For some people, the physical effort demanded by a regular sport like soccer or basketball just isn't enough. These are the people who make the transition from sport to extreme sport. There's no hard and fast definition of extreme sports, no official list of which sports are considered extreme and which aren't. Some extreme sports are born of regular sports, while others become so mainstream you'll see a Toronto realtor participating in the middle of the city. But here are some of the things that differentiate an extreme sport from a regular one.

Danger

One of the biggest differences between an extreme sport and a regular one is that extreme sports are almost always more dangerous. While there's a chance you get a concussion playing hockey or have a heart attack while running, most extreme sports carry the very real risk of death for all participants. You could fall to your death rock climbing in the woods near your Bobcaygeon cottages. Your parachute could fail while sky diving, sending you to your death. You could crash while power boat racing and be killed. These are the risks participants must accept.

Exclusivity

Part of the reason that extreme sports exist is as a protest against the regular mainstream sports that everyone does in the yard outside their Lorne Park homes. Extreme sport participants want to be special. They want to be better, cooler, than the average amateur lacrosse player. They want people to look up to them, to respect their bravado. They want to belong to an exclusive club. Therefore sports are only really considered extreme if only a relatively small number of people actually play them.

Gear and Physicality

Generally speaking, extreme sports demand something extra from the participant. If an executive recruiter wants to take up golf, he can buy some clubs at a sporting goods store and start playing on the nearest course. If he wants to whitewater kayak, he must visit a specialty store to get the gear necessary for such a sport, then undergo special training, guidance, or practice to learn how to navigate the rapids. Extreme sports are harder on the body and on the pocket book than regular sports.

Lack of Oversight

One of the appeals of extreme sports, especially for young people, is that there are no leagues governing the playing of the sport, no oversight committee deciding who gets to play and who doesn't, no referees watching them play and punishing them for not following a set of rules someone else decided upon. Most extreme sports have no international committees or organized leagues. They practice on the street outside Home Health Care Mississauga and make their own rules. Those that develop popular followings and spawn leagues are usually considered to have gone mainstream.