It’s very uncertain where Arizona State’s Slack Devils will be after this semester. What is concrete, though, is the feel-good aura outside on Hayden Lawn and the Memorial Union.
That laid-back environment mixed in with a little challenge on the line is ideally what the Slack Devils want to keep going, even for years down the road. Still, the future is uncertain.
“I have no idea,” graduate Nick Lopez said when it comes to ASU’s slackline future. “I don’t see it changing for bad or for worse. It’s not going anywhere. Slackline will go on.”
That is, at least for the window period Lopez has given the sport here at ASU — three or four years. Lopez, who’s been here since the club’s conception on the Tempe campus, remembers back in the day.
Lopez said that slacklining was a chick magnet for the most part. They weren’t just balancing on the lines but hooting and hollering across the lawn at the girls passing. It was a sort of an incentive, but as time passed, Lopez said that they have “stopped the creepy part.”
One thing the club has kept consistent — and even more now — are their meetings and how often they schedule their slackline sessions. Slack Devils gather five days each week. For that, Lopez is proud. The club has made serious strides through its time.
If that wasn’t encouraging enough, to make up for the lack of girls, they dished more of their love into the hammocks gathered under the trees -- with the military-grade line encompassing them, of course.
As far as encouraging new members, Lopez, soaking up the sun, said that they’re just letting their own appeal attract newcomers. They have been more passive-aggressive in advertising and they gather more to just socialize, Lopez said.
There has also been a drop in numbers; participation has been down since last semester. But with the ten or so there — with a couple newbies — the passion is still stronger than ever. Charles Crouse, a non-degree seeking student and former Marine, keeps that attraction strong.
Looking out from the sidewalk, you see Crouse twisting, turning and walking the line—all with a smile on his face. Crouse, visit his wife, Jessica, also an ASU student, would be captivated by slack lining each time he passed. Lopez’s theory of letting Slack Devil’s appeal attract newcomers worked.
Crouse became hooked.
“It’s incredibly addictive and it’s ruining me academically,” said Crouse, who has been practicing slacklining for a month.
For Crouse, slacklining is a testament to his will power not to fail. Crouse said that falling is failing but if he’s learned anything from the Marines in his four years there, he’s learned to “get back on,” so to speak.
“I probably would’ve given up (on slacklining) if it wasn’t for the Marines,” Crouse said. “You’re only as good as how much time you put into it.”
The Marines have taught Crouse the benefits of patience and discipline when it comes to new challenges. Crouse said that he has become a more competitive person, even when it comes down to just pushing himself.
With competition, there is also focus. Slacklining is kind of like meditating, Crouse said. He believes that to achieve full balance, you must focus on yourself and not the distractions around you. This is why he enjoys it.
As for academically and even in his marriage, Crouse said that his wife, a dual-major who does not have the time to participate, gets jealous because he can play on the line all day. It’s a passion built for two and they share that love for the sport.
Whether depleting a student’s GPA or instilling careless jealousy into marriage, there’s alternative gains to slacklining. Sophomore Josh Brown is the example.
The exploratory major interested in pursuing business, Brown does not like to settle, and uses slacklining to aid in another club at Arizona State.
“I like to challenge myself,” Brown said. “When I got here (slack lining), I was wobbly (on the line). I said ‘no’ and just started hanging around.”
Brown has been practicing slacklining for about a month as well, and has seen his balance improve. His goal is to be able to backflip off the line.
So, as for slacklining’s future here at ASU, it is unforeseeable for now. The club has hooked a few members since last semester but has also lost some. Participation and numbers fluctuate.
What it looks like is that the fate of this club is in the hands of those like Crouse and Brown. They would have to pass on the knowledge and happiness the sport brings them.
“We have to carry out the knowledge of slack lining and the environment,” Lopez said.
Wondering what other sport Josh Brown does? Read my next post to see how slacklining has helped him in another acrobatic sport.
Do you have any awesome, unusual sports to share? Contact me at bcapria@asu.edu.
