TV News: HBO Documentaries - THE CRASH REEL - The Fall and Rise of Snowboarder Kevin Pearce

UPDATED 7/11/13 – Added Trailer Clip

Sometimes, our passion and fearless drive can lead us down a slippery slope. In pursuit of your dreams, sometimes you get hurt physically, emotionally or both. In the case of pro snowboarding champion Kevin Pearce, he nearly loses his life. I’ll be tuning in as I am fascinated with those who put the extreme in extreme sports. While captivating and awe inspiring to watch, it also makes you cringe when these athletes take a tumble.

In a press release:

THE CRASH REEL, THE STORY OF SNOWBOARDING CHAMPION

KEVIN PEARCE, DIRECTED BY TWO-TIME OSCAR^® NOMINEE

LUCY WALKER, DEBUTS JULY 15, EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

In 2009, American snowboarding champion Kevin Pearce was enjoying the most successful competitive season of his career, winning several events and challenging the dominance of his friend-turned-rival, the legendary Shaun White. But on Dec. 31, while riding the slopes of Park City, Utah in final training for the 2010 Winter Olympics, he suffered a traumatic brain injurythat left him in a coma, followed by a long road of adjusting to what would be a lifelong disability.

Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Lucy Walker, THE CRASH REEL is an exhilarating ride through the world of Pearce, whose story underscores the high stakes for extreme sports stars. This riveting tale takes surprising turns as it follows his close-knit family and friends, drawing on footage filmed over two decades, from 232 different sources, that captures the soul of the sport. Questioning the price people pay for their passions, the powerful documentary debuts MONDAY, JULY 15 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The film was an official selection of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award at South By Southwest Film Festival.

Other HBO playdates: July 15 (4:40 a.m.), 18 (11:30 a.m.), 21 (4:45 p.m.), 23 (2:30 p.m.) and 27 (12:15 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates: July 17 (8:00 p.m.) and 25 (11:15 a.m., 12:25 a.m.), and Aug. 4 (11:40 a.m.) and 30 (11:35 a.m.)

Kevin Pearce’s professional ascent happens at a time snowboarding tricks are becoming more and more breathtaking, but also drastically more dangerous. His rivalry with superstar Shaun White results in the introduction of now-standard airbags and foam-landing pits. Pearce is poised to compete for the coveted Gold Medal, the pinnacle of the sport and the fulfillment of a lifelong dream, when he misses his landing on a complicated “cab double cork” trick and takes a hard fall on the Park City slopes.

His family – father Simon Pearce, a glass and pottery artisan and entrepreneur, mother Pia and brothers David, Andrew and Adam – fly from their home in Vermont to be at his side. When Pearce finally emerges from his coma, it is a huge relief, but the Kevin who wakes up is not the Kevin who crashed. From language to vision, motor skills to memory, impulsivity to poor judgment, he must come to terms with the slow pace of healing.

The Pearces are no strangers to disability. Kevin’s brother David, an eloquent and accomplished young man with Down syndrome, is also an athletic star, who has won several medals at the Special Olympics. The love and support of this remarkable family propel Pearce forward over the course of 2010 as he works with the passion of an elite athlete to get his mind and his body back to what they were. His goal is to experience the freedom and joy of riding his snowboard and hear the deafening roar of crowds once again.

His doctors outline the catastrophic consequences that would result from another snowboarding accident. Activities that once carried a moderate but acceptable level of risk are now extremely dangerous, meaning that anyone who suffers one traumatic brain injury is six times more likely to experience another. Kevin’s brain is so damaged that it can’t sustain a minor hit that would give a regular person a concussion. Put simply, if Pearce hits his head again, even slightly, he could die. And you can’t snowboard professionally without hitting your head.

Having spent two years supporting Pearce’s recovery and always mindful of the horrors of his accident, the Pearces make their case to Kevin, pleading with him to reconsider his decision to ride again. He remains unmoved, begging the question of whether his brain injury has left him incapable of making good decisions. Where does passion end and traumatic brain injury begin?

The high stakes of snowboarding are underscored when Olympic hopeful Sarah Burke, a freestyle skiing champion who pioneered half-pipe skiing, falls and hits her head on the exact same spot of the Park City half-pipe where Pearce was injured. She never recovers, passing away on Jan. 19, 2012. Because she was uninsured, Burke’s family faces $500,000 in medical bills from the futile attempt to save her.

THE CRASH REEL captures the horrific crash and shows his buddies, a group of fun-loving professional snowboard stars called the FRENDS crew (who like to say, “There’s no ‘i’ in friendship”), rushing to the scene of the accident, finding him unconscious and bleeding profusely. Seen in disturbing, up-close footage, Pearce is quickly airlifted to University Hospital in Salt Lake City, where doctors scramble to save his life.

Connect with HBO’s SUMMER DOCUMENTARY SERIES:

Facebook: facebook.com/hbodocs
Twitter @HBODocs #CrashReel

YouTube: youtube.com/hbodocs.

Support the Filmmaker’s Foundation by using #LOVEyourBRAIN, tweeting at @LucyWalkerfilm, and visiting their webpage: simonpearce.com/category/kevinpearce.do

You can find out more at : http://thecrashreel.com/loveyourbrain/

Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
Latest Posts (view them )..

Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.