Kevin Pearce (snowboarder)

Kevin Pearce (born November 1, 1987) is the co-founder of the Love Your Brain Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of life of people affected by traumatic brain injury. He also is an inspirational speaker, and an American former professional snowboarder. He was born in Hanover, New Hampshire, and raised in Hartland, Vermont, before moving with his parents to Norwich, Vermont. He competed professionally from 2007 to 2009, when a crash during snowboard training left him with a traumatic brain injury.

For other people named Kevin Pearce, see Kevin Pearce (disambiguation).
Kevin Pearce
Personal information
Birth nameKevin Pearce
NationalityAmerican
Born (1987-11-01) November 1, 1987
Hanover, New Hampshire
Kevin Pearce
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Men's Snowboarding
Winter X Games
Silver medal – second place2008 Aspen Big Air
Silver medal – second place2008 Aspen Slopestyle
Silver medal – second place2009 Aspen SuperPipe
Bronze medal – third place2008 Aspen SuperPipe

Career

Pearce won The Arctic Challenge in 2007 and completed back-to-back titles with victory in 2008. He was also the first man to earn two Air & Style rings in one season, winning the Nokia Air & Style in Munich in 2007 and the Billabong Air & Style in Innsbruck in 2008.

In the 2007–08 season he won the Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour, garnering the TTR World Tour Champion title.

He won three medals at the 2008 Winter X Games XII in Aspen, Colorado. He was also the first athlete in X Games history to compete in three medal events in one day. [1]

Pearce is a member of the Frends Crew (spelled without the "i" to emphasize the collective nature of the group) made up of snowboarders Mason Aguirre, Danny Davis, Scotty Lago, Keir Dillon, Mikkel Bang, Jack Mitrani, and Luke Mitrani. Frends is a group of riders who turned their initial friendship into a formal alliance in 2007 to move the sport away from its recent competitive and business focus and return the sport to its grassroots, collegial beginnings.[2]

2009 injury

On December 31, 2009, Pearce was critically injured during training in Park City, Utah on the same halfpipe that would kill fellow skier Sarah Burke in 2012. He struck his head above the left eye halfway down the pipe during a half-pipe training run trying a maneuver called a cab double cork. He was flown to the University of Utah Medical Center in Salt Lake City.[3] On January 26, 2010, Pearce was transferred out of critical care and in early February was moved to Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, a rehabilitation center that specializes in traumatic brain injuries.[4] By June, Pearce was back with his family in Vermont.[5]

In an August 23, 2010, interview, Pearce said he was lucky to recover and "...excited to get back onto a snowboard."[6] However, in a December 2011 interview with NBC, he said he will not compete again but he did get back on a snowboard later that year.[7]

Personal life and family

Pearce is a son of noted international glass artist Simon Pearce, who has a chain of upscale retail stores in the Northeast United States. Kevin's mother, Pia Pearce, is the sister-in-law[8] of Cyrus Vance Jr., the District Attorney of New York County (Manhattan). Kevin Pearce is the youngest of Simon and Pia Pearce's four sons. His brothers David, who has Down syndrome, Andrew, and Adam are also snowboarders.

Kevin Pearce and The Frends crew have hosted a Signature Session™ at High Cascade Snowboard Camp each summer since 2008.[9] At camp, Pearce spends time with young snowboarders, helping to coach, mentor and inspire.

The 2013 documentary The Crash Reel by Lucy Walker documents Pearce's preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics games, the 2009 injury, and his subsequent rehabilitation.[10]

References
  1. Results: Snowboard Big Air Finals – EXPN.com (January 26, 2008) (Retrieved on February 24, 2008)
  2. There's No I in Frends NY Times, March 22, 2009
  3. "Snowboarder suffers 'traumatic brain injury'". Associated Press. Retrieved 2 January 2010.
  4. "Snowboarder Kevin Pearce moved to Denver hospital". ESPN.com. 4 February 2010. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
  5. "Home at last". ESPN.com. 16 June 2010.
  6. TODAY - Latest News, Video & Guests from the TODAY show on NBC. Today.msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
  7. "Kevin Pearce Opens Up About Injury and His Future: Part 1". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 9 Dec 2011.
  8. "Peggy McDonnell, Cyrus Vance's Wife: 5 Fast Facts | Heavy.com". 2020-07-06. Archived from the original on 2020-07-06. Retrieved 2020-07-06.
  9. Signature Sessions, 2014 Signature Session™ at High Cascade
  10. The Ride of a Lifetime. Crash Reel (2014-02-04). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
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