Utah Filmmaker, Bill Kerig, is the man who brought us the ski documentary The Edge of Never. As a follow up to the success of that film, Kerig has turned his attention to the highly controversial subject of the women’s ski jumping team and their struggle to be accepted into the Winter Olympic Games. Ready to Fly is the title of this next project, and the film focuses on ski jumper Lindsey Van’s quest to prove to the International Olympic Committee that women should be allowed to participate in Olympic ski jumping events.
Ready to Fly has deep roots in Utah ski culture. Lindsey Van lives and trains in Park City and is set to prove once-and-for-all that women can compete at a pro level when she jumps into the 2011 World Ski Jumping Championships in Oslo, Norway.
Deedee Corradini, the former mayor of Salt Lake City, is an officer for the International Women’s Forum and has become the outspoken advocate for women’s ski jumping in the Olympics.
And of course there’s Bill Kerig, the Salt Lake City resident and award-winning writer, producer, director, and former professional skier who wrote the book, The Edge of Never, and was the writer/director/executive producer of the Showtime Networks 2009 documentary feature film of the same name.
Currently, Kerig is is the process of putting Ready to Fly together for the big screen, but to be able to do so, he’s asking for help from the ski community. To make this happen, he’s asking for monetary contributions toward the film. You can sign up to be a bronze ($10), silver ($40) or gold ($100) member. If you contribute to either option, you’ll receive email updates and your name will appear in credits. A portion of all funds raised goes directly to Women’s Ski Jumping USA.
In addition, anyone who contributes to Ready to Fly will be entered to win an Alta/Snowbird seasons pass valued at $1,699.00. From now until the new year, everyone who contributes wuill be eligible to win. The filmmakers will randomly draw a winner on New Years’s Eve. To enter, click here.
So if you think women’s ski jumping should be accepted into the Olympic Winter Games, or if you just want to help contribute to Utah’s outdoor filmmaking scene, then check out the trailer below. Hopefully it will compel you to help out and then hopefully we can make these women’s Olympic dreams become a reality and end gender bias on the Olympic Committee.
For more information about the film and how you can contribute, visit www. readytoflyfilm.com.
Thanks for the ink, Jared. I appreciate it.
Cheers
BK
You’re welcome. Glad to help out however I can. Good luck with the movie!