8 Adrenaline Sports: An Extra Section

Free Diving

Have you ever felt like you were going to suffocate underwater after being there for 20 seconds? If you have, you have experienced a tiny particle of what free divers undergo. Participants of this fascinating sport dive deep underwater into natural holes in the earth relying purely on their respiratory system. They have absolutely no breathing apparatus except for their lungs! The deepest free dive ever recorded by a human is 702 feet. It was achieved by Herbert Nitsch, an Austrian freediver, in June 2012. This incredible feat took place in the waters of the Aegean Sea near the Greek island of Santorini. Nitsch holds multiple freediving world records and is known for his remarkable abilities in the sport. Nitsch also attempted and broke the Guinness World Record for the deepest assisted free dive at 804 feet with a Canon pod. This sport accepts the many dangers of going extremely low or extremely high such as The Bends disease. This occurs when Nitrogen bubbles up in the muscle tissues due to rapid ascent. During a dive, pressure increases with depth. During this time, Nitrogen dissolves in the blood and tissue. When a diver surfaces too quickly, Nitrogen comes out in the form of bubbles and can cause fatigue, dizziness, and can cause future neurological and physical health problems. A dive is verified when contestants to beat the record reach a platform, touch it, then resurface, using the protocols to avoid The Bends, give a thumbs up, and show the judge their competing card. This is to ensure that the diver is fully aware, and has no sign of The Bends, confusion, or faintness. Then…they are splashed a bunch by spectators…which to be honest I don’t understand how that will help a diver recover from such a pressurefull stunt…whatever. Before competitors go under, they intake approximately 2 WHOLE GALLONS of air into their lungs! When they reappear after the dive, their lung size is ⅔’s smaller than our regular lung size. This may be the most dangerous extreme sport of them all, due to the necessary mental and physical abilities one must possess. 

Free Soloing

Not many people can say they have scaled one of Earth's toughest mountains with just their clothes and some chalk. But one person can: Alex Honnold. On June 3, 2017, he took on El Capitan's Freesolo route in Yosemite National Park, California, without ropes or safety gear. It's all captured in the movie "Free Solo." Solo climbing takes guts, skill, and strength. You've got to stay focused, prep like crazy, and stay calm in high-pressure situations. At one point, Honnold had to trust a tiny crack the size of a dime with his entire weight. Sadly, solo climbing has cost lives, making it one of the riskiest sports out there, pushing athletes to their limits. Watching "Free Solo" shows just how Honnold managed to climb El Capitan's face without any ropes or gear, proving his incredible skill and determination.

Ice Climbing

Imagine someone scaling a 90 degree incline using only a few ropes and their own motors; their strength. They are a little black speck in the vast face of the menacing mountain. Suddenly, a piece of ice falls under their almost hanging body. They find themselves holding on for dear life, hoping the chunk of ice their rope above it is attached to doesn’t follow the footsteps of the last ice piece. They continue their climb, though trials like this are around every corner. Ice climbing requires contestants to climb up difficult routes of ice covered or snow covered terrain, usually using specialized equipment like axes, crampons, and ropes. This sport is extremely difficult and requires an impressive amount of core strength, agility, and, like Free Soloing, one needs a great ability to think under pressure and constraint. The ascent and its impact on one’s body alone are difficult. Additionally, the sub-zero temperatures and climate change can have significant effects on the performance of the climber. This sport is considered one of the most fleeting sports on the planet. The next time you get scared climbing up a wall-climb, take a moment to appreciate how skilled these climbers are going up a freaking mountain without ANYTHING except a few ropes!

Wind Suit Racing

Besides all the guts and determination, this sport requires a whole lot of preparation and outside assistance. A flier jumps off a high incline or plane using specialized fabric between their arms and legs to slow their fall. Although it is considered an adrenaline sport, the danger levels, even though without proper training it could be, is usually not as dangerous as other extreme sport forms. Participants need intense training to handle their position, among other things, ensuring they make the correct landing. The sport is a mixture of flying and skydiving. Partakers feel as if they are flying through the air like a bird in flight. To add to this enjoyment, contests can be held, testing divers abilities in making maneuvers mid-air! Like the dangers of deep diving, going extremely high can cause The Bends disease, which I discussed in the “Free Diving” article. Without necessary protection, this sport can be very dangerous; otherwise, garner your gear, snag your skills, hype your determination, and take flight!

Urban Climbing

Usually under cover and sometimes against the law, this extreme sport involves scaling the down-town buildings or other urban structures in hopes of reaching the top. This generally involves daring, cognitively deficiency teens who think their gym work has made them invincible. Sometimes these climbs are fully-allowed and contests are held to verify a winner. But the danger of these competitions knows no bounds due the sheer lack of safety equipment. The sport, though on occasion called for, is usually more about going against the law for an adrenaline rush more than it is a permitted sport. In the case of Honnold, one night he couldn’t sleep in a hotel in New Jersey. He asked the midnight clerk if he could scale the building. The clerk recognized him as Alex Honnold, known to many as, “That crazy guy who scaled that mountain and broke that record,” and accepted his request with little hesitation. In fact, he didn’t even alert any of the visitors. I can imagine if someone in the hotel couldn’t sleep, and he looked out the window. Then Alex Honnold was seen right in front of his eyes climbing the building he was inside! This wild scenario of Honnold scaling a hotel became reality a couple years ago when he actually climbed the New Jersey skyscraper hotel; Candlewood hotel. Woah! 

White Water Rafting

White water rafting can come in various scales of risk; There are those who claim they went white water rafting, and say it's very dangerous, but still don’t get the true thing. There is the medium risk, which is very intense but usually guided. Then there comes the high-risk delve down enormous waterfalls, screeching rapids, and other small crevices intaking high danger. Some thrill-seeking people will indulge in this low-maintenance, highly intense sport that requires a significantly lower amount of training compared to various other extreme sports. At lower levels, athletes and non-athletes alike will fly down the vast stretches of white water with a dose of intense adrenaline, as well as enjoyment! I went water rafting once, and enclosed is my experience:     Here I was, about 7 years old, taking my boat down from the top of a huge van carrying other riders. My adrenaline rushed up into my head as I pushed as hard as I could on the boat end, trying to make it water-borne. The smell of the tropics flowed around me. I could feel the damp breeze skimming my skin. It felt cool, but suspiciously humid. “I need help,” I said. The apparently new guide came over and helped me get the kayak or raft into the water. After due safety measures were accounted for, we set off for the bend nearby. The water made a loud whooshing sound as it smashed into the corner of the river, redirecting our boat toward the way-ward side of the wind. Or wait…was that bashing sound coming from the obstacle above. Suddenly, I found myself holding on for dear life as I plunged out of my boat, keeping hold of my paddle. The butterflies in me seemed to realize my core was heating up; they began going bonkers. I was squashed under a tree that had fallen across the river. Everyone else was on the small island nearby. I had to think fast. I was holding a paddle that was catching the water, pulling me further and farther under to where I couldn’t breathe. I was almost choked to death when I realized my life was less important than the paddle I was grasping. As I began to get faint, I let go of the paddle. The pressure in my bones and muscles released slightly. I used my core muscles to inch my way up above the water level, gaping for a breath. Thankfully, I had been planking a lot lately; thus, my core was strong. I reached the top, took a breath, and stood up. “Woah.” I thought. That could have meant my death. That I remember still, now that I am almost 13. Woah.What an adventure!

Highlining

Highlining is known as one of the MOST dangerous and least throughout of all sports. Participants balance on a high wire stretched from one high point from another high point, for example two mountain tops, and walk across such builds. Sometimes with and sometimes without supervision, competitors try to last the longest on the pole without losing balance or falling. This is considered extremely risky because one fall means the end. Sometimes contestants will also combine urban climbing and highlining by climbing up a building against the law, then throwing a pole across to another high building. Then, they go right across without supervision or surveillance. Most people that do this get arrested and brought to jail. Some get away with it, and some die from “to much thrill”. A happening or urban climbing and highlining occured at University of Dallas, a college near my house, when a college-goer climbed to the top of a high buildling on the campus. He got arrested before he could highline I believe. But why, just why, would someone do that? (IF THEY’RE DRUNK thats why)

Mountain Biking Downhill

As one of the most popular and most likely least dangerous of all adrenaline sports, mountain biking has intrigued even the most amateurs of dangerous sports, due to its high adrenaline rushes, low risk (if the path is safe) and almost enjoyable vibe. This thrill is like a horror movie; its freaky and shivery to discuss, yet participants yearn for more once they have gone once or twice safely. This is what makes the sport a popular one. Besides these aspects, numerous GoPro ads feature mountain biking stabilization. 
As a little background psychology, it's funny how these uses are rarely completed by a buyer of the product. But consumers consider the GoPro necessary equipment, even though they may never have the notion of ever riding a two-wheeled vehicle down a hiking trail. This advertisement strategy is called availability bias. It suggests to the buyers that they will use the product for numerous things, thus playing on the customers emotions and encouraging the purchase of an item. Involuntarily, shoppers see these ads and unconsciously think, “I could make footage like that if I got that camera,” without even considering the fact that they might be 80 year old brittle-bones. 
Anyways, mountain biking in itself is a thrill, what if one adds the “downhill” aspect? This makes the sport more dangerous and thrilling. Mountain biking makes for a fun and thrilling sport that is considered less dangerous than other extreme sports, resulting in high popularity. (:

Parkour

Parkour, qualifying as more of a stunt sport, can be dangous in some situations. It is when a person jumps, bounces, rolls, climbs, and flips to different platforms using just chalk and skill. There are things including steep climbs, limbs, poles, trampolines, ledges, and walls at Tempest, a parkour location in Southlake, TX where I live. Parkour also poses some pretty cool slo-mo’s…hate to lie. It is for those who are flexible and like being active. Parkour also involves stability and thinking under pressure. As simple as it seems, sometimes participants can be in tight or risky situations where they must retrieve their fast-thinking skills from the back of their mind. Parkour requires an ability to have quick thinking, also known as speedy reflexes, or thinking on one’s toes. Parkour is like a daring dance, blending danger and athleticism, demanding quick reflexes and fearless thinking to conquer urban-style obstacles. 

I hope you enjoyed reading this article! And until next time,

Simon (=