The rattle of a woven footbag, a sudden kick and a desperate diving save. Forget about TikTok trends–the Hacky Sack has officially hijacked South. The classic 90s footbag has returned, throwing high schools across the nation back in time, and sparking an electric craze that has taken over our school.

What starts with two friends casually kicking a footbag during lunch, grows to a shoulder-to shoulder circle that now- and-then explodes in cheers. What originally started as make- shift, rice filled beanbags evolved into the official game of Hacky Sack, a game invented in 1972 . The game is built around a simple collective goal: To keep the sackoff the ground using anything but your hands. The sport dominated youth culture in the late 80’s and 90’s.

For faculty at South, walking into the hallways today feels like stepping into a time machine. Ms. Marcey Brown, a physical education teacher, was among those who spent her high school days sacking in 1989.

“We would do the same thing that students are doing now: illegally forming our groups and playing Hacky Sack,” she said. “It was funny because we would lose the balls, we’d kick them over the gym dividers. And if we were playing during a class we weren’t supposed to bein, we would just take off and run”.

Science teacher Ms. Melissa Naud described the social benefits of Hacky Sack, especially when she was in college. “It was a great way to socialize and to call in people who maybe shy in other settings. I’m not super outgoing, but in a Hacky Sack circle I could be with people without having the awkwardness of small talk,” she said.

Thirty years later a new generation of students can’t resist the Hacky Sack. For Shubam Goyal (‘29) the game has always been about its mix of fun and sentimental value. “I felt like it was a unique game because I hadn’t seen anyone play it in the past,” he said. “Just knowing that our parents used to play it in their childhood kind of has a historical resemblance.”

While the nostalgia is tangible for faculty, the spread of Hacky Sack is distinctly 2020s. “I saw it on TikTok, and then people started talking about Hacky Sacks, so I wanted to try it out,” said Emily Kim (‘26). Watching smooth, edited tricks on a phone screen unfortunately does not prepare you for actually playing Hacky Sack. “One time we were doing this trick where they were swinging me,” Kim said.

“Each person grabbed my arms, and the others grabbed my legs, and they swung me and the Sack that was on my
stomach flew off. Then they dropped me on my back.” With the end of the school year,the Hacky Sack circles during lunch are rare to see. Hacky Sack seems to have met its end. “I feel like this happens, with a lot of things that were popular in the past,” said Isabella Zola (‘26).

“Popular trends come back for a short time and then everybody forgets about it, and the next trend takes its place. I think that’s just kind of the cycle.”