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Going to extremes

James Kevin recently jumped out of a plane over a mountain, and then snow boarded down it. 1． You might think James is crazy, but he’s one of a growing number of extreme sports fans. These sports are being invented and developed all the time. And one thing they all share is high risk factor. Why would anyone want to take such risks and push themselves beyond their limits?

One popular theory is that extreme sports have evolved as a reaction to our increasingly safe lifestyles. In the past, just staying alive and finding enough food to eat was a daily challenge but now in most developed countries, that is no longer the case. 2． In developing countries where life is more difficult and people’s time is dedicated to the basics of day-to-day living or simply surviving, there is no time, inclination or necessity for them.

Another theory argues that extreme sports attract adrenaline junkies. 3． Adrenaline is a chemical released in the body as a response to stress and danger, but for some people, the feeling gives a heightened sense of being alive, a feeling they want to experience again and again. For some athletes, reaching the same goal many times doesn’t bring the same excitement or satisfaction as before. For this reason, they need a big risk, a new target to reach and extreme sports are the perfect solution.

However, for psychologist Eric Brymer, neither of these theories is accurate. Having interviewed many extreme sports men and women, he doesn’t believe they are thrill-seekers who risk their lives for an adrenaline high, or people who find modern life too safe so feel the need to take risks. 4． They understand the environment, task, and their own level of skill and ability-emotional, physical and psychological- so well that for them the focus is on controlling all these things and developing as individuals. Extremes sports are their way of enjoying life to the full and being the best they can be. They are expressing a wish for life, not a foolish death wish- something they cannot do in their normal work roles.

It seems that extreme sports participants may have been given a bad press. Whichever theory you believe, you may be able to benefit from some extreme sports. They aren’t all as dangerous as base jumping. So why not give one a go？