Our parents always told us stories of the good ol’ days of college campuses filled with students in the quad, music playing, and a hacky sack flying in a circle between friends. For years, it sounded like one of those trends that belonged to another generation, something that disappeared long before most of us were even born. But over the past few weeks, that image has suddenly become reality again. From the school field to the gym, hacky sack circles have started popping up everywhere across East Coast schools.
What began as a random pastime for a few students has quickly turned into one of the most unexpected trends of the spring, bringing together athletes, friend groups, and even students who normally would never talk to each other. In a school culture dominated by phones and social media, the return of the hacky sack feels surprisingly simple and strangely refreshing. Of course, social media still found its way into the trend, with schools now creating Instagram accounts dedicated entirely to posting hacky sack clips and highlights.
TikTok and Instagram have been flooded with content of students playing hacky sack, doing cool tricks, and even rankings of the best “sacking footwear.” Students participating in the movement have taken it so far that there are Instagram accounts dedicated to the sack teams at each school. Additionally, each school made rosters, featuring a JV and Varsity team. The teams are in competition, as @nj_sack with almost 11k followers made an intense bracket, featuring 83 schools across New Jersey. The account collects videos from each school and then posts them, having the followers vote for the team with the “better play.” Unfortunately, Tenafly was eliminated from the bracket in round one, but the movement is still energetic.
Eli Kent (’27) describes hacky sack as more than just a game. “It’s a movement to spread love and positivity,” he said. He believes the game is centered on encouragement and respect, where players are not supposed to yell at each other for mistakes or missed kicks. One rule he specifically values is that players should never say “sorry” after dropping the beanbag, because the game is about staying relaxed, supportive, and focused on having fun together rather than being perfect.
Hacky sack gained popularity because students saw other schools and towns playing it and wanted to bring the trend to their own school. What started as a small group quickly spread as more people joined in during lunch, free periods, and after school. Students liked it because it was competitive, fun and something for everyone to do together. Anyone could join without needing special equipment or skills. It also created a break from the normal routine of school days, giving students a reason to go outside, meet new people, and compete with their friends.
Mr. Whitehead, a big hacky sack enthusiast, described his past experiences with it, saying, “I remember when I took my students to Italy for a week in 2000, and, while in Venice, the students and I were playing hacky sack in St. Marks Square and people walked by and cheered us on as we played.” Whitehead continued, reminiscing on a time when hacky sacks ruled what is now the indoor PITT. “The PITT used to be a theater-in-the-round, similar to the one outside today, and kids would play in the circle all the time.”
Just like the days that our parents and teachers love to tell stories about, kids today are finding entertainment in something other than electronics. Perhaps after a full school day of looking at a computer screen, students across the East Coast just want to spread peace and love with some hacky sack.
