Extreme Sports

Interest in extreme sports in recent years has been on the rise. This includes activities like paragliding, wave boarding and hang gliding. Although there is no exact definition for the term “extreme sports”, they are mostly leisure activities in where the most likely outcome of a mismanagement accident is death. Despite this, the number of people of people who are picking up such sports is gradually increasing.

Why is this trend occurring? I believe that it is because of the nature of such extreme sports. More and more youths are seeking adrenaline with the increase in horror movies and roller coaster ride. Therefore, more people are coming up with new kinds of activities which give them the adrenaline. With the increase of popularity, such activities will become sports. For example, the number of people who start paragliding has skyrocketed in recent years. Another reason would be that for some reason, they may want to do it before passing away. For instance, the movie “The Bucket List” greatly shows this fact.  The two terminally ill patients came up with a list of things they wanted to do before they died, for example parachuting, or climbing a mountain. However, such activities that provide them with the excitement will involve the risk of them losing their lives, which is ultimately bad. Take the example of the Dakar Racing competition, a motor racing competition. The competition started up in the 1970s, but 21 deaths have occurred already since then. Some deaths even involve innocent bystanders! In 2010, a spectator died when a motor racer crashed into her. Thus, from such incidents, it is obvious that such sports are very dangerous not only to those participating but also those who are spectating. In 2011, one competitor who died when he crashed into the side of the track was noted to have said in his last Twitter comment: “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”. I feel that this saying is used inappropriately. Such a saying which has been taken in literal sense is definitely not good. The saying is used figuratively to encourage us to try out new things without the fear of failure, as this will help us to become for resilient and have more perseverance in the future. However, when a person loses his life taking part in extreme sports, then when how can he persevere in the future? The danger of indulging in such extreme sports is evident and I would thus encourage people not to risk their lives through these dangerous sports.

There are a few advantages of taking part in extreme sports, however. Firstly, those who do well in it can boost their confidence – they will have a sense of achievement as only a small group of people are even willing to try it out. This creates self-confidence in them, something that is necessary for people to do well. It makes them feel confident enough to try out other new activities as well as persevere in them. In addition, when these extreme sports become more popular, a more people would then go out to take part in these sports instead of playing video games at home. This unconsciously makes them healthier. However, those who are seeking to be braver also do not necessarily have to risk their lives by participating in extreme sports. Bravery honed from participating in extreme sports is mostly dependent on brute force, and also requires a great deal of physical strength. There are certainly many other outlets through which people can increase their confidence levels. One such example would be taking part in speaking courses. This gives them the confidence to voice their opinions, and will then develop into the confidence they have in themselves. This then makes them more likely to take part in new activities. In my opinion, although attending such courses may not be as effective as taking part in such extreme sports, one’s health is most important.

Since those who take part in such activities are normally youths, most of them are rash and do not consider the consequences in the future. Therefore, I think that the parents should discuss it with their children at length if the latter decides to try out an extreme sport. With parental influence and discussion, then they can come to an agreement and make sure that the choices are considered. If both the parents and the child feel that it is okay for the child to take the risk, then it is fine. However, for this to happen, the parent needs to have a good relationship. Both sides will also benefit in other areas as a result of this. Taking part in an extreme sport is an important decision, and the parents must make sure that the matter is well-thought over before the decision is made.

Not only their parents, but the youths themselves need to consider and weigh the risks against the joy they get from participating in such activities. Is it worth it to risk one’s life in order to participate? If they eventually decide to join, they must always adhere to the rules. Although it may be tempting to follow friends and not use the safety equipment as a challenge, the youths should always know the danger of doing that and must know where to draw the line. Extreme sports are already dangerous in nature and not wearing the safety equipment will further exacerbate the situation.

In conclusion, I strongly discourage people from taking part in extreme sports due to the dangers of doing so. However, if they really want to, they have to watch out for their safety at all times and minimize the chances of accidents.