Most people focus on the holy trinity of sports: basketball, baseball, and American football. Many begin wanting to play them but eventually find themselves in bars just watching the action from afar.
What explains this waning interest? It could be that while these are superb spectator sports, they’re not what people actually want to do in their spare time.
Thrill sports, though, are different. These give you a buzz, no matter what.
There are all sorts of thrill sports out there these days, from drag racing to mountaineering, mountain biking to kayaking.
The question is: will you enjoy them?
That’s the question we attempt to answer in this post. We take a look at some of the ways you can tell if you’re someone who has a penchant for one of these extreme sports.
You’re Physically Fit
When it comes to most extreme sports, it helps to be physically fit. The majority of rock climbers have 28-inch waists and sub-10 percent body fat.
Being physically fit also makes these sports a heck of a lot more enjoyable. Grinding your way up a fire road puffing your lungs out in your mountain bike’s lowest gear is hardly fun. But when you have the fitness of a doped Lance Amstrong, you feel majestic, no matter what the topology throws at you.
You Have A High-Risk Tolerance
Extreme sports might also be something you could get into if you have a high risk tolerance. That is, you’re not someone who always looks for the safe option.
You can usually tell if you’re this sort of person by taking a look at your financial portfolio. Are you a 100 percent equities type of person? Or do you prefer the safety and security of T-bills? If it’s the former, then extreme sports might be something you enjoy.
Remember, the reason people use the word “extreme” to define these sports is that they involve taking risks. While soccer stars might tear a hamstring, the accidents that befall participants in extreme sports can be significantly more dramatic.
You Have A Desire For Challenges
You might also be a candidate for extreme sports if you’re the sort of person who has a penchant for challenges. Again, you can tell if this is you by looking at the rest of your life.
People who love challenges, for instance, aren’t afraid of throwing themselves into learning new things. Individuals with these characteristics take on big projects, like teaching themselves college math or learning a random foreign language, like Bisaya.
Additionally, these individuals have extensive financial goals. A regular paycheck just won’t cut it. As such, they often go to enormous effort to rise above their station in life and find ways to escape the career trap, even if it means working 100-hour weeks.
You Love The Gear
You might also be a prime candidate for extreme sports if you love the gear. Many people spend weeks choosing the best kayak seat for whitewater adventures or picking the perfect dropper post for their mountain bike. Shopping can be a thrilling experience in itself.
There’s also something to be said about the gear required for extreme sports. For other sports, it’s just something that’s nice to have. But in extreme environments, your life can literally depend on it. That’s why mountain bikers aren’t afraid to drop $500 on a pair of brakes or $100 on some tires. They need them.
You Admire Extreme Athletes
You might also be the type of person who would like extreme sports if you admire the athletes who do them. Putting their pictures up on your wall and adoring them for their achievements indicates you might have personal aspirations to be like them.
You Love Travel
Another sign you are ready for extreme sports is your love of travel. People who enjoy globetrotting are often more intrepid and more willing to try new things. Plus, they like going to new environments where extreme sports take place.
Furthermore, taking part in extreme sports often requires you to travel far and wide. Snow-dusted pistes, 1000-foot rock faces, winding singletrack, and river rapids are rarely close by (unless you’re extremely lucky).
You Are Interested In Extreme Environments
Related to this might be a direct interest in these extreme environments, revealing a love of these sports. If you are the sort of person who enjoys being in the mountains, sky, or ocean, then extreme sports could be for you. Instead of feeling scared, many individuals feel at peace in these locations.
You might have similar feelings if you love being in nature and away from the city. If you appreciate the wilderness and the dangers it offers, you could also be a prime candidate for extreme sports.
You Respond Positively To The Concept Of Extreme Sports
Another sign you are someone who might enjoy extreme sports is having a positive emotional response to them. If your heart is full of excitement instead of fear, it could indicate that you have the right character traits to engage in these activities.
Set some time aside to consider your true feelings about extreme sports. Do you feel a healthy sense of excitement and trepidation or is the emotion one of pure fear?
If you’re not sure which of these applies, build up to it. Instead of trying to conquer Everest from the outset, hike your local hills first.
You Are Responsible And Safety-Minded
Finally, you might be a candidate for extreme sports if you are responsible and safety-minded. Just because you have a high risk tolerance, it doesn’t mean you neglect to take precautions. Instead, you do what you need to do to keep yourself safe.
For example, if you go mountain biking, you are the sort of person who wears a helmet, gloves, knee and arm protection, and body armor if you are attempting any extreme downhill runs. Likewise, you always take precautions on ski slopes or when kayaking in cold water.
So, there you have it: some of the ways to tell if you’re someone who would like extreme sports. Does any of this sound like you?
