Hobie’s Heroes 2005
Distributed by Stephen Montgomery Films, 400 West 43rd Street, 34A, New York, NY 10036; 212-736-9279
Produced by Steven Montgomery
Directed by Steven Montgomery
DVD, color, 29 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Sports, Sociology, Psychology, Adolescence, Communication
Date Entered: 05/04/2007
Reviewed by Leon Smigiel, Ithaca College, Ithaca, New YorkAnyone can coach, not everyone can coach successfully. It takes the ability to teach, motivate and cultivate individuals to overcome obstacles such as fear and inadequacy to rise to a higher level of performance whether in sports or life. Hobie Billingsley has done just that, and we see this through the eyes of his divers, in Hobie’s Heroes.
Successful coaches have the talent to motivate and develop skills in athletes. Billingsley illustrates that talent by taking young divers, gaining their confidence, giving them the desire to find courage in the face of a challenge, and bringing out talent and skills they may not even know they have.
Looking down at a pool from three stories high knowing that any misstep could result in either pain or injury, can create fear in anyone. Hobie, with toughness and humor is able to motivate his athletes to overcome that fear, to reach deep down inside and rise to that higher level of performance, and execute beautiful dives.
When I first viewed this film I could identify with the divers. As I looked over the edge of the high platform down at the pool, it seemed a hundred feet away. I too felt that fear, that fear of pain, injury or humiliation in front of others. I could feel what the film was trying to convey—how coach Billingsley takes fear and turns it around into a personal triumph by raising the feeling of confidence. The film portrays Hobie as a real person with his own personal conflicts, which he is able to overcome and use as a teaching strategy with his divers. He uses humor and toughness to strive for continued improvement of their skills.
The audio and video quality is extremely realistic, giving one the feeling of actually being poolside and showing the human emotions of kids going through failures and success.
This film would be a welcome addition to any high school or college library especially at those schools with diving teams. It will also benefit institutions with sports psychology and training courses. I highly recommend this film.