Extreme sports have become quite popular amongst the youth of today. Any sport with a level of danger linked to it can be put in the extreme sports bracket. These sports mostly involve a great degree of speed, dramatic stunts, specialized gear and a considerable degree of physical exertion. Though these activities are not limited to the youth, it has been noted that the people participating in these activities do are members of younger demographics. ESPN also provides all of the news and happenings around these events through their programs.
Most of the variables in extreme sports action are beyond control. This can be a good reason why most of the extreme sports athletes begin training without a coach or considerable guidance and are mostly solitary in nature. Challenges not only extend amongst competitors but in addition to nature and environmental variables like wind, snow, terrains and water. A few of the uncontrollable phenomenas linked to extreme sports is seen during events such as surfing, rock and ice climbing and snowboarding. The quality of ice and rocks, the heights on the waves during snowboarding or the snow conditions during snowboarding events are outside of physical control.
One of the largest extreme sports sporting events is known as the X Games. This commercial sporting event is organized and aired live by ESPN.. There are 2 such sports activities organized during the year, one during winter and the other in summer. The Winter X Games are held in the month of January and February and the Summer X Games happen mostly within the month of August. These two events are conducted in the United States.
The participants vie for the gold, silver and bronze medals within the games along with the cash prize that is connected with it. However, judging an extreme sport event is quite different from the conventional games. While distance, score and time form a major portion of the judging considerations for traditional sports, extreme sports participants are judged mostly on the aesthetics that they bring making judgment far more subjective. Due to this each sport employs its respective dynamic ideals that evolve assessment with new techniques and trends set by the participants.
There has been some debate all around the label of extreme sports. As some people contend that extreme sports is nothing more than a marketing plan giving viewers the perception of the high level of danger associated with it. These people say that a sport like rugby or Demolition derby isn’t considered an extreme sport although there is a level of danger and adrenalin rush that is associated with it. It’s viewed more like the youth trying to reject authority and order and setting up a place of their very own making the participating demographics of a much younger age group. Although initially adult sports such as sky diving, bungee jumping, mountaineering scuba diving etc were connected with extreme sports, this term is a lot more relevant to youth driven sports such as skateboarding, aggressive skating, BMX etc.