How important do you think trust and friendship are in helping a team to succeed?
Closely watch the trailer for Fast Girls and as you watch try to identify moments that show friendships growing.
Now read this extract from the film’s production notes in which Lenora Crichlow, who plays Shania, explains why the team relay is such a difficult event:
I think relay is probably difficult because all the runners in the relay team have their own individual events to concentrate on, so they don’t get much time to practice as a team, even though relay is all about working as team. They all split off and train for their own individual events, so the time they get together is often second to their own major event.
Learning the relay is really hard, but it’s a lot to do with practice. We had to pass the baton statically and that was difficult enough, so to do it at speed is all about timing and massively about trust - you really have to trust each other. You have to shout ‘hand’ as you come round to hand it someone else, but there are many girls on the track shouting ‘hand’ as well, so if someone’s got a slight accent or lisp then that’s great because then at least it makes them identifiable! I’d say the secret is practice, practice, practice for a relay team.
Obviously the changeovers are what makes or breaks it and just how crucial it is it can be a matter of a tenth of a second. It’s a lot of pressure because as you’re only one of four, if you mess up that’s four disappointments on your shoulders. There’s a line in the script where Tommy our coach says, ‘If you win as a team, you lose as a team’. That’s so true. Losing as team, it must be really hard not to point the blame. Relay’s a tough event.
With a partner, talk about situations in your life where you think trust and friendship has helped you succeed in a team situation.