MIAMI (WSVN) - For one former South Florida athlete, his current job doing what he fell in love with as a boy has taken him to great heights.
When Wesley Williams isn’t standing on the ground, he’s several dozen feet in the air, performing on his unicycle.
“What I do is a daredevil. I mean, it’s a different way of being one, ’cause I’m a unicyclist,” he said.
Williams is one of the main acts for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The one-time Weston soccer player, who once made the U.S. Junior National Team, is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for riding the tallest unicycle, at nearly 35 feet.
For Williams, it’s a journey that has come full circle.
“I got a unicycle for Christmas after seeing Ringling when I was just 6 years old, and that was where it sparked the dream to want to perform,” he said. “It’s brought me all the way back to the Greatest Show on Earth, which gets to play in my hometown, so it’s going to be wild.”
The 26-year-old has performed in the circus for more than 10 years. Four years ago, he said, his unicycle malfunctioned. The towering fall from nearly 30 feet caused severe injuries, including a broken back.
Williams said he was determined to get back on his unicycle after going through this ordeal: seven operations, two metal plates, 35 screws, 83 stitches.
“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it’s all been a part of the journey,” he said. “Obviously, that was one of those defining moments: whether you continue or you don’t.”
Williams understands the risk-reward of his job.
“If you have a routine, and I do definitely myself, you’ve got to be in the zone,” he said, “and when you get up on that unicycle, there’s no second thoughts. You’ve got to be in the zone, you’ve got to ride.”
Williams is on various unicycles throughout the two-hour-plus circus performance.
“The audience starts chanting my name, and it’s just something you’ve never experienced before,” he said. “You feel a rush in your heart. You’ve obviously got to focus on this daring stunt you’ve got to do, but to hear an arena full of people chanting your name is just incredible.”
Williams said he doesn’t plan on riding away from the circus anytime soon.
“I think it’s in my blood. I think the entertainment, the edge to be the best in the world, is something that probably won’t die off for a while now,” he said.
Williams said he will continue to perform in the circus as long he loves it. As far as greater heights on his unicycle, he said 40 feet could be next.
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