Basejumper.com - archive

 
Posts: 1

I am a student at Bangor university and am currently looking into why do people take part in high risk sport. I need as many participants as possible to fill in this questionnaire. The link follows. !!

Why do you participate!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

LINK : www.highrisksport.slowprogress.co.uk

THANKYOU!!!

How much do I get paid for taking your survey?

The survey sucks.

It sucks because you must conform to the mold their pouring you into. The mold sucks for the following reasons:

- it assumes we are challenged by our emotions (or that we don't understand them)
- it assumes we are all going to participate for the reasons included by the mold, which are vastly erred
- it assumes we are chemically dependent types, and that we get or enjoy adrenaline rushes (I know I very much dislike adrenaline and won't jump if I'm not in a peaceful relaxed and controlled state, know this because I've jumped scared before and had adrenaline rushes)
- does nothing to address heightened awareness or sense of time warping, this has been investigated and confirmed to be true
- doesn't address higher levels of being - spiritual is a big motivation for my behavior
- leaves out any effect or desires to participate based on locations, beauty, nature, etc
- does nothing to address community, friendship, teamwork, or comraderie (sp?)
- assumes we are different (at least behaviorally and emotionally) when we participate vs when we don't
- leaves out the mind completely, part of why I do it is to keep my mind bright, lots of thinking - analysis etc.
- doesn't mention anything about exercise or fitness!
- doesn't include any of my other miscellaneous addictions, like playing with gear, rigging, folding nylon, smells (of the tower, the cliff, the city, of the equipment etc.)
- leaves out any mention about substance abuse, I think I drink less if I BASE jump for instance
- doesn't ask about cross comparisons to non-high risk level activities; I know myself and most of my buddies are passionate about EVERYTHING we do, not just the BASE, Skiing (high risk??? WTF) etc... Maybe we're all just a bunch of people with increased PASSION!

The survey seems to be either written by an outsider or the person authoring it assumes their experience is the same as all others (anthropomorphizing everything)

Here's my 2 cents vikki:

You're never going to be able to understand any individual's decisions by forcing upon the group of individuals a rubric or survey that is so general. We are all very uniquely different divine expressions. We are all living out different lives - there is no uniformity to our "reasons to participation"!

Vikki and Mathew Barlow should get off their arses and live some! The conservative, reserved and geeky people trying to analyze risk taking has already run its full course, you're not harvesting any more understanding going about it this way... if you ever took some risks yourselves perhaps you'd answer their own questions. First step, stand outside and breathe some clean air. Second step, start moving!

I'd sign my name here but I'm some one sneaky.

Why do I participate?

why do you want to know?
how did you formulate the questions?
why must we identify ourselves?

society doesn't understand why people BASE jump. maybe your efforts will help. but you ought to try to develop trust. asking potential lawbreakers to give you names and e-mail addresses strikes me as a poor approach.

I also agree that the questions seem to have an agenda.

I second this. WHY?

hobby

Your survey is very long and redundant.

For the girls.

You forgot to mention the high risk sport of doing a bunch of drugs and having intercourse with persons of ill repute.

That is a sport, isn't it?

That was a long boring survey. I now feel the need to do something exciting so that I can better understand and deal with my emotions and the stress of my complex, out of control life.

GARBAGE
Doubtless no one here will appreciate the fact that you've lumped what is possibly the worlds' most extremely radically uber-danger EXTREME sport in with a bunch of weenie-cheese like riding ponies, clambering up small to medium sized rocks, and... rugby? Fer Christ's sake. take a hike.

I jump 'cuz it's fun. It's really that simple. Your survey and others like it are useless.

It has something to do with Karnowski touching me.

Can you gays please be a bit more polite to a student that have a relevant question?

im not a gay...not that is nothing wrong with that

What he said.......

it's like my man petes told me. "base...it's better than bad sex with chicks you don't like!"

Everything we do in life carries an element of risk, survival is determined by how well we manage those risks.
When I prepare for a jump, my senses of survival are heightened and this is something that spills over to all other areas of my life, participating in "Risk" activities has increased my general awareness and continues to do so.
The emotions I fell, the freedom I have, the smells, the sights, the sounds and the experiences themselves are beyond description. NOTHING out there compares. The people I meet and the friendships that are formed are in a league of their own, wether its accepted or not by the uniniciated or ignorant is beyond me caring. I am truly previlaged to be able to do something which is incredibly beautiful and satisfying.
99. whatever % of the people on this planet will never experience that, and that is their loss.
I embrace the risk, step off and live a fuller life for it. It never seizes to amaze me that as humans we have evolved to this and developed the equipment and techniques that make it possible and even safe in most cases. Human that fly, now theres something .
Thats why I participate.
Good luck with your paper, but I dont have time for your survey, I have to pack my Flik.

Because I can

Hi Vikki

I completed your survey. I hope it helps. I never post on this deadbeat place anymore but reading the shit above just made me angry so....

The hostility you have received on here is just shocking but sadly unsurprising. The problem is Vikki, you've burst quite a few overinflated egos who like to believe that what they do is so unique and special compared to other sports, that they are part of an elite group who deserve better than broad stroke questions.

The survey is faulted and somewhat naive (but as a student i'm guessing this is part of what you are there to learn about) and will only give you very muddy results/ideas on why people do complex things.

But don't get disheartened or upset by the nasty comments. Just picture a little spoilt brat jumping up and down screaming to his mummy how special he is and how misunderstood he is and you have the general idea what these people are like and why they act with such hostility.

Whenever i've been out and about jumping, I've met many many members of the public who engage with questions of why and how we do what we do. Their questions are often the same but I always feel no matter how many times i've been asked them before, it's so important to indulge as clearly and as comprehensively as i can despite the fact that i know they are only scratching the surface of an incredibly complex emotional/chemical/aspirational activity which to this day I still struggle to make sense of . By doing so I can only hope that I leave them with a better, more positive impression of BASE jumpers, and if i manage that with enough people, who knows maybe they won't call the police next time they see us climbing up some object we shouldn't be.

Anyway, back to the ever-so-special toddlers and their 'foot stamping and hair pulling'.


ian

Man, I'm make a joke... Don't be so angry...

Make your joke, feel free and i'll make my comment. Works both ways.

Bottom line, whoever Vikki is, whatever her agenda, pack mentality mauling is uncalled for and shows a sad weakness in character and desperation for recognition.

Just cos it's online it doesn't mean hurtful and frankly obnoxious remarks to enquiring visitors is any more acceptable than telling a local at the Perrine to fuck off and mind their own business when you roll into town to jump.

If you don't want to help this person out then don't. No one is forcing any of you to fill the form in. So silly, nasty and hurtful remarks are simply not called for.

Well put Sabre210.
The replies on this thread also made me feel angry, and thats why I started the thread "what kind of BASE jumper are you?".

I think what Vikki may have learned by reading the replies, is that there are a number of reasons people BASE jump, but unfortunately one of them is that for some people it's to make them feel special and elite so that they can talk down to people.

It's a shame that Vikki may go away from here to spread the word that there are a lot of insecure, self-satisfied, and just generally not very nice people in the world of BASE, when the reality is that there are also a lot of sabre210-types out there too.

Vikki will probably be able to come to that conclusion
in spite of a few smart ass comments based on the
number of people who took the time to complete
her very L O N G survey.

Since I used to be a social science student and had
to develop surveys for a variety of studies I almost
always volunteer because I know acquiring enough
responses to build a data set can be a real hassle.

to all...

I looked at the survey and sent an e-mail to the name at the top of the questionnaire. I assume that name is the supervising faculty member and that Vicki is doing the legwork.

I received a response back signed by the professor. he admitted two key things. 1) that many of the questions are NOT meant to relate to BASE, so he understands the frustration. 2) he agreed anonymity would be better.

he also asked what aspects the questionnaire failed to capture. I responded as best I could. I think the other thread helps as well.

as far as the tone of this thread being hurtful, etc...
it has NOT been open and welcoming, but I think they could have done a better job as well. I bet Vicki would have acted differently if she was personally handing out surveys at TF. face to face interaction would probably increase the civility on BOTH sides.

the group has been fairly defensive. from what I remember from the survey, I doubt any of what's been said has surprised. their work seemed to assume a certain level of emotional frustration.

surely would welcome additional e-mails, especially if it helps guide their work.

Really pleased you have been constructive. Well said.

I was wondering where you were. Pitty you should say that because I, and many others I am sure, have missed the intelligent and often witty posts. it kind of brought a balance to the whole thing...



... And in case you're wondering, the answer is NO I do not bat for the other side; it was just a comment.