About the Athlete

Pride is Forever is a documentary film that follows the plight of high school runner Anthony Armstrong (US #5, Dyestat Top 25) as he trains for the 2012 track season in the hopes of winning a national championship. In 2011, Armstrong won the Washington State 3A state title in the 1600m (4:12.3) and the 3200m (8:57.36). The following cross country season he became the first runner ever to break 15:00 in the Washington State Cross Country Championship race (Sun Willows, 5K). Kicking from a distant third with 200 meters to go, Armstrong finished in 14:58.4, breaking the course record previously held by Shane Moskowitz (15:06). Two weeks later, after being put on crutches four days before the Washington vs. Oregon Borderclash race due to a sprained muscle behind his knee, Armstrong broke a three-man tie with 50 meters left in the 4.4 kilometer race to win in 13:48; finishing only a second off of Olympian Galen Rupp's course record time set 8 years earlier.

About the Filmmaker

Phil Snyder is a friend and fellow teammate of Anthony Armstrong. He began filmmaking in his junior year of high school when he decided to buy a Flip camera and create a documentary of his cross country team's 2010 season for his senior project. After viewing the 1 hour and 10 minute documentary, Snyder's supervisor claimed that it was "The best project I have ever seen." Later that year, Snyder invested in a DSLR camera to film more complex video projects. He has since created documentaries focused on his high school's football team, state championship track races, and elite high school cross country races. His future plans include attending the University of Washington where he hopes to major in informatics. Other than filmmaking and sports, Snyder is involved in pursuits such as playing the piano, photography, and web design. Deciding he isn't actually that great at running, Snyder has given up his senior year of track to create Pride is Forever.