On Friday night, Kevin Pearce came to Newport, R.I., for a screening of a sports documentary about his own young life. That he was even able to conduct a Q&A after “The Crash Reel†was shown at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s grass courts for newportFILM Outdoors is a remarkable story.
Pearce is the snowboarder from Hartland, Vt., who was a favorite for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, only to sustain a devastating crash in his final training days on Dec. 31, 2009, in Park City, Utah. “The Crash Reel,†which is airing this week and into August on HBO at various times (check your local schedule), follows Pearce’s rise to stardom, near-fatal crash, and tortuous recovery. It also explores the effects of head injuries and examines whether the world of extreme sports is encouraging young athletes to go faster and higher without pausing to consider the risks. Pearce talked to the Globe shortly before the Newport event about the film and his state of mind.
Q. How are you doing these days?
A. I am doing well right now. My brain is still in the healing process. It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with that. It is a lifelong recovery. I am so much better than where you see me in that film.
Q. Was it difficult to watch the film?
A. It’s cool to share the power of healing. It was really cool for me to see the film. So much of it I don’t remember. I don’t recall those times. That first month I was in critical care, I don’t remember any of that. To see the stuff and what my family had to go through, and what I put them through, it’s amazing to see that. It gave me a different point of view.
Q. And yet you talked for a while about getting back into competitive snowboarding.
A. For a while I was very motivated. It’s taken 3½ years to undertand that’s no longer my life. I’ve become OK with that. For a long time it was hard to accept that, but I have now. I do realize my life has changed. I have to do something else other than snowboarding.
Q. You’ve already lived a long life, it seems like.
A. I’m 25. I’ve experienced so much in these 25 years. I’m so lucky to do all that. I’m so lucky to be able to find something new. It’s hard. I still love snowboarding, but I understand that’s not reality.
Q. Was that your decision, or did doctors say you had no choice?
A. Doctors have given me input and my family has. And it’s what I’ve seen. I’ve seen these kids have two severe brain injuries. It’s not worth it for me and to put my family through that again. I know there is so much more. And I wanted to raise awareness around brain injuries.
Q. Are these extreme sports pushing the limits too much?
A. These sports are perfect. I love this direction they are going in and how fast and hard they’re being pushed. I woke up every morning, with no coach telling me what I could or couldn’t do. I chose my future.
Q. If you had a do-over, knowing the risks and rewards, would you change anything?
A. I would look back and go back at it the same way. The only thing I would change is that morning. What I was told is that I jumped into it too quick. That was how I was. I want to do this trick, and I didn’t have quite enough practice time in. I just jumped into it a little fast. If I had another foot of airtime I would have landed. It was the perfect storm. but I would never change anything about snowboarding and what it did for me. It’s just irreplaceable.
Q. So what’s the message you impart from your experience?
A. Whatever sport, when you encounter something, you need to learn how to give up and move on and be OK with that.
Q. And what are your plans?
A. I’m doing announcing for the X-Games. Since I can’t do the tricks, I can talk about them since I know them all.
Q. Was there one scene in the movie that was the hardest to watch?
A. Hearing my brother talk about me, and what it was like for my parents. My dad would be there for days and watch these screens. It was pretty hard to watch.
Q. What will you do with yourself this winter?
A. I will board, but just recreationally. Right now I feel like I can go up on that half-pipe. It’s such a weird feeling to not be able to do that.
Doug Most can be reached at dmost@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @Globedougmost
