More Than Glory — Documenting The Sporting Journey
The hero's journey. An underdog story.
These are the phrases that I would normally use to describe the sports documentaries that have seized my attention.
As I type these words, I am sitting at a gymnasium where athletes train and work towards manifesting their dreams. This is my first chance in producing a sports documentary that follows a key character and his community through a period of a few months as they collectively work towards a milestone of personal and perhaps national significance.
It is a process that I had yearned for some time to be involved with - to be given intimate access into the minds of people that strive to do better in a singular endeavour, though the journey and its take-aways are very much multifaceted.
I am a competitive individual, and I envy champions that get to experience the euphoria of competition. And this personal desire also makes me intrigued by the many other athletes who compete but who may never stand on the podium that they worked so hard for. What drives them? If it is not to win, what else is there in sport? And is the answer to that question only a consolation prize at best?
Singapore is a great place to ask this question in my opinion. In a society that seemingly supports only certain sporting endeavours that have proven a return of investment by way of inspiring national pride and solidarity, there is active pressure for any sport to validate their relevance and need for support (e.g. funding). Yet, in this environment, Singapore has its fair share of niche sports. There are those that once experienced a golden era of mainstream popularity such as squash but have struggled to return to its former glory ever since. And there are those like underwater hockey that have chalked up international wins despite few learning of their existence.
And while such context lends itself to an intriguing story, what truly compels me to pursue such a project is the fundamental fact that the motivation to act on being a better version of oneself or being the best in the game is a universal value that many can relate to, regardless of their own experiences in said sport.
And in that truth lies the potential of this documentary that I am embarking on. Society has ascribed some values to the activities that take place within its jurisdiction, yet there are those that rebel against the status quo. Win or lose, there is something to be gained from the pursuit of glory it seems, and this is something that we can all learn by appreciating this journey of lifetimes through the minutes on a screen.
