RISE

I'm a fan of skating... have been since the early 90's. It's no surprise, then, that I wanted to see this film when it came out. For those who don't know, it's a documentary about the 1961 US figure skating team, who died on in a plane crash on their way to the World Championships.
The crash also took several of the top coaches and crippled the US program for a few years. The film shows old footage of the skaters and features interviews with people who knew and trained with them to mark the 50th anniversary of the tragedy.

Besides all that, they also speak to several generations of skaters, including Scott Hamilton, Peggy Flemming and Michelle Kwan to get their thoughts on the tragedy and how they have been inspired by these people's stories. Most of the skaters featured have also benefitted from the memorial fund that was established only days after the crash.

I couldn't help but be moved by some of the stories featured in the movie and got a few laughs out of some others. If you're interested in checking it out for yourself, visit rise1961.com. There's more information about the movie, the story tellers and when you can see the special encore presentation. Did you go to see RISE when it debuted? If so, what did you think about it? I'd love to hear your thoughts. Stay tuned, because my next post will be a review of a new country CD by Sarah Darling. Til then, Take care!