Previously I mentioned picking up a copy of the documentary Court & Spark. I pre-ordered it before my trip to the 2013 AVCA Convention. I saw the trailer for it beforehand. It was something I thought my Exeter players at the time would enjoy. Here are my thoughts.
The film has USA national team setter Courtney Thompson at its core. Arguably, though, it isn’t really about Courtney. She is just the vehicle to present the major themes. The video includes footage of Courtney with the US national team. The are also clips of her with her Polish professional club team.
Of course lots of interview content is from different locations and times. It also includes quite a bit of material from a wide array of additional sources – players, coaches, etc. Some of it’s about Courtney personally. A lot if it, however, is about higher level things. Those are subjects like teamwork, dealing with adversity, and the commitment to putting in the required effort day-in and day-out.
To be honest, I was expecting a bit more “overcoming adversity” in the film because of Courtney’s “too short” status and her ability to overcome that. It isn’t the major theme, though. I did not really find it disappointing. It’s a good documentary, well worth seeing.
