Rams Feel ‘Undersized’ Tells a Big Story
Women’s basketball takes in premier of documentary
Mike Brohard
For John Barnhardt, there is always a story to tell. Finding it requires a bit of patience, as well as a willingness from the subjects.
“The ending was being written on a game basis, daily basis. I didn’t know how I was going to really end the movie,” Barnhardt said. “I had an idea on endings, and when I do these documentaries, I always shoot for 70 percent, meaning I’ve got a 70 percent idea and I’m going to let the movie do it’s 30 percent. I’m going to let it take me.”
For that, he needed to build a bond and trust with Colorado State’s women’s basketball team, particularly point guard McKenna Hofschild. The past season, Barnhardt and his crew from Barnfly Productions followed the team around, capturing the Rams’ season on video.
The team became accustomed to Barnhardt and his students being around, filming everything at practices and games, travel on the road and conducting one-on-one interviews. They didn’t know what the final product would look like, not until he premiered it for them Sunday at the Lory Student Center.
The team, as well as members of the High Hoops booster group and other invited guests witnessed the first showing of ‘Undersized,” the documentary which told the story of Hofschild, her teammates and the relationships they’ve built.
“I think from the beginning, we thought it was going to be a highlight thing, then it turned into the team and the relationships we built,” guard Hannah Ronsiek said. “I think it’s cool for people to see the type of team we had.
“I think they should take away the type of relationships we have with each and every one of our teammates, and also the type of player Kenna was. Not just the player but the teammate she was and the impact she had on the team and the university as well.”
While the 5-foot-2 Hofschild, a two-time All-American, was the centerpiece of the film (thus, the name of the documentary), it was far from a series of her in action, a direction Barnhardt selected for a purpose. There is no mention of Hofschild’s scoring or assist records, that she reached the 2,000-point barrier or the team’s final record.
What the nearly one-hour film documented was the relationships built between the players and coaches and how important those relationships become, not just for four years of a career, but in the span of a life.
Each member of the team spoke to that, while also sharing other messages, because there were multiple to be found and taken from the project.
Barnhardt had a couple in mind. He referred back to the Sanna Strom interview when she spoke of the need for competition and getting away from simple participation. He also wanted to share while the Iowa’s and LSU’s of the world draw national attention, the importance of women’s athletics needs to be taken seriously by the masses at every school.
Being part of a team and a second family is life changing. Those relationships will be forever.McKenna Hofschild
Coach Ryun Williams hopes people see the impact Hofschild had on the program and young girls in the area, but also how she and her teammates rallied around each other.
Hofschild wants people find what she constantly provides.
“I hope they find inspiration, whether that’s in basketball or whatever they do. I hope it can motivate someone to pursue what they want to do, find the people around them they really care about and take care of them,” she said. “That family atmosphere. Being part of a team and a second family is life changing. Those relationships will be forever.”
The documentary went through stages. The initial idea, Barnhardt told the assembled crowd, was to do something on Becky Hammon, the idea coming from one of his closest friends. Then it morphed into including Hofschild. When Hammon’s camp didn’t reply, it became ‘Undersized,’ with Hofschild taking center stage for the story of the team to be told.
For the team and Williams, they initially had to become comfortable with having a film crew around at practice, putting mics on them and conducting interviews. In time, Barnhardt’s crew – which included a mix of current and former students of his, most working for “cheeseburgers” – became part of the team.
Ronsiek said Hofschild being herself from the jump helped others to follow suit.
“I’m one of those people who doesn’t hide their personality very much. From the beginning I was pretty comfortable with the camera around, but there were times I was talking in the mic on my shirt, and I was like, ‘ah crap, this could be seen by more people than me,’” she said. “I thought John and his crew did a great job of being there but not being right in our face.
“They were great. It was fun getting to know them and see other work they’ve done. It was neat how excited they were about the project; it was just as much as the excitement we had being part of the project.”
Barnhardt estimates he’s done around 30 documentaries, including a recent one on CSU’s groundbreaking educator, Temple Grandin, known for her work in the livestock industry and Autism activism. He’s currently working on a project for CSU President Amy Parsons, the CSU Democracy Project.
‘Undersized’ is a project he will enter in upcoming film festivals, hoping to find additional avenues for distribution.
Williams had a sneak peak the night before, which led him to tears. Those came for Hofschild during the screening, especially when her father, Chris spoke about her toward the end, answering the question how his daughter inspires him.
At first, it was weird seeing herself on the big screen.
“It’s interesting. I was joking, it’s kind of an out-of-body experience,” she said. “You watch yourself up there, then hear your teammates talk about you when you’re not there. It’s really cool. I thought it was a really well-done movie. It was a lot of fun.”
The film opened by telling her story, of the early days of playing youth basketball with UConn’s Paige Bueckers. It ended with her exiting the CSU locker room, putting her backpack over her shoulders and walking through the doors of the hallway. And at the end, with a roundtable discussion with the team and including Barnhardt, she broke the news of what’s next – she’s accepted a graduate assistant’s position with the Huskies.
They were a bit nervous to see it, but so was Barnhardt for them to view the film. It is their story, he just hoped he hit the right chords. Not just with the footage, but with the music he chose.
“I think these movies are always kind of surprising when you do it. The pre-movie is a lot of stress,” Barnhardt said. “What if they don’t laugh at certain points, what if they don’t get it? I spent so much time with the team, I kind of knew what would make them laugh and know their reactions, so what was cool was seeing not only them laugh, but the crowd get into it. Documentaries are always a gamble. It isn’t scripted funny. You have to let it naturally happen.”
To the team, it has always felt natural. The friendships and the sharing of a common goal. That was real life, which is what they hoped came across on the big screen. To that end, a big round of applause proved it to be so.
Photos courtesy of Avery Coates via Barnfly Productions