Aggie Blue Bikes Presents True Fans: A Documentary

Aggie Blue Bikes, a community bike program at Utah State University, presents a special fundraising night featuring the award-winning documentary "True Fans: A Basketball Odyssey" Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. at the Edith Bowen Laboratory School Auditorium.

 

"We are fundraising for the Aggie Blue Bike Program so we can reach our goal of 60 bicycles by next fall and have trained staff for bicycle repairs," said Adam Christensen, director of Aggie Blue Bikes. "We will also accept bike, helmet and lock donations at the fundraising event."

 

To reach its goal of 60 bikes, Aggie Blue Bikes is featuring Dan Austin, a Hyrum, Utah, native presenting his documentary "True Fans: A Basketball Odyssey," an account of his cross-country mountain bike odyssey to the Basketball Hall of Fame that he took with his brother and best friend.

 

"This is a surprisingly entertaining, highly original, witty and thoughtful film," said Chris Parcelin of "Film Threat." "Austin, with his off-the-cuff ingenuity, manages to capture the pioneering, adventurous spirit that America was built on. [This is a] completely unexpected and totally engaging film."

 

Austin, his brother, Jared, and best friend Clint Ewell started their journey on a basketball court in Venice Beach, Calif. After playing a little ball, they jumped on their bikes and headed for their ultimate goal — reaching the NBA Hall of Fame. They traveled with a basketball strapped to their bikes. Their journey portrays America's reaction to three guys on bikes with a basketball and no place to sleep at night, hoping for the country to respond.

 

"It's sort of this romantic story of a great trek across America on mountain bikes and a basketball that becomes the symbol of their journey," said Christensen. 

 

"True Fans" has toured internationally to more than 150 cities, and has been seen by more than 100,000 people. It won the People's Choice Award at the Banff Mountain Film Festival.