Lifelong Learning
‘Success in Very Broad Terms’
Documentary about women’s soccer team shows that Winning Isn’t Everything
Hap Kindem noticed that the student-athletes from tive and working hard.
the UNC women’s soccer program showed an “I didn’t fully realize how important the core values
eagerness to take on difficult projects in his communi- were to the program,” Kindem said. “They are very
cations classes and extraordinary commitment to their important to the team coalescing as a team.”
fellow students. He thought to himself: “Something is The players are expected to care about one another
going on there.” as teammates and as human beings. In one scene,
Kindem’s curiosity led him to learn more about Dorrance and his assistants leave the team in the locker
women’s soccer at UNC and to strike a deal with room during a rain delay in the midst of a game in
Coach Anson Dorrance ’ 74 which they trailed. They
and the team. are on a rare losing streak
“I proposed doing a and are clearly struggling
behind-the-scenes documen- to regain some focus and
tary that explored why this return to a winning
team has been so successful edge. How the young
by looking at a particular women work out what is
season,” said Kindem, who wrong with the team and
spent a year being a fly on what they must do to
the wall with the team — a right it makes for emo-
fly on the wall with a cam- tional viewing.
era, that is. The result is Lib Moore Jones ’ 54
Winning Isn’t Everything, an was very affected by the
inside look at the fall 2007 film. She came to the
season. Kindem’s documen- Lifelong Learning pres-
tary has been presented as entation in February to
part of the GAA’s Lifelong see how Dorrance moti-
Learning series and to vates his players and what
Carolina Clubs. went on behind the
Along with the 2007 scenes in the locker
team, former UNC players room. The documentary
appear in the documentary, reminded her of the spe-including Cindy Parlow ’07, cial relationship that
Carla Overbeck ’ 90, Mia UNC seniors have with
COURTESY WWW. WINNINGISNTEVER YTHING.ORG
Winning Isn’t Everything follows the UNC women’s soccer team during a
tough season, but shows how the core values and practices that have led to
Hamm ’ 94 and Heather the school.
O’Reilly ’08. But the film’s “I was sobbing when
national championships also serve players and coaches during struggles.
focus is on the six seniors, the players realized they
who bring high expectations into their last year with were leaving UNC and that family relationship,” she
the program, and nine freshmen who must overcome said. “I empathized with the girls because I cried when
injuries, meet exalted expectations and learn how to I left UNC. They were losing something special.”
lead. Kindem admits it was the most difficult program he
Kindem, a professor of media studies and produc- has ever worked on. The ups and downs of that season
tion, shot 230 hours of video, starting with team prac- were extremely dramatic — Dorrance had to work
tices in early August. The documentary tracks the team hard to motivate the players. The season generated
though the season and into the NCAA tournament and intense feelings, particularly the empathy for the sen-
offers an inside look at the grueling practices, the locker iors, and the seniors exerted caring leadership.
room preparation for competition, how Dorrance and “I hope that people feel empowered by the film, that
his coaches inspire the players, and the candid emotions they take away from it the notion that a lot of these
of the players as they deal with a difficult season. core values are applicable to life, not just sports, and
Most important, the film focuses on how the team that if they live by them and develop teamwork in
members relate to one another, the seniors mentoring whatever they do as well as their own self-develop-the underclassmen, and the pervasive core values, which ment, they will see success if they define that success in
include playing for each other, a selfless commitment to very broad terms,” Kindem said.
the team, standing by one another, choosing to be posi- — Don Evans ’ 80
membership
matters
Number of GAA members*
66,877
Annual members
32,216
Life members
34,661
Total GAA membership
(by percent of graduates)
27
Number of student members
5,115
Top five 2000s classes
(by membership percentage)
’08
19
’00
19
’01
18
’02
17
’07
17
Men’s basketball
championship years
(by membership percentage)
’ 57
41
’ 82
31
’ 93
26
’05
15
’09
43
(The class of ’09 figures
reflect students who were
members of the GAA or were
members of the student program
of the GAA as of late March.)
Top five Southeastern states
other than N.C.
(by membership percentage)
Georgia
29
South Carolina
28
Mississippi
26
Virginia
26
Alabama
25
as of March 27, 2009
