The above photo gives a whole new meaning to finding balance in your life. On Friday afternoon, this college student was practicing tightrope walking on nylon webbing clamped to two trees on UNCG’s campus. He had a friend with him and they were taking full advantage of the sunny, delightful weather and the open space behind between the cafeteria and student union.

Another term for the above practice is slacklining, which is a way to practice balance. While walking on rope in some form has been around for centuries, the concept of slacklining is generally attributed to rock climber Adam Grosowsky in Illinois in 1976- when he was only 16 years old. Adam took his talent to Evergreen State College (in WA) in 1979, where other students became interested in slacklining. Since 2010, the World Slackline Federation has tried to establish slacklining as a competitive sport.* 

The activity is practiced with yoga moves, over water, in urban areas, at high elevations, and in many other ways. To be sure, it is quite a balancing act; a perfect metaphor for navigating college, personal, and professional life. Slacklining is a way to make the life’s balancing acts visible and tangible. Greensboro is lucky to have all so many institutions of higher education where students not only learn, but teach their adopted communities a thing or two.

(Wonder if anybody local sells the kits). 

* reference and more information, here.