There are positive signs from the bedside of US Olympic hopeful Kevin Pearce, who sustained a traumatic brain injury on New Year’s Eve. Kev, who smacked his head on the halfpipe while going for a double cork ten in training, is still in a medically-induced state of unconsciousness, but his family have been saying that the signs are positive.

Late last week Kevin’s condition was downgraded from ‘critical’ to ‘serious’, and the latest update, posted yesterday morning by the Pearce family on their facebook page, explained that “the doctors continue to be impressed with his current condition”. The out-pouring of sympathy for Kevin on the page has been overwhelming, and we’ve received several emails from readers asking how he’s doing – all of which is testament to what a great lad he is.

Unfortunately, not all the reactions have been quite so positive. An ‘expert’ called on to America’s ABC news to comment on the situation managed to disparage not only Kevin, but all snowboarders. Not only that, but the ABC report edited interviews of Torah Bright and Pat Bridges (editor of the US mag snowboarder) to emphasise the ‘dangers’ of snowboarding.

Quite a few people criticised what they saw as sloppy journalism, which seemed designed to re-enforce mainstream stereotypes about snowboarders. The boys at Boardistan put it rather well, and we have to say we weren’t that impressed with ABC’s ‘expert’ either. If “snow, ice and youth” are the problem, then surely all winter Olympic sports should be banned? However, reaction of the day has to go to Todd Richards, who wrote on Twitter: “It really pisses me off that these fools at ABC call someone with no ties to what is actually happening in the sport to report facts.”

Richards added: “I haven’t been this worked up since George Lucas tried to pass that piece of shit Episode 1 as a part of Star Wars. Christine Brennan can eat it!”