Sunday, October 21, 2001

4 Daredevils

Michelle Christenson/Caller-Times

BMXers perform tricks most people can't imagine how to initiate, much less survive.

Some people have to pay to watch sports extremists, but in Corpus Christi, it's regularly on display - on the seawall, in the water, in parking garages.
   BMX
   Skills
   Good balance, along with being in fairly good shape because lifting yourself off a bike to do a trick is not easy.
   Risks
   When it comes to broken bones - legs, arms, even collarbones - Gulf Coast BMX track operator Donna Bailey has seen it all. "When they fall," she says, "it is usually not going to be good."
   What to watch for
   When trying to spot a good BMXer, look for the less flashy. While jumps and tricks are difficult, the hardest thing is knowing how to read a course. Certain obstacles should be rolled - using just the back tire of the bike - and others need to be jumped.
   KITEBOARDING
   Skills
   Other than needing the thousands of dollars worth of equipment, a kiteboarder has to know how to control the kite - which is on average nine square meters - and balance on a skateboard-size board in the water.
   Risks
   Kiteboarders have to be wary of using a kite that is too big for their body, or using too big a kite on an extremely gusty day. "You can get pulled up into the air one second and be unceremoniously dumped onto some rocks the next," said Peter Nordby, owner of local kiteboard manufacturing company Zero Gravity.
   What to watch for
   Long airtime. The ability to stay in the air for more than a few seconds shows good strength, as well as great control of the kite. Also, the true masters can do skateboard-looking tricks.
   SKATEBOARDING
   Skills
   A good sense of balance and the ability to stop quickly in order to avoid hitting stroller-toting parents on the seawall.
   Risks
   Knee and elbow scrapes are among the most common, but those who try to break their fall are at risk of breaking wrists.
   What to watch for
   Skaters who frequent the bayfront have mastered grinding - sliding down a rail or along an edge with the deck of the board.
   SKYDIVING
   Skills
   For the novice, the ability to jump out of a plane without fainting. For those who skydive on a regular basis, great body control is a must. The slightest movement - whether it be a foot, a finger or a hand - can send your entire body spinning out of control.
   Risks
   Parachute not opening, backup parachute not opening, throwing up on the way down.
   What to watch for
   A group of local women recently broke a South Texas record for the most women to skydive at once. Hard part? Try having good enough control of your body 12,000 feet in the air, to be able to move to a certain spot in the sky with four other women and connect arms for five seconds.
  
  

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