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By JOYANNA LOVE/ Senior Staff Writer

Some things are chances that may never come again.

Some chances do not come at a time when we can take them, but sometimes everything just falls into place.

Sometimes you “ride” the unicycle.

Last week, photographer Keith McCoy and I were at the Chilton County Children’s Club after-school program doing a feature on the unicycle class. After five weeks, some of the students have found their technique for staying upright most of the time, while others had more struggles to work through.

I interviewed students and the teachers involved while Keith caught the moments of triumph as students pushed off the wall and started to slowly pedal.

At one point, I turned to Keith and asked, “So, have you ever ridden a unicycle?”

“I have not,” he answered.

Neither had I.

All of that was about to change.

As the photos and interviews were winding down, and us adults were just admiring the students’ progress, Keith said, “I’ll do it if you will.”

Earlier, I had contemplated such an invitation from one of the teachers, but simply answered “I’m wearing the wrong shoes.” I was in my usual business casual work attire and dress shoes.

But with Keith’s statement came another opportunity to decide to go for it.

So, I did.

With Pam and Larry Koons holding me up, I managed to stay on the unicycle for about one rotation of the wheel. I now know why it often looks like unicyclists pedal forward, then backward a bit. It’s so the wheel does not rollout from under them.

Having the right people by your side when trying something new can be crucial to whether the experience is enjoyable or successful. I’m glad I went for it and the Koons were willing to help me out.

I now have one more thing on my list of things I’ve tried because I knew I would likely never have the chance again.

That list also includes rafting on the Ocoee River and sampling horse meat in Chile, but those are stories for another time.