Juggling Tasks: Marshall Torsch, a senior in elec­tri­cal engi­neer­ing tech­nol­ogy, was inspired to learn to uni­cy­cle by his uncle, who used the skill as a method to impress. Photo By: Kristyn Sonnenberg | Photo Editor

While most Ferris stu­dents ride two wheels to class, uni­cy­clist Marshall Torsch needs only one. Known by Ferris stu­dents as “the uni­cy­clist,” Torsch has gained a rep­u­ta­tion for the seem­ingly impos­si­ble act of bal­anc­ing on one wheel.

An elec­tri­cal engi­neer­ing tech­nol­ogy senior, Torsch has been prac­tic­ing rid­ing the uni­cy­cle since August 2009. Unlike many trained uni­cy­clists, Torsch said his abil­ity to bal­ance on a sin­gle wheel has been self-taught.

“As for learn­ing, I did it all myself,” said Torsch. “I started off hold­ing onto a wall and try­ing to keep my bal­ance, and then used a pole after my cousin told me a trick to learning.”

Torsch admits learn­ing to ride the uni­cy­cle was no easy chal­lenge. He said he recalls falling numer­ous times before find­ing a tech­nique to keep­ing his bal­ance while peddling.

“After a lot of falls, I finally got to be able to pedal a few times,” said Torsch. “Then it was just keep­ing the rhythm and bal­ance going.”

Still, Torsch’s inter­ests in mas­ter­ing the uni­cy­cle kept him try­ing to acquire new meth­ods of rid­ing it. He said his intrigue in learn­ing the com­plex cycle came from see­ing his own uncle’s skills atop its sin­gle wheel. Believing it couldn’t pose that tough of a chal­lenge, Torsch began prac­tic­ing. He said most of the fun of rid­ing the uni­cy­cle comes from the chal­lenge of keep­ing his balance.

“What inter­ests me the most is the fun of just rid­ing it,” said Torsch. “It takes more work than a bike and that’s what makes it fun.”

Seen rid­ing through the quad and other var­i­ous loca­tions at Ferris, Torsch said he receives many dif­fer­ent reac­tions from stu­dents who catch him cycling to class. Occasionally, Torsch said he also expe­ri­ences stu­dents inter­ested in want­ing to attempt a ride on his unicycle.

“Reactions dif­fer accord­ing to the type of per­son,” said Torsch. “I have had peo­ple go out of their way to come talk to me and tell me how awe­some it was that I was so good at rid­ing it.”

Assistant Professor Luiz Costa said he was stunned the first time he saw Torsch’s rid­ing abil­ity. He said see­ing some­one ride the uni­cy­cle to class is very uncommon.

“The first time I saw it, I thought it was some­thing admirable,” said Costa. “It’s not easy to find folks that can do that.”

Unlike rid­ing a bike to class, Torsch’s uni­cy­cle is sim­ply taken with him wher­ever he goes. Torsch admits to even car­ry­ing it along­side him into his professor’s classrooms.

Not lim­it­ing him­self to the uni­cy­cle, Torsch has another skill he pairs with rid­ing a sin­gle wheel.

“I can also jug­gle while on the uni­cy­cle,” said Torsche. “It’s a lit­tle tricky on side­walks that are uneven, but it’s doable.”

Look for Torsche and his unique abil­ity on the Ferris cam­pus. You might catch a glimpse of this man on one wheel.

Check out Torsche on his uni­cy­cle at http://​www​.fsu​torch​.com/​2​0​1​0​/​0​4​/​2​1​/​w​e​b​-​e​x​c​l​u​s​i​v​e​/​u​n​i​c​y​c​l​e​r​-​a​t​-​f​su/