"Hardihood" documents the lives of female downhillers.
By Ari Cheren
The MTB industry, for whatever reason, is rife with videos. More often than not, the ingredients are simple. Crank up some really bad speed metal, show some sick drop-ins from Kamloops or the North Shore and go crazy with all those little video-effect buttons on the side of your DV Cam. Yes, from the "Cranked" series to productions by Thor - and myriad other Fox - sponsored vids, there seems to be an action-packed video for just about every segment of the mountain biking demographic.
Every segment except the ladies, that is. Women are usually given a quick cameo role in MTB videos, so one particular women (and filmmaker) - a cute and energetic curly - haired brunette named Nicole Hahn - decided to change that by making her own movie, which she wrote, produced, and directed. She wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the gender gap - where the world's best women downhillers do not fear to tread, and live their dreams on two wheels - pointed straight down.
The results of her two - year journey around the world - camera and maxed out credit card in hand - can be seen in a brand - new film titled "Hardihood." Webster's defines hardihood as "boldness," but for Hahn and her subjects the word means more, and if you sit quietly and watch she'll tell you all about it in this slightly remarkable and always-fresh film.
Hahn screened the film the first time in public during the Sea Otter Classic, to a hand-picked audience of about 100 racers, industry muckidy-mucks and even MB Daily. What the audience saw was - and was not -your typical mountain bike video. Sure it had some sweet DH footage, behind-the-scenes conversations and le dolce vita that is life on the pro circuit. Yet every minute of footage (except for a couple appearances by male DH pro Shaums March) was focused on the women of downhill.
Missy Giove (Global Racing) and Elke Brutsaert (Schwinn) garnered the lion's share of coverage, as the camera witnessed their lives on and off the track. One minute you're chopping little pickles for Missy's lunch, and another minute you're doing e-brake testing of a rental car in the dirt with Elke. Brutsaert made a particularly interesting subject, and showed that behind that quiet demeanor, she's one complex-and fun - gal.
Other subjects include Marla Streb (Foes/Azonic), Cheri Elliott (Maxxis), and Katrina Miller (Jamis) - with other appearances by Tai-Lee Muxlow, Lisa Sher, Daamiann Skelton and perhaps the greatest old-school XC racer of them all, Jacquie Phelan.
Now if you're saying to yourself, "hmm, aren't a few of those women gay?" than give yourself a gold star. That's a large point of this film, to show not only the life of a female athlete, but the camaraderie and dynamics between female athletes who also happen to date other women (and sometimes each other). It gives the film a whole other level of meaning, one that Nicole Hahn handles deftly, stylishly and with more than a little bit of experience herself.
"It was really a special screening for me," Hahn told us the week following the show. "Especially having the athletes all there seeing it for the first time together, that was my goal for that screening, so they would NOT all see it on VCRs for the first time."
Hahn is hard at work on the distribution of her video, which is making the rounds of several film festivals. But for now, if you want to see "Hardihood" you'll have to keep your eyes peeled on the festival circuit - the video isn't available for direct sale as of yet.
You can see it at a race, however. "I know it will also have a special screening at the world cup in Durango at the Abbey Theatre," Hahn told us. Details will be posted on my web site early next month at www.hardihood.com.
Mountain Bike Daily www.mountainbike.com
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