Director Statement

When I was in the 3rd grade I joined a softball team with my best friend Jennifer. Barely knowing what the sport was, my sweet dad bought me a used glove and bat, taught me to swing, and the importance of keeping my eye on the ball. He even volunteered to be assistant coach to Jennifer’s dad.

A truly amazing summer. Playing with my friends, running the bases, getting ice-cream after.

Until the head coach started acting like we were training for the World Series. He yelled when a grounder made it through our legs, threw his clipboard down if we struck out more than once a game and most humiliating, berated his own daughter as she struggled to learn to pitch.

If my dad hadn’t been there to soften these outbursts and give us much needed cheerleading, I may have never played again.

In 2020, 54% of kids ages 6-17 played some kind of organized sport. It’s in the fabric of our culture and for good reason. Working on a team towards a tangible goal is (should be) a positive experience for kids. But we all know that some parents and coaches take things so far that it borders on abusive.

When Derek and Kristen brought me Seward I knew we had an opportunity to shine a light on the profound damage that can be caused by parents/coaches who push kids so far, they suffer life-long trauma.

It’s a hero’s journey of sorts. The broken character of Seward finds healing and inspires all of to step up and demand that kid's sport should first and foremost be to PLAY. It should always be for the love of the game.
Director Statement

When I was in the 3rd grade I joined a softball team with my best friend Jennifer. Barely knowing what the sport was, my sweet dad bought me a used glove and bat, taught me to swing, and the importance of keeping my eye on the ball. He even volunteered to be assistant coach to Jennifer’s dad.

A truly amazing summer. Playing with my friends, running the bases, getting ice-cream after.

Until the head coach started acting like we were training for the World Series. He yelled when a grounder made it through our legs, threw his clipboard down if we struck out more than once a game and most humiliating, berated his own daughter as she struggled to learn to pitch.

If my dad hadn’t been there to soften these outbursts and give us much needed cheerleading, I may have never played again.

In 2020, 54% of kids ages 6-17 played some kind of organized sport. It’s in the fabric of our culture and for good reason. Working on a team towards a tangible goal is (should be) a positive experience for kids. But we all know that some parents and coaches take things so far that it borders on abusive.

When Derek and Kristen brought me Seward I knew we had an opportunity to shine a light on the profound damage that can be caused by parents/coaches who push kids so far, they suffer life-long trauma.

It’s a hero’s journey of sorts. The broken character of Seward finds healing and inspires all of to step up and demand that kid's sport should first and foremost be to PLAY. It should always be for the love of the game.

Linda Troeller is an art documentarian who is known for creating sensual images inside sublime water environments that were inspired by her childhood exposure to the healing powers of water.

…and shortly after, she broke down. I decided to stop filming and take a break. Typically I would request that she and I work alone during the filming, but I was so glad her husband was there to comfort her. I could relate to her pain; it was similar to how I felt during 9/11 in NYC. Unbearable, lost, angry, tears flowing, hopeless, and anxiety-filled. I also had tears in my eyes. We both know this war was senseless.

We are overwhelmed to share that our film has been acquired by the Pittsburg Teen Film program and is being screened at events the help youth learn the power of their own voice in storytelling.

Hardwick's one of only twenty-two family-owned hardware stores left in the country has earned its landmark since its inception over a century ago. The Hardwick's experience mesmerizes us with layers upon layers of stories, and products on display that leave us swallowed up by its rabbit hole into a wonderland of contemplation.