Training Rules facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Training Rules |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Dee Mosbacher Fawn Yacker |
| Produced by | Dee Mosbacher Fawn Yacker |
| Written by | Dee Mosbacher Fawn Yacker |
| Cinematography | Fawn Yacker |
| Editing by | Gina Leibrecht Gail Mallimson |
| Release date(s) | March 2009 |
| Running time | 63 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Training Rules (also known as No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians) is a 2009 American documentary film. It was made by Dee Mosbacher and Fawn Yacker, who both produced and directed it. The film is narrated by Diana Nyad.
This 63-minute film won several awards. It was created by Woman Vision, a group started by director Dee Mosbacher. Woman Vision is a non-profit organization. Its goal is to help people understand and accept everyone. They do this by making educational films and media.
Training Rules looks at how women's collegiate sports sometimes treated athletes unfairly. It shows how some practices could hurt the lives and dreams of talented players. The film mainly focuses on the women's basketball team at Pennsylvania State University. It tells the story of head coach Rene Portland and her rules.
Contents
The Coach and Her Rules
Rene Portland became the Penn State women's basketball coach in 1980. The documentary explains that she was very clear about her rules. She told new players that she did not want players who were in relationships with people of the same gender. Her policy was known as "No Drinking, No Drugs, No Lesbians."
This meant that if a player was in a same-gender relationship or spent time with people who were, she would be removed from the team. This strict rule is why the film is called "Training Rules."
A Player's Story
Rene Portland coached for 25 successful seasons at Penn State. In 2005, a player named Jennifer Harris was removed from the team. Jennifer believed she was kicked off because she was in a same-gender relationship. She and the National Center for Lesbian Rights filed a legal complaint.
This legal action encouraged other former Penn State players to share their stories. They confirmed Jennifer's experience. In February 2007, it looked like Coach Portland might lose the case in court. So, the case was settled outside of court. Coach Portland then resigned from her position in March 2007.
Fairness in Sports
A writer for USA Today, Christine Brennan, talked about the problem. She wondered what would happen if a coach said, "I will not recruit Black people" or "I will not recruit Jewish people." She noted that such a coach would be fired very quickly. However, she pointed out that the same strong reaction did not happen when a coach said they would not recruit players in same-gender relationships.
Penn State University had a rule against discrimination since 1991. However, neither the university president nor the head of athletics took action. They did not address Coach Portland's "no lesbians" policy, even though it went against the university's own rules.
Player Changes Over Time
Coach Portland led the Penn State women's basketball team for 27 years. This was from the 1980–81 season to 2006–07. During this time, 113 student-athletes played on the team. When Coquese Washington became the new head coach, only seven players from Portland's last season remained.
This means that 106 players finished their time as Lady Lions under Coach Portland. Of these players, 57 completed all four years of college at Penn State. However, 49 players, which is almost half, left Penn State before finishing four seasons. This means about 46% of Portland's players left the team while they could still play college basketball. Under Coach Washington, the number of players leaving early has been much lower, around 21%.
Film Screenings
Training Rules was shown at many film festivals and universities. This helped more people learn about the issues it discussed. Some of the places where it was shown include:
- Philadelphia Film Festival (where it first premiered)
- Atlanta Film Festival
- NewFest in New York
- Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival
- Outfest Los Angeles
- Gaze Film Festival, Ireland (its first showing in Europe)
- Michigan Womyn's Festival
- Reel Affirmations 19: Washington DC LGBT Film Festival
- Reeling: The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival
The film was also shown at many colleges and universities, including Penn State itself.
Awards Won
The film Training Rules received several awards for its important message:
- 2009: It won Best Documentary (AT&T Audience Award) at Frameline33, San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.
- 2009: It received the "Pink Peach Award" (Jury Award) at the Atlanta Film Festival.
- 2009: It won Best Documentary (Audience Choice Award) at the Birmingham Shout Festival.
- 2009: It was named Best Documentary at the Pikes Peak Lavender Film Festival in Colorado Springs.
- 2009: Director Dee Mosbacher was honored with the Barbara Gittings Award.
