A very cool thing…

We were introduced to a new “sport” last Sunday.  Slacklining.  I’d never heard of such a thing until a couple of Sam’s lab partners invited us to join them at Lake Raleigh on Sunday afternoon.

This is Alex making it look easy.

This is Sam making it look easy. 

So it’s easy, right?  Not so much.  The guys pulled a nylon strap, about 1 1/2 inches wide, as taught as they could between two posts.  The contestants hop on, balancing themselves while trying to bounce or shake each other off.  The trouble is, once you actually get both feet off the ground and onto that little bit of ribbon, your legs wobble and you shake uncontrollably.  It really is amazing how it happens in spite of all your focused concentration, use of every conceivable balancing position, and a gritting of the teeth.  Let’s throw in exclamations of disbelief, too…as though that really negates physics.

Oh, and while you are expending all of your mental and core muscle energies just trying to stay on, your admiring compatriots are beaning you with hacky sacks.

 

I tried my feet at it a couple of times (the challenge is quite addicting), but Sam wasn’t so keen on the “two” of me possibly pitching to the ground.  So instead I got a kick out of  watching, snapping pictures, joining slyly in the “beaning”, and was burnt to a crisp.

 

A new attempt.  And they decided to scrap this one.

Now we know what we’ll be setting up once we return to Virginia!