Dare to Be (2018)

• 80%
• 2018
• Documentary
• Adam Reist

Dare to Be, weaves together three distinct stories, as characters grow and move through their development from High School to Collegiate and for some even into Elite Rowing. The audience will first be educated to the fundamentals of rowing, as it follows a group of high school girls who are drawn to the sport for various reasons as middle scholars. The film follows these young women from their early days in "Learn to Row," through their growth and development into intense high school rowing. Audience members experience the power of the girls, who while discovering the sport also discover themselves. The film also explores the question of when it is that an individual makes a leap to believe in oneself as someone special. Throughout the film, the meaning of success and the factors surrounding its definition will be a prevalent theme. The stories of the high school rowers will also navigate the choppy waters of college recruiting. The second story, Collegiate Rowing, will follow the tradition and ground breaking accomplishments of women's college rowing. This will be accomplished at a personal and institutional level, as we follow specific athletes on their college journey. Some of these athletes are ones we met in the High School narratives, and they serve as a connecting line of the film, tying the different sections together. The third story, Elite Rowing, will follow 2012 Olympians Sara Hendershot and Sarah Zelenka on their journey to make it back to the 2016 Olympics in Rio. It will also feature other former Olympians, such as Erin Cafaro, Taylor Ritzel, Mary Whipple and Sarah Trowbridge, as they share their own stories.