I think this movie is great. The kids work really hard and do their best. In my opinion, they are great role models for my kid. Although I watched this film more than a year ago, I still remember one boy's perplexity at having come in second, *although they had done their best and exactly what their coach/teacher had told them.* It was moving seeing him forced to absorb this painful but real life lesson (and I watched my own son absorb it by proxy).