THE ADVENTURE OF ORGANIZING SPORTS IN NATURE: MAPPING OUT THE ADVENTURE RACES IN SOUTHERN RIO GRANDE DO SUL

Abstract

This work is a refletive exercise based on the account of the way the Adventure Races in southern Rio Grande do Sul, entitled “Grito das Águas” (“Waters Cry”), which happened in 2005 and 2006, were organized, from the point of view of the team responsible for organizing the event. Aiming at the mapping and analysing of the actions taken during the construction of the project, which were considered as significant, we came to reflect in more detail upon these acions. The text is the result of the review of pictures taken during the setting of the events and of the reports given by the organizers. Besides these two sources we also relied on our own memories as participants of the events, even thou we know that these aren't always trustworthy. This way we believe we approach the type of observing-participation methodology (Wacquant, 2002). The exercise itelf reveals the ethical and political principles which served as a guideline for an approach of the environment that goes beyond its preservation. The need for an ecological approach, based on environmental records, and also on records of social interactions and of human subjectivity, as suggested by Guattari (1990), leads us to recognize the Adventure Race as a potential practice that makes possible a deeper exploring of the ecology theme and the search for new ways of collective living.