I was just wondering: Are there any guitarists out there who also compete in any eXtreme Sport? You know like Fast Cars, Bikes, Canoeing etc?

Well, I am an IPSC shooter, what the Hell is that, some may ask! It's an action shooting sport, with nearly 100 countries affillated to IPSC (International Practical Shooting Conferderation). The RSA has hosted 3 World champs so far. And i met quite a few shooters from around the world who are guitarists or play in a band! I have competed in a few
World Shoots, Bisley-UK, Brasilia-Brazil, Cebu-Philippines and missed out (due to unforseen circumstances)at our own WS in Polokwane-RSA in 2002.

My wife got her National Colours 5 times, (Protea colours), and represented South Africa,........ you guessed it, 5 times. She is an awesome shooter! Her team, Ladies' "Team South Africa", made 3rd in the world at almost every WS.

If anyone is interested, will post pics of our "custom guns". I respect the anti gunners, so will get a feel of opinions first.

For those have not witnessed the sport, here is a clip of the world champ, Eric Grauffel....... The guy is awesome.

Does hunting count?

how about maths?

personally as a pro guitarist i avoid any sports for no other reason that most sports run the risk of hand injuries.... i even as a youngster had a passion for motorcycles...especially classic bikes... yeah even girls like bikes, and still have a  motorcycle liscense although i have not ridden one for more than 20 yrs.... and only because one fall could end my career....

so i would personally think any serious/pro guitarist WOULD NOT be into any extreme sports..... the risks are simply too high......

chess is good though heheheh  

peace and light
Keira

Hey aubs,

I'm a mountainbiker, mainly sticking to an urban and freeride style of riding. I also scuba dive and on occasion do wall climbing. Sometimes my golf can also count as extreme... ?

I'm actually interested in starting sports/target shooting, maybe even skeet shooting. How does (or rather how will) the new gun laws affect this, and the availability of me getting the handguns I need for this?

Re: Guitarist and Xtreme Sports?
« Reply #1 on: Today at 05:45:19 pm »
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Does hunting count?

Depends what you hunt. Personally, I hate hunting, could'nt harm a fly. But I suppose YES, TED NUGENT is a keen hunter, and he collects some serious hardware.
I like his rifles, not hunting. Oh, yes, I do eat meat, as long as I don't have to do the killing.

Re: Guitarist and Xtreme Sports?
« Reply #2 on: Today at 06:17:27 pm »
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how about maths?

Ha ha ha ha ..............

Re: Guitarist and Xtreme Sports?
« Reply #3 on: Today at 06:41:36 pm »
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personally as a pro guitarist i avoid any sports for no other reason that most sports run the risk of hand injuries.... i even as a youngster had a passion for motorcycles...especially classic bikes... yeah even girls like bikes, and still have a motorcycle liscense although i have not ridden one for more than 20 yrs.... and only because one fall could end my career....

so i would personally think any serious/pro guitarist WOULD NOT be into any extreme sports..... the risks are simply too high......

chess is good though heheheh

I'm sure chess can be Xtreme ........ hahahaha .......again like I said before ........."you only live once"........so some people do one thing at a time .....Risks.... the higher the risk, the greater the glory, .......blah, blah blah blah blah ......

I'm actually interested in starting sports/target shooting, maybe even skeet shooting. How does (or rather how will) the new gun laws affect this, and the availability of me getting the handguns I need for this?

You can PM me, and I'll put you onto the right people in PTA. Licensing, not as bad as it's made out to be.

Oh and aubs, I'd love to see your guns Wink

Will post some pics soon. Just don't want to upset the anti-gunners.

BTW. Metallica fans ...... James Hatfield is a keen shooter.

Oh and aubs, I'd love to see your guns Wink

You're kidding, right? Hahahahaha ......

Keira WitherKay wrote: so i would personally think any serious/pro guitarist WOULD NOT be into any extreme sports..... the risks are simply too high......

Ask Keef Richards about climbing trees! ?

"Depends what you hunt. Personally, I hate hunting, could'nt harm a fly. But I suppose YES, TED NUGENT is a keen hunter, and he collects some serious hardware.
I like his rifles, not hunting. Oh, yes, I do eat meat, as long as I don't have to do the killing."

The normal game. Difference is I actually use what I kill, so I don't just shoot for trophies like American hunters when they come here.

"point and squeeze, point and squeeze" ?

I assume rugby don't clasify as an extreme sport. I do the the normal stuff, squash and golf. I do the hunting ing on ocasions.

Oh, I'm a keen fly fisherman and angling in general. Mostly saltwater though. It's pretty extreme having a 15kg kingfish on the line.

The normal game. Difference is I actually use what I kill, so I don't just shoot for trophies like American hunters when they come here.

I believe that is a Ted Nugent quote, (is it?) Can't argue with that.

I know The Nuge is into both guns and hunting (in fact I saw an article he wrote yesterday saying how the government had better not try taking his guns away), but if I'm not mistaken, when he hunts, he hunts with a bow. That I can live with. But otherwise, I wouldn't call hunting with a rifle and scope "sport" - sport implies competition. Give 'em a knife and they can hunt all the lions, rhino and buffalo they want. ?

Ah, here's the Nuge's article. Contains the great quote:

You don't ban electric guitars just because someone may have a lapse in logic, goodwill, and decency and spontaneously break out into country and western music. The vast majority of sensible people will use electric guitars as God intended and whip out good, sexy rock-n-roll licks.

http://www.usnews.com/articles/opinion/2009/04/20/more-guns-less-violent-crime-as-the-bad-guys-run-or-die.html

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Ah, here's the Nuge's article. Contains the great quote:

You don't ban electric guitars just because someone may have a lapse in logic, goodwill, and decency and spontaneously break out into country and western music. The vast majority of sensible people will use electric guitars as God intended and whip out good, sexy rock-n-roll licks.

Outstanding! Made my day ... ?

Ted's quite a card. I'm not into the whole gun/hunting thing at all, but he's always entertaining. Damn fine guitarist to boot.

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Re: Guitarist and Xtreme Sports?
« Reply #12 on: Today at 10:21:10 am »
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I know The Nuge is into both guns and hunting (in fact I saw an article he wrote yesterday saying how the government had better not try taking his guns away), but if I'm not mistaken, when he hunts, he hunts with a bow. That I can live with. But otherwise, I wouldn't call hunting with a rifle and scope "sport" - sport implies competition.

Alan, you are right, He does hunt with a bow as well. However, I was merely commenting on what the guy who asked about hunting. I am totally anti hunting. There are hunters who consider it a sport, I also don't agree, I suppose the "trophy" hunters are the ones who do. But would I argue with them? NO.

My post was about eXtreme sport, which is what I do, that being a very competitive and exciting sport, and we only shoot at cardboard targets, and steel plates, at very high speed, with quite powerful guns. I love shooting as much as I love my guitars.

i guess this comes down to a priority issue.... about extreme sports and guitarists

i guess if guitar is a hobby you could do both, but i would strongly advise any budding pro musicians even if they not there yet to be careful and protect your hands at all costs.... imagine losing the use of a finger because of a bad break that does not heal well ... or a bad fall from a bike or motorcylce ...  

is a sport worth losing the ability to perform or play guitar .... i suppose django managed with 3 fingers and les paul at the end of his career only played with 2 ....

but yeah think before doing someting that could rob you of your art and passion for the rest of your life....

but as a said a priority issue .... so i guess the question is ARE YOU A SERIOUS GUITARIST/MUSICIAN and can you live without playing guitar.... EVER AGAIN

peace and light
Keira

Re: Guitarist and Xtreme Sports?
« Reply #16 on: Today at 11:58:24 am »
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i guess this comes down to a priority issue.... about extreme sports and guitarists

i guess if guitar is a hobby you could do both, but i would strongly advise any budding pro musicians even if they not there yet to be careful and protect your hands at all costs.... imagine losing the use of a finger because of a bad break that does not heal well ... or a bad fall from a bike or motorcylce ...

is a sport worth losing the ability to perform or play guitar .... i suppose django managed with 3 fingers and les paul at the end of his career only played with 2 ....

but yeah think before doing someting that could rob you of your art and passion for the rest of your life....

but as a said a priority issue .... so i guess the question is ARE YOU A SERIOUS GUITARIST/MUSICIAN and can you live without playing guitar.... EVER AGAIN

peace and light
Keira

I think everybody has levels of priorities. But I do respect yours.

In the more than 20 years I've been shooting, I have NEVER seen a single shooter lose a single limb! Considering we shoot approx. 12,000 to 36,000 rounds per year! When my wife got her National Colours, she shot about 12,000 rounds for the last 3 months before she went to the WS, and finished 11th (ladies) in the world! Practical pistol shooting is considered one of the SAFEST eXtreme sports ever! There has NEVER been a fatality. A few accidents (people who do not follow the rules), but NO lost limbs or fatality that I know of.

There are thousands of ways to lose limbs WITHOUT taking part in any sport, eXtreme or not.

My passion is for LIFE first, and everything else is secondary. I will not live my life with limitations. Life is too short.

If I ever lost all the fingers on my left hand, I could try to master the harmonica ......hahaha .....just kidding!!!

Keira WitherKay wrote: i guess if guitar is a hobby you could do both, but i would strongly advise any budding pro musicians even if they not there yet to be careful and protect your hands at all costs.... imagine losing the use of a finger because of a bad break that does not heal well ... or a bad fall from a bike or motorcylce ...

is a sport worth losing the ability to perform or play guitar .... i suppose django managed with 3 fingers and les paul at the end of his career only played with 2 ....

but yeah think before doing someting that could rob you of your art and passion for the rest of your life....

but as a said a priority issue .... so i guess the question is ARE YOU A SERIOUS GUITARIST/MUSICIAN and can you live without playing guitar.... EVER AGAIN

Frank Zappa used to have a 'no games' clause in the contract for members of his touring band. This started in the 70s when his bass player Tom Fowler broke an arm mid-tour during an impromptu football game. They had to get a stand-in bass player for that night's show with Fowler standing next to him talking him through hastily written charts.

However John Bonham rode a bike and so does David Crosby. They can't be the only ones. Dave Mason likes four-wheeled things that go very, very fast. OK... so two of the names I've just mentioned belonged to drummers. Bruce Cockburn is an avid cyclist - especially around his home town.

I guess it's down to fatalism. Sooner or later something's going to get you. Richard Thompson plays roller blade hockey with his son, and is given to tennis, soccer and cricket. When asked about the latter he said that if you're going to do it then you give 100% because if you make a half-hearted effort at a catch that's when you're most likely to hurt your hands. But then a scorpion sting on his right hand last year put him out of action for weeks.

I suppose it's as well to not tempt fate though. Keira's approach has much to recommend it.

A final thought from a post-sting Thompson: "I’ve had to stop and consider how fragile we are, and how easily put out of commission, and I’m ever more grateful to have the strength to perform as a musician. You can chop yourself with the breadknife, have a gardening accident, get bitten by spiders, snakes, a whole ark of beasties, but I don’t think you can go through life worrying about that stuff. In fact, if you are that self-conscious about your body, you are more likely to hurt it."
http://richardthompson-music.com/catch_of_the_day.asp?id=902

A final thought from a post-sting Thompson: "I’ve had to stop and consider how fragile we are, and how easily put out of commission, and I’m ever more grateful to have the strength to perform as a musician. You can chop yourself with the breadknife, have a gardening accident, get bitten by spiders, snakes, a whole ark of beasties, but I don’t think you can go through life worrying about that stuff. In fact, if you are that self-conscious about your body, you are more likely to hurt it."

Exactly my point, Bob. Amen to that.

"....... how fragile we are" Sting (just cannot remember the title of that song off-hand)