Action Spring 2011 Promo : Page 6

rEaDErS THEaTEr PLay Crash on the Half-Pipe Kevin Pearce was just weeks away from the Olympics. Then an injury changed everything. Based on a true story. Characters *Narrator 1 (N1) *mom, Kevin’s mom *Narrator 2 (N2) luke mitrani, Kevin’s friend Announcer Jack mitrani, luke’s brother *Kevin Pearce, snowboarder Dad, Kevin’s dad Fluency Tip Read With Feeling try to make your voice match the way your character is feeling. Practice with these lines from the play: Excited : “that’s so cool!” Sad : “i can’t listen to this.” Worried: “it’s like the past month is missing from my mind.” Enjoy the play! *Reporter Andrew, Kevin’s brother David, Kevin’s brother Adam, Kevin’s brother Sign up for the character you’re going to read. *Starred characters are major roles. 6 Scholastic action | January 31, 2011

Crash On The Half-Pipe

Kevin Pearce was just weeks away from the Olympics. Then an injury changed everything. Based on a true story. Scene 1 N1: It’s 2008. The men’s half-pipe finals are in progress at an important snowboarding competition. Announcer: Champion boarder Shaun White and up-and-comer Kevin Pearce are battling it out for the top spot. N2: Kevin is at the half-pipe, a snowboarding ramp that’s more than 17 feet high. Kevin (to himself) : You can do this. N1: Kevin takes off on his snowboard. Announcer: Kevin is having an incredible run—front side air into a Mc Twist, front side 1080, cab 1080, and finally a front side 900. That’s a lot of flips, spins, and big air, folks! N2: Kevin beats Shaun White. He wins the half pipe competition. Reporter (to Kevin): How does it feel to win? Kevin: After training so hard, it feels great. Reporter: What’s next for you, Kevin? Kevin: I’ll start training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Reporter: With talent like yours, you’re sure to make it! Scene 2 N1: Kevin goes home to Vermont. His brother David hugs him. David: Kevin! N2: David has Down syndrome, a condition that makes him learn more slowly than other people. Kevin: Hey, bro! I missed you. David: So, how does it feel to win? Kevin: I should ask you that. You’re the Special Olympics champion. David: It feels good. I don’t like to lose, though. Kevin: Me neither. That’s why I have to train hard to get into the Olympics. Mom: Kevin, I just got off the phone with the Nike company. They want to build you a half-pipe in California so you can train. Kevin: That’s so cool! Can I invite my “Frends”? N2: Kevin’s friends are all snowboarders and Olympic hopefuls. They call themselves “The Frends Crew.” They spell it that way because there’s no “I” in “Frends.” Scene 3 N1: Kevin goes to California to train on his new half-pipe. His friends Jack, Luke, Danny, and Scotty go with him. Kevin: Let’s try this thing out. N1: The guys take turns on the half-pipe. N2: Luke does two backflips. Luke: This half-pipe is sick! Jack: Don’t hog it! N1: Jack pulls off a cab double cork—two twisting backflips with a spin. N2: Next, Kevin lands two front flips—that’s called a double McTwist. N1: A reporter walks up. Reporter: How did you guys get into snowboarding? Jack: My brother Luke and I wanted to become ninjas, but that class was full, so our mom put us into this. N2: The Frends crack up. Reporter: Only four American snowboarders can make it to the Olympics. Are you hurting your chances by practicing together? Kevin: We’ll always support each other. And practicing together makes us better. Scene 4 N1: It’s December 31, 2009. The Olympic trials have already started. One contest out of four has taken place. Kevin is training in Utah. Kevin (to himself) : Once I perfect my cab double cork, I’ll be ready to go for gold. N2: Kevin tries the trick. He goes into it with a little too much power and lands the wrong way. N1: The front edge of the board catches. Kevin’s head slams into the wall of the half-pipe. N2: Kevin is knocked out. He is rushed to the hospital. Scene 5 N1: In the hospital, Kevin is in a coma. He’s hooked up to a machine that helps him breathe. N2: Kevin’s mom is in the room with his brothers Andrew and Adam. A news report plays on the TV. Reporter: An American Snowboarder has suffered a brain injury after an accident. He is in critical condition. Mom: I can’t listen to this. I’m turning it off. N1: Kevin’s dad comes in. Dad: The doctor says it’s too soon to tell how bad it is. They’re going to do brain surgery on him. Andrew: Kevin is a fighter. He can do anything. Dad: One thing is for sure. Wearing a helmet saved his life. Without it, he would have died. Scene 6 N2: A week after the accident, Kevin wakes up from his coma. He has brain damage, which causes problems with his memory, eyesight, balance, and more. N1: Over the next month, he has more brain surgery. Experts help him do special exercises. He must learn to do many things all over again— things like talking, walking, and even swallowing. Mom (to Kevin): Good news! You’re doing so well that they’re moving you to a hospital in Colorado. You can work on your recovery there. Kevin: Great! But, Mom . . . Is it weird that I don’t remember the accident? Mom: I think that’s normal. Kevin: But I don’t remember anything after the accident either. It’s like the past month is missing from my mind. Mom: You injured your brain, Kevin. Give it time to heal. Scene 7 N2: In Colorado, Adam and Andrew take Kevin to his new hospital room. The walls of the room are covered with “Get Well” cards. Kevin: What’s all this? Andrew: These cards have come from all over the world—hundreds of them. N1: Adam opens a laptop. Adam: And look—I started a Face book page for you. Kevin (reading): “Well Wishes to our Frend Kevin Pearce . . .” adam: You have 50,000 friends. They’re all writing messages on your wall. Andrew: Adam, show him the other thing. N2: Adam plays a news video on You Tube. Reporter: “I Ride for Kevin.” These stickers are pasted onto snowboards at ski areas across the country. It’s the riders’ way of supporting injured boarder Kevin Pearce. Kevin: People are really doing that? That’s amazing! Scene 8 N1: It’s February 17, 2010. Kevin is in his hospital room with his parents. Dad: Are you sure you want to do this? Kevin: I need to see it. N2: The Olympics are on television. They watch the men’s half-pipe finals. Announcer: Shaun White has stomped the competition. His first run earned him a score of 46.8. n1: On the TV screen, Shaun starts his second run. Announcer: Unbelievable! Shaun White just landed a double McTwist 1260. That trick has never been landed in the Olympics before. Kevin: I can land that trick. N2: Shaun wins the gold. Kevin: I should have been there. I could have won A medal. Mom: I know. But the U.S. got two medals. Shaun won gold, and your friend Scotty won bronze. Kevin: I’m happy for those guys, but I wanted to compete more than anything. Scene 9 N1: Kevin still has to do exercises to get his strength and balance back. N2: One day, Jack visits. He’s holding a big bowl. Jack: I brought pesto pasta. Kevin: My favorite! Thanks. The food here is terrible. Jack: The whole Frends Crew misses you, dude. Kevin: Me too. I can’t wait to get back to Vermont so we can hang out. N1: In May, Kevin gets some very good news. Mom: Your doctors say you’ve made an amazing recovery. They’re letting you out of the hospital. Kevin: You mean . . . Mom: We’re going home! Scene 10 N2: Four months after the accident, Kevin is finally out of the hospital. His hometown holds a party. Hundreds of people turn out to welcome Kevin home. N1: Kevin’s brother David greets him. David: I was so worried about you. Kevin: You inspired me, David. I worked hard to get better so I could come home and see my favorite brother. Adam and andrew (at the same time) : Hey! I thought I was your favorite! N2: Kevin speaks to the crowd that has gathered. Kevin: It’s great to be home! Epilogue N1: Kevin may not have made it to the 2010 Olympics, but he is still a champion. He has proved that he never gives up on his goals, whether he’s riding a snowboard or learning to walk again. N2: Today Kevin is still recovering. He gets better every day. He looks forward to getting back on a snowboard one day.

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