By Andrew Cross
The Master’s University’s (TMU) cross-country team’s documentary, “Audience of One,” premiered on February 6th at Placerita Bible Church. Over 200 people showed up on a rainy Tuesday night to view the hour-and-a-half video that covered the 2023 men’s cross-country season and brought the team’s message of exalting Christ to the forefront. This included friends, family, professors and fellow TMU athletes.
The documentary takes a deep dive into every race the Mustang men competed in on their way to a fourth-place finish at the NAIA championships. It also covered other elements of the team, such as practice (which often started long before the sun rose), team life and most importantly, the team’s sole focus on glorifying Christ through their sport. It shows the struggle of training and hardships coupled with the joy of victory, with Christ always at the center.
The documentary was a project of track athlete and TMU grad student Eli Szumera, a Golden State Athletic Conference champion in the javelin. Szumera spent the fall semester covering the cross-country season and filming many practices.
Although covering the season was a key part of the documentary, Szumera wanted to show the “why” behind TMU cross-country and what their motivation was for their season.
“Our purpose was to show that the true value of competing in athletics is not to promote self but to glorify God,” Szumera said. “Success in sports is faithfulness to glorify the Lord through every outcome, not simply winning a race. We do that through preaching the gospel and loving each other well. You can win but still lose in the way that matters most.”
Other athletes took part in the documentary, with freshman Isaiah Fastrup also handling filming duties and seniors Daniel Rush and Zach Garey narrating. TMU campus pastor Harry Walls and head coach Zach Schroeder were also interviewed.
“Our athletes are here to shine the spotlight on the Lord,” Schroeder said. “The pursuit of what we are doing is for His glory and His honor.”
The documentary will soon be published on TMU cross-country and track and field’s YouTube page:
The TMU Mane 