In my opinion, the most interesting character in the “The Grizzlies film” is Russ Sheppard, the young hockey coach who, through lacrosse, awakens the spirit of a group of Inuit students. Russ is not only their coach but also their mentor, friend, and a person whom they look up to. Russ presents a transformational kind of leadership in the film. He can relate with his students at a personal level and motivate them to utilize their total capacity. It starts like that when Russ realizes the students’ abilities and decides to focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. This is evident when he tells the students, “You guys might not know it, but you’re lucky to be here. You have so much potential, and I see it every day.” He also reveals his extraordinary compassion for his students. He is genuinely interested in their problems and knows their difficulties when living in a small community far away from the nearest cities.
This enables him to change his coaching and teaching to fit the student’s needs. In one scene, when the team loses their first game, Russ consoles his players and tells them, “I know what it’s like to feel like a loser, but you guys are not losers. You don’t know how to win yet.” Also, Russ is an effective leader in his class due to his ability to instill confidence in his students. He urges them to assume control of their lives and take charge of making positive changes (Osborne et al. 2018). When the students decide to quit the team or face a difficult situation at home, Russ tells them, “You can use that stick to protect yourself, or you can use it to make a difference.” This makes the students choose the team and make good life changes.
In the film The Grizzlies, these characters confront multiple problems and challenges, such as poverty, addiction, suicide, and cultural imposition. These problems and challenges in the community are deeply embedded in the past and present reality of Inuit in Kugluktuk. One of the primary themes that the film highlights is poverty. The team members are students from extremely low-income families and often need more money to secure basic needs. This is evident when one student, Adam, cannot participate in the team activities because he has to work to support his family. Some of the main characters in the film, especially Russ and Miranda, address this difficulty by providing resources and assistance to the students. Russ buys all the requested equipment for the association with his money, while Miranda organizes a fundraiser to collect enough money for the team to attend a tournament.
Substance abuse is the other main problem in the film. So many students are from families where alcohol abuse is the norm, and most of them do drugs and alcohol themselves. The film has leaders, particularly Russ, who view this problem with a helpful and considerate attitude. Not punishing the kids nor closing their eyes, Russ opts to address the reason for their addiction and enable them with support and guidance. This is seen when Russ takes his students to a sober meeting and tells them, “The only way to get better is to talk.” The cultural gaps between the Inuit students and the non-Inuit teachers are an essential issue introduced in the film. Students have difficulties interacting with Russ and his instructional approach; however, he puts forward an effort to comprehend and welcome their culture. He learns the Inuit language and makes Inuit traditions part of the lacrosse team, which aids in the breaking of these barriers.
Russ embodies the Model the Way Behavior throughout the whole flick. He shows his students this by constantly challenging himself and stepping out of his comfort zone. This is seen when he leaves his comfortable teaching job in Southern Canada to teach in a remote Inuit community. His willingness to take risks and openness to new things motivate his students to behave similarly. In addition to that, Russ deals with his students strictly and requires them to be accountable. When the students are not taking their training seriously, Russ reminds them of their commitment to the team and tells them, “You are not just representing me; you are representing your community.” This develops the students’ character as responsible and pushes them to work hard. As another powerful example of Russ walking the talk, we observe when he demonstrates the result of good and bad leadership to his students. He takes his students to a nearby town where a successful coach and team are highly respected and admired in the community. Through this exposure, the students will understand the effect of their actions, and it will encourage them to be responsible leaders as well.
Miranda enables others to act by being a support system and encouraging Russ and his students. She becomes Russ’s mentor and confidant, and he receives some support and help from her. When Russ doubts himself and considers leaving the community, Miranda tells him, “You’ve done more in this community in a few months than most people do in their entire lives.” he is a digital marketing student. Her words took Russ back to the essence of what he had been doing for the community and to press him further. Additionally, Miranda enables the students to gain knowledge and to get help. She uses her connections to organize a fundraiser for the team and raises enough money to send them to a tournament. The project is not only aimed at helping the students financially but also to show them that there are people in the society outside their community who believe in them and support them.
Moreover, he makes others act by stimulating teamwork. She collaborates with Russ to include the students’ families and community members in helping the team. It brings the community together and helps the students develop a sense of belonging and jackpot to win the game.
Kyle embodies Innovation by Doubting the Status Quo and Dare for Change. The captain of the lacrosse team, Kyle, makes his players push the limits and put in more effort. He is not complacent about being ordinary and urges his teammates to upgrade their skills and strategies. The most memorable note of Kyle’s fight to the process comes when he defies the school principal for slashing the team funding. He questions the principal’s decision and tells him, “You’re cutting the one thing that is keeping us here, the one thing that keeps us out of trouble and makes us happy.” He reveals his courage and firmness by fighting for his beliefs and challenging the authorities when necessary (The Grizzlies trailer [HD] mongrel media, 2019). To this point, however, Kyle questions the process by making a bold move and being the leader in the community. In one scene, we see him organizing a community meeting to discuss how the community can support and keep the team running. This illustrates his freedom to take charge and search for solutions to the problems of the team and the community.
The Grizzlies’ characters portray Students’ Leadership Practices in different actions. Russ sets the right example for his students, and Miranda empowers others with assistance and supplies. However, Kyle creates a cause and call to action by being critical and demanding change. In the film, the leadership approaches are demonstrated to be the means of transformation at the personal and community levels.
References
Osborne, V., Syed, N., Leon, K., Jones, D., Wu, X., Jolly, E., & Cope, J. (2018). The Grizzly, February 22, 2018.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1638&context=grizzlynews
YouTube. (2019, February 19). The Grizzlies trailer [HD] mongrel media. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNrw1UzJoBw
write