| Product: |
Xtreme Sports in General |
| Date: |
08/08/01 (234 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Great camaraderie, Exhilirating, Dedication reaps great rewards
Disadvantages: Can be expensive, Can be difficult to get into, You recieve the steretyping from your mates
Participants of extreme sports are unfortunately subjected to stereotyping, and wrongly so. A lot of people envisage a typical Californian surfer and the language and attitude they have and assume the world of extreme sports is the same - which couldn't be more wrong. In this review I hope to give a (somewhat)insiders point of view of this world of sports, known as extreme sports.
So firstly, what exactly are extreme sports Encarta 99 defines them as this:
"Extreme Sports, nontraditional sports and activities that require participants to combine athletic skill with pronounced risk. Most extreme sports are not true competitive sports because the main challenge is not imposed by another athlete or opposing team, but by the inherent difficulty of the activity. Extreme sports allow and encourage individual creativity in the innovation of new maneuvers and in the stylish execution of existing techniques.
Because extreme sports enthusiasts place themselves in dangerous situations, controlling risk is vital. Before enthusiasts attempt risky activities, they must know their own physical abilities and understand how well they can block the natural instinct of fear. Extreme sports enthusiasts also must recognize the physical limits of their equipment. Participants should have experience in whatever activity they are taking to an extreme level, and must know what they will do in an emergency."
May I stress that there are literally hundreds, probably thousands of extreme sports, and therefore I can't speak from experience about them all, or even a sizeable percentage of them.
I believe there are two main types of people in the world of extreme sports. Firstly, there are those with an adventurous personality and always want to try something new. These kinds of people will usually try each sport once or twice, and without trying to insult them, they do tend to brag about what they do a lot to theur 'less daring
9; friends. The second type have a similar personality, and are keen to try new things, but usually are specialised in one particular field. The second kind live a more dangerous lifestyle, because becoming specialised in any extreme sport obviously entails getting good at it, and therefore one pushes his/her limits, trying new and more difficult to perform tricks/maneuvers/stunts etc. I would say I'm somewhere in between the two, though leaning more towards the latter, as I hope to improve my skydiving above anything else.
Another perception the general public have is that those into extreme sports are stupid, risking their life for a few seconds of adrenaline. Unfortunately I must admit there is a certain degree of truth to this belief. I think few in the extreme sports world believe that more danger = more fun. If skydiving was safer than walking, but had the same adrenalin rush and same relaxing moments, then I'd like it even more. I concede that there is a little extra buzz, knowing that it's so unorthodox and that you are one of a minority who is willing to take part in such a sport, but this soon wears off, and that's when the dedication takes over. I'm not sure about all extreme sports, but I do know fine well that in the skydiving world there is a LOT of care taken to ensure safety and I suspect this exists across the board. In Britain there are the strictest laws in the world for the sport. Safety is every skydiver's number one priority. All training is done with safety at mind first, from training for your first ever jump, to training for your 4000th descent preparing to do a formation jump.
A lot of extreme sports are snobby towards others. For example, I do admit myself that I am a little snobby towards bungee jumping, though it is from experience rather than prejudice, that I believe it to be less exhilirating. But at the same time, a lot of extreme sports have much respect towards others. For example, I have a
great deal of respect to off-piste skiiers and the sheer endurance and dedication they go through whilst everyone around them is telling them they're insane.
A while back I caught part of a documentary on extreme sports, looking at it from a biological and psychological point of view. One top scientist concluded that he believes some are born with a gene, which makes them run that extra mile, or jump from that high height, or drive that fast car, and some are born with the more cautious gene which tells them that such an act places their health in jeopardy and that they should not do it. He believed the first gene overrides this thought with the comforting thought that things will work out safely. My knowledge of biology is limited so if anyone has any extra knowledge of research or anything relevant I'd love to hear it. Some sociologists say that extreme sports are similar to vision quests or other traditional rites of passage common in some cultures. In many traditional cultures, rites of passage are severe physical ordeals during which adolescents experience intense personal growth. Initiates often leave their families and undergo a lengthy seclusion during the event (bungee jumping derives from such an event in South America). Some modern observers believe that extreme sports enthusiasts seek the same sort of experience by undertaking risky activities in small, closely knit groups.
It is difficult to determine exactly when the term extreme sports came to refer to the modern sports discussed in this article, but many believe it can be traced to the early 1970s, when rock climbing and marathon running—then considered extreme—gained popularity.
The programme also looked at the attitudes of those into extreme sports. For example, he interviewed a skysurfer, and a dirt-biker, and I forget who else. It turned out that each person seemed to think his own sport was safe and allocated blame of stupidity on the next sport.
For example, the skydiver was saying something along the lines of "those dirt-bikers are insane; in skydiving I know that if I hit the deck it's going to be fairly painless as I'll die instantly, and that if I don't push my luck with fancy landings, there's not a lot inbetween can happen, wheras dirt-bikers seem to have broken legs every week". The dirt biker was saying "those skydivers jump from thousands of feet, miles high, with a flimsy piece of cloth to save them". It would seem that this is a way of coping with the view the general pubic has on them that they are insane to do their sport. They try to make their own sport sound safe by slating another.
Extreme sports may have gained popularity in the late 20th century as a reaction to the increased safety of modern life. Lacking a feeling of danger in their everyday activities, people may have felt compelled to seek out danger or risk. Another reason for increased participation in extreme sports is enhanced sports technology. For example, the invention of sticky rubber-soled climbing shoes and artificial climbing walls broadened the appeal of rock climbing. And advances in ski design allowed more skiers to attempt extreme feats previously thought impossible. Some observers credit television and movies for helping to popularize extreme sports. Television coverage of competitions and events has brought extreme sports and their participants more attention. As more people become aware of extreme sports, the activities gain more enthusiasts. One result of the growing interest is that those who pride themselves on participating in challenging, cutting-edge activities are constantly searching for new ways to test themselves. This ensures the continuing development of newer extreme sports.
Unfortunately, a lot of people believe extreme sports are difficult to get into. This isn't always the case. Some sports such as skydiving are fairly expensive, but as yo
u progress the cost is reduced massively and it becomes far more affordable. What I did was start out raising money for charity, numerous organisations are out there to do this with and it's a great way to have great fun and take a peek into the extreme sports world whilst raising money for a good cause.
Other sports such as roller blading are cheaper, but many complain that it's difficult to find places to legally skate. Such sports don't give much of a buzz at first, and take a lot of dedication to get good at it before you experience the buzz of amazing stunts.
There are a lot of extreme sports such as Zorbing and such which aren't very popular as they are new, and these will be very difficult to start out in, as you'd have to find out where to do it and get there regularly. Also a lot of the water extreme sports are quite expensive and difficult to get into. My advice is to see what is available to you if you're interested and go for it. It will open your mind and will probably change your perception of the participants of extreme sports.
I welcome any comments.
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Last comments:
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- 12/03/02 The last jump and your first freefall jump must also be on the same day. If those jumps have been too far apart, however well you did them, your jumpmaster might be a bit iffy and make you repeat.
I didn't go AFF, but that's because I didn't have the lump sum cash. If you can afford it, do it in Spain, but make sure you do it with a British company and get a British license. British licenses are respected the world over. Foreign licenses aren't always accepted in Britain, due to some coutries having lax safety laws.
AFF is an intensive week, it's both boring, tough (consecutive skydiving gives you aches and pains particularly around the shoulder), and costly. But the rewards are worth it and it's probably the most practical way to go.
If you like snowboarding and surfboarding you should enjoy it. |
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- 12/03/02 You start AFF from scratch. I'm not sure about all dropzones, but my nearest (Border Parachute Centre) will train you in Spain for the same cost. You'll start off with a lot of boring theory, a LOT. But your first jump will be a freefall assisted by two instructors.
You must pay travelling and accomodation yourself if going abroad, or at least that's the deal my DZ does.
This has a distinct advantage - weather. For a beginner, you probably won't be allowed in the air if the winds are over 20mph, which is quite slow, since they give you a larger canopy which can't travel as fast, and you need a canopy faster than the wind so that you are in control, not the wind. Too many clouds and they start to get concerned too, so as you can imagine this sport does not lend itself well to British weather. In Spain, in the summer, AFF should get you through in a week, provided you adapt to it well. Fail a jump and you will need to pay more - this sport is damn expensive to start out in, and to be honest the large cost of AFF is only worth it if you plan to follow it through. Once you have a packing license and your own rig, jumps can be as little as a tenner to do a 10,000ft freefall - over 30 secs of falling. It gets cheaper as you go, as in most sports.
It's an expensive way to go, and TECHNICALLY more expensive than going jump by jump. Jump by jump will cost you £30 each, and you should have your licence in aorund 30 jumps, which amounts to around £900, wheras AFF is over a grand. Perhaps one or two hundred more depending on how many retries you need.
But, and this is a big but, in the UK your process will be curbed by the weather. Even in the summer, if you don't jump for a few weeks you'll get a slight retrain for no extra charge, but you're more likely to mess it up that way and they'll make you do it again. Also, to take dummy pulls as an example, you need to get 3 perfect jumps in a row, mess up and you start again. |
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- 17/01/02 Hi Pamsy
I surf and snowboard but have never tried skydiving.
To get on the course that you suggest (the AAF) and qualify, do you have to have static line experience to start with, or is that from scratch? |
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