Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 26, 1981)
J il'foi lifeiliiifHiiiitfBlifrijffiiigirii ifriiVn liniiltf HacKy By Carla Sutter Battalion Reporter The West Coast has done it again: first it was skateboards, then roller skates. Now hacky sack has made its way to Texas. This novel game is a take-off on soccer, but there's no run ning after its small, leather- covered ball, which is filled with tiny pieces of cork. One or more people can play hacky sack; when playing alone the object of the game is to see how many times the ball (about the size of a golf ball) can be kicked without letting it fall to It’s a whole the ground. Ken Shults, 14, of Portland, Ore. holds the record for the most consecutive kicks: 4,850. There are two ways to play with more than one person. It can be played like ping-pong on a tennis court using the serving courts as the playing area, or it can be played in a circle with an unlimited amount of people. There are two rules in hacky sack: the server never serves it to himself and any part of the body can be used to maneuver the ball but the hands. The object — whether playing with one or 50 .am,, - new ballgame people — is to keep the ball off the ground. However, when played for recreation only, this is not a factor for scoring, since points are only tabulated in match play. The game has become popu lar at Texas A&M University, with the help of Steve Gasall, a petroleum engineering major, and many of his Aston Hall friends who are avid players of hacky sack. Gasall said he likes the game because he can play it anywhere, inside or outside. His favorite place to play is on the Corps Quad. He said that everybody who sees the game wants to play, much the way people like to join in on throwing a fnsbee — there is no required skill to the game, and it's just plain fun. No hacky sack club has been formed yet at Texas A&M, but player Steve Vogel said if in terest in the game continues to S ow, one will be formed in the hire. Hacky sack has a unique ter minology that includes the "hacky sin," when hands are used; "in-the-circle," which is called when the ball goes out of playing distance and "vertical," which is a method of kicking the ball up and down in succession. "When you're playing you usually don't talk, since the game calls for total concentra tion," Gasall said. "You learn that your coordination is best when you're relaxed and you learn how much control you have over your body." There are three basic kicks that are used: side kick, toe kick and the inside kick. "When the ball is coming at you, you want it to fall almost to your knees before hitting it so you don't raise your foot so high that you lose your balance," said Gasall. "Your knee acts as a pivot with your foot acting as the club. You want the ball to go up straight so it's easier to kick the next time." He said that a player may kick the ball up and down by himself for as long as he chooses before kicking it to someone else in the circle or court. Vogel said he enjoys the game so much that he made his own ball, since the unusual hacky sack balls are not yet available in College Station, and ordering bulk quantities from the manu facturer is costly and time con suming. He said he isn't that Hacky Sack is played with a small leather ball resembling a cork-filled bean bag. Photo by Becky Swanson. good at the game yet, but he is "going to nail it." The sport was first played by the Indians but many of the rules and objectives were lost over the years. John Stalberger of Portland brought it back into existence in 1972 when he patented the official hacky sack baU. The game's popularity on the West Coast has now spread to the Midwest and South, not only because of the recreational benefits, but also for health reasons. An employee of Past Time Enterprises, the company that makes the hacky sack ball, said athletes play the game as part of their physical therapy program after knee surgery. The Portland company is sponsoring a training camp this week for people interested in be coming better players, or even certified instructors. There are also two demonstra tion teams that tour the country and try to get club chapters started. Past Time Enterprises also sells t-shirts and hats that say "Hacky Sack — Kick Me" and "Are You A Happy Sacker?" Richard Walden, a biome dical science sophomore from Austin, demonstrates the standard hacky sack vol ley. This is the first "kick" a new player learns, he said. Photo by Becky Swanson. THE MOP SHOP Hairstyling for Men & Women Cut, Blow Dry Style O n- Appointments M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ST-8^^: 696-8637 “We Sell Markham Products”