Taking risks is a way of teaching yourself bravery, and stepping outside of your comfort zone to do something that frightens you can make you feel empowered — even if you don’t get it right the first time. That’s why extreme sports are perfect for teens.

“I’ve been snowboarding (滑板滑雪) since I was 9 years old. Snowboarding for hours a day helped me get an understanding of the way my body works. Snowboarding taught me how to push myself, especially when I feel fearful,” said Sophie Dolan, a high school senior in New York. “All sports, especially extreme ones, keep you in great shape They also introduce you to a positive community of ho share the same interests and are always willing to help you to be better. Even the best extreme athletes get hurt sometimes, but fear of injury shouldn’t stop teens from joining in a sport they enjoy.

Some people say it is good for teens to take risks, but taking part in extreme sports goes beyond hat is healthy and safe.

“Maturity and stability are necessary when choosing to take a risk, and most teens haven t had those. Because the decision-making part of our brain isn’t fully grown, were likely to take risks without thinking. So it is important that we learn to take responsibility for our bodies and to stop and consider what might go wrong. During the teen years, our bodies are still maturing, so an injury from extreme sports could hurt our bodies,” said Zev Mayer, also a high school senior in New York. “But the lasing influences of a bad fall aren’t the only reasons to avoid extreme sports; injuries can keep teens out of for weeks, setting students back and possibly stopping them from progressing to the next grade on time. Injuries can also stop teens from further joining in sports and fun school activities.”

How to Find the Right Hobby

A hobby is an activity that you do for pleasure. While it’s not uncommon for someone to turn their hobby into a career, most people’s hobbies are done outside of work. 【小题1】 If you don’t have a hobby, here are a few ways to discover what you’re likely to enjoy doing in your free time.

【小题2】 It was a wonderful time when you were wild and free and rarely did anything naturally unless you really loved it. Chances are you still have those care interests. Did you cycle around the house all day? Try cycling as a hobby. Were you always walking around in a forest? Try hiking.

Think of what stores you’re naturally attracted to or what you buy as a guilty pleasure. Enjoy visiting bookstores? Find yourself browsing (浏览) guitars on Amazon? Love visiting a board game store? 【小题3】

Think of who you admire and why you admire them. Do you know someone who takes the most beautiful wildlife pictures? Someone who’s in incredible shape? Someone who impresses with their deep knowledge about movies? Often, your admiration masks a desire to be like them. 【小题4】

For any of these tips to work, you have to try. Finding a hobby requires experimentation and perseverance. As with anything, you’ll be terrible when you try something new for the first time. That’s okay. A large part of the joy from a hobby comes from getting better at it. 【小题5】 Finding a fulfilling hobby is like finding a treasure chest full of gold. Totally worth it.

Harry Kalenberg has a unique hobby-he turns pieces, of popcorn into small works of art using markers and pens. From small models of celebrities (名人) to popular cartoon characters and animals Harry has a gift for spotting the craziest things in bowl of popcorn.

It all started 28 years ago, when Harry and his wife were, sitting on the couch one evening, eating popcorn. At one point, the artist spotted a strange looking piece of popcorn that looked like a gorilla(大猩猩) His wife wasn’t interested in the discovery, but he wouldn’t let her lack of enthusiasm over his. He took out a pen and started painting the details he saw with his minds eye, eventually bringing the popcorn gorilla to life, which soon changed his wife’s attitude. And that was how his career as popcorn artist started.

He always keeps dozens of colored markers on hands when eating popcorn, just in case he spots his next artwork. His collection already numbers hundreds of small pop art items, some of which are displayed in Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museums worldwide, or in private collections. Some of his works have been sold for as much as ＄300.

Harry says that the average bowl of popcorn can produce around 10 works of art, but he never actually goes looking for them. Harry has experimented various snacks in the last 27 years, but none had proved to be satisfying as popcorn. Chips didn’t work as well as he had hoped and peanut shells were all too similar. Microwave popcorn isn’t well suited for pop art either, as Harry says it is all hopelessly slimy(黏糊糊的), which is why he always pops his own from brand of corn--Orville Redencher.

Once he’s done drawing the features of whatever he spots popcorn, Harry keeps with three layers of paint and adds them to his collection. “It is a relaxation for me, “ Harry says about his unique hobby. “Sometimes, go to the movies, and as joke, take penlight(小手电筒) out of my pocket and look at the popcorn while am eating it.”