Laserfiche WebLink
last inch o(useful tnaion on the ezit o( <br />�he lurn. <br />� (fl is equally involved in deceleraiiuq <br />�. of murse. Braking a car in raring has al- <br />ways aeemed to me lo be onc nf the <br />most elegam problems in spuns. Yun <br />have lo sdcc� Ihc la�t+t possihlc ma- <br />mem �hat you can apply �he 6rakex m <br />slow thc car just enough m go throug6 <br />�he mrner at the (aslcs� possi6lc syard. <br />You musi apply the brakes as hard as <br />possible for the shoncst possiblc timc <br />[hal will hring the lire nvfares �n �he <br />poinl jusl short of sliding. Yourjob is w <br />apprwch. bnl nul exrcrd. Ihese ralurs. <br />You can i tell when you ezceed any ol' <br />them umil you do so. It is a prohlem of <br />adjustable negatires, of going faster 6y <br />decrcasing kss. Done ngh� i1 is a dem- <br />ons�ntion o! majorvleaquc powrrs of <br />proprioception.) <br />Sounds likt fun to mc. Anyway, that, 1 <br />Ihink, is why a<cekration is euch a kirk. <br />It'S a greal deal more than some �ouch <br />sensors on your bwt and your srmicir- <br />cular canals (bw ii s also that, too, somc .. <br />mmngm�u signaling Gom �hosc dinnb ���. <br />organs). It's fun 6ecause o( that entire � <br />grcat, thrus�ing sensory Iwd, ail thosc <br />n<urone �rackling away, �ellinq you how <br />alive you are. Acceleralion is a sensory � <br />intensifier. <br />Mm� spons—a1 icas� ihe high-cRon, <br />A�C�C�ELER�A.'CION <br />al4out onrs iha� reyuire iLni you do <br />so�nc�hing as hard or Gis� or long as you <br /><m�—are mminizcd ways ul liring oR <br />cvcry ncuron you can summon up. <br />That's w6ere ihe lun lies, whcre the <br />�hrill i�omes in, F.ven in hiqh-risk nporta <br />such as malor reoing, [6c �hrill isn't <br />frum expasing yuursrlf to danger <br />(ABCs "Wide \1'orld of Sports" io the <br />mntnry notwithstandiug). bw from the <br />hombardment of sensory stimuli. It may <br />not bc surially rrdccming, but it also is <br />nn1 �he arling-out o( some Freudian <br />dea�h wish. li'sjust cnjoying your nerve <br />endings. Cigar smokcrs and bnndy <br />sniliers can make the same claim. <br />The risk i�sell'is only anodier vivid Iit- <br />de intensiFier, a payclwlugicai enhancer <br />rhai (urthcr sharpens thc sensory mes- <br />Sage. Maybe lhat's why many ncing <br />drivere and other high-risk alhletea and <br />prdormcrs can bc ao �lase about <br />�hrcau �o iheir lives and limba. They're <br />having tm much fun—experiencing too <br />much in the way of sensory firework5— <br />to pay much auention to inconaequen- <br />�ial mauers like riak. Tha[ may m[ be <br />vcry imort—and also may not be sociaily <br />redeeming—but ii's a lot Icss scary than <br />d�e idea �hat uur heroes have thia aecrct <br />luxt to rrisp themselvea in a ball of <br />Ilame. � <br />