I attended the Spokeswomen Mountain Bike camp in August, 2004, one year after the conclusion of my treatment for uterine cancer.  Attending the camp was my attempt to regain something of my old self.  The great loss from cancer for me was that I would never be the same person that I was before I heard the diagnosis -- physically or mentally.  Mountain biking was certainly an antidote for the anxiety and fear that cancer left behind.  Deciding to attend the camp in Whistler, B.C. was a huge leap for me in confronting the fear and trepidation I experienced every day when I thought of doing just about anything.  The camp was everything that I had hoped it would be -- I felt empowered, strong and good.  The following year in April on the anniversary of my diagnosis, I began thinking that the all-women mountain bike camps might be a good place to make a documentary. 

I began pre-production with the notion that other women probably had similar experiences to mine in terms of finding empowerment at this camp.  Thus began my exploration and my own revelation of my feelings of overwhelming fear, anxiety and reluctance.  As the project developed, I began to realize that I wanted to tell my own story as well as document the camp and participants as they faced obstacles and overcame fear.  I spent the summer of 2005 shooting the film and, in August, my two year treatment completion anniversary, I took the camp again with bigger goals and my camera crew following me.  I shot three camps over the course of the summer and recognized a phrase the all of the instructors would shout, "Commit to the Line," as they encouraged a rider through a particularly difficult part of a trail maneuver, or stunt.  The "line" is the way to negotiate terrain; while on the bike, you keep your eyes on the trail ahead while also scanning the periphery.  As you ride, you choose where your wheels should go to successfully negotiate a section of trail and you commit to it. 

Once you decide where your bike tires should be, you have to stick with it, you have to commit to it.  You cannot second-guess your decision or you will most likely crash.  Part of finding success in mountain biking is learning to trust your own judgement and follow through -- thus, "Commit to the Line."  This film is uses that constant demand for choice and commitment as a metaphor for the way to best choose and remain dedicated to one's own choices.  Women, especially, are prone to questioning themselves and their judgment; Commit to the Line encourages women to trust their decisions and remain confident in them.

-Rachelle A. Dermer, Director