{"id":48798,"date":"2015-06-07T06:00:39","date_gmt":"2015-06-07T10:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oncubamagazine.com\/?p=48798"},"modified":"2015-06-05T18:24:27","modified_gmt":"2015-06-05T22:24:27","slug":"going-to-xtremes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/sports\/going-to-xtremes\/","title":{"rendered":"Going to Xtremes"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u201cSkate Park\u201d as Cubans call it \u2013originally in English because a Spanish name would not sound as \u201cskateboardingly worthy\u201d\u2013 is a meeting point for extreme sports fans in Havana.<\/p>\n

Located behind a hospital, the place resembles the ruins of an amphitheatre from the times of the Roman Empire, with its rusted gates, its graffiti-covered ramps, and the stillness of a cemetery.<\/p>\n

Such run-down places are sometimes \u201ctaken\u201d by action sports lovers, and turned into practice or exhibition grounds.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to tell when Cubans started to take a liking for \u201cthe extreme,\u201d but the age of Che Alejandro Pando, a veteran skateboarder who is now 42, could help us establish the beginnings at around 30 years ago.<\/p>\n

Pando\u2019s time to brag about complicated skate tricks in mid-air has past. He had to quit, much to his discontent, due to numerous injures in both ankles and knees. He now acts as general coordinator for this sport in Cuba.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is more than a sport, it\u2019s a way of life, a sub-culture,\u201d he tells us at his tattoo parlour. \u201cIt\u2019s hard for people to understand that what we do is considered a sport, mostly because of our physical appearance. Lip and nose piercings don\u2019t fit people\u2019s idea of an athlete\u2019s appearance; they think we are a little crazy. We are different, but those differences is what has brought us together among us, like a family.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frank Gonzalez, a freestyle BMX champion, is a good example of how versatile some of these athletes can be when it comes to taking exciting risks.<\/p>\n

He has practiced at least five of these sports, including surf and skateboarding. \u201cThe risk\u2019s what keeps you practicing,\u201d he says, \u201cthat\u2019s what keeps you going. Failing to do a bike trick rubs me the wrong way, but that\u2019s the push I need to keep trying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Climbing is also quite popular in Cuba. Climbers can be found trying to reach the top of the steepest places, including old fortresses from Spanish colonial times.<\/p>\n

Victor \u201cEl Bulder\u201d Llera, a 25 year old currently considered as the country\u2019s best climber, practices every day with a group of around 10 people at a spot near the Almendares River in Havana.<\/p>\n

\"Foto-1\"<\/a>
Victor Llera, Cuba’s best climber. Photo by the author.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Victor says climbing is a \u201cvery spiritual\u201d activity, which can only be practiced at its fullest with nothing in mind. \u201cI can\u2019t even remember the best moments I\u2019ve had while climbing. I wasn\u2019t excited or nervous at any of them,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople think it\u00b4s a matter of physical strength, but it\u2019s more about the power of the mind. You get the best results when you manage to connect body and mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains that for many people the attraction lies on the possibility to contemplate the landscape from a different perspective, feel the breeze on their faces on the top of an “inaccessible” place, or see bugs and lizards moving up the wall.<\/p>\n

Also some ten years ago, kitesurfing was introduced to Cuba. Just recently, a movement has started to grow around this sport.<\/p>\n

Training courses are offered in many beaches of the country. Matteo Gatti, an Italian, managed to found a sports club in December, where courses are also taught for those who want to learn.<\/p>\n

Camilo Espinosa, one of the best kite surfers on the island, says that there\u2019s a great interest in this sport now. \u201cPeople love the way it looks in the air; it\u2019s a beautiful sport to watch. It\u2019s very dangerous, but it can be controlled. Those who take the course are taught security measures in connection with wind conditions. One can get to do fantastic things, but it\u2019s also risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explains that the equipment is very expensive, a factor that still limits the expansion of the sport, despite its potential.<\/p>\n

\"Foto-2\"<\/a>
Kite surfing is becoming more and more popular in Cuba. Photy by Angy Ermus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Last but not least, scuba diving is probably the extreme sport that has been around the longest in Cuba.<\/p>\n

Manuel Navarro, who has been a professional diver for over 20 years, explains that this sport is among the three most dangerous in the extreme category, due to the high risks it may pose for human health: hypothermia, the effects of being subject to high pressure, and the perils of surviving in an environment that is not your natural to humans.<\/p>\n

He has suffered a couple of accidents himself: a giant green turtle broke two of his ribs once, and a shark bit off one of his foot fins; but he also has had the satisfaction of discovering a treasure in a sunken ship.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can also be relaxing,\u201d he adds. \u201cPeople don\u2019t know what they are missing. There\u2019s an incredible world down there.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the economy, and particularly the tourist sector, develops, and the island gets more access to international trends and sports, other sources of sports-induced adrenaline rushes will surely make their way into the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The \u201cSkate Park\u201d as Cubans call it \u2013originally in English because a Spanish name would not sound as \u201cskateboardingly worthy\u201d\u2013 is a meeting point for extreme sports fans in Havana. Located behind a hospital, the place resembles the ruins of an amphitheatre from the times of the Roman Empire, with its rusted gates, its graffiti-covered […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2040,"featured_media":48801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[33646,6912],"class_list":["post-48798","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGoing to Xtremes | OnCubaNews English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oncubanews.com\/en\/sports\/going-to-xtremes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Going to Xtremes | OnCubaNews English\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The \u201cSkate Park\u201d as Cubans call it \u2013originally in English because a Spanish name would not sound as \u201cskateboardingly worthy\u201d\u2013 is a meeting point for extreme sports fans in Havana. 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