New York Sharks Documentary: First Down
he New York Sharks were the subject of a documentary by Eli Kibillio and Lorna Thomas. The film was titled First Down. Below is a description of the film and the trailer. You need Apple’s Quicktime to view the trailer which is 1:08 in length.
*FIRST DOWN (1 x 54 Min. and 79 Min.versions, Color)There are no cameras, few reporters and only a few hundred fans, but the athletes on this football field and four others around the United States are making history. The Women’s Professional Football League is in its first year of operation and competing against more than the usual problems facing a new sports league. With low salaries, no endorsements and little publicity, the WPFL is facing an even bigger hurdle, the stereotype of women not being tough enough to play tackle football.
FIRST DOWN follows the New York Sharks as they play their first season in the WPFL. We meet former homecoming queen and owner/quarterback Andra Douglas who is struggling to keep her team on track for the play-offs despite dwindling league funds. Anna “Tonka” Tate is a 5’11”, 305-pound offensive line person by night and elementary school teacher’s assistant by day. Former All-American basketball player Val Halesworth has dreamed of playing pro football her entire life and was the MVP of the boys’ league at thirteen. Linebacker can’t imagine life without football as she works her construction job and plays half the season with a broken hand. The film examines the exhilaration of competition and the rigor of the players’ daily lives as they balance careers and families with their passion for football.
The Sharks breeze through the early part of their schedule, but are mired in controversy with the league as the WPFL runs out of money and shortens the regular season. The Sharks are thrust into a first round playoff match-up with their bitter rivals the New England Storm for the Eastern Conference title. The play-off game is a seesaw battle as both teams struggle to reach their dream of playing in the first WPFL Championship Game.
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