No limits: fight complacency in your game by following the examples of the world's most intense athletes

Fight complacency in your game by following the examples of the world's most intense athletes

Imagine leaping off a 280-foot bridge, restrained only by a climbing rope tied to a back harness. Picture lying flat on a skateboard, screaming downhill at 90 mph. Visualize the wild rush of kayaking off a 100-foot waterfall, or perching on the top corner of a New York skyscraper and jumping, knowing that if the parachute on your back doesn't open, it's all over.

Sound insane? For a small number of athletes, the intensity and thrills of these sports - rope free falling, street lugging, extreme whitewater kayaking and BASE jumping - define existence. For the men pushing the boundaries of sport,danger isn't folly but a carefully chosen lifestyle, one they're comfortable with. Frank Gambalie, an elite BASE jumper, explains the lure of his sport by quoting flight pioneer Wilbur Wright: "Carelessness and complacency are usually more dangerous than accepted risk."

The athletes profiled here reject complacency completely. They have to. When only carefully refined skill separates life and death, perfection is the sole option. Their focus and dedication have something to teach us all, however, whether your sport is softball, sailing or skydiving.

Sport: BASE (Buildings Antennae Spans Elevators) jumping

Practitioner: Frank Gambalie

Age: 27

Experience: Five years

What I do: Frank Gambalie says the scariest thing he's ever done is work 9 to 5. So he's made a career out of BASE jumping, leaping off buildings, cliffs, dams, trams and antennae, usually 300 feet tall and higher, and free-falling for as long as possible before deploying a parachute to float him safely to the ground. "[BASE jumping] is not a hobby or an activity, it's a lifestyle. You have to be fully involved in it because of its intensity and risk," he says.

Why I love it: Fleeting seconds of free fall fuel Gambalie's commitment to his sport. "Free fall is where it all comes into play. It's the most awesome feeling I've ever found."

How I got started: Formerly a security-systems designer, Gambalie began bungee jumping to release stress. "I started working with the bungee company so I could jump for free. Then one day, a couple of guys just walked up and jumped off the bridge with their parachutes, and I knew that's what I was meant to do."

On risk: While admitting that death is BASE jumping's No. 1 risk, Gambalie says the sport isn't as crazy as it seems. "The chances of my parachute malfunctioning in a manner I can't correct are far less than getting hurt in a car accident," he says. "I would never jump off something if I thought I was going to die. BASE jumping is portrayed as being a reckless sport, but years of training go into making a safe jump."

Significant injuries: None. The most common BASE injury is death.

Biggest rush: Out of 560 BASE jumps, including 19 buildings, Gambalie says his biggest rush was in Norway: "I had a 26-second delay [free fall] from the Troll Wall in Norway. It's the tallest cliff I know of in the world. I didn't know it was going to be a record until I did it." In addition, Gambalie recently jumped a famous skyscraper in New York. After hiding out all night, he leaped at 5 a.m. "That was the pinnacle of my career. It was amazing to be able to stand on a building with so much character and class."

Sport: Rope free falling

Practitioner: Dan Osman

Age: 35

Experience: Rock climbing, 20 years

What I do: If bungee jumping is like falling with a rubber band, rope free falling is like plunging with string. The non-elastic approach has a major disadvantage - an extremely sudden stop - but this doesn't faze Osman. In fact, it's what draws him to the sport. Bungee jumping, he says, only permits a free fall of about half the height of the jump - the rest of the distance is spent decelerating. The rigidity of climbing rope, in contrast, allows Osman to free-fall the entire distance of the fall and lets him calibrate exactly how far off the ground he'll be when he stops.

How I got started: Osman began as a rock climber obsessed with falling. Over time, he began toying with the idea that facing falling meant facing death - and that if he could do that, he could climb stress-free. He sought freedom from fear by controlling the conditions that made him afraid, but the quest soon turned into something else. "My desire to overcome fear has become a heavy addiction," he admits.

Why I love it: "I'm not an adrenaline junkie," Osman says. "I want an endorphin high." What's the difference? "People confuse the rush of adrenaline with endorphins," he explains. "Endorphins give a feeling of satisfaction, of success, of overcoming fears. It's very empowering."

On risk: "Society puts these standards on people, saying that this is safe, this is normal, this isn't. I've always been different. People look at me and say, 'You're nuts.' But I do what I do for me, not for anyone else. I'm not suicidal. When you're sitting on the couch watching TV, you're dying. I'm most alive facing my fears."