JEFF ANTENORE Freshmen Anthony Floris,
Paul Lillig and Stanley Setiawan
play hacky sack in front of Sproul Hall.
By Oshin Aivazian
Daily Bruin Contributor
You may not know it, but you are in the midst of a hacky sack
revolution. More people are lacing up their Rod Lavers (special
shoes for playing hacky sack) and making the Sunset Quad their
stage for daredevil moves.
Hacky sack is gaining attention as a serious sport ““ one
worthy of club competition.
It is a sport for people who don’t limit their athletic
skills to the rules of football or basketball. Instead, hacky sack
represents athletic originality by the invention of moves that set
precedents: rip-tides, mirages and flying clippers always being
modified through even more extreme action.
The casual aspect of hacky sack appeals to most students, as
they don’t have to spend a great amount of time and money to
play the game.
“The good thing is that it can be played anywhere,”
said second-year pre-economics student James Causman, who has been
playing for four years.
Causman finds hacky sack enjoyable because of its mobility as
well as the ease of establishing quick yet exciting games.
Hacky sack is also a means of conversation between neighbors who
often don’t interact with one another on any other
occasion.
Drew Cowens, a first-year English student, finds hacky sack an
interesting sport because it “unites people with different
interests together.”
And all for the common goal of winning a game.
The welcoming attitude of hacky sack players contributes to the
strength of their sport, as new competition arrives with everyone
they welcome, as they gladly teach the fundamentals of the
game.
On many occasions, Scot Pipkin, a first-year geophysics student
and veteran hacky sack player, has tried to assemble a group of
students to whom he can pass on his wisdom of hacky sack moves.
“I would definitely be interested in joining a hacky sack
club. It would be fun,” Pipkin said.
The support of many enthusiasts could soon make Pipkin’s
intention to start a club a reality.
The sport is taken seriously among hacky sack athletes, and
their workouts are not always short, simple and sweet. Hacky sack
games offer abundant and extreme competition, as well as players
trying to define themselves as unparalleled in moves, quickness and
ability.
One such maneuver, called the rip-tide, involves slashing the
front foot behind and across the other leg.
Another, known as the flying jester, is a combination of jumps
and rapid leg-twisting motions. This process, known as shredding,
engulfs the mind into an obsession with the sport. Spectators are
left in disbelief that such frequent, cutting moves are physically
possible.
A hacky sack club would emphasize all of these moves, aptly
categorized as hacky sack freestyle. In freestyle, players create
their own routines which are judged for balance, creativity and
quickness.
“A freestyle portion would be the best kind of
competition,” said Mike Davies, a first-year philosophy
student who favors the opportunity to create his own moves rather
than simply kicking the ball without originality.
In their effort to create a club, the majority of hacky sack
players prefer that hacky sack playing avoid excessive attention,
as this can ruin the silent traditions and uniqueness of the
game.
“Hacky-sack is only fun when played between friends … it
should always remain traditional and played just for excitement
rather than extreme competition,” Pipkin said.
A club would influence more people to play hacky sack and help
them to understand the supreme thrills of this simple game. But
even if the plan to expand into a club game doesn’t work out,
it’ll be okay. Hacky sack will survive at UCLA.
The sport has never needed a club setting to spread, as most
participants feel a desire to pass on the game to spectators who to
stop to admire their moves.
“Nothing more serious should evolve from hacky sack than
what it is now,” Pipkin said.