The Des Moines Register caught up with the Iowa native behind a new movie on a track-and-field announcer who rose through the ranks to become one of the most recognizable and beloved names in the sport.
Holstein, IA native Andrew Snyder is behind a Track Guy Movie, an upcoming documentary that looks at a year in the life of Mike Jay. Jay is a longtime public-address announcer in the track-and-field world as well as the co-founder behind of Track Guy Foundation, an organization that helps track-and-field/cross-country runners.
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The 25-year-old Snyder’s film was made with a desire for people to learn more about Mike Jay, who does so much for the sport as well as his foundation:
As a filmmaker, I saw an opportunity to kind of just follow him around for the next year and kind of tell a holistic story of what a year in the life of Mike Jay is like [….] We have a nice balance of foundation work and then everything he does for announcing and stuff as well – Andrew Snyder, per The Des Moines Register
Snyder’s familiarity with Jay started when he was about 12-years-old. He became infatuated with Jay’s voice while watching his sister run at a state meet. Snyder was a former high school track and cross-country runner at Ridge View High School in Holstein, but never had the opportunity to run in state track.
In 2018, Jay and his family started the Track Guy Foundation as a way to give back to runners of all ages and creeds. Whether it’s donating shoes, offering scholarships, or funding Iowa summer running camps, Jay and his foundation are steadfast in their commitment to runners and the sport as a whole.
Track Guy Movie premiered at The Englert Theatre in Iowa City on Sunday, September 14th.
From there, Snyder told The Des Moines Register is securing screenings in the Des Moines area, with hopes to distribute the film to school and community organizations alike. It is to be determined when/if the film will see a conventional video-on-demand (VOD) or streaming release.
