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Rise of extreme sport a thirst for nature

Matt Wordsworth reported this story on Thursday, May 10, 2012 18:47:00

MATT PEACOCK: BASE jumpers, free divers, rock climbers - they've all got some things in common but a sports psychologist is warning that it's not being crazy.

Dr Eric Brymer has just finished a documentary on what makes normal sportspeople push their events to the extreme.

And he says what he's found out, is that it comes from completely normal behaviour. What's more, increasing numbers of people are taking part.

He's speaking with Matt Wordsworth.

ERIC BRYMER: Yeah the a crazy death wish, risk taking traditional perspective doesn't really match what happens when somebody's undertaken or decides to undertake such activities as BASE jumping or big wave surfing.

The amount of effort, work, training; the amount of knowledge that they take on board, how well they understand themselves, how well they understand the environment and so forth almost removes the risk-taking argument from the picture.

I mean even to the extent BASE jumpers reporting that they might take weeks, months, even years sometimes - and other extreme sport athletes, even years sometimes - in fact one person I spoke to took 14 years to plan a particular event - planning it but if they get to the top of the cliff, after all the effort to get there, and the conditions aren't right, they'll walk down again.

MATT WORDSWORTH: So what made you decide to take part and make this documentary?

ERIC BRYMER: I used to work looking at adventure sports many, many years ago and as I picked up research and read more and more research I could see that there was a massive disconnection between what research was saying and between my own experiences and those of all the people that were around me.

And so that led into, well why don't I do this as a PhD? And then the PhD came and then Josh who's the film-maker; usually PhDs they end up gathering dust on somebody's shelf but this found its way to Josh and then the next thing I know he's contacting me and saying can we make a documentary on this?

(excerpt from documentary)

MAN: I don't think I'm crazy. Calling somebody crazy is generally just a misunderstanding or a lack of knowledge about what they're actually doing.

MATT WORDSWORTH: Now I notice you're saying that extreme sports a growing trend; why is that?

ERIC BRYMER: Well research undertaken in the US and here people are moving further form the traditional sports. It's probably more accurate to say that the adventure cousins of extreme sport, the less extreme cousins of them, like skateboarding, sail-boarding, surfing, but not necessarily extreme, seem to be gaining popularity and young people are moving away from more traditional sports, according to the American sports data statistics and into these more non-traditional sports which really are cousins of adventure and extreme sport.

(excerpt from documentary)

MAN: I guess I've always been drawn to the ocean and as a kid my family sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to reach New Zealand when I was five years old; so that's always been part of my life.

MATT WORDSWORTH: Now is that because of the way society's moving, is that because sport's too engineered? Is this because we're not engaging in nature in our day-to-day lives; what's driving it?

ERIC BRYMER: I think probably you're actually spot on - I think it's all those and I think there is - and research would indicate that the more organised we've become and the more sports have become commercialised and takes... and winner focussed, the more people are trying to find other outlets for their desire to take part in physical activity and their desire to be connected with the natural world.

MATT PEACOCK: Dr Eric Brymer speaking with Matt Wordsworth.

From the Archives

27th February 2003


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