Preview

Extreme Sports: A simple adrenaline rush, or something deeper?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1000 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Extreme Sports: A simple adrenaline rush, or something deeper?
Expository Writing
Extreme Sports: A simple adrenaline rush, or something deeper?

Extreme sports are a phenomenon that are taking the world by storm, increasing in popularity and daring every year. One such sport is ‘wingsuit flying’, where a pilot wears a suit with material between the legs, arms and torso, which allows the pilot to glide at unimaginable speeds through the air; the speed record in a wingsuit is a colossal 363 kilometres per hour. One wingsuit flyer says that the most intense feeling you get is when you first step off the edge of the cliff, and that feeling combined with the chance to enjoy a flight over the countryside is why he and his fellow flyers love what they do. But is there more to these sports than meets the eye? Is there something deeper than getting an adrenaline rush?

There are certainly many people who would say that extreme sports such as wingsuit flying are dangerous, reckless, and are just for people seeking a thrill. They may be able to make a case for it. Last year in October, Victor Kovats, a three-time national champion of his sport who had made over 700 flights, died in a tragic accident after his parachute failed to deploy at the Red Bull championships in China. There were 63 deaths from 2011 to 2013 in wingsuit flying alone, with many more casualties in other extreme sports. This would lead many people, understandably, to view these sports as something stupid and dangerous, with nothing more to it than a basic adrenaline rush. These critics would argue that extreme sports do not require courage; they simply require a madman.

The other side of the spectrum is that extreme sports are more than just a base sensation. Those who partake in extreme sports would argue that it allows them to push the boundaries of what they, and others, think they can do. They would argue that it takes courage, not a lack of a sense of self-preservation to do what they do, and they would have a strong case for it. There are very few who

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Sports usually have dangers in them. You can get a concussion in football, a sprained ankle in soccer, there are lots of possibilities of getting injured in a sport. Mountain climbing is different, if you mess up when you are up high off the ground you can do more than just hurt yourself. You can hurt others who try to save you and you can do more than just hurt…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Humans have performed dangerous stunts since the beginning of time. These daredevils, deemed as either utterly insane or as possessing death wishes, are usually viewed by society as mere lunatics: people who do not value their lives. On the surface they are laughed at, but underneath the public condescension and jeering they are viewed with a kind of horrified admiration. Why is this? It is because these individuals are doing what they love without holding back and with no reservations. They are fully aware that they are risking their lives and that death is staring them in the face, but they do not care because they are achieving their dreams. These daredevils set themselves apart from the crowd by acting on their desires when most of the…

    • 2609 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Horse Jumping

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many people may say that it’s a dangerous sport and that you have to be crazy for doing it but, after they try it once they won’t leave it.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Character Essay

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hope, Tenacity, and Ingenuity are all important things everyone must have in order to survive in life, however, when you are placed in danger, these character traits can be the most valuable thing you can have. In the sport of rock climbing/ hiking, people put themselves in harms way in order for the thrill of the sport, but also to push their limits to reach the end. However, sometimes, these dangers you believe that could not happen strike and can change your life entirely.…

    • 614 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    unning is not hard," "cross-country is not even a sport." As a cross-country runner, I have heard these statements echoed to me my entire life. Whether it be from another athlete or regular person, there seems to be a misunderstanding in the definition of sport. A sport is any physical activity that requires skills for success, has rules for fairness, and is a competition.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Call Of The Wild Quotes

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The quote is saying not to just exist, but to prove you’re alive. I’ve always had this sort of mindset, but I’ve never done anything adventurous. It does make me want to be more adventurous though. The person who said that quote, Jack London, wrote the book, ”The Call of the Wild”. That book has to do with sled dogs and going into uncharted territory. Which is risk taking. The characters were taking a risk just like Jack London said you should. This goes with the extreme sports articles we were reading. In “The World’s Most Dangerous Sports” it says “They love the associated paraphernalia and experimenting”. “They” being adrenaline junkies, People who love extreme sports. People who…

    • 461 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Athletes Get Paid?

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Jack London once said that “The proper function of man to live, not exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.” Which is honestly true. Extreme sports are basically a sport where athletes are risking their lives. People do the extreme sports for fun and they enjoy the challenge. Plus, the participant in the sport are going on adventures. Extreme sports are a good idea, because the person who's doing the sport is getting paid. It also helps kids that have Autism and the athletes are living their life to the fullest that they can.…

    • 391 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    I was on a long road trip this summer. I was having a wonderful time listening to the amazing Will Hobbs’s "Downriver." It documents some juvenile delinquents going on a white water rafting trip down the most dangerous Colorado River. It was filled with stories of bravery and overcoming fears of extreme sports. I need a break for awhile from the voice speaking at me, I need the radio. I turned it on, and there it was: Yosemite Valley, Dean Potter, 43-year-old white man, fell to his death, trying wingsuit fly. This extremity, this danger has been going on for centuries. It could have been family. It could have been a friend. It could have been a classmate.…

    • 630 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Motocross Essay

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Motocross can be a serious dangerous sport, before you do it a lot of safety equipment is required. Most tracks make you wear neck braces, gloves, helmets, motocross pants, jerseys, and boots. Besides the required gear they have more like knee braces and elbow braces. Each one the gears can be 100s of dollars making this a very expensive sport. They do this because there is a great chance that someone can get hurt, which some people enjoy that “near death experience,” or that “adrenaline “rush.”…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Motocross is one of the most underestimated sports in the world. It is often thought of as an unathletic sport but in reality it is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. Motocross is a sport with bikes similar to a motorcycle but is raced on dirt with man-made jumps. A typical race contains 20 racers who will race for around 40 minutes. Motocross is physically demanding because the racer is trying to manhandle a 300-pound vehicle while achieving incredibly fast speeds through natural terrain containing chatter, ruts, jumps, and rhythm sections. However, people who have not actually tried motocross seem to believe it is not athletic. In order to fix this common misconception of motocross, knowledgeable individuals of motocross need to advocate for the sport and create awareness displaying true facts and less opinion.…

    • 477 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Camp For Kids With Autism

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Extreme sports include skydiving, base jumping, mountain climbing, etc…. These kinds of sports are very dangerous to a regular person who doesn’t really do them regularly. All of these sports have a high chance of killing or seriously injuring someone without the person, doing the sport, knowing it. Though these sports can be dangerous and harmful, people find fun and enjoyment doing them. People do these sports to compete in competitions or just for the fun of it. Yes these sports are highly dangerous, but I believe they’re a good thing but should only be done by people who are trained. If someone does this without knowing what they’re doing they can get killed. If a person is trained and not afraid of the risks they could as well do the…

    • 865 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    It’s also about breathlessly feeling the wind whip through your hair, adrenaline flowing like rain swollen rivulets rushing down a mountainside. I’m talking about stretching your arms out wide and screaming, “I’m really flying”…

    • 81 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Deviance in Sport

    • 3788 Words
    • 12 Pages

    Actions as such in a sporting society may involve hatred and physical contact as means of motivation, treatment by coaches and actions from spectators that would be rejected as the norm in another social world. Athletes usually commit to accept advice from important people in their lives without questioning them, and it is overconforming to these norms that can result in an athlete being too committed to the goals and norms of sport usually leading to extreme actions.…

    • 3788 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is sport overrated?

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sport is not overrated. Its benefits in every manner of life are almost unceasing. My favorites include confidence, energy, and physical satisfaction. To go hard one day and play to the very edge and play through whatever pain and break down whatever walls are in the way is a high that will last you quite awhile.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Asshoo

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The novel begins with the account of Robert Smith, an insurance agent who had promised to “take off…and fly away on [his] own wings” (Morrison 3). Standing on the roof of Mercy Hospital wearing “blue silk wings,” Smith proclaims to a growing crowd that he will fly (Morrison 5). Unfortunately, he is ultimately unable to take flight and falls to his death among the crowd. This is the first image of attempted flight in the novel and the first glimpse of flight being viewed as both possible and natural. Those who had gathered to view Smith’s flight did not “cry out to [him]” or attempt to prevent his leap, but instead encouraged him, implying that they did not see his flight as a suicide attempt. Instead, the gathering crowd acts as though Smith’s flight was possible. In addition to the onlookers, Smith’s declarations imply that he himself believed he was literally capable of flight.…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays