pvchick wrote:thats pretty awesome! im a gymnast.i cant wait to go see the movie.but of course i have a huge track meet friday.so i have to wait till saturday.oh well.
i was actually going to try out for the movie, cuz they needed gymnasts, but they ended up taking mostly college gymnasts.so it wouldnt have mattered anyways, they prolly would have sed i was too young.lol
There was a really good article in International Gymnast about this:
These are bits and pieces from a lengthy article in the April 2006 issue of International Gymnast on the making of Stick It, a fictional gymnastics movie which will be out in theatres soon.
They ran into trouble trying to cast the movie between the NCAA and the SAG.
According to NCAA rules, anybody who used gymnastics ability on film would risk losing their eligibility to compete in gymnastics in college. This rule applied to all gymnasts, from those with speaking lines to beginners doing cartwheels in the background. The NCAA was staunch, and the amount of pay didn't matter; anyone who accepted even one dollar would be considered professional, and professionals are not allowed to compete in college sports.
Many gymnasts volunteered to work for free, and the NCAA was OK with that, but there the filmmakers ran into their next hurdle:
Cue the Screen Actors Guild, the labor Union for professional actors. Its rules were just as strict: nobody would work for free in a Disney film. All players must receive a minimum wage set forth by the Guild.
The film's writer made the argument that the NCAA should make an exception for gymnasts because they don't have a professional league for gymnasts.
"It was so disheartening because it was a common sense argument, and really an argument from the heart. It was so disheartening to have people respond with the brutality of a rule they didn't make and they don't even agree with necessarilty, but just that blanket no. It's just wrong. It's what the movie is about, and hopefully people will be inspired to stand up against that kind of thing." [quote from Jessica Bendinger, the writer]
They ended up using gymnasts who were just finished with their NCAA eligibility and international gymnasts who were not interested in competing in the NCAA. Plus Nastia Liukin who has already gone pro by accepting endorsement money.
Anyway I thought the whole thing was pretty interesting. I suppose a track movie would be a lot easier to cast since there are plenty of post-collegiate athletes, and most track events are easier to fake than elite level gymnastics.
