I'm a slacker

My latest obsession involves balancing and slowly moving along a long strip of nylon webbing, somewhere around one to two inches wide, strung between two anchor points. The goal is simple: walk end to end. The execution of that goal can be frustrating, but it's insanely fun. With the right people, the frustration goes away. This is the wonderful sport of slackline. 

I started slacklining by accident. What started as an attempt to take photos for a class assignment turned into being coerced onto the beginner's line. My friend Kevin was nice enough to force me to try it. "You can't come to a Platty Slack meeting and not try it," he insisted. Given my awkward nature and tendency to embarrass easily, I was nervous learning something new in front of people I'd just met, but I didn't fight Kevin on his request. My curiosity and desire to learn beat out any part of me trying to avoid inevitable embarrassment. Plus, it looks so darn fun.

As per usual, my mind jumped to the worst case scenario: that everybody was watching and waiting to laugh at my feeble attempts to slackline. And, as usual, I was wrong. The members of Platty Slack welcomed me with open arms, words of encouragement and high-fives. So many high-fives. It's intoxicating to be in an environment with almost excessive positivity. Each time I failed, Kevin was there to tell me what I did right and what to do better next time. He's just happy to share his passion with others. 

Much like at a Ben & Jerry's, everyone oozes happiness at slackline. Even when I grew frustrated with the 1-inch flowline (see image to the left) I couldn't help but smile. That's the best part of slackline, the fun. Club president Steve Larson will congratulate you after finally walking the line, but as long as you're having a good time, he's pleased. Actually, any member of slackline does the same. Slackers have a passion for what they do, but more than that they love to share it. 



Slackline is severely underrated; even more underrated are those who practice it. I constantly state that the track team is where I belong. My teammates are on my level of weird, yet one or two people manage to rub me the wrong way. With Platty Slack, I've never felt more accepted by a group of people. It's hard to put into words why. This feeling inspires me to avoid those who bring me down. Why waste my time on individuals who are content with tearing me down? The past few months I've been consistently happy, and I attribute that to the people I surround myself with. I cut out the negativity and focused on who and what makes me happy. Platty Slack plays a key role in that and I couldn't be happier.