As the only Irish qualified competitor in his discipline, Brendan "Bubba" Newby joined The Saturday Panel on Off the Ball to discuss his hopes for the 2018 Winter Olympics.
"I'm pretty self-motivated," Newby explained, when talking about what keeps him going. "And one of the reasons why is because freestyle skiing is so much fun. It never feels like a job, firstly because you don't get paid and secondly, because it's so fun!
"It never feels like work. Even when I am working, it's coaching so it doesn't feel like work."
The sport is not without its dangers however, as Newby noted, but it's not just about breaking bones on the slopes.
"I've blown both of my shoulders out, and broke my foot once - which is weird because it's tough to do in a ski boot. But I'd say the worst injury I've had has been my head injuries. I've had a couple of bad concussions, one about a year and half ago that I'm still feeling some impact from.
"There's a couple of things I used to be able to do great which I struggle with now.
"Reading, for example, I used to be a big reader and read a lot. Now, I get headaches and I struggle to read a page. I'll read a page and have to repeat multiple paragraphs and It's getting better every day but it's definitely a risk - wear your helmets for sure."
Today was interesting pic.twitter.com/RLmkof6kvl
— Bubba Newby (@bnewbs6) May 29, 2016
Asked if it was a major concern that he's still getting headaches, Newby replied: "Yeah, definitely not happy about that but like, helmets are huge. If I weren't wearing it, I wouldn't be here today, and that's for sure."
However, as far as he's concerned, he does receive the appropriate medical support both in America and in Ireland.
"Yeah, I've got a good set of doctors at home and they help out a lot. And now, we actually have access to some of the people at the Sport Institute of Ireland and I'm excited about that," Newby said.
"Since we're not here in Ireland and not able to meet with them, they're helping us out so we can see people locally, where we're at.
"At this point in the concussion, I'm technically healed. I have residual side effects but I'm still healed. Obviously they'd say 'Don't hit your head again,' but you can't just always land your trick," he added.
In response to Newby's comments about his concussion symptoms, The Olympic Council of Ireland released the following statement to Off the Ball:
"The Olympic Council of Ireland and Snow Sports Ireland became aware for the first time of some concerns Brendan had following concussion related incidences when he mentioned them in an interview with Off the Ball.
"We are glad that Brendan raised these, as this allowed us the opportunity to follow up immediately while he was still in the country, given he is based in New Zealand full-time.
"Brendan was examined by medical experts at the Sport Ireland Institute and we can confirm that he has been deemed fit to train and compete. We wish him and our other Winter Olympic potentials the best of luck over the coming months as they strive to secure their places in Team Ireland for the Pyeongchang Olympic Games in February."
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