IMAGINE THAT! The TRUE history of Bavarian Leavenworth

John Sutherland under his creation. Photo by Jaime Donegan

By Jaime Donegan

Much has been written about the small, fairytale Bavarian town of Leavenworth, WA. Newspaper articles, tourist brochures and even a book entitled “Miracle Town” tell the story of a boom town that went bust several times during the first half of the 1900’s. Nestled in the Cascade mountains on Highway 2 leading east to Wenatchee and west to Steven’s Pass, Leavenworth has also been featured in a documentary and most recently a segment on CBS Sunday Morning. It is the home of all-season festivals, beer gardens, restaurants, shops of every imaginable Christmas decoration, wineries, ice cream parlors, coffee houses and of course, the infamous Woody Goomsba, a raucous Nutcracker that went viral about fourteen years ago with his bawdy rap song promoting Leavenworth tourism.

I have enjoyed day tripping to Leavenworth for a hike with friends usually concluding with a few beers and a Bratwurst, but I also enjoy evening shows at Leavenworth Summer Theater. Every summer the locals and tourists watch a young lady playing the role of Maria Von Trapp come spinning and singing down the ski hill to audience applause as they kick off their annual production of “The Sound of Music.” I believe that you would be hard pressed to find a more idyllic backdrop for this particular show and I personally get goosebumps when the Mother Superior and her chorus of nuns begin to sing “Climb Every Mountain” which seems to echo off the cliffs and peaks of the Sleeping Lady.

No matter the season, every time I visit this “Miracle Town” I feel that I have been transported a world away as I bask in a time and space that is like living in a postcard.

The hills are definitely ALIVE with so many wonderful things that touch and tease the senses that I have often said to myself in my best impish voice, “there be magic here.”

Speaking of imps (a huge complement in my book), a year and a half ago I met a man named John Sutherland at a Hot August Nights production of “Pippin” in Wenatchee. John introduced himself after the show and during our short conversation I made note of the fact that this gentleman was a veritable font of passion for every topic he spoke about. While he spoke of his passion for theater production and his experience as a theater producer in Seattle, his eyes danced. While he spoke of his passion for managing Ski Resorts and being a ski instructor, his cheeks glowed. And then as he spoke with an even greater passion about a little project that he was currently working on, the Leavenworth Adventure Park, his chest swelled with a well deserved sense of pride and satisfaction. The Park features “Tumwater Twister,” Washington’s first Alpine Coaster. This man, I thought, has a bit of what I like to call the “IT” factor, and I instantly liked him and hoped we would connect again.

After we exchanged contact information, John invited me to come have a look at the Alpine Coaster while it was still being built and I told him that I looked forward to a visit in the near future. A few weeks later I made my way to Leavenworth with my friend Dave Sutherland (no relation) to see what this grand undertaking was all about. John gave us a personal tour of the unfinished Adventure Park and as we walked through the interior of the new building, he described every nook and cranny with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning. He then took us outside to see where a rock climbing wall would be, along with some other outdoor fun and games for visitors of all ages. We finally turned our heads and looked up at the big hill. The feel of autumn was in the air as we hiked up through the construction to the top of the coaster where we were instantly treated to spectacular views of the town of Leavenworth. Below us, the mountain forests, their leaves just beginning to change, stood in sharp contrast to the shiny silver streams of steel that came swirling down the hillside. I took it all in for a moment and then I imagined the breathtaking thrill of riding the curvy rails with the wind in my hair and a big smile on my face. I imagined the joy of the ride and it gave me a great feeling.

We left the park and went to a local beer garden and that’s where the conversation became even more interesting as John told us the history of his idea to build the Alpine Coaster. “I make no qualms about it, Walt Disney was my idol. He had a grand vision that most people thought was ridiculous. They asked ‘You want to do what? Why would anybody want to go to THAT?’

Well….

He proved them wrong and I am proud to say that I am a full fledged “Disney Adult.” Though I am definitely not in his league, I had a strong imagination and a sense that this project was the perfect fit for the town. I have spent time in Bavaria skiing and riding the Alpine Coasters that are a part of the landscape… thirteen of them in all, I believe. Leavenworth was missing this key component and I was eager to bring this joyful project to town. I’m very proud of this because I’m a gay man and a complete outsider but somehow, I was able to persuade enough people to be able to follow through and make it happen.”

He laughed and added, “In a way, I am a lot like the two men who conceived of and proposed the idea of turning Leavenworth from a dying town into a Bavarian-themed town back in 1960. Their names were Ted Price and Bob Rodgers and they were not only outsiders and business partners, they were a gay couple! That’s right. The gay couple who then persuaded enough people to follow through on their idea and make it happen.”

Imagine that!

I had never heard anything about these two men before, but now, as a proud, openly gay man myself, I was quite anxious to hear more.

May 13, 2024. I am sitting on the third floor of the Adventure Park with John Sutherland, almost a year after the park opened. Coco Hopkins, local tour guide at Bavarian E Bikes and Walking Tours has also joined us for a conversation.

I will tell you now that I have read “Miracle Town” and watched the documentary so here are the bios of Ted and Bob to quickly help get you up to speed so that we can spill the tea and get down to the good stuff. If you want to know more about the men and their ideas, I highly recommend that you read the book because it truly is a miracle story. Also, there a few great photos of Ted and Bob but we were unable to get the clearance to use them in time. Check them out on the UW’s archival site HERE.

Ted Price - Born in Portland, Oregon 1923

Joined the Marines in 1940

Attended Oregon State University

Graduated Pharmacy School and graduated in 1949.

Worked for Pfizer as a Pharmaceutical Rep.


Bob Rodgers - Born in Seattle, WA 1923

Drafted into the Army in 1942 and served in General Patton’s Third Army in France

Spent a lot of time in Bavaria. Attended University of Washington and dropped out.

Worked for the State of Washington Department of Food and Drugs

The two gentlemen met on the shores of Lake Washington in the mid-1950’s and after many camping trips in the Leavenworth area, they bought the Coles Corner Cafe late 1959. They didn’t know a thing about running a restaurant but that didn’t stop them. They re-opened in April of 1960 and slowly turned it into a Bavarian-themed restaurant called The Squirrel Tree. Soon they added a motel with the same theme. The two men had dreams of creating an entirely Bavarian town in Coles Corner but that seemed daunting at the time. Starting from scratch would be a big undertaking. However, nearby there was a town that already had an infrastructure in place and that is where Leavenworth comes into their story.

A Conversation

Jaime- So...let’s talk about “the Boys” (as they were known about town). What else can you tell me about them?

Coco- Ah yes, the “Bavarian Boys.”

John- The Bavarian Boys…ha ha…that’s perfect. Well, from everything that I’ve heard and read, they were total outdoorsmen. They loved to ski, hike, fish and they dreamed of a ski resort on Wedge Mountain. The Bavarian theme idea they had was more than just reviving businesses and bringing in tourists. The idea was really a way to create the kind of community that supported and promoted an “outdoorsy lifestyle” in a town that was pretty beaten up but had so much to offer. I have kept the Bavarian Boys and their vision in the back of my mind as I was working hard to make the Alpine Coaster happen. Interestingly, sixty some years later, my vision is very much in line with their vision.

Jaime- This is the part that intrigues me the most. Ted and Bob - as well as you, John, had a vision that was really big. You made a business plan, you were able to procure some backers and you presented the idea. Initially you were met with skepticism and other challenges. At this point, some people who have great ideas just pack it up and abandon their projects because it’s too hard, but they didn’t and you didn’t. Why?

John- Because we’re stupid (much laughter). No really. You continue because you have a passion for it. You have to keep plugging away and see it through as far as it will go. I can’t really speak for Ted and Bob but that’s just how I am. It’s a part of my nature and I have a feeling that we had that in common.

Jaime- That is part of what I call the “IT” factor. All three of you were gay men, outsiders with big ideas for change and yet somehow you were able to persuade enough people in the community to say “YES, let’s do it.” There had to be a certain level of trust given and that probably was not easy to establish. You are an out and proud gay man arriving in a town that had already been transformed. Ted and Bob likely had a tougher go of it as they maneuvered their private life amongst the townspeople who had been through the booms and the crashes and were more skeptical.

Coco- Absolutely, you have to remember that this was the early 1960’s, when being a homosexual was illegal in the U.S.

Jaime- Exactly, if someone wanted to make trouble for two 37 year old male outsiders who lived together they could have done so. They could have had them run out of town or even arrested them. If they were arrested there was nothing that could be done because the law wasn’t on the side of gay people. You paid the fines, did the jail time and were ostracized by those who felt you were perverted and sick. In fact, homosexuality was classified as a mental disease at that time so often times convicted homosexuals were sent off to institutions by their families to be “corrected” which we now know to be completely bogus.

John- So no, they weren’t technically OUT. But then, they weren’t really IN either, they were private. They lived together, they created together, they persuaded together and were likely, just being themselves most of the time. People either figured it out and accepted it, didn’t care, or looked the other way because there are no accounts or reports of discrimination or trouble for them with regards to being gay. They became a part of the community and I think for the most part people liked them.

Jaime-That is part of the “IT” factor. I mean, to come into town as strangers, sharing their vision of a Bavarian makeover, there must have been something special about them. Call it charisma, call it charm, or trustworthiness, whatever it was, their persuasive powers were strong because it worked.

John- And that is why it’s so important to know and tell their story, our story and not just the parts that make you feel comfortable...all of it. My reasoning is because it’s historical and quite a fucking miracle that it actually did work.

For me and my idea of building an Alpine Coaster, it was more about persistence. I am an out gay man in a new generation of acceptance so I didn’t have to concern myself with hiding, I could just be myself and so the project became everything to me. I made it my life and I threw myself into it. I wanted to be in the mountains and Leavenworth is really kind of perfect for me. Two great ski areas close by, it’s stunningly beautiful and you have Seattle just over the mountains two hours away. There is so much mind blowing opportunity here. It has all the things.

Jaime- Agreed. I’m curious though, gay culture, gay pride and gay history have come a long way since the 1960’s, do you think we have reached a place of equality in our society where it’s unnecessary to label this couple as “gay” visionaries but simply as “visionaries?”

John- NO! We must have the visibility and the validation otherwise we will be erased. We need to know that gay people are making valuable contributions to society. We need to know as much information as possible.

Jaime- True. We generally make a distinction if a woman has done something of note and we make distinction when a person of color does something of note so why shouldn’t we speak up when someone from the LGBTQ+ community does something? Barack Obama is known as the first African American US President, Kamala Harris is known as the first female VP who is also a woman of color, Pete Buttigieg is known as the first openly gay man to run for President.

John- Exactly. Harvey Milk (first openly gay elected member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors) said it best. He said “the only thing that’s really going to move us forward is that we have to come out so that people know we exist.” Visibility is key. If people don’t know that we exist and they don’t know our history, we will never make progress. We have to come Out, and this is a big part of me now, we have to be out grabbing our gay history, acknowledging our gay history and making it known. Period. I firmly believe this 120%.

For example, I was talking to Ann Peavey, a local historian and volunteer at the Leavenworth Museum one day and she told me that a gay couple had come into the museum and read the story of Bob and Ted. She said that they walked up to the desk to ask some questions because they never knew the story about “the boys” and they were surprised to find that they were a romantic couple. “Business partners and partners in life” is the quote used in the museum. She said the couple left the museum that day with a sense of validation and pride and that’s what it’s all about. I am also pretty militant about this. I come from Washington D.C. and from a political family so I have very strong feelings.

Jaime- Yeah, I’m getting a sense of that.

Speaking of Ann Peavey, thank you for introducing me to her. I met with her and we had a fascinating talk about the history of this town. Ann spent her early years growing up in Leavenworth, moved to the Seattle area for a while and has now moved back to the town she loves. She shared with me a conversation she had with her mother about her father, who was a bit of a pessimist. “My father thought that the idea to turn Leavenworth into a Bavarian town would be short lived. He thought that the facades would go up and everything would go bust again and they would all be torn down in six months to a year leaving them all right back where they started.” She believes that while a few thought it was a great idea, her father’s view was likely the mindset of most of the population.

Ann gave me a quick tour of the museum and particularly the area which features large cut out photos of Ted and Bob together with their story printed below. She told me that visitors are often surprised when they learn that Ted and Bob were partners and that the reaction is mostly positive.

Coco- Yes, I think that is true. You get the occasional eye rolls and the “ughs” when you tell tourists about them but for the most part people are simply surprised and intrigued. And why not? Just look around, this all began with Ted and Bob’s Big Idea and now we have John’s Big Idea. There are loads of great ideas floating around here now.

Jaime- That’s right and with three and a half million visitors each year, you realize just how much these ideas have paid off.

John- To me, that’s what business is. Taking our ideas and running with them. This is “our” dream place too. Ted and Bob helped save this town. They deserve to be celebrated for who they were (publicly and privately) and what they accomplished. We are doing good things here. Now there are several gay-owned businesses and strong support for the gay community. Business is good. Leavenworth Adventure Park opened June 1, 2023 and we have been packed. We were sold out all of last summer and have exceeded our expectations by 48%. I did get the personal satisfaction of a big “I told you so” out of it and the investors are very happy. Quite a few people who were opposed are now solid supporters. Much the same as what Ted and Bob experienced.

Jaime- Ted Price and Bob Rodgers left Leavenworth in 1986 and spent the rest of their lives between Vancouver, WA and Palm Springs, CA. In their later years they came out to their family and friends but it was a 2003 story in the LA Times that made their relationship public. I’ve heard that they got a big laugh from being “outed” at the age of 80!

Bob died in 2014 and Ted died almost exactly one year later. They were always proud of what they and the people of Leavenworth had achieved and have left behind a magical legacy.

John- Leavenworth is successful because everyone worked as a team. They stayed true to the vision and worked together, peaceably, to solve differences. We welcome and celebrate all walks of life and we are grateful for what we have created together.

Jaime- And the legacy continues. What’s next for you?

John- Coco and I are co-chairing the committee to submit an application to the state of Washington to designate Leavenworth as a “Creative District” which will amplify and support the arts here. I’m also hoping to work with local businesses to create some “pop up” theatrical productions around town. I want to get my hands back into theater again. Pride month is upon us so we are planning several events including Drag Bingo at the Adventure Park on June 15th. Admission is free but you need to go online or call to make a reservation.

Jaime- Thank you both for sharing the story of Ted and Bob with me today. I wish you continued success on all of your future big ideas. I think “the Bavarian Boys” would be over the moon to see and experience the joy and happiness of Leavenworth today.

Imagine That!

Jaime Donegan is a theater director who originally hails from Elkhart, Indiana. He has lived most of his life in New York City and Philadelphia but made his way to Wenatchee 25 years ago when he came to direct The Follies, a community show sponsored by the Follies Guild. Jaime has been directing Follies Productions all over the country since 1984 and also co-founded and directed the Hot August Nights Summer Theater at the Numerica Performing Arts Center which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. He is currently “home free” yet feels entirely at home in the Wenatchee Valley. When not directing a show, Jaime is traveling somewhere in the world or pouring wine at Fielding Hills Winery in Chelan.

This article is a product of him not being able to keep his big fucking mouth shut because he lives by the saying “Life is a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death.” It gets him in a lot of trouble but he has a lot of fun.

Ronnie Angel: Life In The Business Of Death

By Ron Evans

Former Wenatchee resident Ronnie Angel is like a creative Swiss Army Knife. He’s done professional wrestling, starred in dozens of movies, mostly horror, played Satan in a music video and written and published three books. One of these publications, Death In The Family: Life in the Business Of Death, is bringing Angel back to Wenatchee this July for a book signing event at The Time Capsule. I reached out to Angel to talk about the book and all the other interesting projects he’s been involved with.

First off, tell us a little about your self, biographically speaking.

I was born in Reedsport, Oregon in 1984 - I was actually one of the first births at the new hospital that just opened. I moved around quite a bit as a kid, living in Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Montana and mostly Washington. I went to school in Spanaway Lake and graduated there in 2002. I eventually found myself in Wenatchee and stayed here from 2003 to 2014. My brother still lives there. Despite all the moves, I still consider Wenatchee as home. I’m currently in Hollywood, CA and living out my dreams! I still come back once a year though.

Let’s talk about your wrestling career - how did that all start?

I kind of just fell into it. I first trained with a wrestler from Wenatchee named Damien Michaels. He came up from California and lived there a while. He would have us bumping on wood pallets (to “toughen us up”) and going to a ring in Portland every month. Sadly, he’s not with us anymore.

I caught on in Oregon first, then Canada, where I wrestled predominantly for several years. From 2005 to 2009 we actually had a promotion here in Wenatchee and ran many shows at the Convention Center downtown. I initially wrestled from 2004 to 2014 when a knee injury pushed me out. I started again down here in SoCal in 2021 and have been doing it here ever since. I’ve been blessed to wrestle with some of my heroes over the years like Jake the Snake Roberts and others. It’s very cool to be able to say that.

Similarly, how long have you been acting and what inspired you to go down that road?

I had been told for years by many different people that I have a great voice and look, and that I should get into acting. I did a few things in Washington like a play in 2011 at the Riverside Playhouse. An actor friend of mine named Travis Mckenna, who I met when I interviewed him for my first book, was the one who motivated me to come to Hollywood. I got here in 2018 and I’ve been rolling ever since. It’s still a bit surreal at times just being here.

I’ve also been told by many people on sets that A) I die good, B) I’m great at improv, and C) that I can be terrifying. The sound girl from one of the films I recently did told me that she was legitimately scared of me and uncomfortable when I was in character. I put 110% into every role I play. I’ve been told I can be hilarious, as well as intimidating, so that’s good to hear! I guess it comes from years of being in the wrestling ring.

You were in a Lords of Acid music video! How’d that come to be?

Oh yeah, that was a highlight for me! The director personally asked for me. At first I was wondering if I could pull it off, being Satan and all, but it turned out great. I tell you, being surrounded by half naked models and pornstars for the day was not a bad gig to have! Looking over and seeing (adult film star) Alana Evans at my feet, winking at me, then looking the other direction where another pornstar was bent over in front of me and I was thinking, “Well damn, she doesn’t leave ANYTHING to the imagination!” Not a bad position to be in.

Do you have a favorite film you have worked on, either for the experience or the final product?

You know, I’ve had fun on every set, honestly (especially that music video). It’s hard to pick a favorite. Being able to share scenes with the late Tom Sizemore (in Mega Ape) was a surreal experience. Nice guy, who I ran into a few more times afterwards.

Getting killed by the Black Power Ranger (for a film not yet released) was cool too! I love being on a casual level with these stars and I especially love when they tell me they like my work. I’m building up my resume here all the time.

Any projects or films you would die to work on?

So many! I really want to make it to some major releases, like theatrical or TV. I’m friends with a lot of Friday the 13th folks, so being on a big horror sequel like that would be the ultimate experience.

You are involved with local filmmaker/horror fiend Danny Knighten’s new film called The Orchard Man. Talk a little about this project and the premiere that’s coming up.

Danny has been my best friend for about twenty years now and it was very cool coming back and getting to work on his first film. I had so much fun filming that out in Monitor and everyone was very cool. It’s going to premiere at The Time Capsule right after my signing on the 15th. I haven’t seen it yet, so I’m excited to see how it turned out.

Anyone perusing your IMDB can see you have a love for horror, to put it mildly. Can you recall the first horror film you saw that hooked you into the genre?

Oh man, I know it was Stephen King for my first since my mom is a huge fan. She was the other horror fan in the family. I remember It traumatized me pretty bad for years. When we briefly lived in Las Vegas, there was a horror host named Count Cool Rider. I would sneak downstairs and watch it at a low volume so no one woke up. That’s where the real obsession began. Whenever we arrived in a new town, I didn’t know anyone, so I would just rent stacks of horror films. I saw all the classics back then and the ball was rolling.

On that topic - your first two books were on slasher films, Slashed Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Movies and Slashed Dreams Part 2: The Nightmare Continues! Talk about these books a bit.

The first one came about when I was working at the Crypticon horror convention in Seattle. I have an encyclopedic knowledge on many subjects, and people had been telling me to write one for years... so I did! I had always been into slasher films, so it was a given topic. I watched around 300 movies and took notes on every one to write about later. It took me a few years. The second one took me about a year and I had to really dig deep for some obscure films. The best part was I interviewed about 50 actors and directors for it. I found out a lot of cool behind the scenes stories. Both are basically my love letters to the genre. I just wanted to give my readers an inside view on the world of slasher films and maybe have them discover some obscure ones they would have never seen otherwise.

Are you self-published?

The first book came about due to being friends with a magazine writer. He wanted my first book to be the first on his new label he was trying out, Discoveries Books. It went well for both of us, and we split the profit. For the second book he did something very rare. He signed the rights back over to me and let me continue to use his label name. I couldn’t believe it. So now, all the profit comes to me. I kept his designer, Cyrus Walker, who helps me with every book since then and he does a great job. For the most recent one, I started my own label, Nyami Press. All of my future books will be released under that name. The majority of my sales come from Amazon.

Talk about your new book Death In The Family: Life in the Business Of Death. I have to imagine growing up in the funeral business would provide a casket-full of unique experiences.

Oh yeah, definitely. My dad’s been doing it since 1973. I used to go on trips with him when I was young, for his work (picking up or delivering bodies). I would always love hearing his stories about strange cases he had. That was the highlight of some of those long drives with him. I finally decided that I should share these unique experiences and stories with the world. It’s mainly my father’s stories, but there are also stories from myself and the family sprinkled in to give some different perspectives. There are stories of true crime, the paranormal, small town politics and dealing with friends and family dying. There are also several Wenatchee stories, such as hauntings at the old Betts Funeral Home and a rather infamous murder in town a little over a decade ago. Everyone is getting older too, so to me it was a bit cathartic. Maybe it will help me cope when my father is gone. I don’t know. There are some truly inspirational things in it though.

Can we expect an audiobook version down the road? Seems tailor made for some spooky night driving.

That’s not a bad idea. I’ve had people ask me that before. Maybe!

What can folks expect of your upcoming book-signing event at The Time Capsule in Wenatchee?

I’m really looking forward to it. I know that it’s an all ages thing and that Danny is screening his film immediately afterwards. I always love talking to fans and making new friends at these events. Plus, I’m excited to possibly see some old friends I haven’t seen in years there. I’ll be talking about my next book with anyone who has stories of the paranormal or true crime in the valley, too. So everyone, come on out, pick up a book and chat with me!

What’s coming up next for you?

Currently, I’m hoping to finish the Wenatchee paranormal book and release it this fall. A lot of research is going into it on all the haunted spots in the Valley. There are a couple more I have set for afterwards, too. I finished writing two screenplays - one horror and one historical drama. The drama is based on a true story from the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico. I’ve been getting great feedback on that one. It’s very unique and it touches upon a certain demographic that is too often forgotten about, and some particularly brutal events.

The first one I’m getting out though is a horror script that I’ve found a director and producer for. We’re hoping to start filming in the fall or winter. It’s a very old school horror film. My goal is to make it legitimately scary and unrelenting. It’s something we don’t see too often anymore, as most filmmakers choose to make campy films they don’t take too seriously.

I also keep plugging along with my acting and taking what’s offered to me. It keeps me pretty busy and I’ve garnered a bit of a following.

As for the wrestling, it’s a lot of wear and tear, so this might be my last year, but it’s been a fun ride and it ain’t over yet! I’m already planning more shows in Canada soon.

Where can people follow you and/or purchase your books?

You can easily find me on Facebook and Instagram under my name, Ronnie Angel. You can find my books on Amazon under the Ronnie Angel name, as well.

Of course, you can also catch me at The Time Capsule on Saturday, July 15th from 3-5pm. Come on out, pick up a book and hang with me!

FAIL-HURT-LEARN-REPEAT: Project Pivot Premieres in Wenatchee

By Ron Evans

When local filmmaker Charley Voorhis was 17 years old he suffered a life altering snowboard accident. He likely couldn’t imagine at the time that 22 years later this incident would help spark his first feature film, Project Pivot, a documentary that follows three fully proficient athletes (a skateboarder, a mountain biker and a rock climber) as they switch sports with one another for the first time. What connects the accident to this switcharoo experiment is really what’s at the heart of Project Pivot. And even the director wasn’t initially sure what the story elements would be exactly, but after sifting through 56 hours of footage, things began to unfold. I spoke with Voorhis to learn more about the inspiration and production of this unique project.

Take us back to the first inception of the concept of Project Pivot.

When I was describing this concept to people, even a year or two before it was made, the concept was always coming from this place for me that there’s a lot of intellectual things that I don’t understand. And I asked myself, why do I feel comfortable in these situations, versus other situations? I can very quickly go back to my history with skateboarding and mountain biking and rock climbing. Aside from learning in the academic space, I’ve learned so much about myself and about the world from navigating these things. There are these fears that come about that are very physical and tactile, and real. But with dual awareness you can start learning about how to be a better parent, for example - how do you handle yourself at heights? How do you handle yourself at speed? And how do you handle yourself in these different situations, by subjecting yourself to stressful situations? These activities create resilience, and it creates stress tests.

Growing up there was always a kind of segregation around what you were good at. These are all the basketball players and the football players are over there. And these are the skaters and these are the whatevers - and then when you boil it down, they’re literally all processing the exact same things. They’re addressing fear, they’re addressing balance, they’re addressing speed, they’re addressing impact. And you very quickly realize that being a human is the same for everybody.

These spiraling thoughts made me realize - oh, I didn’t waste my time skateboarding all those years. I got something deeper out of it. I beat my body to hell but I was also building mental resilience, going through the accidents that I’ve been in. And then it comes to the snowboard crash… and to have an experience where I was mentally and emotionally broken from one of these sports that I felt I had such a firm grasp on was a huge life changing event. A breaking point. Do I abort? Do I forge ahead?

The calm before the storm at the skate park. Mitchell Bryan, Sean Davis, Jessica Campbell and director Charley Voorhis.

When I first had the conversation with Mitch (Bryan), who’s the mountain biker in the film, we were kind of just kicking around ideas of how fun it would be to invite people on a bike ride that had never ridden a mountain bike. Not teach them from the ground up, but just throw them into a really advanced trail and watch them more or less squirm their way through it. We just joked about that concept. And then that started kind of planting seeds.

But I didn’t know exactly who would be the rock climber, just yet. I had been friends with Jessica (Campbell) for many years, but I hadn’t really spoken with her in a personal way. And then in 2019 I did a shoot with her with Tamron lenses. And I just realized how sensitive and profound and grounded she was just as a person. And right then and there I was like, well…if I ever make this film, I want her to be the rock climber. And then it wasn’t until either later 2019 or early 2020, right before COVID, I met Sean Davis at a skateboard photography workshop I was teaching in Chicago. He was just a stellar skater that was super consistent, which is good for a workshop because you want someone who can perform accurately, consistently and you know…he’s a handsome dude. So he just sort of fit what I needed for the workshop. And then when I met him he was straight out of a movie. He’s a character. And he was introspective and sensitive and he’s so inspired by life that you can’t help but be inspired by his inspiration. And he kind of was on the other side of the spectrum of Jessica just in terms of sensibility and intensity.

So you had your cast of characters, obviously they all agreed to be in the project - their stories and the journeys they go on have a powerful arc in the movie that works really well. Did you have a sense of how things would unfold or were you finding the whole picture as you went along?

I want to give a nod to the gods of luck, or whatever it is, because there were definitely some fortunes that came to the story that were out of my control. And it could have gone any one way or another. But I knew that skating had to be first and then mountain biking, and then rock climbing had to be last. Which was a pain, schedule wise, but I knew it had to be in that order which means shooting it in that order. Most movies are not shot in a linear order. But in this case, we otherwise would have not had that sort of “hero moment” aspect that we ended up with. So I’m glad I fought for that. The three are all strangers building relationships together and working things out. And at times working through some pretty intense things in their own minds and it culminates in a way that I couldn’t have predicted but it feels perfect. The story really comes full circle from where it starts.

I was at your sneak preview/screener a couple months back at Liberty Theater. I’ve been to quite a few screeners, I’ve never seen 100 people show up. Talk about the feedback you got from that - was there a clear consensus with that many test viewers?

I think it was really good that there were a lot of people there, because I got to feel the full house experience. And you could just feel the energy shift after the apex and you could kind of see people getting a little bit more restless on the back end. I realized it was probably 10 minutes too long, because that’s right about when everyone was like, okay, now we got to go to the bathroom.

I kept trying to figure out how to make it shorter. And then one of my filmmaker friends ultimately said, when it comes down to it, you just need to make it for yourself, don’t try to please other people. And don’t try to hit a quota. Just make the version of the film that you would appreciate seeing for yourself or at least make the version of the film that makes the most sense to yourself.

Before the screener I would watch it in the office with a few people, and it would feel good. And mostly because I just knew what to expect - the smaller audiences seemed to appreciate the way it was laid out. But screening it for a larger audience told me - just from the energy in the room - that telling the story 100% linear is not very palatable for a large audience. What it came down to is that the final quarter of the film was a very slow kind of resolution to everything.

So did you end up trimming it by 10 minutes?

We cut 11 minutes out, it didn’t really change the narrative - we took some of the banter out. It was good stuff but it wasn’t needed you know?

The classic kill your darlings scenario.

Yeah but honestly, it was a pretty easy decision at that point and once we made it we felt it was…not a better film per se but a more palatable film. This really made it clear to me why there are director’s cuts of so many films. Sometimes the director just has a relationship with the movie that doesn’t quite work in the theater.

Well, I’d imagine it’d be extra hard because you’re actually in the movie. It’s your story as much as it is the other subjects’.

Yeah, starting out, I didn’t plan on being as involved in the story. But I essentially ended up narrating portions of the film, which was definitely something that came in after the fact. What I ended up doing was reflecting on everything that inspired me to make the story to begin with, and translated that into a narrative script that just kind of helps move the story along and makes it applicable to some of the topics and themes that I wanted to explore.

You set the story up with a major snowboarding accident you had many years back, was that not originally part of the plan?

I think early on I did know that I was going to at least open the film and explain this is who I am and this is why I’m making this film. Ready, set, go. And then I would chime in again at the very end. But then as the film started coming together, I realized that I needed to kind of bridge a few scenes throughout the middle. So I ended up making a narration appearance several times throughout the film. But I resisted that for a long time, I didn’t want to be part of the film, and I didn’t want to make it about me. Frankly, I just didn’t want to share that much about myself. I didn’t want to go where the story took me. And I still don’t know if I want to be there. I don’t know that I’m entirely ready to take on that persona for the public.

I feel what you’re saying from a creator standpoint of not wanting to put the spotlight on yourself with your documentary - I can tell you that from a viewer standpoint, I really appreciated that element of the film. I think it does tie the whole thing together and gives it a personal touch that you wouldn’t otherwise have.

I’m happy to hear that it works. I’m getting used to it more and more.

Talk about the use of Lemolo’s music for the soundtrack/score of the film.

And has she seen it?

She has seen it, yes. So, Lemolo used to come to Wenatchee and play Mela and when I was teaching at the Tech Center, my students and I filmed her. And she played a song called “We Felt The Fall.” There’s only maybe one other band in the whole year of bands that I filmed at Mela where I was more or less brought to tears. And so I fell in love with her music kind of from day one. So then over the years, when I’d have opportunities to do projects with Darren (Reynolds, founder of Caffè Mela), I would always pitch the idea of trying to get Lemolo involved somehow. And there was one project that I did at Mela for Darren that was basically a big experiment. I wanted to do a 13 hour one-take that captured a day in the life of Caffè Mela. And we invited Lemolo to come out and play so it was her song all the way throughout. And so that was one of the first times that we got to kind of collaborate on something that wasn’t one of her live shows.

I’d always been waiting for an opportunity to figure out how to thrust her music into this emotionally gritty space. And so I reached out to her early on wanting to license three of her songs - I basically wanted to highlight one song per day. At the wrap party for the shoot I invited Lemolo to come play at the studio. I built a stage and a little venue space behind the Voortex offices and she came to play and it was amazing. She was excited and flattered to be part of the project. Meagan (Grandall of Lemolo) and I worked it out to use her music for the entire score for the film. We ended up using portions of 22 songs in total. We had all this music that I think built an entire culture and atmosphere into the movie that I never could have found anywhere else.

When the song “Swansea” makes an appearance it couldn’t fit more perfectly.

That’s one of my favorite songs of all time and yeah that was one I had in mind specifically for that moment.

Talk about your inclusion of the mental health professionals as part of the narrative.

Initially, I wanted them to basically just be along for the ride and talk to me while they witnessed things happening more or less in real time. So I had an opportunity to make sense of things - to then shine light on that throughout the story. That was my original plan. And then as I sat on it longer, I decided I don’t want to try to keep them out of the scenes, I’d rather actually have them take part. And if I could find two mental health professionals (Lori Andre-Van Lith, Jennifer Beauvais) that would be willing to try all three of these sports for the first time as well, that could be an interesting component.

I know that they are faced with a lot of problems and struggles that people bring to the table that they might not have any first hand experience in. And I thought, how interesting would it be to subject them to something scary, and subject them to something that they’ve never done before and have to navigate in real time under that pressure. So I guess they were kind of like the primer that brought it to interpreting the whole story in a more psychological fashion, and not so much an extreme sports edit. Because I grew up watching snowboard films and skate films, and it’s all about how rad can you get? And what’s the gnarliest thing you can do? How can you shock people with your performance? That wasn’t what I really wanted to do here, there’s a different kind of scary at play - vulnerability. And it’s about showing the importance of having a good support system.

Vulnerability is definitely a running theme in the film and for me, it was a good reminder of not getting stuck in your ruts. But to push yourself to try new things. And that’s different for everyone.

I’m glad that that comes through in the film because that’s really the inspiration for the title of the movie. It’s about trying to break out of those comfort zones which is often where the fear is - you know, to try something that scares the hell out of you. You will never conquer those fears if you don’t at some point face them head on. And again, that’s where having a good team - a strong support system comes in. It’s all one big trust fall.

What would you call the rating of this film for anyone looking to maybe watch with their runts?

Well, it would really be PG because we bleep all the swearing out - but I personally would put it at PG-13 simply because of some of the themes that come up from the athletes that they’ve dealt with in their personal lives. There’s some heaviness that comes up for sure. But what I love is that those moments will likely, hopefully, lead to more conversations and openness concerning those subjects.

Project Pivot premieres in Wenatchee at Numerica PAC - Friday, January 20th at 6pm and doors open at 5:30. Runtime: 100 minutes. After the film there will be a discussion panel with the cast, prize giveaways and an after party.

projectpivotfilm.com