Jessie Mann and Kim Capiral (bottom right) were all smiles at last week’s emotional partnership announcement with Synergy Credit Union, as they tell the story of the Lakeland College Rustlers women’s basketball team, and what they and the coaching staff have been going through amidst a pandemic. Taylor Weaver Meridian Source
It’s been a year in the making for local cinematographers Kim Capiral and Jessie Mann, but for the players and coaching staff of the Rustlers women’s basketball team, it’s been a heart-wrenching and triumphant few years, which have felt like a lifetime.
This isn’t a Cinderella story. This is a story about an elite college basketball team having their chance to prove they were the best in the country taken away when the 2021 Canadian National Championships were cancelled due to COVID-19.
It was this story, a story filled with triumph, hard work, dedication and the unknown mental health aspects involved with such a loss, that inspired Capiral and Mann to form Two Fold Films Inc. and help tell that story.
The project had already been in the works for a year before the announcement of the new video production company was made last Friday at Spiro’s, but what really helped the Two Fold team in finishing the project was a sizeable donation from Synergy Credit Union.
“(Rustlers women’s basketball head coach) Chris (King) came to us in the spring of 2021 and asked us about formally filming the girls,” said Mann.
“Anyone who knows Chris and how he talks about his girls knows it isn’t long before you get pretty enthralled in your stories, in who you guys are, and in where you guys come from. The level at which you play and what you’ve overcome is what this is all about. He believed in you, so much. I know you guys feel that, and we get to see it every day, but it’s so exciting for us to share that with the world.”
“After spending a lot of time with the team, and with so much more to come, we can say we made beyond the right choice,” added Capiral.
“Chris, you believed in us, and to the women of the Lakeland Rustlers women’s basketball team, it was easy for us to believe in each and every one of you.
“Truthful cinema was what we wanted to show in this documentary. An authentic natural approach to capture what these women are going through every day. Different scenarios and storylines unfold right in front of your cameras.”
Alan Rogan, director, recreation and athletics at Lakeland, said he was floored by the sheer mass of the project, and commended Two Fold Films Inc. and the women’s Rustlers organization for being a part of it.
“When people come to watch competitions that our teams compete in, they see a basket, they see a steal, they’ll see a win or a loss, and many have no idea what went into that win or that loss, and that’s the piece that’s intriguing the most about this project,” said Rogan.
“They’re getting to the root of how they got to the game, (and) how they’ve achieved the success. It’s absolutely incredible what they’re going to build out of this, and I am waiting with bated breath to see the end result because I know it’s going to be incredible.”
The story as a whole is one for the books, or in this case, the camera, but it was the mental health aspect of the film that caught the attention of Synergy Credit Union CEO, Glenn Stang.
“This is an innovative project that’s really going to help us position some key messages to the surrounding communities around mental health,” he said to an intrigued audience at Spiro’s.
“The overall message of Second Bounce is all about beliefs. It’s an opportunity to call to action to support women in sport, embracing diversity, and reducing the whole stigma related to mental health. At Synergy, our belief is this project will make a difference in our community, which is one of the reasons why we got behind this, and you athletes are really going to help put a shining light on this and a lens on this to really break that stigma.”
Just like it’s been tough for the players, these last few years have also been hard on coach King, who is greatly anticipating a second shot at a national title with this team.
“If you look at what’s happening now in Lloydminster, we’re known as a hockey town, but we have nationally-ranked volleyball and basketball programs every year. We probably have one of, if not top five strongest programs in Canada,” he said.
To learn more about Second Bounce and Two Fold Films Inc., check out their Facebook page. And while you’re there, check out the trailers Two Fold has shared on the project thus far.
