An inspired bunch

Published 12:01 am Sunday, January 23, 2011

Teachers are sometimes thwarted when they try to squeeze in the lessons of life amid all the math, science and English.

Last year, Challenger Elementary teacher Rosa Torres managed this Olympian feat. Her reward? Her students all earned gold medals in acceptance.

After watching a documentary about paraplegics in a grueling wheelchair race, each of Torres’ students wrote a letter to the documentary’s producer.

In their fourth-grade way, the students were moved:

Kenneth Kov wrote that “people who are handicapped can do anything if they try and don’t give up.”

Kamren Kelso figured that if “people go see this movie, they’ll learn that handicapped people are just like them.”

And as Ben Lawler profoundly put it, “Some of them have done stuff you could never imagine.”

Since those letters were sent, the documentary “Unbeaten” has taken on a life of its own.

There’s a YouTube video. A local band wrote a song. And the documentary will be getting a screening in Everett, a goal that Everett native and producer Greg Strom has been trying to achieve ever since his film made it to the short list of Oscar nominees.

On March 5, “Unbeaten” will be shown at the Everett Civic Auditorium.

“For me, it’s like the Oscar red carpet coming home,” said Strom in a phone interview from California. “It’s a fantastic thing for me to be able to share this with old friends and new friends. All of it is very gratifying.”

“Unbeaten” is a movie that chronicles the jaw-dropping journey of 31 paraplegic wheelchair racers during a six-day, 267-mile trip from Fairbanks to Anchorage known as Sadler’s Alaska Challenge.

“Unbeaten” has qualified for Oscar considerations and has made it in on the short list in the category of documentary features, said Strom, a former running back and safety from Cascade High School who is head of Worldwide Media for Polaris Global.

“Unbeaten” has an introduction by Dan Aykroyd and a hit song by country singer Clint Black, whose “A Better Life,” has been Oscar short-listed for best original song.

It’s a film with a powerful story line: a glimpse into the 55-mile-a-day grind of three wheelchair racers, Chris Kohler, Geoffrey Erickson and Edwin Figueroa.

It’s that story line that launched the letter-writing campaign from the fourth-graders at Challenger Elementary.

Last February, Torres’ class was doing a unit on the Winter Olympics and Paralympics in Vancouver, B.C. At the same time, Torres read a story in The Herald about “Unbeaten.”

She e-mailed Strom to ask if her class could get tickets to the movie. Strom did her one better: He sent her a copy of the film.

“The kids were just fascinated about how these athletes got hurt, but how they didn’t let it get to them,” Torres said. “Sometimes we look at our kids and we say, ‘They don’t understand,’ but my kids did.”

After Strom received the letters, he created the YouTube video that features excerpts from the letters that can be seen at tinyurl.com/unbeaten-video.

The enthusiasm about the documentary carried over from the Mukilteo School District to the Everett School District, which decided to screen the documentary March 5. It is yet to be decided whether the district will charge for tickets.

Local band Ricky and John’s — aka Rick Haugen and John Case — wrote a song that they plan on playing during the screening called “Do You Dream.”

Strom, who went from scoring touchdowns to producing award-winning Super Bowl commercials and highly acclaimed documentaries, said he plans on handing out “Unbeaten” medals before the Everett screening to people who have met their disabilities head-on. Plans for that event are uncertain at this time.

By his side will be Oz Sanchez, one of the stars of “Unbeaten” and a gold medal winner at the Beijing Paralympics. “He’s a world class competitor,” Strom said. “He’s the real deal.”

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

Everett screening

“Unbeaten” will be shown at 7:30 p.m. March 5 at the Everett Civic Auditorium, 2416 Colby Ave., Everett. Cost to get in will be by suggested donation.