Bungee jumping (the first from Golden Gate Bridge) and BASE jumping, cliff jumping and hang-gliding (off Kilimanjaro), skiing down almost vertical slopes in double-decker London buses, jumping off huge bridges in oversized kangaroo costumes -- this is the inside story of an informal group of amateur adventurers who broke laws, legs, and chandeliers around the world, leaving a trail of crashed cars, unpaid bills, empty bottles, and over-turned conventions in their wake. World famous (they were on "That's Incredible" and "immortalized" in the film "The History of the Dangerous Sports Club") and little understood, they were a mixture of artists and engineers, soldiers and academics, an MP, and one of the Monty Python team (Graham Chapman), united by their interest in creative forms of excitement. Lyster, an accomplished skydiver and hang-glider, was involved in the club throughout the '80s, traces the progress of the club from its beginnings at Oxford, through its heydey of innovation and entertainment, to its eventual decline into chaos and irrelevance. Strange Adventures is a story of English eccentrics and adventurers: real-life Phineas Foggs. It's a tale of nerve, drunkenness, and wild spending; of movies, sponsors, and TV shows; of surrealism, irresponsibility, and bounced checks; of hugh public recognition and utter commercial failure....it's the story of the Dangerous Sports Club.
Provides a brief description of twenty-five dangerous sports from bungee jumping to skydiving, including specific instances of injury and methods of prevention.
Extreme sports, those activities that lie on the outermost edges of independent adventurous leisure activities, where a mismanaged mistake or accident would most likely result in death, have developed into a significant worldwide phenomenon (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2017a). Extreme sport activities are continually evolving, typical examples include BASE (an acronym for Buildings, Antennae, Span, Earth) jumping and related activities such as proximity flying, extreme skiing, big wave surfing, waterfall kayaking, rope free solo climbing and high-level mountaineering. While participant numbers in many traditional team and individual sports such as golf, basketball and racket sports have declined over the last decade or so, participant numbers in so called extreme sports have surged. Although extreme sports are still assumed to be a Western pastime, there has been considerable Global uptake. Equally, the idea that adventure sports are only for the young is also changing as participation rates across the generations are growing. For example, baby boomers are enthusiastic participants of adventure sports more generally (Brymer & Schweitzer, 2017b; Patterson, 2002) and Generation Z turn to extreme sports because they are popular and linked to escapism (Giannoulakis & Pursglove, 2017). Arguably, extreme sports now support a multi-billion dollar industry and the momentum seems to be intensifying. Traditional explanations for why extreme sports have become so popular are varied. For some, the popularity is explained as the desire to rebel against a society that is becoming too risk averse, for others it is about the spectacle and the merchandise that is associated with organised activities and athletes. For others it is just that there are a lot of people attracted by risk and danger or just want to show off. For others still it is about the desire to belong to sub-cultures and the glamour that goes with extreme sports. Some seek mastery in their chosen activity and in situations of significant challenges. This confusion is unfortunate as despite their popularity there is still a negative perception about extreme sports participation. There is a pressing need for clarity. The dominant research perspective has focused on positivist theory-driven perspectives that attempt to match extreme sports against predetermined characteristics. For the most part empirical research has conformed to predetermined societal perspectives. Other ways of knowing might reveal more nuanced perspectives of the human dimension of extreme sport participation. This special edition brings together cutting-edge research and thought examining psychology and extreme sports, with particular attention payed to the examination of motivations for initial participation, continued participation, effective performance, and outcomes from participation. References Brymer, E. & Schweitzer, R. (2017a) Phenomenology and the extreme sports experience, NY, Routledge. Brymer, E, & Schweitzer, R, D. (2017b) Evoking the Ineffable: The phenomenology of extreme sports, Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice 4(1):63-74 Giannoulakis, C., & Pursglove, L., K., (2017) Evolution of the Action Sport Setting. In S.E. Klein Ed. Defining Sport: Conceptions and Borderlines. Lexington Books, London. 128-146 Patterson, I. (2002) Baby Boomers and Adventure Tourism: The Importance of Marketing the Leisure Experience, World Leisure Journal, 44:2, 4-10, DOI: 10.1080/04419057.2002.9674265
Students and extreme sport enthusiasts will not only learn about the sports themselves, but also about the techniques, innovations, engineering, and physics behind them. How do ice yachters achieve speeds of up to 150 MPH? What does take to become a pro snowboarder? Other parts of the encyclopedia highlight key areas of study, such as extreme sports and the media, the controversies surrounding, and the impact of extreme sports on our culture. A resource guide of print and electronic sources, competitions, organizations offers students an insider's guide to all things extreme. Inside readers will discover BASE (Building, Antenna tower, Span, Earth) Jumping. What's more dangerous than leaping off of a tall building? Jumping off a structure that's much closer to the ground, and that's exactly what many BASE jumpers regularly do. The risks include malfunctioning parachutes, landing on rocks, into electrical wires and more. Readers will learn about Bhang Gliding, where experienced pilots perform full barrel rolls, inverted maneuvers and other stunt flying moves. It is no longer unusual for an experienced hang glider to travel 200 miles or reach altitudes above 10,000 feet. Coverage also includes information on caving, which involves exploring caves that travel deep into the earth, moutain biking, and many other sports.
Sports are fun, but they can be dangerous, too. As more information becomes available about concussions and other injuries, many people have wondered if certain sports, such as football, are too dangerous for kids to play. People often have strong opinions about this topic, and readers are introduced to these opinions in a way that enhances their critical-thinking skills. The facts readers need to develop their own informed opinion are included in the thoroughly researched main text and accompanying fact boxes. A graphic organizer and full-color photographs help readers visualize the many parts of this complex issue.
Annotation This textbook combines an explanation of the theoretical foundations of sport psychology, critical reviews of contemporary research and practical suggestions for relevant independent research projects.
In this elegant and exciting collection Andrew Todhunter, himself an extreme sportsman and the author of the critically acclaimed Fall of the Phantom Lord, takes readers along as men and women push themselves to their limits in the world’s riskiest sports. In several of these essays Todhunter writes from personal experience, joining his subjects as they free fall from cliffs, wriggle through narrow underground crevices, and dive deep beneath the ice of a frozen lake. In these adrenaline-laced accounts of extreme sportsmanship, Todhunter captures not only the thrill of conquest but the deep pleasure of being someplace few others have gone as well.
This book reviews the existing data on the frequency and distribution of injuries and the factors contributing to injuries in adventure and extreme sports. Further, it suggests injury prevention strategies and provides recommendations for future research. Providing the first comprehensive compilation of epidemiological data over a range of new age sports considered to be adventurous and extreme, this publication is also the first of its kind to track down all of the major literature associated with the topic.A uniform and evidence-based approach to organizing and interpreting the literature is used in all chapters. All of the sport-specific chapters are laid out with the same basic headings making it easier for the reader to find common information across chapters.Sports physicians, physical therapists, recreation managers, researchers, injury prevention specialists, the adventure and extreme sport industry, and the adventure and extreme sport participants themselves will find the book useful in identifying problem areas in which appropriate preventive measures can be initiated to reduce the risk and severity of injuries. They will also want to use the book as a source for future research related to injuries in adventure and extreme sports.
