Watch unicyclists play flaming puck hockey at Unicon in Bemidji

BEMIDJI, Minn. — People here have been watching and playing hockey for centuries, but has the puck ever been on fire and the players on top of unicycles?

Unicon, the Olympics of unicycling that drew more than 1,200 athletes from around the world to Bemidji for two weeks of competitions, introduced the community to flaming puck hockey on Tuesday night.

When Orlyn Loge, a retired pharmacist in town, heard about flaming puck hockey, he and his wife Audrey had to see it to believe. They joined a crowd of curious folks lined around a makeshift rink set up in the parking lot of Bemidji City Hall. The “ice” was concrete, the boards plywood.

“We really were surprised at how they can possibly do it. I just don’t understand,” Loge said. “Of course, I don’t understand how they can do a unicycle. But a unicycle at full speed and play hockey? We had kids that played hockey on skates. That was awesome enough for me. This is just ridiculous.”

For this hot game of hockey, the puck is actually a poi ball cut from the string that performers twirl and spin in the air. The ball is soaked in fuel to stay ignited for as long as possible.

A referee uses kitchen tongs to place the ball inside the rink before lighting it on fire. With a hockey stick, the ref slaps the ball into the center and game on.

Instead of large nets the size of bathtubs, small plastic milk crates served as goals.

The No. 1 rule? Keep the blazing ball low to the ground to avoid hitting players and spectators.

Mission accomplished.

“It’s not too bouncy. It’s got more weight than a tennis ball,” said Marin Cohan, of Madison, Wis., who played, scored a goal and helped organize the games Tuesday night.

She got into unicycling when she was 5 thanks to her babysitter, who was also at Unicon.

Friday is the last day of the unicycling convention that kicked off last week. To see any of the remaining acts and competitions, find a schedule at unicon21.us.