Ali Training Camp & How We Filmed It
Welcome to the Muhammad Ali Training Camp in Orwigsburg, PA. This simple, unassuming sign stands beside the Sculps Hill Road and if you aren't looking you may just pass by thinking some Boy Scout troop camps here since most of the camp is made of olden wood cabins. Even the cafeteria is structured like a cabin with logs forested from nearby wooded areas. Little would anyone have known a man, a legend, and an American icon would have trained here along with a long list of other famous fighters.
This past week, Muhammad Ali passed away at 74 years old and that is the reason this project made it's way to our list as the project of the week as a small token to honor his contributions to our local community and everything great he stood for.
Last year our company was asked to film a documentary called "Our Town: Orwigsburg" which later premiered locally on WVIA and nationally on PBS on June 4, 2015. Knowing a few things about the area having grown up just ten miles down the road all my life, we started our journey capturing little stories such as a propane truck which got into an accident on highway 61 and exploded taking out more than a city block. It leveled a church, an ice cream shop, and many other stores. We followed the story to find out that people from Orwigsburg came together despite which church they belonged to, if any, and rebuilt the church to stand higher than the last and placed it right along the highway to show the power of community to every passerby.
But that's not the point of my story here and wasn't the only story we covered in the 60 minute film. I knew of this quiet little camp which was somewhat forgotten about after Ali left several years ago and retired from his well-known career.
Lucky for us, one of Ali's dearest friends from back in the day heard about the production and gave us a call to let us know she would help in any way she could by getting us access to the camp. Her name was Lynda and for purposes of an online publication we cannot release her full name.
The camp is currently closed to public access and in fact, it took us almost a full month just to get access and for our cameras to step foot on the property even with our press credentials. It is located next to a public road so you can stop by and take pictures but walking through the grounds is off limits at the moment. After some long conversations, our location manager and our cameras were not only allowed on the property but inside the buildings to capture what is left to the camp after being forgotten.
Thanks to our location manager Lynda, we traveled up the hill just like so many great fighters did years ago and after arriving on location we pulled out our cameras and honestly, didn't know where to start. There was so much to capture and only one afternoon to complete our task but I always love a good challenge.
As you walk into the camp, the first thing you'll likely notice is large boulders with names of famous fighters painted on them such as Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston, and Angelo Dundee. Every fighter listed trained at this camp. One thing you won't notice is Ali's name on the rocks near the entrance. In fact, Ali apparently asked for his name to be placed on the boulder furthest away from the entrance so other fighters would feel more welcome.
To your left you will notice a large training cabin with a boulder near the main door reading "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" which is Ali's most famous quote along with the names of his trainers.
To your right as you enter, you will notice another large rock with the words "Ali to Bernie 1973" painted on it. Some may ask why this rock has almost a thank you note to someone named Bernie on it instead of a fighter's name so here's why: Back when the camp was in use, a man named Bernie took care of the grounds while Ali was at other locations training or travelling to fight. This man was named Bernie and he would also look after Ali's horses and in essence be a general manager of the camp. He would later even repaint the rocks by hand to ensure the names were not lost in time after the camp closed. To thank him for all he did, Ali made this special rock on the camp and placed it right near the entrance. Bernie had a daughter who was named Lynda who almost 45 years later became our location manager and tour guide for our filming.
We then turned our attention inside the cabins, of which there are many in this camp which were used for fighters to rest after a long day of training. No one and no cameras have been allowed in these cabins since the close of the camp, until now.
We then ended our tour with a look at a mosque Ali had built on the camp grounds to ensure he and the other fighters would take time to keep their faith strong.
We then interviewed both Lynda and some other members of the community to tell the story in the words of those who knew him best and were present when the fighters were in town to train. We learned so much in our interviews it was impossible to edit it all in a segment of a film. Thanks to our interviews, we learned Ali was a gracious man who lent his camp out to kids who wanted to learn to fight and even trained a few classes himself. He would regularly attend local events in Orwigsburg to show the people he wasn't just in town to train. He also donated his time and resources to the community to help local causes. We even heard a story of Ali coming to a local firehouse picnic and spending the day behind the counter helping the servers.
All in all, the camp stands as a reminder of what Ali was lesser known for, being a humanitarian and not just a fighter.
We spent 22 days down in Orwigsburg, over 200 hours, and filmed over 50 hours of footage for the film but one of my best experiences was at the Ali camp. Partially because of the amazing location manager we had but mostly because I had the opportunity to learn so much while there and walk in the footsteps of so many American icons.
Currently the camp is for sale and plans are made to reopen the camp as a monument to the Ali family but regardless of what comes of this camp in future years Muhammad Ali will always be remembered in our community as one of the greatest men to ever pass through. Rest In Peace.
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