Wobbling Mammoths: How a Slackline Took Over the First-Year Quad

The First-Year Quad is a quintessential Amherst space: Towering oak and maple trees shade students as they sit in Adirondack chairs, toss frisbees, or compete in a heated game of Spikeball. This semester, though, alongside these familiar scenes, a new pastime has kept students on their toes. 

If you’ve walked across the quad recently, chances are you’ve seen the tightrope strung between the trees near North Hall, with students struggling to keep their balance and cheering each other on.

Slacklining involves walking across a three- to four-inch-wide piece of webbing anchored between two points. The sport has many variations, including highlining, which involves slacklining over high altitudes, and tricklining, which involves flipping or jumping while on a slackline. It is also used as a way to improve balance and strengthen your core for other sports, such as rock climbing or skiing. Here at Amherst, though, beyond its physical challenge, slacklining is a source of fun and community.

This week, we talked to the students behind the slacklines to see how this balancing act has formed one of the most charming student groups on campus.

From Oregon to Orientation

Cooper Merrill ’29, a first-year from Sisters, Oregon, brought the first slackline to campus this semester. His slacklining journey began six years ago when his mom gave him one for Christmas. He practiced in his yard with friends, but when the pandemic began, they had to stop.

Before coming to college, the activity unexpectedly made a comeback in Merrill’s life. “This summer, I was at work when I saw a flyer for a slackline meetup in town,” Merrill said. “It was crazy because my town was pretty small, so nothing really ever happens. I decided I had to go see what it was about.” 

It was there that Merrill met a pro-slackliner, who would help him hone his slacklining skills over the summer. “Every week, I’d go hang out with him and his dad and slackline,” he said. “He’d show me some of the tricklining and highlining stuff too.”

While Merrill intended to leave slacklining in Oregon, he decided at the last minute to pack a slackline into his bags when preparing to leave for college. On move-in day, Merrill set up his slackline, which immediately caught the attention of many students. 

From that day onward, Merrill set up his slackline on the quad every day and practiced with his roommate, Simon Iradukunda ’29. More first-years joined, turning the corner of the quad on the slant by Johnson Chapel and North Hall into a slacklining hotspot.  

“We made a GroupMe within the first few days that now has 60-something people in it, almost all first-years. I think the most we had on the quad at one point was probably 20 or 25 people,” Merrill explained. Word of the “club” has spread throughout the Five Colleges. “We’ve even met people from [the University of Massachusetts, Amherst] who came by to try it,” said Merrill.

During the first three weeks of the semester, the group met every single day. “Now that midterms hit, it’s slowed down a bit, but whenever we set it up, there’s still five or six people around,” Merrill said.

Words from Slackliners 

Fellow slackliners shared what drew them in.

“[Slacklining] was not something I imagined doing here,” said Nick Amaya ’29. “But once I tried it, I got it. You can’t explain the feeling without being on the line.”

Nathan Waldron ’29, one of the first people to notice the slacklines, also had many positive things to say. 

“After I stopped by once, it became part of almost every day,” Waldron said. “Most of the time, we weren’t even slacklining. I just like hanging out and talking with the people that show up.”

Not everyone who joins comes solely to slackline. Many stop by to connect with others, and meaningful friendships have grown out of the shared experience. 

“Cooper is also a great guy,” Waldron said.  “Now that I’m reflecting, I appreciate how generous he was to let a bunch of strangers — at the time — use his personal gear.”

Many of the participants emphasized how welcoming the group feels. “The slackers are amazing. It is such a friendly community and everyone loves interacting with each other,” Amaya said. Waldron added that “everyone except Cooper was new to it, so it felt like a totally judgment-free zone.”

Looking Ahead

As slacklining gained substantial popularity, the question of registering it as an official club on campus naturally arose. “We talked about forming a club,” Merrill said. “But decided against it for now. Chartering is a lot of paperwork, and we’re not sure it’d change anything. We don’t need funding, we just hang the lines we already have.”

As the weather turns colder, the future of the slackline is looking a little … slippery. “It’s definitely not gonna be as big in the winter,” Merrill said. “The wind makes it trickier since the line vibrates. But, I made a promise to myself that I’ll do it at least once in the snow.”

There’s also one non-student who wants to get in on the fun. “We got verbal confirmation from [President Michael] Elliott that he’ll try it,” Merrill said, grinning. “We’re holding him to that.”

For now, though, the slackliners remain one of Amherst’s most wholesome spectacles. And hey, maybe the next time you see the line, why not step on and join the herd?