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Essay / Extreme Sports: Benefits and Challenges Explored
Until recently, people described participants in extreme sports as unskilled risk seekers, who do not enjoy life and usually have either an addiction to danger or an unhealthy desire to prove themselves. Although the majority had a negative attitude towards extreme sports when they first appeared, extreme sports did not disappear but grew in popularity and acceptance over time. Today, society realizes that participating in high-risk sports has unexpected benefits for the individual. In fact, extreme sports intensify emotional, intellectual and physical life. People become more emotionally stable when they encounter danger by doing extreme sports, because extreme sports help them learn about fear. While the fear of excessive height and speed helps human ancestors survive, this fear carries over to people today and keeps them away from the cliff and helps them avoid the danger of crashing ( Leahy). While people are born with fear, extreme sports expose them to great heights and speeds. This is why participants in extreme sports face a high level of fear, which constantly triggers panic. The challenges and benefits of extreme sports are therefore discussed in this essay. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay When I first started snowboarding, the height of the mountain scared me so much that my body felt stiff when I I was sliding from the snow slope at first. However, gradually I felt better and I was able to control myself to perform again even though I am still afraid. The change in my feelings is a result of my improved snowboarding experience. According to Brymer and Mackenzie, when different individuals encounter the same problem, each interprets the problem with their own feelings, motivations, and knowledge. In other words, as for people with little or no experience in extreme sports, a low level of danger overwhelms them. However, for those who often engage in extreme sports, they can control themselves better with experience. The reason behind this positive change is that extreme sports provide people with many opportunities to deal with panic. Experiencing fear helps people become familiar with panic attacks and find strategies to cope with them. One climber, who couldn't pull himself together at first, gradually became susceptible to panic and found a way to calm himself down. The climber says, “I often felt panic rising and spoke to myself” (Brymer and Schweitzer 482). Thanks to mountaineering experience, this mountaineer is able to notice the rise of panic and quickly control his emotions. Extreme sports teach participants to use “coping mechanisms” (Chavez) to cope with panic and objectify fear. The ability to maintain emotional stability helps them have good clarity and judgment, and they can then make the best use of their minds and bodies. When faced with a challenge, extreme athletes panic less often and waste less time on emotions than others. Experience in extreme sports allows them to be less distracted and thus perform better. Not only helps participants get rid of panic, but the experience of extreme sports also influences the natural state of participants' bodies in the presence of danger. Although they always feel increasing panic, extreme athletes feel excitement when they encounter a.