It has been a rough season for the men’s U.S. Olympic halfpipe riders and the snowboarding community as a whole due to some of the best riders Kevin Pearce and Danny Davis suffering from injuries just weeks before the Winter Games in Vancouver. Kevin Pearce was injured on December 31st in Park City while training on a 22-foot-high halfpipe. Hitting his head, Pearce was placed in critical condition suffering from traumatic brain injuries. One week later Danny Davis was involved in an ATV accident in Utah causing damage to his back and surgery on his L3 vertebrae.
With the US halfpipe riders doing so well in previous years winning in 2002 and receiving gold and silver in 2006 it awful news to hear that two very talented riders on the team have been injured. Riders Shaun White, Kevin Pearce and Danny Davis represent an American dream team for the halfpipe. With two of the riders injured the dream is slipping away.
When accidents such as these occur the U.S. team must work off of their plan B and it is hard to keep morale high for the team when issues such as these happen. Neither will be able to compete; however Pearce’s injuries, far more serious, require him to have to learn to walk again. According to NBC Nightly News his family states that he has suffered memory loss and impaired vision, however within time a full recovery will be seen.
Although Pearce’s injury is considered a fluke, snowboarding is a dangerous sport. However some are saying that the sport may be evolving more quickly than its athletes are. The new halfpipe version of 22 ft high is definitely more dangerous than the previous 18 foot high version. The pressure is on for these athletes who are attempting to do very dangerous stunts and tricks that are causing serious injuries.
Head of U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA), Bill Marolt, states that safety is always a primary concern when it comes to their athletes, but he does not anticipate any immediate changes in protocol due to the Pearce accident. As the higher halfpipe is used in competitions, those in charge will be monitoring closely whether or not there is an increase in accidents and injuries.
Major life threatening accidents and career ending injuries affects the other riders on the team, aspiring athletes, the chances of winning in the competition and the industry as a whole. With snowboarding classified, as an extreme sport it will always be seen as more difficult and more dangerous by the public, lessening the number of players of it. Injuries negatively affect the snowboarding sport, and those in charge by the quickly evolving sport.
Link for blog
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZsYPBacfRs - pearce vid
http://newsfall.com/2010/08/23/kevin-pearce/ - pic of pearce
http://www.snowboard-mag.com/content/totinos-signs-danny-davis-36422 - dd
http://saltlakecity.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/us-snowboarders-suffer-injury-setbacks-in-advance-of-olympics.aspx?googleid=277078
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