If Our Cross Country Season Were a Movie: Behind the Scenes

Making a cross country season movie was one of the most ambitious things I have ever done. I have always been a creative person, but aside from some films I made back in high school, I had almost no real movie-making experience. That did not stop me from deciding to turn our entire LSU cross country season (you can also read about how we turned it into a full film) into a cinematic trailer. The idea was simple: what if our cross country season movie became a feature film? This video documents the full process of making that happen, from convincing my teammates to act, to filming scenes with my parents back home in Kansas City, to the final screening with the team.

Starting from scratch in Kansas City

I actually started filming before I even got to Baton Rouge for the season. I was still in Kansas City and wanted to get a scene with my parents. I did not have a script or a full plan. I just knew I wanted their reactions to feel real. I set up the camera and had my dad come down the stairs while on the phone, peeking around the corner. My mom sat at the table for a conversation scene. It was improvisational and honest, and that is exactly what I was going for.

The premise of the film revolves around the new NCAA ruling that limits cross country rosters to 17 runners. For the SEC, that number dropped to just 10 on the men’s side to meet Title IX requirements. With only seven guys actually making the travel roster, every spot meant everything. I wanted the movie to capture that weight.

Convincing my coach to give a fake speech

The plot of the movie needed a centerpiece, and I decided it should be a motivational speech from our coach. The problem was I had to actually ask him to do it. I walked up to him after practice, nervous, and said, “Hey coach, you think there’s any way you could…” and he immediately said no. But then he said please, and then yes. That momentum was everything. The movie could still happen.

His speech ended up being the emotional backbone of the entire project. He talked about discipline beating motivation, about what it means to wear those three gold letters on your chest, about being relentless and tough. Honestly, some of those lines stuck with me well beyond the movie itself. They became part of how I approached the actual season.

A lucky connection with a real filmmaker

While I was moving into my new apartment, I was going through boxes and found a business card I had kept from a connection I made a while back. It was from Mike Carter of Carter Studios LA. I reached out, and he was willing to help. I got insanely lucky. Having someone with real production experience involved elevated the entire project from a fun side hobby to something that actually looked and felt like a real trailer.

This is something I tell people all the time. Keep every connection you make. You never know when a random business card in a moving box is going to change the trajectory of a creative project.

Waiting on footage and editing under pressure

One of the biggest challenges was waiting for the footage. I planned to show my teammates the finished movie on Tuesday, but our LSU videographer had not sent me the practice footage by Wednesday. I remember sitting there doing accounting homework while I waited, staring at a timeline with music lined up but no clips to fill the gaps. The whole middle section of the film just went to black because I had nothing to put there.

Finally, on Thursday, the footage came through. I made last-minute edits and prepared for the big screening. The scramble to finish was stressful, but that pressure is honestly what makes creative projects exciting. You never know if it is going to come together until it does.

Showing the movie to the team

The best part of this entire experience was showing the finished trailer to my teammates. Their reactions were everything I hoped for. One guy said it was the best four minutes of his life. Another said he was ready to run through a wall. Someone called it “pretty damn good,” which from a group of college runners is basically an Oscar nomination.

But my favorite reaction might be the most honest one. After watching the dramatic trailer with all the intense music and motivational speeches, one of my teammates leaned over and said, “We are so cooked, bro.” That is the beauty of this team. We can oscillate between genuine inspiration and brutal honesty in about two seconds flat.

What I Learned From Making a Cross Country Season Movie

This whole project taught me that storytelling and athletics are not as far apart as people think. Both require discipline, creativity under pressure, and the willingness to put yourself out there. My cross country teammates, as it turns out, cannot act to save their lives. But the emotions behind the movie were real, and that is what made it work.

If you are a college athlete thinking about creating content around your sport, my advice is simple. Start before you are ready. I had no script, no budget, and teammates who could barely deliver a line without laughing. But I had a story worth telling, and that was enough. The season is the movie. You just have to hit record.