↑ Grab this Headline Animator

AwardWinning Documentary on Diving is Released on DVD Hobies Heroes...

One of the most acclaimed documentaries about the sport of diving has been updated and released on DVD: Hobie's8217;s Heroes -- 25th Anniversary Edition. The award-winning film depicts the struggles and successes of young divers training under American Olympic coach Hobie Billingsley. Mr. Billingsley coached the Indiana University team from 1959 to 1989, produced six Olympic medalists, and is considered one of the most significant figures in the history of diving.



Released in 1980, Hobie's8217;s Heroes was widely televised in the United States on PBS, Nickelodeon, and on the USA Network. Twenty-five years later, New York film producer Steven Montgomery located the divers featured in the film via the Internet and asked them to participate in an updating of the documentary. The resulting 25th anniversary DVD has been released for distribution to public libraries and schools, and was recognized for its excellence in a review in Video Librarian magazine (July/August 2006).



William Sloan of the Museum of Modern Art Film and Media Department in New York, who presented the premiere of Hobie's8217;s Heroes in 1980, recently commented on the re-release of the film. He said, 's8220;The newly issued Hobie'ss Heroes is really wonderful -- very human, sensitive, and moving. It is something to be very proud of. After these many years, it does not look the least bit dated.'s8221;



In the documentary, a group of divers, ages 12-17, are shown striving to improve their skills under the guidance of Mr. Billingsley. With toughness and humor, he inspires the divers to meet a challenge with every ounce of their determination. In a filmed interview, Mr. Billingsley speaks movingly about the challenges of coaching and the importance of overcoming feelings of fear and inadequacy, in life as well as in diving.



The DVD bonus feature, Updates on the Divers, demonstrates how diving, and training with Mr. Billingsley, has affected the lives and careers of the featured divers in the intervening twenty-five years. Now in their 40s, the divers describe how their lives have been enhanced by the training and discipline they received in the sport.



Former diver Mark Vilmure, featured in Hobie's8217;s Heroes as a 17-year-old, is now a Lieutenant Firefighter at the Elkhart Fire Department in Indiana. Mr. Vilmure, age 44, comments on his past experience as a diver. He states, 's8220;I can see how diving prepared me for my career as a firefighter. Both activities require discipline and risk-taking. As a diver, you never know what's8217;s going to happen when you leave the board. In firefighting, you face the unknown whenever you enter a burning building. The floor may fall through; the roof may collapse. It is scary. I loved taking chances as a diver. Now, I love firefighting -- to take a risk to save someone in a burning building.'s8221;



An additional DVD bonus feature shows Mr. Billingsley reciting the 's8220;Judges Oath's8221; at the opening ceremonies of the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. A final DVD bonus feature contains a statement from Mr. Billingsley on the 25th Anniversary of the documentary. He says, 's8220;The images of the film are breathtaking. Hobie's8217;s Heroes shows everything I was trying to do and hoped for in my career as a coach. I have never found the film to age, for its message is as pure as it was when it was first made.'s8221;



Producer Steven Montgomery, a former Junior Olympic diving champion from Indiana, commented on the completion of the DVD: 's8220;It was an incredibly satisfying experience to revisit this project after twenty-five years. I didn's8217;t realize how much the documentary had meant to people, including Hobie and the divers who appeared in the film.'s8221;

The idea for reissuing the documentary came about when Mr. Montgomery was approached by Patty Graham of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Her sister, Katy Mulflur of Jeffersonville, Indiana, was a featured diver in the film. Tragically, Katy died as the result of a car accident three years after Hobie's8217;s Heroes was completed. The family of Katy Mulflur generously contributed funding to the production, which is dedicated to Katy's8217;s memory.



Mr. Montgomery continued, 's8220;I am proud of the completed DVD. I am so pleased to show how training as a diver enables young athletes to summon courage in the face of a challenge, a capacity that is needed in all areas of life.'s8221;



Mr. Montgomery also directed the award-winning documentary Morocco: The Past and Present of Djemma el Fna, which is housed in the media collections of universities and public libraries throughout the United States.



Hobie's8217;s Heroes 's8211; 25th Anniversary Edition is available for purchase at the Web site www.hobiesheroes.com.



Synopsis of Hobie's8217;s Heroes 's8211; 25th Anniversary Edition

Challenge. Competition. Loyalty. Faith. Courage.



Hobie's8217;s Heroes illuminates these universal themes, as a group of young divers, ages 12-17, strive to improve their skills under the guidance of famed Olympic diving coach Hobie Billingsley. With toughness and humor, Hobie inspires the divers to meet a challenge with every ounce of their determination. As the young athletes attempt difficult dives from three stories above the pool, we empathize with their fears and the pressures they face, and we cheer their triumphs.



Hobie Billingsley was Indiana University's8217;s diving coach from 1959 to 1989, during which time he led several generations of divers to National and Olympic championships. Filmmaker Steven Montgomery, a former Junior Olympic diving champion and graduate of Billingsley's8217;s diving clinic, interviews Hobie, who speaks movingly about the challenges of coaching and the importance of overcoming feelings of fear and inadequacy, in life as well as in diving. As the divers gain the confidence to perform stunningly beautiful dives, they express gratitude, as well as admiration for Hobie. He has given them the ability to find courage in the face of a challenge 's8211; a capacity they will use the rest of their lives.



Winner of film festival awards in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Nashville.



After 25 years, Hobie's8217;s Heroes are back to inspire a new generation.



Originally produced in 1980, this timeless documentary has been restored for DVD release, with bonus features added.



DVD Features:

> Updates on the Divers 's8211; 25 years after the Making of

Hobie's8217;s Heroes

> Tribute to Katy Mulflur (1961's8211;1983)

> Filmmaker Steven Montgomery interviewed by Director John

Badham

> 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics Ceremony featuring Hobie

Billingsley

> Film Crew Scrapbook.



Color/29 minutes + extras



Producer and Director: Steven Montgomery

Editor and Production Manager: Barbara Wolver (all still photos in the DVD are by Barbara Wolver; portrait of Hobie Billingsley by Don Midkiff)

Director of Cinematography: Tony Cucchiari

Sound: Phoebe Bindiger

Assistant Cameraman: Lenny Wechsler

Original Music: Randall Courts



www.hobiesheroes.com



For more information or to obtain a preview copy of the DVD, please contact:

Steven Montgomery

400 West 43rd Street, #34A

New York, NY 10036

Phone: (212) 736-9279

Cell: 646-267-9113

↑ Grab this Headline Animator

---

This article has been robotically scanned and tagged by Prnewsnow with the following search tags. No human manipulation of these tags take place.
| Dvx200 | United States | image quality resolutions |

---

4886 readers online...

, Local News