MINOT — GRIT2 is headed for the big screen.
The film features five Prairie Grit Adoptive Sports participants during actual hunts conducted by Prairie Grit’s Outdoor Division. The feature film is the work of Aaron Esquibel, Minot. This year’s film follows the success of GRIT1 a year ago.
“This year we have everything from hunting deer in North Dakotas to antelope in Wyoming, turkey hunting, and bear hunting in Manitoba,” said Esquibel.
GRIT2, said Esquibel, will have a run time of about 45 minutes, more than twice as long as GRIT1. But there’s more participants too, in part because of the success of the initial showing. In the audience was Hailey Graner, Minot, who enjoyed the hunting scenes so much that she wanted to give it a try.
“She’d never hunted, 18, with spinal muscular atrophy and has a wheelchair to help get around,” said Esquibel. “Hunting seemed like something that wasn’t a possibility to her. She saw the movie, enjoyed it, and decided to give it a try.”
Esquibel and Prairie Grit Outdoors put together a hunting opportunity in the Killdeer Mountains, secreting Graner, her wheelchair, and a photographer in a well-chosen spot. To her amazement, Graner had two big buck deer in front of her stand.
“It was such a cool experience, a big buck,” said Esquibel. “When you hear somebody say it’s an experience they never thought they’d have, that’s huge. Huge.”
Some Prairie Grit Adoptive Sports participants shared a hunt for pronghorn antelope in Wyoming last year. Their hunt, and their success, will be shared on the big screen in GRIT2.
Esquibel brings their enjoyment to the movie theater, which gives parents and participants the chance to relive the hunt, and others to find out what Prairie Grit can accomplish.
“Parents and equally, if not more excited, when these hunts happen. They say it is something they didn’t think they could do," said Esquibel. “All of a sudden, they got to experience something with their kid that they’d hope to do their whole life. It opens up so many different avenues, different emotions.”
GRIT2 is scheduled for May 26 at Minot’s Oak Park Theater. The doors will open at 6 p.m. with the movie to begin at 7p.m. It is a fund-raiser for Prairie Grit’s Outdoor Division. Tickets are available on the Prairie Grit Facebook page and on Event Brite.
A year ago Prairie Grit purchased a track-chair, a wheelchair on treads that makes traversing difficult outdoor terrain possible. A second track-chair was added this year.
“That has really increased the mobility for our people,” explained Esquibel. “We got a trailer donated from Delta Waterfowl and it is awesome. We’re excited. Our equipment is growing expeditiously.”
Esquibel says Prairie Grit has refined the process of taking Adoptive Sports participants into the field so they can experience what was previously thought impossible.
“It’s easy to see how families can get discouraged trying to do it themselves,” said Esquibel. “We have the process down. To see what happens when our hunters experience their first time with us, there’s nothing better."
Here's a preview of what GRIT2 is all about:
