VINCE SHULEY PHOTO
What is it that beckons us to the mountains? Is it a line we wish to ski, a skill we wish to learn or improve upon, or is it the outside factors that matter most to us. Recently in the news the deaths of some very dear friends of mine have been made a public debate. The debate revolving around the reasons we do, what we do, as athletes and common adventurers. Are sports with such an inherent risk welcome in today’s pillow top society? Have we become so sheltered that we look at the risks others take and define them as “unreasonable” or “unprofessional”?
It is my purpose and project to promote adventure sports and their future induction into mainstream competition, such as the Freeskiing World Tour’s expansion, and Sport climbing’s induction into the Olympics. These two adventure sports are flourishing because the athletes that compete in them are dedicating their lives to their sports promotion and future, not only for themselves but for today’s youth and tomorrow’s champions. How are they doing this? One word, PROGRESSION.
We make risky decisions every day. To some getting out of bed in the morning is a risk they are not willing to take and to others jumping that cliff, stomping a new trick or sending a new route is only a small step in the progression they will make that day. An article written by a mentor of mine states,
“At issue is the perception athletes at the leading edge of risk are making decisions motivated by bling or profit rather than strictly based on a dispassionate and rational assessment of the situation.
Unspoken in the discussion is that a free-market economy is based upon risks and rewards. What some people find offensive is that this fundamental premise grounded in competition is now being applied to extreme sport and adventure. That rather than climbing a mountain for intrinsic reasons — ‘because it’s there’ — instead athletes are performing outrageous and high-risk stunts because that’s what it takes to win or a sponsor demands it. And there’s nothing wrong with that.” (Heshka, J., & Jackson, J. (n.d.))
But there is something wrong with that! Because under that perception our youth today will be influenced to “get outside” for all the wrong reasons.
So I challenge you as athlete’s, and as recreationalists. Get outside today for the right reasons. Get outside, for progression, to learn a new skill, to teach our youth, and to climb to the top of the nearest mountain; and when you get to the top, bathe in the feeling of personal accomplishment, because no man in a suit with dollar signs in his eyes can give you that.
Heshka, J., & Jackson, J. (n.d.). Sarah Burke: Risk real in extreme sports world. Vancouver Sun | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News. Retrieved February 29, 2012, from http://www.vancouversun.com/opinion/op-ed/Sarah+Burke+Risk+real+extreme+sports+world/6087623/story.html
