As the familiar signs of spring return to campus, students might notice an unfamiliar structure popping up among the fountains, flowers and green trees. That length of rope tethered between trees is not a restrictive barrier, nor is it there to keep the trees standing. Instead, it is the key piece of equipment for slacklining, a burgeoning activity on Saint Louis University’s campus.

Slacklining is, essentially, tightrope walking, except the rope is a strap about an inch wide and has a greater amount of allowable slack. There is not an official club for the sport at SLU, but there is an informal group of regulars, said junior David Shields.

“[Slacklining] is just a hobby we have . something that we bring out on the Quad instead of a soccer ball or a Frisbee,” Shields said.

He was introduced to the sport about two-and-a-half years ago during the first nice day of second semester. Many people use the sport to work on their core strength and balance.

While Shields has not been a regular participant since high school, he said he continues to enjoy the physical and social aspects of the sport. He said that anyone passing by is welcome to try slacklining when the line is up.

“There’s two types of reactions people have when they see us [slacklining],” he said. “They either look at us like we are weird, and they keep on walking, or they go, ‘Hey, I want to try it.'”

Outside of the line itself, no gear is needed. Most people walk on their bare feet, but some climbers prefer to use climbing shoes.

For anyone on the fence about participating due to fears about balance, Shields offers some insight.

“Some people are naturally good and don’t even know it till they try it out.”

One of the group’s regulars learned this a year ago when he first noticed Shields on the slackline and decided to give it a shot.

By the first day, junior Greg Vukelic was able to balance himself on the narrow line, and, after a month-and-a-half of practicing once or twice a week, he was able to walk across the line from start to finish.

Like Shields, he does not think of slacklining as exercise but rather as a social activity on the quad.

Vukelic advises anyone new to the sport that “[though] it may be frustrating, it’s easy to pick up if you keep putting time in [practicing].”

Not everyone is as enthusiastic about the sport, though. Jeff Macko, manager of SLU’s Grounds Services, hopes that anyone thinking about a slackline talks to him first.

He fears that damage could be done to the trees, especially smaller, thinner trees.

“My staff works hard in making this an oasis,” he said of the campus, and urged students to be careful since they could be unknowingly doing damage to SLU’s campus.

Shields acknowledged that slacklining poses a risk to trees but said he has been careful.

“I only use three trees on campus; they are right outside of DuBourg [Hall], where they park the golf carts, and [they] are so wide I cannot wrap my arms around them,” he said. “If I ever saw bark peeling off, we’d definitely stop.”