Hacky sacks have taken over Williston’s campus in the past month
The fun game has gained popularity recently, especially across boarding schools. Everywhere you walk there is always a group of students playing hacky sack, whether between classes, before practices, or after dinner.
Hacky Sack was invented in the early 1970s by Mike Marshall and John Stalberger as a way to rehab from knee injuries. According to Wham-o, it is a small round bag usually filled with plastic pellets or sand. There are many different designs that you can customize or buy.
Rowan Martin, a junior from East Longmeadow, is really enjoying hacky sack.
“I do not think hacky sack is over rated, I think it is very fun,” he said. “I never played before this last week.
Martin also enjoys the thrill of the NEPSAC rankings, an informal ranking system between New England prep schools that’s been popping up on social media.
Rowan believes the best hacky sack player at Williston is Ethen Fines.
Right now there is a Tik Tok account where you can see New England Boarding Schools ranked. According to US Club Sack Rankings, Deerfield takes the #1 seed while Williston is in the 18th spot.
Addie Eakin, a junior from Williamstown, Mass., thought hacky sack was overhyped until she started to play it.
“I realized actually how cool it is because honestly the only word I have to describe it is kinship,” she said. “Like genuinely it’s the best thing that has ever happened to the male population at Williston and I think it is really amazing how they all can interact with one another in bond over such a simple game like hacky sack.”
Addie also said, “I also thought it was super wholesome after the boys lacrosse game. It didn’t really matter who won or lost because after, both Pomfret and Williston just started playing hacky sack.”
Addie think the NEPSAC rankings are fun and competitive.
“I think the rankings are a little much, but I kind of think it’s fun having kind of a competitive thing online,” Addie said. “I do think it can be kind of exclusive to girls though, but we did just start a Willy girls sack.
Addie mentions how the best hacky sackers on campus are the hockey boys.
“Cal Hoyt has the best skills and I would give sportsmanship to Maddox Pemrick,” she said.
Ethen Fines, a senior from Canada who runs the men’s hacky sack account at Williston, thinks the pastime brings people together.
“I think Hacky Sack is a lot of fun especially when you can get everyone playing together,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s over hyped I think people are having a lot of fun with it and you can even see it’s helping schools bond, like after our Pomfret game we played with them on the field.”
This was Ethen’s first time playing until this year.
“I didn’t play till this year but I have played a lot of sewer before hockey games which it is pretty similar to,” he said.
According to TSN, Sewer ball is mostly played with a soccer ball that is a great warmup before games. You form a circle and each person is allowed two touches without using your hands. If you end up dropping the ball or it doesn’t go anywhere near a teammate you are eliminated from the circle.
Fines “hates to say it” but he thinks the best player on campus is sophomore Brayden White.
Lily Andersen, a post grad from Duxbury, Mass., runs the women’s hacky sack Tik Tok account at Williston. She loves how fun hacky sack is and thinks it’s amazing that it is coming back.
“I love how it brings friends together outside to laugh and have a good time. Once you try playing and practice a bit, it gets really fun and addicting,” she said. “I have played a bunch with my friends here. I remember when I was younger, I used to play with my dad a little bit but I was never too into it then. I think the fact that it has taken over everywhere makes its more interesting to play.”
She feels that the Ford players have the best skills right now.
“All the guys that play are all super good, but I feel like majority of the guys from Ford dominate when it comes to more unique tricks and stuff like that,” she said.
