I played freshman high school basketball. It was ridiculously hard and I wasn't very good. The varsity team won the state championship just a few years before so the program was running fiercely. During preseason, we ran so hard under the AZ sun that they pulled trashcans on to the track so we could puke in them. But apparently all that training paid off because we were undefeated that season. And then I decided I'd rather play soccer, where practice was substantially easier. Even though I only played one season, it had a huge impact on me. I often have dreams about it and I clearly see the face of Coach Flores in my mind. High school basketball taught me to push myself physically harder than I ever though possible. Thinking back, maybe it was one of the things in my life that helped convince me that I could do hard things, that I could run a marathon, climb mountains, do cross fit, maybe even skip the epidural.

My point in all this is that I think high school sports are amazing and important, especially for girls. The Grand County High School Lady Red Devils team was so fun to film. I instantly wanted to cheer and yell for them, but that tends to mess up footage. They played so hard and cheered each other on. The coaches were obviously devoted to the players and giving them the best experience possible. It was such a positive experience. Props to those girls for being willing to play. To run and sweat. To practice, to take shots, to box out their opponents, to dive to keep a ball in bounds. To cheer and high five. Go Red Devils!

And a big thank you to James The Mormon for allowing me to use his song in this film.