The ISA turns 10 years old! Time to reflect on the state of slacklining around the world.
Officially founded by 4 national federations (Switzerland, Austria, Germany and USA) in 2015 as a grassroots effort to coordinate internationally, the creation of the ISA started with individual initiatives years before. After 10 years of existence we now combine 15 national federations, 9 associations, 109 observer members and 21 partners. This sums up to about 5000 individual slackliners in all these organizations.
While many of these organizations are doing well, a lot of them struggle with allocating volunteers and resources to administration, bureaucracy and financing. As of today, the ISA officials are all unpaid volunteers and there are not sufficient funds to employ anyone for some time to come.
Further, the commercial side of slacklining is struggling. Manufacturers are selling less gear, and several have even stopped their businesses. This is a tragic loss for slacklining. The global slackline trend appears to have peaked and we now seem to be in a critical consolidation phase. While most people still perceive a growth, people who have been in the game longer signal warnings.
What have you done lately to keep our beloved activity and sport thriving?
- Organise a local community and all year training
- invite kids and youth to regular classes
- organise events and workshops
- Collect membership fees and spend the funds wisely back into the community, gear or events.
