Extreme sports' risks an adult decision

There are few things sweeter for parents than to watch a child excel at something he or she enjoys. It's exhilarating for both when hard work translates into goals reached.

But sometimes that joy turns to tragedy, as it did Sunday at a teen motocross event in Indianapolis. Peter Lenz of Vancouver fell off his bike during a warmup lap, was run over by another young driver and died later of his injuries. He was 13.

Peter was not the first child to lose his life participating in what's become known as extreme sports. Nor, unfortunately, is he likely to be the last. For two decades, the popularity of activities such as snowboarding, paintball, skateboarding and BMX bicycling has soared among teens and even younger children. They appeal to anyone with a penchant for thrills. But, when kids are encouraged to enter competitions in which a wrong move is the difference between life and death, too few adults are asking if the thrills are worth the risks.

That's not to say there aren't risks in more mainstream sports. Players on the rink or in the gym have the potential for injury, and safety must be constantly evaluated. Nor do we take issue with adults who engage in extremes, even sometimes at their peril. At 50, Suzanne Nance of Inverness recently achieved the grand slam of mountaineering by climbing to the highest peak of each continent. Jim Nasti of Naperville was 51 when he died last year trying to climb Mount McKinley in Alaska in his effort to reach the high point in all 50 states. A triumph and a tragedy, but each the result of choices by adults with the capacity for mature thinking.

Teens don't have such a luxury. The latest research on the adolescent brain indicates what most parents already know - responsible decision making is not its forte. A child who loses his life in an extreme activity may have "died doing what he loved," but it's also possible he never fully grasped the concept that he really could die.

What if the 13-year-old California boy who earlier this year became the youngest person to climb Mount Everest hadn't made it home? Fingers naturally - and legitimately - would point at the parents. But the rest of us also must reconsider all society does to encourage dangerous adventurism in the young.

Of course, we'd be sending the wrong message if we didn't tell kids to get out and be active. And the children who participate in extreme sports at levels beyond skate park gatherings and family ski trips are a small percentage of active youth. Yet, there's new pressure for children to live on the edge. "Just do it." "Live life to the max." It's a product to consume. How many young lives will be cut short before we tone down such enticements to both children and overzealous parents? Peter Lenz's death is a reminder we must seriously re-examine the personal or social value of kids' adventures against the risks they face.