When Johnny Cash insisted on “walking the line,” he did not mean with acrobatics included. He did not mean to do twists and turns, handstands or backflips; especially when that line is a tubular, inch-wide military grade rope that suspends in the air.
Slack line, a cross-training sport and a sport on its lonesome, is among the few unusual sports. Like a circus tightrope, these slack liners reenact the whole nine, the twists and turns—these acrobats are a testament of balance. Some athletes that find balance to be a key skill for their respective sport use slack lining as a cross-trainer. It aids in the development of muscle memory and dynamic endurance.
In the sport of rock climbing, this technique is also practical when transitioning to a rock that is further away. It has become a typical method and strategy when climbing.
“I’m a gymnast and I thought it would be easy,” says senior Jason Sanchez, who is majoring in Finance, Business and Law, Accounting and Supply and Chain Management. “But it took a solid week to get down. It’s fun, it’s a good stress reliever and I can take a break from all of those classes.”
So, on the Hayden Lawn in Tempe, they practice. Tied between two, thick-trunked trees is the elastic rope. Having the set up there Monday through Thursday, President Alan Wellard and the Slack Devils work on the fundamentals, waiting for the muscle memory to kick in. According to Wellard, slack lining has a “very steep learning curve”.
What is an advantage of the location and the fact that the sport is muscle memory, Wellard can teach multiple people. The sport is knowledge by doing, an experience-driven sport.
“At first you’re like ‘how do I balance?’ But then it becomes second nature,” says Wellard, a senior who is majoring in Psychology.
The Slack Devils have been an official club since 2008. According to graduate student Nick Lopez, the slack lining club had started only a couple years prior to it being a club. It had been a “loose gathering” of people to start but then began to expand. Lopez is looking to get his Master’s diploma in Liberal Studies and has been affiliated with slack lining since its beginning at Arizona State University.
“You come when you feel like it but people start wanting to do it. You get committed people,” says Lopez. The club is open participation for any interested members.
For a sport that requires equilibrium physically, it also brings equilibrium socially. Wellard can see the swarm of “slackers”—taking off their shoes and having a go at the elastic line.
“Slack line brings us together but that’s not where it ends. We’re very sociable and that’s the type of environment we foster,” says Wellard.
Slack lining has no competition or schedule lined up. The club’s objective is to just give students something to do in between classes, to ironically give students a reason not to slack but be proactive with their time.
The club gathers in the Hayden Lawn weekly and during this semester, from noon to around four. That is, if the excitement settles.
“It’s something to do, it’s fun,” says Wellard.
Any sport stories? E-mail me at bcapria@asu.edu.
