I didn't vote yet...
Extreme can have a lot of angles. I do loads of sports for loads of reasons, and their're all extreme in some way or the other.
First, there's climbing, snowboarding and downhill mountainbiking. The total opposite of freediving and the classic things called extreme. I do them for the thrill and because i like being outside. Both of them have a mental side as well that resembles freediving, only in the other way! It's about controlling fear and focusing. Making clear and calm decisions very fast in various, often dangerous situations, keeping your mind focused on crucial things.
Then, there's weightlifting. I do that because of the difference of what i want to see in the mirror and what i actually see. It is by no means extreme because i am not putting myself in any unusual situation. I just use iron to multiply the effects of good ol' gravity and with the help of those simple physics looking good at the beach eventually. The only thing extreme about it is how i force myself to do something that boring three times a week. I only do it for the good feeling afterwards, not for the pain while working out.
Lastly, there's freediving, which is clearly extreme, but has a completely different approach than other classic extreme sports. It is downhill biking without the speed and the adrenaline. It is nothing but focusing and maintaining control over your mind and body to be able to stay under the water as long as possible. It is always extreme when a being attemps to stay as long as possible in an environment it wasn't built for. We cannot breathe under water and therefore risk our lives diving.
A lot of people do it because they feel good down there, it makes us happy being surrounded by the blue nothing. That's the reason why we are diving and it doesn't feel extreme in any way. It is the reason why we are not doing record attemps every time we dive. This makes it a special breed of extreme sports as the mind part is so much bigger than when racing down a hill like an eejit. A freediver must for example avoid thrill because adrenaline causes he heart rate to jump quickly. We have completely different approach but seek for the same goals: doing things on the edge of reason. We do it because we can do it as long as we learn the necessary techniques and skills. The test how far we can go is what extreme sports have in common and not actually the sheer lust for adrenaline and pure thrill.
I am maybe a bit of an adrenaline junky, you might think. You're not completely right. I do only take risk as long as i can control it. I am not competitive by nature and i often stay way beyond my limits. I climb because of the challenge it is to do a difficult wall and the mild shivers it sends down my spine but i would never in my live do free solos (without a rope). Of course i do it as well for a bit of pride when you've done a tricky route. I freedive because of my live for the water and the calmness i get from it. It is yoga in a more interesting way for me. Extreme yoga.
Just some late night thoughts... (maybe i'll regret that post when i wake up tomorrow as I'm a wee little bit tired... ;-) )
Cheers, Joe, and good night! ( 3:15 in the morning, sheesh)
Extreme can have a lot of angles. I do loads of sports for loads of reasons, and their're all extreme in some way or the other.
First, there's climbing, snowboarding and downhill mountainbiking. The total opposite of freediving and the classic things called extreme. I do them for the thrill and because i like being outside. Both of them have a mental side as well that resembles freediving, only in the other way! It's about controlling fear and focusing. Making clear and calm decisions very fast in various, often dangerous situations, keeping your mind focused on crucial things.
Then, there's weightlifting. I do that because of the difference of what i want to see in the mirror and what i actually see. It is by no means extreme because i am not putting myself in any unusual situation. I just use iron to multiply the effects of good ol' gravity and with the help of those simple physics looking good at the beach eventually. The only thing extreme about it is how i force myself to do something that boring three times a week. I only do it for the good feeling afterwards, not for the pain while working out.
Lastly, there's freediving, which is clearly extreme, but has a completely different approach than other classic extreme sports. It is downhill biking without the speed and the adrenaline. It is nothing but focusing and maintaining control over your mind and body to be able to stay under the water as long as possible. It is always extreme when a being attemps to stay as long as possible in an environment it wasn't built for. We cannot breathe under water and therefore risk our lives diving.
A lot of people do it because they feel good down there, it makes us happy being surrounded by the blue nothing. That's the reason why we are diving and it doesn't feel extreme in any way. It is the reason why we are not doing record attemps every time we dive. This makes it a special breed of extreme sports as the mind part is so much bigger than when racing down a hill like an eejit. A freediver must for example avoid thrill because adrenaline causes he heart rate to jump quickly. We have completely different approach but seek for the same goals: doing things on the edge of reason. We do it because we can do it as long as we learn the necessary techniques and skills. The test how far we can go is what extreme sports have in common and not actually the sheer lust for adrenaline and pure thrill.
I am maybe a bit of an adrenaline junky, you might think. You're not completely right. I do only take risk as long as i can control it. I am not competitive by nature and i often stay way beyond my limits. I climb because of the challenge it is to do a difficult wall and the mild shivers it sends down my spine but i would never in my live do free solos (without a rope). Of course i do it as well for a bit of pride when you've done a tricky route. I freedive because of my live for the water and the calmness i get from it. It is yoga in a more interesting way for me. Extreme yoga.
Just some late night thoughts... (maybe i'll regret that post when i wake up tomorrow as I'm a wee little bit tired... ;-) )
Cheers, Joe, and good night! ( 3:15 in the morning, sheesh)