Extreme Sports Should Be Allowed 

    By: Jayden Yang 

   To the extreme sport players around the world, 

Picture this. You’re stuck in a world, hiding your personality just because of what other people think about you. This is what extreme sports are. Hello, my name is Jayden Yang. Have you ever heard about extreme sports? Well, extreme sports are extreme, in many ways. It could give you major injuries, and it could also give you a one-way ticket to death. Many people say extreme sports are dangerous. However, I think you should go by your choice. This is because denying extreme sports is basically denying a person’s identity and their choices. We need to let people make their own decisions in life. Life is short and people should get to choose what they want to do. My soccer coach once said, ‘Once you lose your nerve, you get hurt.’This is true. Whenever you think, ‘I’m not going to focus,’ that’s how you get hurt. I’ve never got severely injured before, and 80% of that is for focusing on my task. Though, many players still play extreme sports, so let’s dive in and ask, ‘Why are extreme sports worth the risk?’ 

 The first reason why extreme sports are worth the risk is because people want to achieve things. Players push themselves in order to achieve things.  So they practice more. They want to break records and set new ones, so they practice even more. The answer to success is practice, because practice makes perfect. Many players feel good when they achieve their goal, which means overcoming fear is meaningful to them. They set a goal, and they do anything to achieve it. Especially when they do this with fear, these kinds of people are called ‘Thrill Seekers.’  They enjoy fear, and have a strong determination to do things. Dave Chappelle, an American comedian quoted that, ‘I think extreme sports are really good for revealing stress.’ Extreme sport players have a lot on their back, so they need to let it go. Also, extreme sport players want to achieve things, and you can’t forget one of the most important things… The Guinness World Records! The Guinness World Records were officially started in 1955, and 

Everyone wanted to get famous. So people started setting records however they could, and extreme sports were one of them. You only have 1 life, so you might as well make the best of it!

 The second reason why extreme sports are worth the risk is because they like the excitement in extreme sports. It could be fear, or it could be joy. It is mostly fear though. Extreme sport players all experience fear, but they describe that in rather a positive way. You see, some players could be addicted to the ‘rush’ and the ‘fear’ in extreme sports. People like the excitement. For some, playing extreme sports makes them feel alive and wake up. According to Michael Britt, an expert of extreme sports, explains that Optimum Arousal Theory states that we all have a level of arousal in between being very relaxed and being very excited. So this means extreme sport players have a level of arousal that is very exciting. Fear is a way to motivate yourself, and the brain's reward systems can be different for each person. They like to do extreme things because of their fear response. People say extreme sports can boost your health, both mentally and physically. Many people believe this. So, this is why they love the thrill.

 The final reason why extreme sports are worth the risk is because you can make a show. When I mean make a show, I don’t mean to make a circus. I mean to put on an amazing show for the fans to watch. Make your parents proud too. They supported you so much over the years. They put in extra money into your dream sport. My parents sacrificed a lot of money and service for me too. Taking me to soccer, bringing me back, throwing in money for my lessons, uniforms, balls, etc. They are proud of you, even though you might not feel it most of the time. The solution to this is to work harder to prove them wrong. I know it can feel sad sometimes when you don’t get the wording you expect, but keep going on, because you are a champion. You need to let go of your stress, so a good performance should be the key for that. You could make a person’s day when you perform a satisfying show to watch. Think about others too.

 Many people believe that extreme sports are not worth the risk. However, I disagree. You have something beloved. Everyone has it. For example, what’s your favorite food to eat? Pizza? Okay. Let’s say that to extreme sport players, extreme sports is a huge pizza to them. However, people are trying to take away the extreme sport player’s pizza. Think about it. If you took the extreme sport player’s pizza away, how would they feel? And if someone took your pizza away, how would you feel? Unless you give the extreme sport players your pizza back, you can wave goodbye to the terminology, “Pizza” for the rest of your life. Other people have their own thoughts, and they choose their path in life, because you don’t own them.

 In conclusion, extreme sports should be allowed. I don’t see why people should lock their personalities inside their hearts. People might love the thrill because of their parents, who were extreme sport players, or others just love the fear in it. We need to accept what people are, because you don’t own them. Everyone is different. Take a look at the palm of your hand. Compare it with someone next to you. Nobody will have the same palm. Everyone is different, so we should appreciate people’s thinking, and if that means letting people play extreme sports, let it be. Today, we take a step forward. We will accept. We will let people choose. We can make a change in the world, by accepting people’s thoughts. So you need to make a change in our world, our planet, our universe. And you could be the first step to success. I hope you stay safe and I appreciate you reading my article today. Before I leave you, I’m going to end this piece of writing with a quote: ‘Fear is what stops you. Courage is what keeps you going.’

Best regards, 

 Jayden Yang