Beneath the trees on Central Campus at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays, students balance on webbing and build connections with each other.
The Slackline Club is a student organization that engages in slacklining as a recreational activity. Slacklining is an activity where people try to balance on webbing and walk over it. There are many types of lines that can be used, of varying width and distance.
“Slacklining is similar to tight-rope; we tie a line similar to a ratchet strap across two trees,” Club President and junior in industrial design Julie Steeb said. “We usually set it a few feet in the air, and then we try to balance and walk across it.”
The club is open to anyone, regardless of experience level, and welcomes participants who may not be able to slackline. No equipment is required.
“Even if you can’t physically slackline, we still welcome people to hang out and try some other stuff if we happen to bring it along,” Club Treasurer and senior in forestry Leah Gildehaus said. “Just bring some stoke and sign the waiver, we’ll do the rest.”
During a club meeting, some members take turns walking on the line and doing tricks, while others come simply just to chat and do homework. Sometimes there are themes for the meetings, and members will bring items such as a hacky sack to entertain people.
“We hang out and teach each other tricks and skills,” Steeb said. “Some people just do homework while we’re there and chat. We have themes every week, or at least we try to. There was one day where we dressed in like rainbow colors.”
The club has been around for five years at Iowa State. It was created by alumni Lindsey Brode, who started it out of love for slacklining.
“The Slackline Club was founded by [Brode]; she’s now graduated,” Gildehaus said. “A few years ago, she found my friend, Wesley and me slacklining on campus and asked us to join the club. It’s been going on for a few years, and we hope to keep passing it down.”
The club sometimes collaborates with other clubs and student organizations to meet new people and have fun.
“Aside from themes, we also try to do club crossovers at least once a semester,” Steeb said. “In the past, we’ve worked with the Juggling and Unicycling club and the Mountaineering and Climbing club. We are always interested in doing collaborations with other clubs if they are interested.”
The club currently has five to 10 members who show up to every meeting, but sometimes it can be up to 20. It is a tight-knit group, as everyone is on a first-name basis and good friends.
“The Slackline club is so chill, everyone’s there just to hang out and it is a way that I get to spend time with my friends that I do not always get the chance to spend a lot of time with,” Club member and junior in animal science Chaelyne Albeza said.
Throughout the time at the club, there have been many fun moments, but one notable experience for Gildehaus was when an officer from the Iowa State University Police Department attended a meeting.
“One of my favorite moments was when Officer Alan Liu from ISUPD showed up to one of our jams last spring and hung out on our space net for a while,” Gildehaus said. “It’s always fun getting the community engaged and having unexpected special guests.”
However, when winter comes, the club goes on hiatus until spring due to the weather. Despite this, the club plans to meet indoors to find other ways to connect and have fun.
“In the winter, I’m thinking of planning some meetings or hangouts at my apartment or around campus,” Steeb said. “Since we’ll have to be indoors, we don’t have a space to do that. So I was thinking about club movie nights and other activities to stay engaged throughout the winter, even if it’s not as often.”
To learn more about the Slackline Club, check out their Instagram.