Have you ever done something so extreme, that you’ve actually risked your lifefor it maybe? If so, why did you do it? Maybe to prove a point, but to who? Manypeople actually feel like they must make that impact in the world and prove apoint to everyone else about being able to accomplish something maybe no oneelse could. It seems like a way to get attention possibly.
Or maybe this justproves what people will actually do for money if it in fact was involved. It’sactually said some people with personal experience to be more of a mental andspiritual thing to do, as opposed to a physical challenge, but there’s nodenying that you do work your legs, lung and ligaments. Everyday, daring peopleall over the world are participating in extreme sports like adventure racing,bull-fighting, in-line skating, bungee jumping, snow boarding and skateboarding. All of these sports involve a serious risk, and that’s why they are calledExtreme Sports. Starting with one of the most vigorous and growing sport inNorth America, adventure racing in 1999 will see up to 80 competitions for thesport alone. This means that tens of thousands of people will be participating,while many millions will be watching it on their very own televisions at home.
Adventure racing includes completing extreme activities before other teamsincluding mountain climbing, bike riding, and even canoeing. A type of adventureracing that is fueling up is the solo competitions. This type of racing is safe,but it simply means that you do not have teammates to look out for you anymore. You must also push it to your best, and be a quick and fast. To keep the racingenvironment safe as possible, an association was formed called the AdventureRacing Association.
The first meeting was in Australia on August 22nd, 1997. About 50 people of different nations gathered to discuss the highly importanttopics of safety in the racing environment. It is also a place for these peopleto learn more about the events, and discuss the sport. A man named Dugard wroteduring his initial experience in the Raid in 1992: “What I really wanted todo was quit.
I’ve had enough of this foolishness – this suffering. Thetemperature is 120 degrees. I’ve hiked, rafted, canoed and climbed over 350miles. I have definitely lived the promise that race organizer and founderGerard Fusil made when I implored him to let me compete. ‘You will suffer. “Rock climbing is an International sport that many people do for fun.
They chosea site to basically “climb”, and that’s exactly what they do! Climbing isa very dangerous and risking sport, and is very similar to something you’d doin Adventure Racing. Only, usually rock climbers and mountain climbers do itmainly for fun, and it’s usually not a race when it’s on its own. It caneven be for a family vacation to go rock climbing! For people who rock climboften, it is essential that you buy your own equipment for your journeys. “What equipment would that be?” you ask? Well, you need climbing shoes. “Can these be regular tennis shoes?” is a popular asked question. The answeris, No, they must be special tightly fitting around your foot with a stickyrubber sole that provides the friction that you need for climbing.
The laces ofthe shoes usually extend all of the way to the toe, and all the way to the topof the shoe making them very adjustable. The lace shoe also has a sole thatwraps around the heel and up the sides of the shoe. Another type of shoe that isused is the slipper. Experienced climbers only use the slipper however though,because it doesn’t provide as much grip as the laced up ones. Anotherimportant thing that you’ll need is chalk. Surprising enough, the chalk isneeded to put on your hands when they get very sweaty.
This makes them, so thatthey aren’t as sweaty, and you have a better grip. Obviously the last mostimportant thing you’ll need is a rope. How would you plan on climbing thathuge rock without a rope?! Yet another extreme sport that is enjoyed by manypeople worldwide is Bungee jumping. Bungee jumping was started in England byOxford Dangerous Sports club. They were the ones who named it Bungee.
There aretwo different types of bungee jumping. Those two types are spelled a littledifferently. This first type is Bungy jumping. Bungy jumping has a lowervelocity, smoother ride, and higher rebounds. It is commonly something that canbe found as a priced ride at the fair or amusement parks all around the world.
Then, there is another type of bungee jumping, which is spelled Bungee jumping. Bungee jumping is the official, real bungee experience. It has way more freefallthan the generic Bungy jumping experience, and is not intended for people whoare timid or undurable for the ride. Bungee jumping is another dangerous sportthat does include a huge self risk for the jumper.
Many accidents have beenreported about Bungee jumping, and sadly enough, the individuals themselvesaren’t always the ones who have control over their safety. Sometimes thepeople who work at the clubs of Bungee jumping may accidentally do somethingwrong to cause an accident. This is why you must go to a club that you trust. One of the many incidents include the most recent, this year, when a 16-year-oldgirl jumped from a 15 m high platform on a very chilly cold evening in Korea.
Asupport wire which was used to allow the cord to drop was frozen, so the girlended up getting stuck 10 m from the ground in freezing weather until a firerescue team came to get her, which ended up being a chilly 4 hours! An accidentthat happened in Greece was caused by the jumper instead of a club worker thistime. The jumper was quite nervous and was waiting to jump off of the platform. After hearing the jumpmaster (which is the person who goes up with the jumper toinsure correct jumping procedures) count down to one, the jumper leaned forwardto do the jump. After looking at the distance from him to the ground, he decidedmaybe it wasn’t such a cool idea, and turned around to grab the jumpmaster toreturn to the platform.
As a mistake on the jumpmaster’s part, he himself wasnot secured and strapped in, so when the jumper grabbed a hold of him, he endedup flying off the platform along with the jumper. The jumpmaster died, but thejumper didn’t since he was the one strapped on to the Bungee cord. As you cansee, bungee jumping is an added extreme to life that many people aresurprisingly willing to go through with. All of these sports involve a seriousrisk in your everyday human functions. Even though most of these sportyactivities that people engage in are meant to be fun, there are chances thatsomething may go wrong if procedures aren’t followed correctly. That’s whyit is important to always make sure you are going through with your sports undersafe hands.
Sometimes clubs and sites that offer such amusement may not becompletely trustworthy as far as following the correct directions of how theyshould properly go about such extreme sports. You must also be responsible formaking sure if you are in good health and are able to withstand such events likecoarse mountain climbing, quick pace vigorous racing, and jumping free-fall offof a 15 m high off the ground platform. You should definitely not engage in suchsports if you have certain health problems such as back pains, or shoulderpains. You certainly should not do them if you are pregnant. So, play it safe,and make the right decisions and you can be off to have an experience of alifetime! Now you know why they call it Extreme, don’t you?
