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one man finds the reward from a rare sport is family

Chinlone, who knew? Greg Hamilton’s dedication to his sport is something we can all - RBNY? - learn from. We pick up the conversation after the jump.

Juggling a soccer ball versus a chinlone ball. Break it down for me.

Oh man, how to address that. I mean, instead of a soccer ball, you could juggle a basketball or a baseball, but they aren’t at all the same, you know. A Chinlone ball is specially designed for this juggling type of play. It has the right feeling and everything, it’s kind of like a musical instrument.

I figured we wouldn’t be able to put that together. I can’t help but associate the two, but we’re coming from two completely different things, no matter how similar it may seem on the surface. It keeps coming back to chinlone being this entity unto itself. That’s one reason I was drawn to the film. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Yeah, and with juggling a soccer ball, you have to remember, that that’s not really what the ball was designed for. I’ve thought about this a lot. With a soccer ball, I think and correct me if you disagree, juggling it is a side thing that people do with it.

Yes, absolutely. It works itself into the game here and there, but it’s more often a training technique.

So you can do it with it, but… ok, it’s like this, using a Chinlone ball to play soccer with. It wouldn’t be good. Its gonna be too light, and just, you know what I mean? The Chinlone ball, the weight, the dimensions, the design of the ball has evolved over hundreds of years specifically for juggling. And specifically more than just juggling but for this team sport. I don’t talk much about the intricacies in the film because there is just so much, but for six people to play in a 22 foot diameter circle, you can’t believe the amount of coordination there needs to be, between the six people so you don’t kick each other. The amount of peripheral vision, the amount of tuning into the other players. It becomes a very intimate affair. You need a lot of agility to keep out of the way of the soloist especially. You are constantly reading the other players on a deep level and being in an anticipatory sort of  mode, being ready to save the ball. You are always on the edge of your perception trying to see when and where you are going to have to be to save a ball  because things are happening so fast, so much faster than they appear in the film.

Su Su and Greg

I’m reminded of one of my favorite moments in the film where the crowd at the festival is laughing at you and how you are flinching at the ball as Su Su is doing the moves down really close to the ground.

The interaction is so fast, its like boxing and counterpunching. Once you are inside that circle and start playing, you can’t blink or wipe your eye, or else that’s when the ball comes and you’re supposed to save it. You mentioned the part where Su Su is down on one knee playing the ball a few inches off the ground. Because of the emphasis on form in the game, you can’t just be hunched over in a ready position as you are playing. You have to try and  look elegant and cool in the circle. That’s one of the reasons I used to stick out… more (laughing) than I do now. It takes a long time to get that kind of feeling. It’s like getting the right kind of accent in a language.

ready for the annual chinlone festival

That’s a really good way of describing it.

Yeah, so, then of course, you can imagine the pressure of having to follow a Su Su solo. (laughing) You know these great soloists are quit incredible.

Speaking of Su Su, neither of us can help but bring her up, she is so amazing and talented with chinlone. Talk to me about how you were able to develop all of these amazing relationships with a veritable who’s who of chinlone.

They have been playing Chinlone in Myanmar for eons and no one from outside the country has taken a serious interest, at least not serious enough to make a film or a book about it. So right off, they had a very strong feeling because of that. And then by the time I came there, I had been playing by myself for 16-17 years, so they could feel it wasn’t just a little infatuation thing. I don’t know, somehow we really fit together well.

Right there. that’s what for me was the second half of this film, or the second story, the second layer, and it is why I kind of wish there was even more of your story in the film, because it is so clear to me that you do fit with them, and if me or someone else were to go and cover chinlone, it just wouldn’t be the same. Just this search or journey you seemed to have since your youth, looking for a home, and then you find it literally on the other side of the globe. When you finally find these people, you can tell by the look in your face that you are home. And the film flashes to images of you playing alone in your apartment in Toronto between trips and you look so sad. It really was almost miraculous, you finding this family you never had.

Yes, absolutely.  And beyond that, nothing to do with race or anything, I just never felt like I fit in well here in Canada. The level of sincerity and the simple, straight forward feeling over there is just what I like. I wouldn’t call myself a real sophisticated person. I just like simple, straightforward, here is where it’s at. I’m like a dog that way. If you’re nice to me I’m happy and wag my tail, and if it goes the other way I’m ready to bite. So anyway, that’s how they are like over there. They are really sincere and it was just a great fit.

I think I said this in one of our emails, but I was almost surprised at the end of the film that you hadn’t moved permanently to Mandalay.

Yeah, well, I’m trying. Life is so strange. Because of making this film, I played Chinlone less than I ever did before making the film. If it wasn’t for the film, I probably would have moved back to Thailand by now, I like living over there better. North America is just getting so weird. And you can tell that I don’t like cold weather (laughing). Because of the political situation, it would be hard to live in Myanmar full time. Thailand is much more open about foreigners living there, and Myanmar is right next door. But hell yeah, I’m trying to move back over there because this is terrible for me, there is a huge separation from where I wanna be, and there’s no teams for me to play with over here.

How often are you able to communicate with people over there?

Well, that is a really bad part. I don’t have any direct contact with them. As I said in the film, none of them have email, none of them have telephones. So I have to go through translators or a hotel to contact them, and even then it’s still tough. Like right now, I’m trying to put together something in Dubai in November and I have to deal with this whole difficult trip of trying to contact them, you wouldn’t believe how complicated it is. I have to commit to certain things and I need to contact the players. It’s a huge hassle. And the players just don’t get it because they’re not used to how we live over here, how people need to be contactable.In that regard, I was curious about the access of the film crew with that difficulty communicating. Obviously they welcomed you with open arms at some point, letting the cameras all over the place. How did that work when you first came to them.

It wasn’t easy or just like a snap. One of the first people I contacted was Utangi, the ball-maker. And he was just totally suspicious because see people couldn’t believe that somebody would come all the way from Canada and America and want to study and play chinlone, because I don’t really talk about it in the film, but in Myanmar, chinlone is not looked up to, it’s looked down on.

Really?

It wasn’t easy. One of the first people I contacted in Mandalay was U Than Gyi, the ball-maker, and he was very suspicious in the beginning. In general, people couldn’t believe that somebody would come all the way from Canada and want to study and play Chinlone. I don’t bring it up in the film, but in Myanmar, Chinlone is not looked up to, it’s looked down on.

That just has me amazed after watching the film.

Yeah, people were very suspicious. Even the government was like ‘no, these guys can’t really be here just for Chinlone, these guys are up to something else.’ So it took time to gain people’s trust, just like with the ball maker. But, not all of the people were suspicious. It just so happened that way in the first meeting with U Than Gyi. Usually, once the players saw how interested we were, they were really open hearted. Myanmar culture is very different from North American culture. Just because of a funny little thing, Su Su and I almost didn’t end up becoming friends.

Wow, and you guys are really close in the film. What’s that story?

It was early on, and we were going to make one a little video of her practicing. So I made an appointment with her. But then somebody told us about an important monk’s funeral about 50 miles outside of Mandalay and there was going to be a huge Chinlone festival, that we should not miss. But it was on the same day as the appointment with Su Su, so I asked this driver we were using to go to Su Su’s house and let them know we wouldn’t be coming to make the video of her practice. But he didn’t go and tell them. We did go to the monk’s funeral and some of that footage is in the film. That evening I went to see U Than Gyi to pick up my supply of balls and shoes (he also makes Chinlone shoes), because we were returning to Canada the next day. Su Su and her father were there, and they were pissed, (laughing) especially her father. So I had to do a bit of groveling over the next trip or two and finally I got back in their good book. You know the little things, the little cross-cultural mistakes one easily makes while trying to get in tune with a different culture. It certainly was not as simple as it appears in the film. And I’m sure your skill and involvement in chinlone had to help as well. Even in the film, you mention how people wanted to play with you because it was such an oddity.

Oh for sure. It’s in the nature of the sport, to be open hearted. It is considered to be a great way of making friends, and it is. Perhaps it’s because you don’t have any competition. As you see in the festival, people often play on different teams. I might play on your team sometime; you might play on mine; we might play on someone else’s team if they are missing some players.

Yes, that one moment where you tear your calf muscle and the young lady seems to know she is the one to come in as you exit the circle. Is that standard. Are there substitutes pre-chosen and ready?

Oh no, its usually never like that because people almost never get injured and have to come out. That is extremely rare. No, what you saw in the film was pre-planned because I didn’t get that injury in that game. I actually had the injury from practicing the day before, but just for the story, we decided to make it look like it happened in that game. So that is why this woman, Phyu Phyu Win, was already dressed and ready to come into the game because I knew I’d probably have to come out.

How long do each of the games last?

In a festival, a game lasts for 35 minutes. The first 5 minutes there is no music and this is when the team warms up and gets in sync. Then there is 30 minutes with music and during that time there are either 6 or 7 different parts to the music. A player should alter their playing accordingly. Informal games, (not festival performances) can go on for hours, until either it gets too dark to see the ball or the players get too tired.

And you know those changes are coming?

If you understand the music well-enough, which I don’t yet, then you can respond to the different sections in the music. Chinlone music is very strange and intense, it doesn’t have an even tempo like we are used to. The tempo shifts all over and there is a lot of improvisation. Another interesting thing about the music is that it derives from an ancient kind of battle music, and is designed to bring out one’s fighting spirit. I don’t say this in the film, but in the beginning I didn’t used to like the music at all. I found it discordant. I would sit there during the festival and watch many games, but when it came to the music, I would have been just as happy if they didn’t play it. But, the first time I went in the circle and played, oh man, that music just got inside me like crazy and now I love it! From the first time I went in there and played to it then I understood what this music was. Chinlone music is created to inspire, and to make you brave.

Do you have recordings of it?

Yeah, lots.

I can picture you playing in your hallway alone and listening to the music.

Yeah, I have done that, it’s not the same though. When you hear the music playing in the festival it is intense and inspiring. The music really helps you get up off your butt and try the same thing again that you just messed up. (laughing) Sometimes you’re just like ‘ok, I’m never going to try that one again in front of all these people.’
Playing in a festival is very different than when you’re just playing for fun, informally. You remember the game at the end of the film? In a game like that everybody is laughing and teasing each other and just having fun. Chinlone is so hard, that even the best players end up in these awkward, ungainly positions and miss the ball in funny looking ways. This happens with every player. So, everybody else laughs and teases them, it’s just like that. When you play in a festival though, it’s really pretty serious. You have a big audience, and a lot of them are monks. So the players aren’t joking around, perhaps a little bit, but not like when you’re just playing for fun. Another thing is that it can be really embarrassing and disheartening to play badly in front of the audience (laughing), and everybody tastes it. I’ve seen the best players taste it. It’s interesting with the teams, (maybe soccer is like this) - during the 35 minutes of a game, a team will  ebb and flow. Sometimes everything is clicking and the ball stays up for a long time, other times, nothing is clicking and the ball keeps dropping. Even with the best teams, that ebb and flow still happens. Of course, that keeps it interesting for the players and the audience.

So where do you stand with the world tour and more immediately, this Dubai trip?

Oh man, I don’t know where to start. I’ve been working on this for quite awhile. I was supposed to do something in Dubai a year ago, for a big festival that would have lasted a month. I was over in Myanmar for about 4 months – in one way it was great because I was playing with Su Su and the players featured in the film, everyday for a few hours. That part was magnificent. So I was in Myanmar putting this team together to take to Dubai. Well, the ruler of Dubai died the day the festival was supposed to begin. He died in Australia, and they turned around and cancelled the huge shopping festival that was attended by 3.3 million people the year before. One of the things that happened for me was that I ended up going about $30,000 in debt, (laughing) because of all of the arrangements. You know I had to get passports for about 12-15 people and that was already about $300. a pop, and having the players  staying in a different city, and blah, blah, blah. Now there’s another potential gig -  Soccerex (www.soccerex.com). They want me to bring a team. I was there at the last Soccerex which was in Dubai, and showed the highlight reel that is on our website. People loved it at Soccerex and I was invited to bring a team the following year, I’m trying to work that out right now. So far, many soccer people have been phenomenally interested in chinlone.

That’s why I’m surprised I’ve never seen this. There’s all these different freestyle soccer clubs and squads that travel around to promote this or that. It’s basically as chinlone as soccer could get. I can’t imagine there wouldn’t be serious interest in bringing chinlone on an exhibition tour of some sort. I guess getting the players here is a different matter though.

Yeah, I have looked into that. I’m in the process of trying to put together a really big thing right now. And this past summer I was supposed to go to World Cup with a team. Even though there was all kinds of interest, World Cup is set up years in advance and unfortunately we came a bit late. Did you go?

I didn’t. I had planned to, but at the last minute I was unable to go.

Yeah, well I was unable to go and just sat on the edge of my seat. I had a guy over there who was working with me who was like ‘I just spoke to all of these people’ and yada yada yada, German TV, on and on. So I had my bag packed. It was really stressful, thinking I might be going and then watching time passing. But its gonna get out there on a big level, and I’m getting huge, huge interests from teachers who want to bring it into the schools. Just working working working. And for me, its all about getting the players out there, not the game necessarily. They never get a chance to travel; they never get, they never get anything. If you play this you’re addicted to it and there are a lot of families living more poorly because the man of the house is addicted to chinlone.

And obviously then, this film is a means to exhibit the game and the players and drum up support and enthusiasm to see it in person.

Yeah, well I was unable to go and just sat on the edge of my seat. I had a friend over there who was working with me. He would tell me  ‘I just spoke to all of these people’ … German TV, and on and on. So I had my bag packed and was ready to go. It was really stressful, thinking I might be going and then watching time pass by. But Chinlone is gonna get out there on a big level. I’m getting huge, huge interest from teachers who want to bring Chinlone into the schools. For me, it’s all about getting the players out there. They never get a chance to travel, and they never get any respect or recognition outside their country. If you play this you’re addicted to it and there are a lot of families in Myanmar living more poorly because the man of the house is addicted to chinlone.

Have been contacted by production outlets in regards to distribution rights?

Yeah, but we need to make some decisions. We’ll likely split it up in regions. We have a Canadian company who is serious about it and an American company who would like to distribute it worldwide. Distribution for documentaries is not easy though. Aside from Michael Moore, Super Size me, and penguins, they usually don’t go into theaters.

editor’s note: a distribution deal should be coming soon.

What about US film festivals? I’ve noticed there doesn’t seem to be any Stateside festivals for the film yet.

(laughing) Well, let me tell you a funny thing. I think every American film festival we have applied to has rejected us. It’s really kind of weird. Both Matthew and I are scratching our heads. Sundance, Tribeca, all of them have rejected us. A few Canadian festivals have taken us and there’s a few European ones. I’m going to Leipzig, Germany next week for their festival. But I don’t know what the deal is. America has taken a fairly hard stance against Burma. It’s a mystery to us. There are many film festivals, you submit your film and then hope you get accepted. But no luck in America so far.

That’s seems very weird to me.

Yeah (laughing), weird to us too. Sad, because America is an extremely important market. Especially for theatrical, if you want to get theatrical release in other countries, you almost have to get it first in America.

editor’s note: ‘Mystic Ball’ has since been shown in the United States, most notably at the Chicago International Documentary Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

When was the film finished? When did you first start applying to festivals?

We started applying to festivals before we were finished, which in some ways was a mistake. We more or less finished the film in April [2006]. And then we had the world premiere at Hot Docs here in Toronto, which is a really big documentary film festival. Since then, I did a complete color correction to the film, so our finish year is now 2007.

From a filmmaking standpoint, this being your first foray into that industry, do you see yourself making more films?

That’s a good question. Up until I saw the effect the film was having on audiences, and creating a lot of love and beautiful feelings; I would have said absolutely not. I thought I didn’t want anything more to do with filmmaking. But things change when they start to look good and feel good, right? So, yeah, I’m kind of thinking about making another film. Chinlone still has not been shot as well as I think it could be. I really want to do some more shooting of Chinlone, it’s very important to me to capture the game well. None of the people – and we worked with some really great camera people – really got it. They didn’t get the real beauty of Chinlone or the real point of it. So it was an uphill battle to get them to shoot it properly. I basically knew how it needed to be shot, but it was difficult, even though I was the director, to get them to do what I wanted them to do. So that is one thing I definitely want to do. (laughing) I would like to shoot more Chinlone. And I have a few other ideas for another film, but we’ll see. Another thing I need to bear in mind is that what I really want to be doing is playing Chinlone. Filmmaking just absorbs you, so if making another film is going to take me away from Chinlone, I might not want to do it. (laughing).

It’s almost as if the filmmaking would have to become your new chinlone.

(laughing). Yeah, which it couldn’t. no. no. that’s no, it couldn’t. no it couldn’t do that. No. I just wouldn’t even want it to, no. uh-uh.

I love how strong your reaction is too that.

Yeah, no man, I have this, no, uh, uh. Nope.

How long did it take for you to get engrossed in the chinlone community? Or more precisely, how long until you found that small circle you refer to as your favorite place?

It took quite awhile. It took me a few years until I found a coach and we kind of synched up. I had other coaches but the fit wasn’t as good. I’d learn some stuff but we weren’t connecting on all levels. So it took 4-5 years of going there and being there for a few months at a time, until I really started to connect to the sweet spot for me in terms of a coach and a place and a group of people to play with.

Yeah, that seems obvious, but the film doesn’t give me that feeling. We’re kind of thrown in there and it seems as if you just dropped into the culture and were off, playing in the festivals. It’s amazing to me the time and effort you put in for this. Which I guess is kind of the whole point, not just for your relationship with the sport, but for chinlone itself.

Oh yeah, you wouldn’t believe how hard it was. One of the hardest things was dealing with translators. I’ve gone through 20-25 translators being over there and making the film. It makes it really difficult when you have to use a translator to talk with your friends. Especially when you are doing some thing as intimate and intricate as learning to play Chinlone or making a film. It’s like having a translator between you and your girlfriend.

You could see you picked up a little bit of the language, but I assume then, obviously, that you’re not fluent?

Oh yeah, obviously, waaay not fluent. Just a little bit. And another thing I don’t think comes through, but maybe it does, is that I would get some coaching over there in Myanmar; I would learn some stuff, and then I’d have to come back to Canada. (laughing). I’d try to keep it alive, but it was like watching these little embers die out. I’d lose the skills, because unless you practice them every day, and you need a team to practice the circle style, you lose them. I’d watch the skills I’d learned, wither away because I didn’t have anyone to play with. You need someone who knows how to receive passes and especially give you passes. So I’d go back over there and I’d be all rusty, which was embarrassing for me because I don’t think the people over there understood why. I don’t think they understand even yet, because they are so used to being inside this whole web of players and teams. I don’t think they can imagine what it is like to be over here alone, without anyone to play with. I’d get back there out of shape and feeling stupid. And they’re like ‘What the hell, I thought he’d been practicing, he should be better if he’s been working on his skills.’

What is their knowledge of the outside world, just in general?

I’d say almost nothing.

Do they know the cliché question, like who the President is? Bush?

Yeah, but they just know him as a villain. They do see some Hollywood movies, but, I’d say they have almost no real understanding of the outside world. Its one of least westernized places you could go. So no, they don’t get what it’s like out here in the world. That’s one of the reasons I want to get them out of there – to give them a taste of what it’s like outside of their country.

What do you think their response would be if you were eventually able to bring them to America? Under the proposed circumstances they’d be greeted with crowds and fanfare when they performed.

It would blow their minds! I just want to be there when that happens, it’s gonna be great. Because for one thing, they’ve been playing Chinlone for so long without any outside appreciation. In one way, there is a deep loneliness that I see with Chinlone, and the people who play it. The players you see in the film, and I, watched World Cup 2002 together in Mandalay, so they know all about that. They see how much the world respects people who have great foot skills. And they know that their skills are easily as good as the best soccer players, and yet they are completely unknown outside of their country. But once they get out in the world and see how much everybody loves what they are doing, and admires and respects all the skills that they have, it’s going to be a very deep, beautiful thing for them.

There almost seems to be a comparison between you and them in that last statement. In terms of how they found chinlone. Did they come to chinlone as you did – that lonliness factor, needing something without maybe knowing it?

No, I don’t think it was like that for them. They aren’t lonely, they live in extended families. They’re also surrounded by other people playing – fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, sisters etc. But it does affect them in terms of money. To play Chinlone well, you have to devote yourself to it for quite a few years, especially to play well inside the circle. So you do that, and then you don’t have any way to make any serious money. There just isn’t a way for them to make serious money from playing.

Unless you’re Su Su?

It’s only the women who have the chance to make a living by doing the solo performance style of chinlone.

Men could actually do the solo style; there are a few men who can do amazing solo stuff, but who wants to watch a man when they can watch a beautiful woman? That’s just how it is. In regard to the loneliness that I was talking about … it’s a funny analogy, but it’s almost like plain-looking girl that no one paid any attention to before, and then someone comes along and thinks she is the most beautiful girl in the world … imagine how she feels.

Is the end goal then to find a way for them to maybe be able to find a new way to support their families?

Absolutely. 100%. For myself, I have various ways to make money, but for them, this is crucial. If I can find ways that the Chinlone community can make money from this, it would make a huge difference in a lot of people’s lifestyles. It’s hard for Chinlone players to have a full time job, because you have to play in the late afternoon, otherwise it’s too hot. That basically means you can’t have a regular job, this actually affects me as well. Plus, there are a lot of festivals that happen around the country that players need to travel to, which makes it even harder to keep a regular job. Many people are even poorer than they would be if they didn’t play Chinlone.

Is that one of the reasons chinlone is looked down upon? In a slighter, but similar way a addict would be looked down upon for wasting their life in pursuit of their addiction, drugs or otherwise?

No, I wouldn’t say it like that. It’s always been a popular game with poor people. For one thing, you don’t need a special pitch; you don’t need rackets or special equipment. All you need is a ball and you can play in bare feet. I think also because it is traditional, and traditional culture is being looked down upon all over the world; because of the  overwhelming power of modern western culture. Traditional culture is threatened just because of how glamorous  American movies, music, and lifestyle seem to be. So Chinlone is being affected  by that and it’s really quite amazing that they have managed to keep it alive.
It’s interesting that in Thailand they used to have similar circle style to Chinlone. Then a modern competitive game called Sepak Takraw was developed, played over a net, kind of like volleyball with the feet. People  are trying to get Sepak Takraw in the Olympics, which I think they will succeed in doing at some point. You have three on each team, its very fast and very acrobatic. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good spectator sport because you don’t get long volleys, but a lot of people love it. I used to play it a long time ago. Anyways, the circle style they used to have in Thailand, has almost completely disappeared. It was never as intricate or spiritual as Chinlone. So a lot of Thai people who have seen this film – mostly friends because it hasn’t been released over there - are very nostalgic about something they feel has been lost in their culture, and that connects to other parts of their traditional culture that is disappearing, and some people have very strong feelings about that.
Do you see any danger in taking chinlone out into the world?

No, I don’t. I didn’t mention it in the film, but there is actually a competitive form of Chinlone. It is scored in a way similar to gymnastics or figure skating. Only one team plays at a time and they are given marks by seven judges. If the ball falls you lose points, and of course there are various ways to gain points as well. You have to do a series of moves in order, each player taking turns after the one before. Its very hard, very technical, and not as beautiful or fun to watch as the free, noncompetitive style. It is also not nearly as popular. But, one of the things it does do, is to raise the skill level of the players. Almost all of the great players you see in the film, including Su Su, have done competition before. So to get back to your question, of course there will be some changes when Chinlone comes out into the world, but I think that it will maintain it’s spirit. I feel like Chinlone is something very good for the world. I think there is too much competition in the world today. Look at all these reality shows that are popular now. Almost everything is becoming a competition and I don’t think it’s healthy. I think there is good competition, and bad competition. I don’t see any point in making music into a competition, for example, but some people do it. So I think there is something in Chinlone that is important for the world, I really do believe that. If people could just get together and play, be playful, not have to see who is the best and defeat all the rest.  If they could learn more about supporting each other, cooperating and joining together. More of that spirit in the world would be a really good thing. So, ultimately, yeah some people are going to take Chinlone and either try and do the competitive style they do in Myanmar or maybe make up a new competition, but I think the game will retain it’s spirit. Chinlone can have a great effect on children, they learn to strive and struggle together, without anyone having to lose. To keep the ball up is hard work, yet great fun. The world’s gonna do what the world’s gonna do, right? But, at least I think I can introduce the game with some love and respect. Look at soccer, there are some bad things about it since has gotten so big, but look at the World Cup, it’s just magnificent! I think that the urge to play is one of the most beautiful things about humans. All young animals play, but humans play even as adults, and I think that is something very special and wonderful about us.

That when its all said and done, material culture be damned, people can still stand together a kick around a ball.

Yeah, and that the whole world would tune into watching World Cup – there’s something absolutely fantastic about that, it somehow transcends all these wars and weird things that are going on. It gives me some hope and a good feeling about humans.

I couldn’t agree more, and I think that is why this film, as you’ve found, has touched a lot of people like myself who have the weird connection to playing with a ball. On the surface that grabs you – just the silhouetted image of the children playing on the beach grabbed me – but once you get deep inside the story of the game and the story of your journey finding the game, its really quite amazing.

Chinlone and soccer – same family. There’s just something amazing about manipulating a ball with your feet, whether its keeping it in the air, passing it  or scoring goals with it. And then to do it as a team, there is something extraordinary about that, and extraordinarily difficult. You know, we are so good at using our hands, but a foot sport is just like, wow – its odd in a way, and it shows something about humans – that they choose to do something so difficult and for nothing more than the joy of it.

Well that seems like a good of place as any to stop. I think we could do this all day.

Oh yeah, all day, no problem. Hey, thanks Adam, I appreciate it so much and I’m happy that you liked Mystic Ball. You’ve noticed some things in the film and asked some questions that no one else has. I think you’ve understood the film deeply, and I’m really happy about that.Well, thank you. Please know that the appreciation is beyond mutual. We need more people out there like you. Safe travels as you kick those balls around the globe.

Check back tomorrow to find out what Greg and ‘Mystic Ball’ have been up to since we discussed the film. Head over to the film’s website to learn more about chinlone and join the mailing list for updates about Greg’s journey, a possible chinlone U.S. tour, and to find out when DVDs will be available.