The Winter Olympics feature many sports that Americans are not necessarily familiar with. Some viewers wonder if certain competitions should be called a sport or should even be allowed to take place. Luge is one of those sports that leave viewers wondering why it should be played in the first place. The game participants lie down on a fiberglass sled that has no braking system and speed their feet-first down the icy track at speeds as high as 140 kilometers per hour. Participants risk death upon crushing on the icy track at such high speeds. Some athletes have lost their lives after coming off the sled while others have suffered serious injuries. This is a dangerous game that can only be equated to suicidal attempt.
Luge is a narrow sled speeding game down the mountains at faster speeds than both the skeleton and bobsled. Brown and Frantz note that luge is one of the fastest Olympic sports where participants go beyond a speed of 140 kilometers per hour. Today, the official track speed record for luge is 153.98 kilometers per hour (Brown and Frantz). Despite its ability to entertain the audience, attract large cheering crowds and keep the viewers in suspense as they wonder if the competitors will make it, luge has been cited as the weirdest sport because of its extreme danger. It is the only Olympic sport where a prayer is a necessity because the participant does not know whether he will make it or die by the end of the game. The competitors must therefore pray to their gods to protect them from ending as a mess of bones and flesh by the end of the game. Simply put, luge can be equated to a suicide mission. Furthermore, sliders must stay on the sled and maintain a strictly aerodynamic form as they carefully keep track of where the...
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...te the game being rough on neck and back muscles, only ten injuries were recorder as serious injuries constituting of broken bones (Epstein). Although these statistics are attractive for people who would like to participate in luge, it should be noted that luge is a dangerous game.
Luge is a dangerous game because unlike many games where the audience cheers its teams in excitement, luge fans cheer their players while holding their breath in suspense wondering whether they will survive or die. Luge is the only game where players are advised to maintain a close contact with their gods to help them stay alive throughout the course. It is the only game where family members may start crying when a loved one discloses his desire to participate in the game rather than encourage him to join the team. This probably explains the slow growth of luge despite its rich history.
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
Sport is the new Opiate of the Masses it behaves in the same way religion does as it is used as a deterrent from our everyday lives. Religion main function is to preserve the status quo, which means that it serves the “haves” and keeps the “have-nots” down in their place. Sport may be very different from
Fun at organized, purpose-driven sports is associated with achieving goals rather than physical expression and joy. The process is now secondary to the product, and the journey is secondary to the destination. People in postindustrial societies live with the legacy of industrialization. They emphasize organization according to rational principles based, whenever possible, on systematic research. Being organized and making plans to accomplish goals is so important that spontaneity, expression, creativity, and joy- the element of play- are given low priority or may even be considered frivolous by event planners, coaches, and spectators. Snowboarder Terje Haakonsen decided against performing in the Olympics because he didn’t want to endorse a form of sport in which organization and rationalization had subverted play. Haakonsen believe that fun and effort merge together in sports when they are done in terms set by participants. This merger collapse when sports are done for judges using criteria that ignore the subjective experience of participation. When creating sports, these are important things to remember because there is a tendency in postindustrial cultures to organize all physical activities for the purposes of rationally assessing skills and performances. Working to improve physical
The Berlin Olympics 1. Below are some of the methods that Goebbels-the Nazi propaganda minister used at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. · One aspect of propaganda that Goebells used for the Berlin Olympics was the actual stadium itself. It was built especially for the occasion and was immense, to show that the Nazis were capable of making huge and modern structures. · Inside the stadium, there were hundreds of Swastikas everywhere in the form of flags, banners or armbands.
An important part of every sport is the physical toll it takes on it’s participants and the
Over the years 1930 and 1961, out of 75 people died attempting extreme sports. In the article “A solemn Warning to Wingsuit Flyers” it shows a little chat that explains how other sports are dangerous, and cause a lot of deaths. There are so many
The Olympic games is a series of events that takes place every two and four years that originated in Greece to honor the Greek gods (Cartledge 1). The Olympics is an inspirational contest where many nations of the world come together and compete. This pertains to the athletic competitors who have trained for years to enter the Olympics. This includes swimmers, boxers, hockey players, runners, cyclists, ice-skating, figure skating, and many other sports (Cartledge 2). The Olympics have changed since ancient times because of technology, innovations, and a broader audience.
Finish, Finish, Go, and Go you just set the new world record. Every four years lots of people gather around a pool cheering for Olympians. It is a very noisy place. A lot of Olympians that are part of the summer Olympics are very athletic, they swim all year around. The swimming Olympic history and background is very interesting. They have done so many new things over that past couple of years. They come out with new rules every year to make things more fair and challenging. There are a lot of events and tons of records that have been broke. A lot of Olympians have set future goals to stride for. I was swimming the 200 meter fly I was at a really good time when I had 50 meter sprint left at the end all I could think about was I’m going to set the new world record. Olympic swimming is a very fun sport it is very athletic. Every year in the summer time every one always sits around a TV watching this it is very famous in America. Swimmers from all around the world come and here and compete. There is a lot of competition there I have found out a lot about the history of swimming. There are a lot of events and tons of records that have been broke. A lot of Olympians have set future goals to stride for.
The Olympic Games plays a significant role in the world. The relationship between it and host countries is important to investigate for comprehending cultural studies. According to Xu and Kirby (2008), the Olympic Games has a considerable impact on the expression of national identity. For example, London applied this approach to promote its national identity. This can be discovered from the BBC video called James Bond escorts The Queen to the opening ceremony in 2012 (2012): an amiable identity is perceived by the audience through presenting corgi at Buckingham Palace. Moreover, China is no exception. There is an image about the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics, it shows a spectacular drumming performance. In addition, an article about
As we all know, Beijing, China is the host for Summer Olympics 2008, were a major international multi-sport event from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Even though Olympic Beijing is all dress up, but no one is going because the organizer was struggling to handle an unexpected inside Summer Games venues. The Olympics officials feel disappointed because so many empty seats at nearly every event and the lack of pedestrian traffic throughout the park. To overcome the problems the officials are busing in teams of state-trained cheer squads to help fill the empty seats and improve the atmosphere and encourage residents to apply for access to the heavily secured park.
In today’s society, especially sporting activities involving youth and young adults, it is imperative to ensure the safety of those involved. When an individual is injured either physically, emotionally or both, there is the concern of legal action towards coaches and the association conducting the sporting activity (Wolohan, 2013). The litigious culture that Americans live under has produced a heightened awareness to avoid negligence in athletic activities through proper training and education (Wolohan, 2013). Negligence is defined as an unintended accident that has caused injury to a person or material goods without a premeditated plan of action to cause pain and suffering (Yiamouyiannis, 2008). For that reason, the
Abstract: The Special Olympics not only give special athletes athletic skills, they offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicap peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets the child's needs. There were no community programs that catered to the mentally and physically challenged, so Eunice Kennedy-Shriver created "special games" in her back yard for her handicapped child. Shriver established the Special Olympics in 1968. Today there are more than one million special athletes competing in 140 countries. There are some problems with relying on the public school system to seek a child's full potential in the special education programs. The Special Olympics, however, have found an effective method of preparing children, teens, and adults for society through sport. The diverse selection of sports, their rules, and physical demands, is an advantage when there is a huge range of disabilities. There is a program offered for almost everyone. People who benefit from these games range from the athletes themselves, the officials, coaches, caregivers, parents, to the spectators and on-site first aid staff. Mrs. Kennedy-Shriver said this in regard to special athletes, "through sports, they can realize their potential for growth." Over and over this fantastic organization has demonstrated integrity, good sportsmanship, and goal oriented programs that work!
Challenge plays an essential role in defining a sport; it provides the individual with the feeling of achievement in success. Skiing poses challenge even in its simplest foundations. Skiing on a poor quality hill, with icy snow and poor upkeep can sometimes create more challenge than a well-groomed slope. Skiing in the backcountry away from lifts and other people in freshly fallen snow provides an opportunity for the best of skiers to test t...
Today we recognize the prestigious Olympics every four years and it is labeled as the best sporting event the world has to offer. If you are in the Olympics, you are put into a category of being a supreme athlete and will represent your country with the best of your ability. Olympians are role models to children of all ages because of the simple fact that only a select few get to represent their country in front of millions each four years. The Olympic games is a test of honor and strength and it brings out the best of every participant involved. Some of the athletic games that Olympics have to offer include wrestling, javelin, and boxing, and many more.
Citius, Altius, Fortius. In other words, “Faster, Higher, Stronger.” That is the Olympic motto which is also tagged with the five rings. The Olympic Rings are an honor. The five rings represent the five inhabited continents uniting together in one place. The five rings represent something else to me; it represents the five characteristics an Olympian has…the five characteristics I have.