Slacklining at Scout Camps?

[GetOutdoors]

Just went out camping this past weekend with a group of scouts and practiced fire building skills, wood carving, meal prep, etc. Another leader who came with brought with him a slackline, and set it up the first night we got there. 

 

Just wanted to ask if anyone else has ever seen one at a scout camp/jamboree before? The kids absolutely loved it, in fact every second of down time they had, they were up on it practicing. Even after just 3 days of practicing I noticed a significant improvement, the kids balance got quite good after using it. 

 

Thought I'd see if anyone else has had any experience with them, and maybe just throwing out a suggestion for future camping games and activities! 

 

He said he got his off of Amazon, came with tree protectors, a kids help line to get them started, and a few other things. I'll post the link to it below if you're interested in seeing what it is, as I had never heard of them before! 

 

Would love to hear if anyone else has seen them around! Definitely going to get one myself and bring it to more outings again! 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Graft-Sport-Complete-Slackline-Protectors/dp/B01N009PST

 

Cheers

[Back Pack]

Just make sure that's on your permission slip so Parents buy in and approve their kid participating. I've seen all sorts of injuries from stuff like this and Parents blaming after the fact.

[ianwilkins]

I've seen them up at a few camps. Seems to be a few kids try it once or twice and give up, some will be determined to master it and you'll see them on there all weekend. Quite telling really. 

 

Yes, needs to be risk assessed, set up properly, and they need to understand how to use it safely.

 

Having your scout stave with you makes it easier!

 

Ian

[perdidochas]

Here's what G2SS says about it:

 

 

Slacklining

Slacklining is an adventure program growing in popularity. As with any activity involving height and motion, there is risk involved. Before units, districts, or councils decide to promote or host slacklining activities and other adventure sports, they must follow the Sweet 16 of BSA Safety and submit a tour and activity plan for council review with a description that includes the slacklining activity.

Staff members for these types of events are responsible for learning proper setup, operational guidelines, and safety techniques. Equipment used for these activities must be designed for the adventure sport industry and will be exposed to extreme forces. Therefore, it should not be used for other purposes. Always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Fall precautions should include spotters or crash pads. Stepping off the line safely is recommended when a participant feels he or she is about to fall. Trees used for anchors should be protected from damage and be at least 8 inches in diameter. The line should never be more than 3 feet high. Never allow more than one participant on the line at a time. Acrobatics (any time your head is lower than your torso) are prohibited.

http://www.scouting.org/Home/HealthandSafety/GSS/gss08.aspx#m

[qwazse]

Once upon a time, we called it a single-strand rope bridge.

The materials now make it much more feasible for a lot of boys. And where on that old rope bridge the best we could do was dash across, a quality slack line enables the obsessive practitioner to master some really cool acrobatics. Our museum/library (the one with the to-scale bronze diplodocus) has a really nice cut of lawn with evenly spaced old sycamores, where some CMU/Pitt students set up their lines in the evening. Definitely fun to watch.

 

But you have to watch out as their skills increase.

 

For example, our troop for a while had some pretty athletic boys ... really good climbers and hikers who were pretty cautious in the wild. But, as soon as a Frisbee or football was introduced to the mixed, you could almost count down the seconds until a boy reported to us with a broken bone.

 

Skills increase: more challenging maneuvers: get more padding and more spotters and maybe even send the boys to gymnastics class.

[Stosh]

I saw a slack line performer who did a street show for money when I was in San Francisco.  He was doing the flaming hoops and stuff that scouts would probably try if they could get away with it.  He did, however, caution everyone "Don't try this at home".  Then he mumbled under his breath, "Where do you think I learned it."