Gymnázium Jozefa Gregora Tajovského, Tajovského 25 Banská Bystrica
Extreme Sports
Kristína Moravčíková
3.A
2012/2013
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Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................3
1 Quadcross........................................................................................................................4
1.1 Invention of ATV .................................................................................................4
1.2 Competition.........................................................................................................4
1.3 Dustin Wimmer....................................................................................................5
2 Freeskiing........................................................................................................................5
2.1 The first Pro.........................................................................................................5
3 Surfing............................................................................................................................6
3.1 Kelly Slater..........................................................................................................6
4 B.A.S.E. Jumping............................................................................................................7
4.1 Expansion............................................................................................................7
4.2 Roman Dubský....................................................................................................7
5 Freeride Mountainbiking.................................................................................................8
5.1 Canadian dream...................................................................................................8
5.2 Biking in our motherland....................................................................................9
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................10
Sources .............................................................................................................................11
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Introduction
Everyone of us has his own way how to survive in this first world’s stress and rush.
There are as many possibilities as the amount of the people walking on the Earth.
Many don’t even seem to be happy and satisfied with day-to-day style of living, what is
really surprising for me, because every single person is creator of his own happiness.
I am glad to say that I’m not one of them. Not one of that infinite queue of miserable, sad
living beings. I found the meaning of my life as an youngster. That magical key to happiness
is love.
Are you asking what I do love the most? Movement. That untouchable moments which
make your heart racing as the fastest sports car, moments that make you feel unique and
utterly satisfied. I‘ve set my heart on extreme sports. There‘s nothing better than adrenaline,
as the strongest drug, streaming in your veins.
Apart from this, I can’t forget to mention the fellowship I’ve gained while doing sports.
It is love again, that connects us to one company of, as outsiders say, “crazy hazarders with
their life” with one mutual goal - do what you love and love what you do.
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1 Quadcross
1.1 Invention of ATV – All Terrain Vehicle
First ATVs were created as an aid for farmers, somewhere in the middle of twentieth
cenutry. They used three-wheeled vehicles to pass over rough, hilly and muddy terrain and
bring goods from their fields into town.
Few years later, an american company Honda wanted to increase winter sales in the U.S.
when the sales of motorcycles lagged. Their attention has dawned on a vehicle similar to the
one Japanese farmers had been using.
In 1970, Honda introduced its first all-terrain vehicle to the United States.“ The perfect
product was called US90 and still remained a three-wheeled vehicle with a 7-horsepower, 4speed engine. The US90 was sold in the United States for $595.
The first four-wheeled ATV was produced in 1983 by Japanese brand Suzuki.Suzuki
called this new vehicle the QuadRunner LT125. In 1988, Honda began production of the
FourTrax 300 and the FourTrax300 4x4. This became one of history's biggest selling ATVs
with nearly 600,000 units sold.
1.2 Competition
This sport is an alternative to the better known motocross, what is basically 15-30
minute race on one track, that is artificially modified by excavator machines. One round
usually lasts about 3 minutes.
Competitors have to handle with different sorts of jumps, toboggans and humps, while
starting every following lap. It is not only the matter of physical condition and strong will. It
is also the matter of luck.
Racers are divided into groups by cubic capacity of engines of their quads. Other aspect
is
also
the
age
–
we’ve
got
junior,
youngster
and
senior
classes.
There are usually about ten to thirty competitors in one group. This year, the ladies class was
opened as a novelty in Slovak quadcross championship.
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1.3 Dustin Wimmer
I’d like to introduce one of the best riders in the world, Dustin Wimmer. This young
talent was born in February 21, 1987. His hometown is Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and now
resided in Center Valley.
Dustin started his racing career at the age of 9 and immediately earned success. Later
time, graduating through the race classes, Dustin reached amazing results with an unmatched
racing style and still keeps himself on the top up to now.
2 Freeskiing
This sport has developed itself from classical skiing as a result of boredom and desire to
try out new things. Freeskiing could be divided in two general groups : freestyle and freeride.
Freestyle skiing usually takes place in spotlessly shaped snowparks, where you can see
various kinds of barriers, such as kickers, rails, u-ramps or boxes. This is particularly famous
between young-aged skiers with the lack of fear and tremendous lust to show off. Curious
audience and a numerous party of friends is a matter of course.
Completely different thing is freeride skiing. The main idea is – it’s only you and the
mountain. Thousands of eager skiers and mountain lovers all around the world have fallen in
love with this sport since early seventies. The best you can get is a day full of riding some
steep slopes covered with powder–kind of snow.
2.1 The first Pro
Scot Schmidt, born in July 21, 1961, in Helena, Montana is the first one considered as
a professional extreme skier. His extraordinary talent has helped to shape ski industry, as
it’s known today and has inspired many skiers. Scot started skiing professionally in 1983
in Squaw Valley. A Warren Miller cameraman who had heard of Scot’s unique and
relaxed style asked him to appear in their film Ski Time. Scot has appeared in 39 other ski
movies, becoming a pioneer of extreme skiing.. Schmidt now lives in Santa Cruz,
California.
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3 Surfing
Surfing in its oirigns was for centuries the central part of ancient Polynesian culture.
Surfing might has been first observed by Europeans at Tahiti in 1767, what was also the first
time Europeans visited Tahiti.
It is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides on the forward face of a wave, which is
most often carrying the surfer towards shore. The most suitable conditions for surfing are
often found in the ocean. However, modern day Surfing can also be done in man-made
sources such as wave pools and boat wakes.
When Mark Twain visited Hawaii in 1866 he wrote,
"In one place we came upon a large company of naked natives, of both sexes and all
ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf-bathing."
This quote refers to the bohemian and free art of living spreaded all over the islands, to which
is surfing deeply connected. Surfers represent a miscellaneous culture based on riding the
waves.
Famous surf resorts are Bells Beach, Australia, Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, Maverics, U.S.A
or Teahupo’o, Tahiti.
3.1 Kelly Slater
Robert Kelly Slater, born in February 11, 1972, Cocoa Beach, Florida, USA, is an
American professional surfer who has rewritten the history several times. This illustrious
man is best known for his competitive and clean style of riding the biggest waves all over the
world.
He has been crowned ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Champion a
record 11 times, beating surfing legend Mark Richards to become the most succesful
champion in the history of this sport. He is both the youngest and the oldest to win the title –
first time he won at age 20 and the last time at age 39.
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4 B.A.S.E Jumping
BASE jumping is an activity that involves using parachutes to descend from fixed
objects. Although there’s no exact date of the first jump in order to do BASE jumping as a
sport, there are recorded examples of fixed object jumping from the early 1900s.
Frederick Law jumped from the Statue of Liberty in 1912 and in 1976, Rick Sylvester
jumped Canada’s Mt Asgard for the opening sequence of the James Bond Movie, what is
considered to be the first step of giving the wider world its first look at BASE jumping.
First skydivers have developed from professional aircraft and have made several leaps in
Italian Dolomites, El Capitan in Yosemite National Park or jumping old bridges and oil well
derricks. Unfortunately, many of these have been poorly recorded, so only little is known of
them.
4.1 Expansion
The years 1979 and 1980 were the most remarkable in fixed-object jumping history. It
was a period of great excitement when numerous groups of skydivers began to expand their
skills and abilities beyond the use of aircraft. It is also the time when a complete foundation
for the future development of BASE jumping was laid. Movies played an invaluable role
there.
4.2 Roman Dubský
I am very proud to mention a sportsman of Slovak nationality, who is enough skillful to
be observed by a wider public. Roman Dubský, born on February 5, 1984, is an instructor of
parachuting, AFF (Accelerated free fall) instructor, tandem pilot and a member of Slovak
representation.
He has taken part in various competitions in Poland, Czech Republic and also world cup
series. With more than four thousand leaps made, Roman Dubský have become professional
with a list of documentary films about BASE jumping on his account. He has also participated
on the birth of first Slovak documentary film Force of Gravity.
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5 Freeride Mountainbiking
Mountainbiking could be defined as an off-road biking, mostly through rough and
hilly terrain, using specially designed mountainbikes. It could be broken down to several
categories: cross country, trail riding, all mountain, freeride and downhill. This sport has
its roots in California, Marin County’ s Mount Tamplais, where in the late 1970’s the first
mountainbike trails were built.
Between late 1970s and early 1980s first mountain bicycles started to be
manufactured. Road bicycle companies used high-tech lightweight materials to create the
first experiments in the fields of off-road biking. Joe Breeze is normally credited with
introducing the first purpose-built mountain bike in 1978. Tom Ritchey then went on to
make frames for a company called MountainBikes, a partnership between Gary
Fisher, Charlie Kelly and Tom Ritchey.
This individual sport requires very strong physical condition and endurance, core
strength, balance and courage. It could be performed almost everywhere from backyards
to forest singletracks or man-made downhill tracks.
5.1 Canadian dream
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada is considered to be the Mekka of mountainbiking.
Thousands kilometeres of various singletracks for all mountain riders to professionals can be
found in the woods of famous North Shore.
World-wide most famous bikepark Whistler also takes place in Vancouver’s
surroundings. Every year, Kokanee Crankworx festival is held to celebrate this absorbing
sport accompanied by prestigious competition of mountainbike scene pro’s.
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5.2 Biking in our motherland
In just a few years mountainbiking has found a big number of fans in our country
too. I am one of these maniacs that are able to spend whole days in the woods. We’ve
already got about twenty specialized bikeparks and hundreds of trails built with our bare
hands.
Every year Slovak Championship of Downhill Mountainbiking takes place in 5 to 8 bike
resorts where separate competitions are held. Once you taste the athmosphere of racing,
there’s no way to escape.
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Conclusion
The main goal of my project was to bring You deeper look into extreme sports as a
today’s passion of many humans. Maybe it hasn’t changed Your mind about how
dangerous, crazy and abnormal these activities are. We all know that the risk we undergo
is sometimes higher than accurate, and the edge between death and living remains a
narrow path for many.
I never regretted a single moment while doing sports I love. These sports are not for
everyone, but the chosen ones could find a paradise on earth just by doing something
more courageous than others.
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Sources
http://www.theskijournal.com/issue/6.2/feature/THE-FIRST-FREESKIER
http://www.mountainbikeroots.com/
www.skydiveduby.com/
http://www.basejumper.com/Articles/General/The_History_of_BASE_Jumping_657.html
http://www.suzuki-racing.com/rider.aspx?SRS_ID=28&OBJ_ID=8590
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Slater
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