STORYWORKS 110114 Debate
Opinion Writing
Take
A Side
Debate
Directions: Read the article. Study the facts.
Decide what you think. Write an opinion essay.
Extremely Dangerous
Extreme
Sports:
Extreme sports are high-intensity activities that involve both speed and stunts. For kids, these activities include snowboarding, snowmobiling, skateboarding, BMX biking, skiing, and motocross.
These sports pack big thrills. But they have also caused more than 4 million injuries since 2000. Many of these are simple fractures and cuts, but more serious injuries are disturbingly common.
Two winters ago, snowmobiler
Caleb Moore was killed after a horrific crash. In 2009,
Olympic-bound snowboarder
Kevin Pearce suffered a permanent brain injury after a fall during a practice run.
These sports are dangerous at any age. But experts worry that young extreme athletes face special hazards. Part of the problem is that young people are less likely than adults to consider risks. “Kids tend to think about what is happening this minute, not what could happen an hour from now,” says psychologist Jesse
Matthews. Inspired by video games or YouTube clips, many beginners attempt stunts that are way beyond their skill level. Little wonder that one third of all skateboarding injuries happen to kids who have been skateboarding for just three weeks or less.
Unlike team sports, many extreme athletes
Some kids have a need for speed. But is the thrill worth it?
T
hey fly down mountains on BMX bikes, flip and twist in the air on their skateboards, and soar off ski jumps on their snowboards. They are extreme athletes—and there are more of them than ever before.
There’s no doubt that extreme sports are thrilling for many young athletes. The problem is that the thrills come at a high price: danger.
In fact, a growing number of experts feel that some of these sports should be off-limits to kids. But would that be going too far?
28
s t o ry w o r k s
Mike McGill/Corbis (Skater); ILLUSTRATION BY Lance Lekander
Too Dangerous
Take
A Side
Debate
Directions: Read the article. Study the facts.
Decide what you think. Write an opinion essay.
Extremely Dangerous
Extreme
Sports:
Extreme sports are high-intensity activities that involve both speed and stunts. For kids, these activities include snowboarding, snowmobiling, skateboarding, BMX biking, skiing, and motocross.
These sports pack big thrills. But they have also caused more than 4 million injuries since 2000. Many of these are simple fractures and cuts, but more serious injuries are disturbingly common.
Two winters ago, snowmobiler
Caleb Moore was killed after a horrific crash. In 2009,
Olympic-bound snowboarder
Kevin Pearce suffered a permanent brain injury after a fall during a practice run.
These sports are dangerous at any age. But experts worry that young extreme athletes face special hazards. Part of the problem is that young people are less likely than adults to consider risks. “Kids tend to think about what is happening this minute, not what could happen an hour from now,” says psychologist Jesse
Matthews. Inspired by video games or YouTube clips, many beginners attempt stunts that are way beyond their skill level. Little wonder that one third of all skateboarding injuries happen to kids who have been skateboarding for just three weeks or less.
Unlike team sports, many extreme athletes
Some kids have a need for speed. But is the thrill worth it?
T
hey fly down mountains on BMX bikes, flip and twist in the air on their skateboards, and soar off ski jumps on their snowboards. They are extreme athletes—and there are more of them than ever before.
There’s no doubt that extreme sports are thrilling for many young athletes. The problem is that the thrills come at a high price: danger.
In fact, a growing number of experts feel that some of these sports should be off-limits to kids. But would that be going too far?
28
s t o ry w o r k s
Mike McGill/Corbis (Skater); ILLUSTRATION BY Lance Lekander
Too Dangerous