Real-life sports stories can be inspiring especially when told through the eyes of professional filmmakers. Well, Whatcom County now has its own Oscar-worthy sports movie.
“Respect the Rez: Inside the Lummi Blackhawks’ Title-Or-Bust Season” premiered to Lummi Nation members and friends on Saturday night, May 9, at the Silver Reef Casino — and it was a slam dunk winner!
Starring the Lummi Nation High School boys basketball players and coaches — as well as Lummi Nation leaders and school alumni — the documentary by the Cascadia Daily News chronicles the team’s quest for a second straight Class 1B state championship.
And, spoiler alert if you haven’t heard: the Blackhawks pulled it off in dramatic and emotional fashion last March.
Which made the film a four-star, two-enthusiastic-thumbs-up hit with its Saturday night audience.
“It was really good,” said senior guard Jerome Toby Jr., who along with the high school’s students and staff had seen a preview on Friday. “It means a lot to have a documentary of us. It captured who we are.”
“This is like … professional,” said senior center Chayce Waite-Kellar of his first reaction. “I liked my speech … and was happy to see my dunks on DeSales.”
“Respect the Rez” has two sold-out showings at Bellingham’s Pickford Film Center next weekend, May 16 and 17. CDN hopes to release episodes on its YouTube channel in the future. Until then, check out the Respect the Rez trailer.
Before the film was played on the Silver Reef’s three giant screens, there was a buffet dinner and a program that acknowledged the tribe’s elders and traditions, recognized the Cascadia staff, and introduced the team. Afterward, there was a Q & A time before wrapping up with the players and coaches signing autographs and getting their photos taken with fans and family.
But the evening’s highlight was the film itself. The brainchild of CDN sports editor Nick Zeller-Singh and visual journalist Finn Wendt, it was produced using the Bellingham newspaper’s resources and staff.
First, they got approval from Lummi Nation High School principal Heather Leighton; head coach and athletic director Jerome Toby Sr.; and the Lummi Indian Business Council, which governs tribal matters, before getting permission from the athletes and their families.
But coach Toby admitted he was initially hesitant. “Going in, I was a little nervous,” he said. “We’re just a small, 1B school in the upper left corner. But once the season started, we just wanted them (the film crew) to see who we are, who the Lummi Blackhawks are.
“And in the end, Finn and Nick did an awesome job.”
Starting even before the season, Zeller-Singh and Wendt began interviewing and filming the team as it began defense of its state championship, following the Blackhawks not only in practices and games but in school, and in the community.
There was the strange opening game against Class 2A state power Lakewood that ended in a tie because of a power failure in Lakewood’s gym. And there was the team’s only loss — by 10 points on the road to Lynden Christian, which would go on to win the Class 1A state title.
But after that, it was all Blackhawks, as they breezed to 22 straight wins, claiming the Meridian Holiday Tournament title, the Northwest 1B League title, the District 1 title, and the Tri-District 1-2-3 title.
Then in climactic fashion, the top-ranked Blackhawks headed to Spokane for the 1B state tournament, where the Blackhawks showed the rest of the state what “reservation ball” — Rez Ball, for short — was all about.
They easily beat Neah Bay in the quarterfinals and DeSales in the semifinals before defeating rival Tulalip Heritage for the fifth time, 61-56, to complete a 27-1-1 season and earn the third state title in school history.
The emotional ending and celebration were a great way to end the film, but what made the documentary even more meaningful was the emphasis on Lummi’s history and tradition and how the school and the youth sports programs started decades earlier through the sacrifices of so many.
“I thought it was going to be just basketball,” said coach Toby, who along with his uncle Albert Toby was a big part of how Lummi basketball started. “But Finn and Nick and Cascadia showed our community is bigger than just basketball. It was important for people to get a little glimpse of the Lummi Nation people and what we value, who we are.”
Leighton agreed: “I thought, ‘what a great opportunity to tell the history of Lummi basketball and particularly Lummi Nation School. That (the championship season) is happening on the backs of our ancestors — so many people who contributed to the success and who aren’t with us any more. I cried.”
Zeller-Singh and Wendt deserve much of the accolades for the professional production — the former scheduling interviews, storyboarding episodes, transcribing clips and filming, and the latter filming almost every game as well as editing, managing the soundtrack, and putting together the final version — all while holding down their regular CDN jobs.
But like any Hollywood blockbuster, there were many others involved, including Bree Zender, Alana Marcum, Santiago Ochoa, and Andy Bronson as well as the support of CDN leadership Jaya Flanary, Rhonda Prast, and Ron Judd.
Everyone involved deserves to take a bow and take credit for an amazing film experience.
“There were many great moments with all these guys and I feel like I can call them all friends after this season,” said Zeller-Singh. “From the car rides to eating chicken fingers every week, it was a blast building a bond with all of them.”
“Hands down, this was the best thing I’ve ever been a part of,” said Wendt. “I couldn’t ask for it to turn out any better.”
But telling the story of a championship season didn’t just inspire an audience; it inspired the story tellers.
“Being immersed in the Lummi community was one of the most amazing things I have ever been a part of,” said Zeller-Singh. “I have said it many times, but the Lummi community supports its kids better than any large city supports their professional teams and athletes.”
If there is any doubt, then be sure to check out “Respect the Rez.” And go, Blackhawks!
