a prop at that moment. A hat that is dropped and picked up from the floor is a prop. A pogo stick or a tricycle (unless ridden on one wheel) is a prop.

Shoes: Shoes with full uppers are required. This means the shoe must cover the entire top of the foot. Sandals or thongs are not acceptable. Shoelaces must not dangle where they can catch in crank arms.

Shin guards: Any commercially made, thick version is acceptable, such as those used for football or bicycling, or any with hard plastic shell. Shin guards must cover the shin and stay on during the whole length of the competition. Long pants, bandages or patches are not acceptable as substitutes.

Tire Contact Point: The center of the contact patch between the tire and the riding surface. Usually judged by eye.

Unicycle: A Unicycle is a vehicle that has a single rolling contact with the riding surface. It may have multiple wheels, but it must not be possible to ride the unicycle when more than one wheel touches the ground. It is driven by pedals and cranks which rotate to power the wheel. It is powered, balanced and controlled by the rider only, with no additional support devices. Unless noted otherwise, a unicycle may be fitted with handlebars and/or brake(s).

Unicycle, Regular: A regular unicycle is a unicycle with only one wheel. The cranks are fixed directly and permanently to the wheel’s axle. (This excludes unicycles with gearing even if in 1:1 ratio, a chain drive and/or a freewheel.) Unless noted otherwise, there are no wheel size and/or crank arm length limitations.

Ultimate wheel: A special unicycle consisting of only a wheel and pedals, with no frame or seat.

UMX: Unicycle Motocross. This term has been replaced by muni.

Unicycling skill: (noun, for Freestyle judging) Also known as ‘figure.’ Any skills (feats of balance) performed on a vehicle with one support point in contact with the riding surface, this being a wheel, the movement of which is controlled by the rider, thus maintaining balance. All mounts are also ‘unicycling skills.’

Unintentional dismount: In most cases, any part of a rider unintentionally touching the ground. A pedal and foot touching the ground in a sharp turn is not a dismount as long as the foot stays on the pedal while the pedal is on the ground. Dismounts during many races disqualify the rider.

Unicon: Unicycling World Championships and Convention. Unicon is an IUF-sanctioned event organized in partnership with a local host.

Wheel walking: Propelling the unicycle by pushing the top of the tire with one or both feet. Feet touch wheel only, not pedals or crank arms. A non-pushing foot may rest on the fork.