“I Was Always Finding My Own Limits”: An Interview With Oberlin’s Onewheeling Wonder, Zyra Boes

by Griffin Larson-Erf, Staff Writer

You’ve seen her around.

She zips through campus on an electronic skateboard—a “Onewheel,” as they’re called, the name taken from their manufacturer. Perhaps she drives a remote-controlled car at her side. Nobody knows who she is…or at least, nobody used to. The Grape managed to track down Zyra Boes, Oberlin figure of intrigue, for a brief conversation.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Griffin Larson-Erf: To begin with, have you always lived in the Oberlin area?

Zyra Boes: Technically I don’t live here, but I have been in the Oberlin area for probably 12 years now ‘cause my parents own Blue Rooster. Since I was around eight or nine, I’ve been here as a resident.

GLE: Where’s home for you?

ZB: About 30 minutes south of Oberlin. Small town. It’s called Sullivan.

GLE: Would you say that you have gained a fair amount of attention for Onewheeling around?

ZB: I would say I have. I’m sure it doesn’t subtract from the fact that I get noticed that I’m the only femme-presenting individual wearing [animal] ears most of the time, riding around on a [Onewheel]. I meet a lot of students and a lot of [other] people, and many of them are like, “Wait, are you the person with the wheel thing?” And I’m like, “That’s me.”

GLE: What draws you to Oberlin students?

ZB: I find them all to just be really lovely and fascinating people, from a lot of different backgrounds. I also appreciate the queer and LGBTQ community in Oberlin. Oberlin has been a safe space, especially considering that not everywhere, someone could go riding around in [a Onewheel] and feel completely safe, especially someone like myself.

GLE: Has interacting with students felt different as you’ve gotten older?

ZB: It definitely has. I think it’s the age dynamic of feeling different than people that are older than you. I never [felt] like I could approach students before, ‘cause I always thought they were kind of intimidating. I was a bit of a socially awkward child, so that didn’t help anything. I was homeschooled, then COVID happened, and then I did online school. I didn’t have a ton of social experience. I do think, funnily enough, that having a conversation starter, especially [one] like riding a Onewheel around, definitely [helped] me break out of my shell a little bit and start to talk to more people.

GLE: Have you ever been hurt while riding a Onewheel?

ZB: Yes. I’ve crashed many times. It’s an inevitable part of learning to ride at any speed above zero. It’s very easy to go too fast or hit a bump if you’re not prepared, and then get flung off of [your Onewheel]. I have two identical scars on my hips from sliding on the road, both in the exact same place but at two separate times. When people say, “That looks really fun, would you recommend them?” I always respond with a “No.” I think that if you’re passionate enough to want to get one, you’re not gonna listen to what I have to say about [riding a Onewheel].

GLE: Did your parents ever try to stop you from riding them?

ZB: They were concerned, but they were also the ones who bought one for me for my 16th birthday. They kind of knew what they were getting into, given [that] I’ve always been a bit of a child of chaos. I’ve been known to fall down on bikes and other things and get up. I think they knew that I was the type of person who would be okay if I fell down a few times, but they were definitely nervous.

GLE: What was it like to grow up as a child of chaos?

ZB: I’ve always been one to go against what people might conventionally say the rules are. Not that I want to break any laws or anything, or [that] I want to make anyone upset. If anyone told me to stop riding somewhere, I would, but I definitely do push the limits of things. I’ve always found ways of riding vehicles or making things at home that might be a bit dangerous. I think I was always finding my own limits.

GLE: It’s just so interesting, because you have the ability to be scared of some things, but really strong in the face of other, even more dangerous things.

ZB: That does confuse me sometimes, looking back on when I was a bit more socially distant. The same person that would jump down a flight of stairs would also be very scared to go up to people and introduce themselves. Maybe it was just born out of a necessity to have something that I felt a bit stronger about, considering that I internally felt more socially awkward and shy about things. For self-esteem purposes, it was necessary for me to find other avenues in which I was really confident.

GLE: How do you want Oberlin, as a community, to see you?

ZB: I would hope that everyone would think about me as the cool Onewheel girl who does the tricks and flies the drones. I try to stay out of people’s way so that no one ever has a negative association with me. I feel like that’s probably the way most people in Oberlin view me, students and [others] alike, but I have no way of knowing for sure. I’m being who I am, and I’ll let people judge me from there.