The athlete is about to travel throughthe same route he completed entirely on roller-skis back in 1988, when an unexpected surgery cut short his participation in Calgary Winter Olympics. This time, a filming crew from Latvia will be following Raymond to document his experiences and reflections in the feature film, “A to B Rollerski,”and people will be welcomed to join them on the way. Today, the filming crew is leaving Latvia to travel to Canada and are expected to arrive to Inuvik on September 13.
„A to B Rollerski”documentary film will tell an inspiring story about Latvian athlete Raymond Dombrovsky and his ambitious 4,200 miles long journey on roller-skis all the way from Arctic to Mexico in 90 days back in 1988. This September, the production company, Look at Riga, together with the film’s main character is traveling back to the USA to relive the same exciting adventure, discovering the similarities and differences in people and places over the last 26 years.
The professional athlete and seven-time USA champion in biathlon, Raymond Dombrovsky, started his remarkable journey in 1988 after undergoing a serious surgery that kept him from participating in the Calgary Olympic Games. It was a dramatic turning point in his professional career and thus, a true moment of reflection. In order to keep fit, but most importantly, to understand how to live on, Raymond began a trip from Inuvik in Arctic to Baja in Mexico doing what he loves the most –traveling on roller-skis. Besides, having emigrated from the Soviet Latvia to USA in 1979, this trip allowed Raymond to promote Latvia's name in the world and advocate for his country's freedom. No one had ever done anything like this and to this day no one has repeated his journey.
Arnis Aspers, director and producer of “A to B Rollerski,”says, “This is the moment when we know –the story about Raymond, his boundless power of human spirit and endless courage needs to be told to inspire people around the world to do new and great things. About 20 hours of video material has been saved from 1988 and will be used for the basis of the movie. This September, Raymond and our filming crew will return to Inuvik where it all started and will cover the same road to Baja, filming the movie.”
“Without a doubt I can say that this documentary won’t be another story about how to go from A to B on roller-skis,”says Raymond Dombrovsky. “This will be a story about the most important time of my life when just like a house of cards, all my dreams collapsed and my goals faded away with it. The movie will tell about the moment when I was left with two options –to give up and be stuck in my misery or
to gather all my willpower and move on, proving myself and everyone else that not the circumstances but ourselves are the ones to set the boundaries.”
Raymond and the filmmakers are also offering everyone an opportunity to join some parts of the journey for a certain amount of donation towards the production on the global crowd-funding platform, Kickstarter, where director Arnis Aspers hopes to raise enough funds to finish the film after the trip is completed. The travel will span through Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alberta in Canada and Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Arizona in USA from September 14 to October 13. Those who would like to join Raymonds and the filming crew can find the details on the film's Kickstarter page,http://kck.st/1weOuj9.
From Raymond's diary on August 14, 1988:“Entered Inuvik at night. Spent the day doing some stuff, getting everything ready. Started rollerskiing from church that’s built like an igloo. It was a big event for the local people. The first 6 km were on the pavement, then the gravel began. The start was rather sharp, then suddenly mountains, but the worst thing was the wind –I figured it was an important factor. We skied 28 miles without stopping. Had dinner, of course, in between. 3. 55 h = 28 miles.”
To follow Raymond's adventures in real time, go to the movie's homepage www.atobrollerski.com and https://facebook.com/atobrollerski.
To join Raymond on the way, go to http://kck.st/1weOuj9
For Media Inquiries:
A to B Rollerski
224 Paoli Pike
Malvern, PA 19355
Associate Producer:
Dita Gruze
610.680.7741
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Creative Director:
Karina Lapsina
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