Takedowns and Falls

Ledger and Hickey are former wrestlers of Susquehanna High School and were coached by current head coach Jeff Sweigard. After completing their bachelor’s degree in film at Temple University, their passion was to create a documentary on wrestling.

“In my life, I have defined myself as two things: a wrestler and a filmmaker. This film is a merge of those two parts of my life,” explains Hickey.

In 2006, Walter Peppleman from Central Dauphin High School was a Pennsylvania state runner-up and caught the attention of the film directors. They believed that this was their opportune moment to capture a great story, not only about Peppleman but also about the talented team which he competed for.

“It is really interesting to me that Walter genuinely does not like the spotlight, but works so hard to be in it when it comes to representing his team,” said Hickey.

Ledger and Hickey followed the 2006-07 Central Dauphin Rams wrestling team in their journey to win the PIAA State Championships.

Relationships on the high school team are captured and displayed as each athlete and the entire team strives to achieve what a tremendous feat of winning a state title. The journey for a wrestler attempting to obtain a state title is one of dedication, pain, sacrifice, failure, and triumph.

“If it was easy, everyone would be a champion,” said Susquehanna High School’s head coach Jeff Sweigard about the individual quest to “win state.”

To a wrestler, wrestling is more than a sport, it is a lifestyle. This was the inspiration for the documentary.

“We wanted to make a film that not only wrestling fans would enjoy, but that would transcend the sport and allow the world to see what wonderful stories happen to people in this sport,” said Hickey.

The film depicts the parallel life that a wrestler must exert both on and off the mat. Sharing a common dedication of practicing, conditioning, and diet enhances the camaraderie as a team.

The documentary film exemplifies the themes of humility, family, friendship, and teamwork. The story not only expresses the love of the sport but also the sacrifices of the athletes, commitment of the families, and the dedication of the coaches during the season.
Inspired by the passion of the sport and their coaches, athletes grow and mature on the screen through both triumph and failure.

The story in this film goes beyond just the sport of wrestling and tells a story of people overcoming odds. It exposes life-lessons that people can share and learn from.

Even for those who are not a wrestling fan, the engaging characters will grasp their attention and capture their heart in this film.

The screenings for Takedown and Falls at this time include:

Jan. 31 & Feb. 1 – Camp Hill, Pa. at Cinema Center of Camp Hill
Feb. 2 & 3 – Pittsburgh, Pa. at SouthSide Works Cinema
Feb. 3 – Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland Cinemas – Chagrin Falls
Feb. 4 – Cleveland, Ohio at Cleveland Cinemas – Tower City
Feb. 5 – Akron, Ohio at Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill
Feb. 6 &7 – Columbus, Ohio at Studio 35 Cinemas
Feb. 15 & 16 – Omaha, Neb. at Dundee Cinemas
Feb. 21 & 22 – East Greenville, Pa. at the Grand Theater
Feb. 22 thru 25 – Champaign, Ill. at The Art Theate
Feb. 27 & March, 1 – Binghamton, N.Y. at Art Mission Theatre

PLEASE NOTE: Additional dates may be added, so check website regularly for updates.

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