Students respond to planking with balling

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CAMPBELLTOWN, Australia, May 20 (UPI) -- Australian students said they took to the practice of "balling," taking photos of themselves in safe poses, in response to the similar "planking" Internet fad.

Students at the Campbelltown Technical and Further Education institution said they began balling in response to the controversy over the safety of planking, or laying face down in an unlikely place for photos to be posted online, The Sydney Morning Herald reported Friday.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell have all commented on the safety concerns associated with planking.

"It all started just here at TAFE in reaction to the ridiculous planking phenomenon," Campbelltown teacher Mark Woszczalski said.

"We just wanted to make a statement about how people latch on to things that require absolutely no skill. The students here participated and we started taking these photos."

Woszczalski said balling differs from planking in that participants take precautions to ensure they are safe and abiding by the law at all times.

"You can see how extreme we get, we get on a chair and a desk and that's about as extreme as we get. We don't want anyone hurt," he said. "We're going to stay away from freeways and train tracks and probably from runways as well."