The roars from the crowd echoed across Mansfield Stadium as the Southwest team took the field for the Senior League World Series Championship. I focused my camera on the pitcher, my brother Joe, a sophomore. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the ESPN cameras covering the game. Seven innings later, the roars erupted again as Southwest defeated the island nation Curacao, 7-4.

This game was the end of a long journey. For many on the team, the road began when they played their first All Star game together at age nine as part of Little League baseball. Since then, the team’s dream of being World Series Champions had been cut short at various stages of the multi-tournament journey. This year, however, the West University All-Stars entered the final tournament undefeated. The players had cruised through the District, Sectional, State and Regional Tournaments, frequently run-ruling their competition.

This summer, I was more than a sibling spectator. I had expanded my small business, Emma Gobillot Productions, to produce, film and edit tribute videos for the younger West University All-Star teams. My parents wanted to hire me to chronicle the Seniors as they made their way to Bangor, Maine, for the finals. After spending the first six weeks of the summer filming youth baseball, I did not want to watch another minute, let alone get roped in for a long-term project. My parents begged me to come to one game; they said that the Seniors had the chance to make it all the way. After watching the first inning of the district championship game, I saw that this team was different, and I liked the idea of capturing their progress on film.

From there, I  documented their “Road to Bangor,” traveling to Tyler and Seguin, Texas, and eventually Bangor, to film every single game. For many, watching hours upon hours of baseball is monotonous, but filming it is a completely different ballgame. Set up in the dugout, I got to see how the coaches, players and umpires interacted, an intimate vantage point that spectators don’t get to see. Over the course of two months, I watched the players grow as individuals and as a team. I got to know their parents and siblings. I became invested.

Bangor was the final stage on which the best teams from across the globe competed for the title of World Series Champion. Six regional champions represented the United States: this year, Southwest (West University Little League), Southeast, (Virginia), Central (Michigan), East (Connecticut), West (Hawaii) and the host team Bangor East made up the field. The international teams came from a diverse group of regions and nations: Saskatchewan (representing Canada), Italy (Europe-Africa), Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Asia-Pacific), and Curacao (Latin America).

In pool play, Southwest went 3-1. A loss to Curacao, 4-2, was their first and only loss in five tournaments. They returned the next night in the Semifinal to defeat Bangor East, 7-0, advancing to the nationally televised final. I felt nervous watching my brother take the mound in front of a national audience, with huge ESPN cameras set up around the pristine field. A few innings into the game, my phone started buzzing incessantly.

I was featured on TV, filming my brother pitching in the Senior League World Series final.  By taking on this project, I was able to share the experience with Joe rather than simply watching. As we boarded the plane the next morning in Boston to fly home, a replay of the game was broadcast on ESPN2. We watched it together, the teammates, families and videographer.