Credit to Mallory Barker

Seniors Camille Krekeler and Sophia Manzella exchange a moment on the side of the court in the girls basketball tryouts.

The shiny court is gleaming under the bright glare of the fluorescent lights. This small-town Indiana basketball team knows that the crowd will notice whatever move they make on the court. Even worse is when the coach notices.

They’ve worked hard up to this point to make it to the state finals. All these sentiments would matter a great deal- if only the director hadn’t just yelled, “Cut.”

This isn’t an actual state-winning team with a coach willing to fight for its players, nor a crowd filled with supporting family and friends. This is the set of the famous 1986 “Hoosier” film.

While a true story inspired the movie, the sentiment is still real as it now runs through the FHN girl’s basketball team. They hope to make history when they make the trip to Indiana to go against Liberty High School in a conference game.

“Obviously, winning is our ultimate goal, but also team bonding,” girls’ basketball coach Danielle Rampley said.

This is the first time in which the team has made a trip to play against another school in a conference game. In the past, Rampley has made an effort to take the players to watch a college game overnight or a local game in hopes of building camaraderie.

“I’m excited about the team bonding it will bring and the cool opportunity to play in the Hoosier gym,” three-year player Lily Devine said.

The coaches will be bringing 30 to 36 players. They leave on Jan. 10 and play in the Hoosier gym on the Jan. 11. In addition to the game, they hope to have a viewing party of the movie as well as team meals, compete, and have a quick turnaround heading back home to practice in preparation for their tournament the following Monday.

“I’m really excited for this trip because we’ve never done anything like it, and I think it will be a good experience for our team,” four-year senior varsity player Camille Krekeler said.

To fund this trip, the team changed their approach. Although they still hope to sell merchandise through the school’s store, they will also go through the Vertical Rays app. This allows individual athletes to send out mass text messages and emails as well as go through social media platforms to share the goal of any team, in this case getting the team to Indiana. The platform keeps 15 percent of what is made to organize the fundraiser.

Their goal is to make up to $10,000 and have the girls reach out to a minimum of 20 contacts. The hope is to reach enough to fuel the trip as well as other needs of the program although they realize the likelihood there can be where parents may need to follow through for the rest of the cost for the trip.

“Based on our fundraising, parents might have to help contribute to make this trip possible,” Rampley said. “Paying for transportation and hotels and stuff like that.”

The trip itself was years in the making as Rampley had been hoping to take the team before COVID. When COVID did strike, the Hoosier gym, which previously was very welcoming to schools, was shut down for safety reasons. Rampley had to put a pause on this dream trip.

The opportunity didn’t come up again until last spring when Liberty High School asked for them to come along. That’s when plans started. The school itself provides referees, but FHN and Liberty had to come up with table workers as well as athletic trainers and other personnel to run the game. Booking hotel rooms and renting vehicles was also included in their pre-trip plans. Their early planning was to ensure that everything was smooth sailing for the long ride ahead.

“I think it’s kind of cool that they are able to travel there and see that and hopefully they’ll appreciate it more once they see the movie,” Rampley said

A lot of the parents themselves are excited about the trip, many of which will be joining the girls. Whether it’s to help the travel out of state go safely or rally behind the girls against Liberty, many of the parents will be there, filling seats in the bleachers with support.

“A lot of the parents are also excited because they know the movie, they know the history behind it so it’s kind of cool to see their kid play in that gym,” Rampley said. “And also for them to come and tour and see it themselves.”

The team is preparing to take on Liberty at both varsity and JV levels. Last season, both varsity and JV had lost to Liberty, varsity being down four with a final score of 58 – 62. That same day JV ended the game 28-33 early on as both of their second games of the season.

“Last year was a pretty even match-up for us,” Krekeler said. “I think this year we have a good chance of winning.”

The movie Hoosier itself has themes of redemption, perseverance and community as well as rooting for the underdog. It portrays the journey of a new coach, which many don’t trust or believe in, pushing and guiding a small-town basketball team which many believe in less. The coach comes in every day, pushing the team to become stars and recruits help along the way. The final scene is an intense match against a talented school in which for this team, everything they’ve worked hard for is on the line.

This resonates with many, including Rampley, as it emphasizes a message that working hard does lead to success, as well as achieving one’s dreams.

“I think it kind of gives the girls the perspective of you need to show up every day and work hard to have that spot on the team,” Rampley said.