City
Slackers hope to start slacklining revolution
Emily Sukiennik, of Concord, N.H., balances on a slackline at center court in the Auburn Mall on Monday afternoon.
Michael Payton of Boulder, Colo., balances on a slackline at center court in the Auburn Mall on Monday afternoon.
AUBURN — They describe it as liberating and challenging all at the same time — a true test of one's ability to mentally focus while maintaining constant balance on a line a little less than 2-inches wide.
Oh, yeah — there's also that element of thrill-seeking danger when you string that same little yellow line — which looks very similar to those ratchet straps you use on your car — across a ravine 3,000 feet deep.
Welcome to the world's latest extreme sport — slacklining.
"It took me out of my daily life and gave me something to challenge myself and something to focus on," said Emily Sukiennik of Concord, N.H. "People just really like (slacklining) because it's a combination of your mind and your body and people just really like it because it's a fun challenge."
Sukiennik and her partner, Michael Payton of Colorado were at the Auburn Mall Monday in hopes generating interest in the Twin Cities. The pair work for Gibbon, which manufacturers slackline kits that start at $80 for a basic setup. The two were in town to help raise awareness about the sport and allow people to test the company's equipment, which is now being sold at Percy's Burrow in the mall.
"It's fun. You get to bounce around and it's really bouncy," said Norliyana Menes, 10, of Buckfield, who spent hours at the demonstration area set up on the mall stage. "You really have to concentrate. In the beginning, it's hard."
Slacklining is a balance sport using nylon webbing stretched between two anchor points. Developed in the 1980s by rock-climbing enthusiasts, the sport differs from tightrope walking because the line is not stretched taut. Instead, the line has a bit of "slack," making it dynamic — stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline, Sukiennik said.
In most instances, the line is strung low to the ground between two trees several feet apart.
Thus, the name — slacklining. There are a wide range of variations to this combination of strength, balance and coordination — including a favorite pastime practiced by both Sukiennik and Payton known as highlining.
Highlining takes slacklining to all new heights — literally. The extreme sport involves walking a slackline across ravines. The deepest for the two Gibbon experts is 3,000 feet.
Percy's Burrow owner Laurie St. Pierre said she hopes to bring the demonstration back again this fall. Like Sukiennik and Payton, she agrees that the sport could take off in much the same way that skateboarding and snowboarding did years ago.
"Once they try it, they fall in love with it," St. Pierre said. "It's a great exercise. You can do it in your backyard."
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As a slackliner myself, I'd
As a slackliner myself, I'd love to get a word in here. I've been slacklining for about wo years now and have come to really love it. While I don't do the awesome flips that Mike and others can do, and might not have the yoga moves down that the yogaslackers are so fantastic at, but slacklining for me is a really meditative practice. there is something very calming and wonderful about walking the line back and forth, feeling and balancing your body as you walk.
Slacklining is my way of finding calm in a bustling world, and it is wonderful. I hope that people out there see the positives of the sport. there are always negatives you can point out about something, but slacklining, in my mind, deserves this recognition and this article and is, in fact, newsworthy.
Thanks for listening!
slackline is FUN for the whole family
I will go ahead and bet a million bucks that none of the people below with something negative to say have ever given slackline a fair try, if even at all. Slackline is an excellent tool to increase balance, body awareness, reaction time, ontop of strengthening your Core, Quads, Calves, Feet and Knees. Aside from all of the physical benifits you get from slackline, It is just FUN! everyone from 2 y/o kids to 80 y/o grandparents have fun on these things. You're never going to be able to control people, that why it is important to teach your kids safety just like you would for any other activity(swimming, skateboarding, climbing, biking etc..)
Didn't kids like this used to
Didn't kids like this used to run away and join the circus?
maybe
They might have run away to join the circus. But now the circus comes and finds them and pays them well.
verified You call this newsworthy?
I can see the meeting at the Sun Journal Let's see.....what story should we put at the top of our web page? "BP shares plunge as next Gulf fix gets underway "? naaaaahh "Maine official: Ohio hiker lost seeking shortcut "? Boriiiiiiiiing "Tropical Storm Agatha kills 150 in Central America" ? too depressing. I know! How about "Slackers hope to start slacklining revolution" YEAH!!!
hey you
don't they do this and call it tight rope?
no, no they don't
this isn't tight rope. Not by any means. Tight rope is a rope, or wire, pulled taught and guyed down to eliminate movement. Slacklines are flat webbing, pulled tight enough so you don't bottom out when you walk it. There is way more movement on a slackline than a tight rope. Slacklining is harder.
Is this a freaking JOKE?
Is this a freaking JOKE?
World needs more slackers ;-}
Slow news day
Way Sweet!
I love slacklining and it is great for kids to learn how to do. I had a chance to meet Mike and Emily before and they were just excellent at teaching people how to get into the sport and to keep things safe.
What a lot of people don't realize about "highlining" is that is really hard to put up a line that is high off of the ground. The slacklines they are selling cannot and are unable to be used across ravines, and other heights. I wouldn't worry about kids going out and attempting this. I would be more worried about an adult trying to go up high and hurting themselves than a child. Highlining has an excellent record of having no deaths or serious injuries related to it. This is mainly because it is so hard to rig it, and the people that do this are ultra safe when they do it. People hurt themselves way more walking down some stairs than highlining.
verified Very poor choice of news
Very poor choice of news reporting by the Sun Journal.
Oh great entice kids into
Oh great entice kids into doing another stupid act of danger which they could get killed !!! Rags that portray such acts to children as fun while dangling 3000 ft above the ground "hey Dumb A You dont have a clue do you" if a child goes out after reading your article and either seriously hurts themselfs or worse I hope your pockets are big enough!!!
This reminds me of Ace
This reminds me of Ace Venture when nature calls
Slackline is FUN for the whole family
I will go ahead and bet a million bucks that none of the people below with something negative to say have ever given slackline a fair try, if even at all. Slackline is an excellent tool to increase balance, body awareness, reaction time, ontop of strengthening your Core, Quads, Calves, Feet and Knees. Aside from all of the physical benifits you get from slackline, It is just FUN! everyone from 2 y/o kids to 80 y/o grandparents have fun on these things. You're never going to be able to control people, that why it is important to teach your kids safety just like you would for any other activity(swimming, skateboarding, climbing, biking etc..)
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