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 Extreme Sports: Too Fine a Line?
Allan Derbyshire, BPE, MA, Mount Royal College
Contradictory Attitudes to Risk
Society's approach to the risk of injury and death often seems contradictory. In some respects, we have become increasingly risk-averse, taking steps to reduce the dangers posed by everything from cars to household appliances.
At the same time, though, other evidence (Greenfeld, 1999; Groves, 1987) points to some people's willingness to participate in risky activities. The last decade has seen a popularity surge in extreme sports involving air, verticality, and wild water. Although these activities can lead to higher life insurance premiums, the number of accidents reported every year does not seem to be increasing (Williamson, 2003).
Compounding these contradictions are the misconceptions about the inherent risks. Foust (2003) points out that some people perceive flying as a far more dangerous activity than driving, despite the far greater risk of dying in a car crash. According to the US National Safety Council, an American has about a 1-in-80 chance of dying in an car accident (vs. 1-in-4,608 for flying accidents). However, a fear of flying is still more common than a fear of driving.
The philosopher William James (1906) once wrote that the problem for mankind is to find "the moral equivalent of war." James was, of course, referring to the positive aspects of extreme activity, including adventure, excitement, heroism, and the focus of effort. The contrast between previous generations' involvement in extreme acts of aggression and the present generation's enthusiasm for extreme acts of recreation is intriguing.
Why Are Some People Risk-Takers?
Being shot at in war and "shooting" oneself down a high snow-covered cliff are worlds apart, but do have one thing in common: the chance of being killed is relatively high. One can understand, perhaps, the willingness to die for one's country as an act of patriotism, but to risk it all while recreating is hard to understand, especially for the uninitiated.
In life, there are risk-takers and risk-avoiders. "Jumping in at the deep end," an activity associated with experiential learning, requires commitment and active involvement, develops decision-making skills and shrewd judgement, and can help people become more mature. Conversely, classroom learning ("the shallow end") can involve inactivity, require less initiative, and mean that life skills are acquired more slowly.
Societies do not generally provide challenging or inspiring systems of education or enough suitable outlets for the adventure instinct. Extreme sports and risk recreation may fill this gap.
Willingness to step into the unknown and into high-end experience should not be confused with recklessness. Price (1974) noted that recklessness can involve a certain lack of commitment, a damping down (for thrills) of foresight and imagination. Recklessness is essentially frivolous, whereas the adventure of extreme sports is entirely serious (in terms of making its participants more self-disciplined and responsible).
A Realistic Look at the Risks
And what about the accidents that generally occur in outdoor extreme risks? Studies (e.g., Curtis, 1995) consistently indicate three main causes of accidents:
- carelessness;
- overestimating ability, both as individuals (the largest percentage of accidents occurs among people in the 16 to 20 age bracket) and as groups (the main cause being over-zealous leaders); and
- lack of, misuse of, or poor-quality equipment.
On the other hand, extreme sports demand perpetual care, discipline, and high levels of preparation and training. Most participants are well aware of their strengths and limitations especially in the face of obvious objective danger. And they usually use the best (often sponsored) equipment.
In mountaineering, a traditional bastion of extreme activity, there have been 126 reported deaths in Canada over the last 20 years (averaging 6.3 annually). Last year, there were six deaths (Williamson, 2003). Although any deaths are tragic, these figures are definitely and reassuringly not on the rise. |
Pitfalls of Extreme Sports
I see three main pitfalls for people considering participation in extreme sports.
- The "instant success" syndrome. Often, people take short programs or certificates for instant gratification and come out of these lacking
judgement.
- The "go for it" syndrome. Participants in extreme sports may overestimate their ability, leading to reckless
behaviour.
- The "new driving licence" syndrome. Participants' lack of experience may make them vulnerable to injury.
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Risk-Reward Equations
But life is, and always will be, a question of survival. I put together the list below to summarize current risk-reward equations (and some examples of each category).
- High risk/High reward: Examples include extreme sports, unconventional outdoor activities, adventure education.
- High risk/Low reward: Examples include violent acts of aggression, drug/alcohol abuse, criminal activity.
- Low risk/Low reward: Examples include passive non- involvement, vicarious entertainment, "reality" TV.
- Low risk/High reward: Examples include lotteries, classroom learning.
A Final Word
Every generation needs to make its own statement and carve its own niche. One of the great pleasures in life is doing what people say you cannot do. However, it's worth remembering that sports that may seem "out there" today could involve mass participation in the future. For example, snowboarding, once considered "extreme," is now mainstream.
Finally, two related quotes worth considering...
"The world has but three sports: Bullfighting, Mountain Climbing, and Motor Racing. All the rest are merely games"-Ernest Hemingway.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all" -Helen Keller.
Allan Derbyshire is an instructor and program coordinator for the Applied Arts Degree in Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership in the Department of Physical Education and Recreation Studies at Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta. Allan is also an extremely avid rock and ice climber and white water
paddler.
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