Sports
I participated in a number of sports over the years. I say “participated” because you don’t “play” crew. When not participating, the camera came out and I tried to capture the essence of the sports. Some of these are scans from the film days, some are digital. Plus sometimes I was just the photographer.
Rugby
Years ago, I played rugby for the Washington Irish RFC - these are scans from the film days. Interesting game. 15 on 15, one referee. The teams policed themselves. You maliciously hurt someone? It was coming back 10-fold. So, you stayed on your best behavior. The post match parties were beyond - a celebration of survival if there ever was one.
The "We're not going to hurt each other, right?" moment before locking in on a scrum
Complete concentration at half-time. I can feel the vein pulsing
While generally safe (lack of padding means the hits hurt you as much as the other guy), the hits can appear savage.
Synchro
Synchronized Skating… 16 skaters on the ice doing all sorts of formations. Usually figure skating leaves me cold (ha-ha). However, 16 skaters in formation, moving at speed is something else. It is reminiscent of a school of fish or flock of birds moving in unison. Strong recommend to plug “synchronized skating” into YouTube and see a video.
Practice, Practice, Practice... and stay hydrated!
2015 Haydenettes at US Nationals
2015 Haydenettes at US Nationals
Rowing
And then there’s rowing… talk about a sport - I did this competitively in college and did quite well. The ultimate team sport, it is said. What it is not, however, is easy to photograph. The action is hundreds of yards/meters away. Unless you’re lucky enough to score a ride in an official’s launch, photographically to me, it’s ‘meh’. So, here are a couple from the land that capture a bit of the essence.
Getting back to the dock before the weather gets there
Early morning launch of the 1x rowers at the New Hampshire Championships