I watched the movie this weekend and I was actually pleasantly surprised with how it came out.
I know they took some liberties in changing the story a bit to make things interesting. You have to expect that with a Hollywood movie. I mean there were a lot of things I know that were stretching the truth but I didn't think they hurt the sport in anyway.
What bothered me a bit and might be accurate was the portrayal of the other teams that the northern states and some southerners competed against. I have a hard time believing the sherrifs and other members of each team were hostile towards the other folks and their coach. Things may have been different in southern Alabama at the time and maybe that's exactly how it was. I would like to know if it was true.
I was in high school during that time period but I was in the Northeast. I went to a prep school. Exactly the same kind of evil state depicted in the movie. We raced against a couple of inner city schools and I remember nothing but positive support and respect for each other from both the coaching staff and the athletes. It was the thing we had a passion for that was common to all of us. It is one of the things I love most about XC then and now as a coach. It's what I believe sets us apart from a lot of other sports.
Was anyone down in that area at the time that can shed some light on this? I would just like to know the truth. If it's not true, the members from the other teams have the right to be offended about how they were portrayed.