Extreme sports are popular all over the UK. Not just in the mountains of Snowdonia or Scotland. But what attracts people to these sports? Is it adventure or danger?
People who enjoy fast and dangerous sports, like white-water rafting, are called thrill seekers or adrenalin junkies.
I’m at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham in the centre of England and this is the white-water course. Seven hundred metres of foaming water with drops or rapids. And the skill is to stay afloat in the rough water.
I’m here to meet Pas Blackwell, a white-water rafting expert, and to find out why so many people enjoy the thrills and spills of this extreme sport.
Carmen: Hi, Pas.
Pas: Hi, Carmen.
Carmen: So this is a specially built course, but you raft on rapids all around the world. What do you most enjoy about white-water rafting?
Pas: I really enjoy being outdoors and on the water. I really enjoy the freedom of just you and nature and I really enjoy the challenge.
Carmen: So why do people like dangerous sports?
Pas: I think people like to push themselves – to see how far they can go – to really test themselves, against the elements, water and air.
Carmen: So, are you an adrenalin junkie?
Pas: I don’t think of myself as an adrenalin junkie, but I do really enjoy the rush of trying to get from the top to the bottom and get through situations that occur out on the river.
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In the countryside there are lots of wide open spaces and lots of extreme sports to choose from. But what do adrenalin junkies do in the city? Well, parkour, sometimes called free running, is becoming popular in London.
Parkour started in France. And the idea is to get from one place to the other as fast as possible; jumping and climbing over whatever is in the way. So I’ve come to a parkour class in West London to find out what it’s all about. Rebecca Ahmed has been doing parkour for more than a year.
Carmen: So Rebecca, why do you like parkour?
Rebecca: It’s really fun, it’s original and it keeps me fit. That’s why I come.
Carmen: Do you need any special equipment?
Rebecca: Not really, we just use what’s around us like steps, railings and trees, but as long as you’ve got a good pair of trainers, you’re fine.
Carmen: Is it difficult?
Rebecca: I wouldn’t say it’s difficult – it’s more about the fear. If you’re not scared you can do it.
I’m not sure I’ve got the balance for parkour. Extreme sports can be dangerous, but they’re also lots of fun.
Comments
In my opinion white-water rafting is more exciting than parkour.
Parkour is dangerous so I choose white-water rafting.
I think white-water sport is very exciting and a little safer than parkour so I will choose it.
Im not the biggest fan these sports but Im interested in parkour and in the long future i want to try it.Im curius about this sport difficulity and how much time to do I learn this sport.
In my city, white-water rafting is not popular because there are no wide or large rivers nearby, but parkour is more likely due to stairs and railings on the streets. I would choose parkour beacuse I'm not that good in water sports.
I think that's hard to say. Many people parkour, but I don’t know white-water rafting, so I would say that parkour is more popular. I’m not really a fan of extreme sports I stick with the usual sports like football. If I have to choose, i would try parkour.
In my opinion the most extreme sport is the parkour because you have to jump,slide,climb across objects and you can even break yourself, so i think its the most extreme sport. i would like to try it but carefully.
I would like to learn parkour beacuse it can be useful someday
I think white-water rafting is more exciting than parkour so i would try the white-water rafting. In my country i think the parkour is the most popular.
I think white-water sport is very excited and I like to try it.
Hi,
I think both of these sports are very dangerous. But if I had to choose I would rather try rafting.
Hello
It's really hard for me to choose, because I'm not the bravest person in the world. I like to do safer sports, like table tennis or horse riding. But if I really need to chosse, I will pick the water rafting, because parkour looks more dangerous in my opinion.
In my country people like to do parkour. They find it exciting, but I don't think so. I can't believe how people can be so fearless.
I think these activities are really exciting but i wouldn't try them out just in my own. I wild to with someone that i trust and i love, just to be more fun. If you do something, anything with the people you love, it's gonna be amazing anyways.
Hello everyone!
I'm really into unusial activities. Nowadays extreme sports are popular all over the world.
My friend and I are especially surprised how people can be so fearless.
I would like to try extreme sports soon. In my opinion rafting is a unique and interesting sport because it is so fun and breathtaking. Also white water rafting is an exciting sport and it can be practiced with family members and friends.
In your video you showed us many beautiful and fascinating moments.That made me dream someday to test myself in rafting
Parkour is also popular around the world today. And my city is no exception. We even have several training grounds. I think safe parkour is good for health because it develops good control over our body. It is very interesting and stirring but I would not want to test myself in this sport.
Hello everyone/
I prefer more peaceful kind of sports like yoga or stratching. I like to do it after hard day to relax. Sports like parkour and water-rafting scare me. It seems very dangerous. At the same time I like to watch it on TV during I do my exercises. Also I enjoy seing people that parkouring in the street.
hello
actually i chose white-water rafting because looks like an aventure and it means that white-water rafting is very fun also and if we want we can practice in group or alone, rather try in calm water or do it in aggressive river and do it on a tematic place or adrift. points like this make a sport on a great and interesting activity.
the colombian geography can be helpful if we talk about extreme sports . is a great place to do climbing or mountaineering.
hello
In my opinion parkour is better because it is a unique and interesting sport. In my country it is not very common practice extreme sports although there are many places where you can learn and enjoy these sports. Among the best known are parachuting, jumping and rafting, also colombia has different landscapes and places where you can practice all kind of sports.
I prefer Rafting Because it is a more adventure sport, when precticular security elements are used that help people to be calmer and there are specific spaces to practice it. While parkour being a more extreme sport and not having a space of its own, it is difficult to practice, which is a bad step can cause an accident or complicated health situation.
The principals extreme sports that are practised in Colombia are: mountaineering, canopy, bungee, rafting, climb, abseiling and Parachuting. These sports can develop in Colombia due to the fact that the relief offers the scenes acts to do these sports.
I think that these kind of sports/activities looks dangerous, its obviously that if you make step in false or try to do that without an previously training and
knowledge youre going to get injured. But also i think that these kind of sports you help you to lose the fear and be more brave, confident, bold and cool
I prefer practice Parkour because is a sport that for me since that i saw, it, i like it a lot for his movements, his agility, how they move in the streets; etc...
And for this reasons is that i prefer the parkour.
i would like practice parkour because i think that this extreme sport it´s not common in my country, and also my city has many constructions and places for doing this sport, though i think that this can be dangerous because if you are nervous probably you fall and get injured, so you have to practice for a long time to do it in the best way.
I would rather try rafting because this extreme sport has at least protection equipment and looks less dangerous than the parkour. In my country the most popular extreme sports are skydiving and motocross for the reason that people in Colombia they like adrenaline.
I like extreme sports and more when you can play in groups as in family, with friends.
The ones that I like the most are the aquatic ones, when you play this you de-stress, you enjoy one of the advantages is that it is a feeling of having defied the danger, it is a sensation of being able to overcome any obstacle that can present in the life, I recommend a lot the extreme sports is very funny
i like both sports, but i prefer parkour, because is more interesting The video was very excellent, because i like the extreme sports, are so good, in my opinion, colombia is a great place to practice this sports, because we can do, colombia have rivers for practice rafting and buildings to practice parkour.
I prefer rafting because I like the feel of the jumps and that the water falls in the face of all that go in the boat. An extreme sport well known and preferred by many is Bungee Jumping in a place two hours from Bogota in Samaca (Boyaca) where it jumps to a height of 40 meters, and climb in Suesca (Cundinamarca) an hour and a half from Bogota, in natural rocks.
I would like parkour because is a sport that you don't need something to do it and we can do this in all the places that we'll want. I think rafting is a rare sport in my town because we don't have a place to do this in the best conditions maybe in the outskirts of the city we can practise this sport but this generate greater investment.
In my city one of the most popular extreme sports is Bungee Jumping, it is a vacuum jump from a fixed base. It can make you feel an unexpected emotions.
I liked this video because I think that most people should realize an extreme sport in a small measure, because is healthy when you set free the adrenalin. For me, I would like to practice an sport like parkour, because I like height and is very interesting how they do the stunts and jumps.
I prefer the rafting because I find it more fun and more exciting sport and can be practiced with family and friends. where I live, the extreme sport that is most practiced is motocross as is a sport with much adrenalin and is very popular between the people of my country
I think that both sports they are very dedicated for the people who do it, each sports so difficult because in many times the persons can put their lives at risk, make these sports is for people who are looking for new experiences in her lives. Parkour its a sport that is done outdoors and at all times in all the city, parkour focus more on jumping from side to side and rafting is for people with adrenaline, this sports so difficults but is a discipline of a lot respect for the people practice this
I preffer parkour because i need not be afraid and have a good physical condition, apart that be fast and be agile. I think that if you want to practice parkour you need experience, because if you dont have it, you can fall down and hurt yourself.
In my country(Colombia) I think that one extreme sport is parachuting or freefall because is not difficult to practice it, but the adrenaline is amazing.
I prefer rafting because is more exciting and have more security in this practice and , I prefer stay in the water and practice sport normal , the sports more popular in mi country is paraglidind , bicicross, rafting.
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