In the Spring of 2012, two KSU students dared to do the impossible. Fortunately, the campus police stopped them before they took the risk and endangered their lives.
Line Time members Derek Cox and Benjamin Brandstetter attempted to tight-rope in the Buruss building across the stairs in Feb. last year. For their safety, their stunt was stopped before it took place.
Sadly, this dangerous event led to the campus police banning all slack-line activities on campus. What was once a social and leisurely activity was now considered a serious crime.
However, this new safety concern didn’t sit well with Cox and Brandstetter. They had to fix their mistake that now affected all students. Ultimately, they wanted everyone to enjoy slacklining again, and so they created the new club “Line Time.”
Line Time became an official RSO student organization at the beginning of the Fall 2012 semester. The purpose of Line Time is to “promote the leisure sport of slacklining and unite the already prominent group of slackliners on campus.” Derek Cox, Line Time President, said.
The club is open to all levels of slackliners: beginners, intermediate and advanced. They try to meet weekly on the campus green, but the weather plays a big role in their scheduling since it is an outdoor activity.
Furthermore, slack liners only set up their lines about waist high between trees on the campus green usually.
In this way, they can still enjoy this challenging activity while also respecting the safety of everyone.
In just one semester, the club has grown exponentially and now consists of about 50 members. There are no fees or time commitments to joining Line Time, but it is mandatory to fill out a liability waiver to participate.
What if a member doesn’t have a slack line? Not to worry! “All the members communicate on Facebook when they will be on the green and everyone is open to sharing their slack line…in this way, we’re also building community,” Derek Cox, President of Line Time, said.
Even more, KSU is one of the few universities that have a slacklining club. It is inspiring to see how one mistake actually benefited our campus because it added to the diversity of the clubs offered here at Kennesaw State University.
So, what’s in store next for Line Time? “Well, right now we’re just concentrating on adding more members to our club and teaching them the basics of slack lining,” Cox said. Learning the basic skills of slack lining is key, so that no one risks their safety.
Can we be expecting a slack lining competition in the future? “Wow! That’d be awesome if we had a competition! I definitely want to look into the requirements to see how we could arrange that.”
One of the most popular slack lining companies, Gibbon, has introduced a new tight rope trampoline material that is used for trick-lining. Competitions are now held all over the world that judge on speed and hardcore tricks.
Want to take on the challenge of balance and swiftness?
Or just check out awesome pictures and videos? Join Line Time today by liking their Facebook page Line Time (www.facebook/timetoline).
