As temperatures climb into the 60s and 70s, the Green has come alive: frisbees flying, house music blaring from oversized speakers and somewhere, without fail, a circle of students kicking around a small woven bag — a hacky sack.
The game’s objective is simple: players pass a bean bag around in a circle, keeping it off the ground for as long as possible. You can use any part of your body except your hands and arms, and there’s no limit to the number of players or rounds. Best of all, anyone can join in — no expensive gear, no complicated rules, just a bag and some friends.
At Dartmouth, the sacking spirit thrives. Nico Bañez ’26 had “never” played before coming to the College, but quickly got hooked as he improved. He said that Dartmouth turns a lot of students into hacky sackers.
“It’s pretty hard — I was really bad at first,” Banez said. “But once you find that skill level, it's a lot of fun. It’s a great group activity.”
For Carly Fleming ’27, hacky sack became a natural part of campus life.
“As the weather gets warmer, it’s such a great way to hang out with friends and have a good time,” Fleming said. “You can use it as a study break or during lunch. It's super convenient.”
Like Banez, Fleming did not grow up with hacky sack. In fact, she had never played before coming to Dartmouth. While her soccer background and coordination skills helped her pick it up quickly, Fleming emphasized that participation is open to everyone.
“Here especially, everyone always wants to join and let other people join. It’s not dependent on skill,” she said. “It’s a game where you’re helping each other to a common goal, not competing against each other, which I think helps the community dynamic.”
For Henry Magill ’28, hacky sack has been part of life since high school. His hometown, Steamboat Springs, Colo., is home to the World Footbag Association.
“They make all the good hacky sacks — like that one,” Magill said, pointing to the sack his friends were kicking around.
Even coming from the hacky sack capital of the country, Magill found something special in his hacky sack circle at Dartmouth.
“We’ve just become such close friends, and we make up funny things to say to each other,” he said.
Magill insisted keeping a footbag in the air isn’t hard. His advice: “Just put your foot where it lies.”
Experienced players like Magill have found ways to make the game more interesting. One move is the “stall,” where a player lets the sack rest on a shoulder, foot, or knee before kicking it again. Another favorite is the “telephone” — catching the sack on your collarbone.
Vanessa Wynn ’28 was introduced to hacky sack in high school.
“My friend came home from college, and she brought this game with her,” Wynn said. “She was like: ‘You guys have to get good at this if you wanna be real college students.’”
Wynn said that the “male-dominated” game intimidated her at first. “But once you start, you realize anyone can play, it’s for anyone,” she added.
Wynn shared a story of traveling to New York City over winterim and hacky sacking in Washington Square Park.
“We met like, six, seven people — people just kept joining in,” she recalled. “So it’s a great way to meet people and connect with people.”
Wynn likened the game to Dartmouth itself.
“I think it can be intimidating, but it’s really for everyone,” Wynn said. “You just have to jump in and not be afraid to be bad at first. It’s really low stakes, and everyone is just looking to have fun. I think Dartmouth students are really drawn to that.”
