Tim Bailen's weblog

Extreme Competition

My friend, Dan, wrote a hypothesis on why people in extreme sports are not seen depressed or cursing when one of their competitors bests them. Instead, they are often seen cheering for their counterparts. Dan says, "parents never go to the drainage ditch to watch their kid practice his skateboarding and they never brag to their friends about how good he is at it. If anything, the message adults give to kids who are pursuing interests in skateboarding, in-line skating, snowboarding, etc., is that they are wasting their time and should be focused on other activities. Perhaps this lack of parental involvement and encouragement leads to a more relaxed, healthy, and mature attitude toward competition."

I'd like to propose an alternate hypothesis. Perhaps because these activities (when undertaken as an amateur) are not traditional sports, with scores and winners and losers they instill a different ethic of competition. Instead of a traditional "us vs. them" duality that defines most sports, these Extreme Sports have their roots in solo activities. "Me vs. myself" and "me vs. the laws of nature" are the more defining characteristics. As such, it's just as enjoyable for these atheletes to see someone else perform well as it is for them to perform at a high level.