He discovered slacklining in college, more specifically in the dormitories. The year always kicked off with an ice cream social event to invite all the new freshman to socialize and meet each other. It was here that he first saw his RA doing a spectacular balancing trick while eating a bowl of rocky road ice cream. He tried it again and again that night and has been enthusiastically addicted ever since. Michael has now been slacklining for two and a half years and has just won the Men’s Championship at the ISPO competition in Germany.

I have always been into sports (running, lacrosse, ice hockey, soccer… you name it). My Dad got me into sports at a young age (he had me on ice hockey skates at age 5!) I started rock climbing about 3 years ago in North Carolina while at college and have been mostly bouldering since then. In March 2009, I started work at a climbing gym outside of Berkeley, CA called Bridges that also focuses on slacklining. I tried it and fell off a bunch of times; yet despite my instant failure I was hooked. Something about it just really clicked with me. I loved the physical challenge of simply balancing, the mental focus required, the mind/body awareness, and the part of me that just had to get across that line! I started to slackline every day and the rate at which I was improving really astounded me. After about a week I was consistently walking back and forth. From there, I started working on tricks, challenging myself on longer lines, and began training to walk the Lost Arrow Spire Highline in Yosemite Valley. The moment I saw photos of this line I knew I had to walk it! 55 feet long and nearly 3,000 feet high I walked it on June 7th, 2009. My life had changed. Slacklining became more than just a hobby for me, it became a lifestyle: being outside, keeping active and fit, enjoying the company of others, supporting one another, and challenging myself more and more in completely new and different ways. I really can’t say enough about the sport!

To all the girls out there getting on the slackline for the first time: try not to worry about falling, you cant learn to slack without bailing at least a few times, and the harder a trick is, the more falls it takes to get it right!

I’ve been a gymnast for 6 years now, so when I saw slacklining for the first time, I was naturally hooked. Some guys were setting up in the park and invited me over to check it out. A week later I landed my first line-to-line backflip. The next week, I learned how to walk the line. I love slacklining because you can really just let your tricks flow.

I am going to school to be a physical education and health education teacher. I believe in living a very healthy life. As a health educator I believe that one of the most challenging things about aging is movement and balance. Slacklining can really play a huge role on that. Improving your balance at a young age will improve your balance through your lifetime. Slacklining is also a great mental work out. Focusing your brain 100% on your body feels great and allows you to focus in on other things outside of slacklining. As a physical educator I see many benefits to slacklining. In this fast paced life we live in these days everything we can do to stay active and raise your heart rate is great for your body. I have found major benefits from slacklining; my balance has improved, my mental acuity has improved, and my fitness level has improved. All of these have helped with my other sports I am involved with, especially skiing. I have been a skier for 20 years and ski raced for most of them, as a coach slacklining is a great training tool for athletes.