A lot of people find extreme sports to be stupid. For example, why would one climb a rock without
rope when ropes are easily available? Or why would one go “skateboarding” on high altitudes when there is a lot of space on the ground?
For people getting into extreme sports, it is the satisfaction of succeeding in fields that few dare go that gives then reason to face danger. Extreme sports stretch the limits of conventional sports and turn them into adrenalin-pumping adventure.
One of the best examples to illustrate the above thinking is barefoot skiing. We all know that are there exist specialized equipment called ski. A pair of ski facilitates smooth navigation while protecting the feet.
Barefoot skiing involves a person being towed by a motorboat running at high speed – barefoot. To push it further extreme, barefoot skiing is done with a boat that is required to run at speeds higher that regular skiing! This sport can be very painful.
This sport can be traced in the Cypress Gardens in Florida, USA. Some people claim that the first recorded person to go skiing barefoot was Dick Pope Jr. on March 6, 1947 although there are other claims that it was A.G. Hancock who hold the first record. Many new techniques were invented in the next decade beginning with two-ski jump out in the early 50s and the beach start and deep water start in the middle to last parts of the decade. Randy Babe totally revolutionalized the sport in 1960 with the invention of backwards barefooting.
Not to be outdone, the Australians also contributed to the sport with Johnson as one of the main founders. He performed the first tumble-turns behind the boat. They developed the technique called barefoot jumping. In March 1960, Australia held the first national competitions with 38 barefoot skiers joining. The first world championships took place in Canberra, the nation’s capital in November 1978. Fifty four wild skiers from 10 countries around the world met and showcased their exceptional skills. The Australians, of course, took the limelight with new techniques and maneuvers never before witnessed in history of barefoot skiing. Australians Brett Wing and Colleen Wilkinson grabbed the men and women championships titles respectively.
Falling is one of the dangerous accidents that can happen in barefoot skiing. Having a wind knocked out, a technical term in the sport, is one of the most common kinds of fall. Although this is usually not serious and does not cause long-tern injury, this can be very painful for the skier. A more serious fall is called “the scorpion fall” where the skier flops over as he enters the water almost the back of his head with his very own hills. Spinal injury, which is very debilitating, can be ensured.
More and more competitions on barefoot skiing are taking place around the world as more and more clubs are springing up. Again, the question: Why do people get into these kinds of dangerous extreme sports? When one of the pioneers in climbing Mt. Everest was asked why he was doing such dangerous endeavor, his answer was summarized in three words: “Because it’s there”.
