Each year we shoot spring sports previews, we run into weather-related issues. Freezing temps, snow, rain, you name it. Knock on wood, we’ve lucked out so far this spring. The last two days have been drizzly, but it didn’t hold these guys back from getting a practice in.
The Dublin Coffman girls soccer team did its best to hold off Upper Arlington for well over 100 minutes on Saturday, but couldn’t stop the Golden Bears from scoring in the second overtime. After two sudden death goals by UA were questionably waved off by officials in the second overtime, there was no doubt the third time the ball hit the back of the net. UA won 2-1 to claim the Div. 1 district championship.
I had some pretty sweet light for most of the first half of the mid-afternoon game, but it went away for the second half and both overtimes. Regardless, the afternoon start was a nice change from the harshness of stadium lights that I’m getting used to.
This week’s football game was by far the wettest I’ve shot. The downpour began sometime mid-afternoon and didn’t let up until after halftime. The few brief dry periods in the second half didn’t matter much since I and everything I brought with me were completely soaked.
As an aside, if you’re a photographer looking to buy rain gear, don’t buy Tenba. Anything heavier than a slight drizzle, and you’re gear is soaked. I hope ThinkTank will soon come out with something that fits lenses shorter than 400mm.
As far as the game went, it was a blowout. In the first meeting of Worthington Kilbourne and Thomas Worthington, Kilbourne came out on top 43-3. As expected, considering the conditions, it was a very sloppy game.
It was cold and dreary most of the first day of the state golf tournament at Ohio State’s Scarlet and Gray courses on Friday. I actually wore gloves all day for the first time this fall. I had to get shots of almost 30 kids spread out over the 36-hole course, so there wasn’t a whole lot of time for creativity. Here are the least boring from the day.
Beginning with the Crew game on Saturday, this has been my week of soccer. I had a reprieve on Wednesday when the sports guys messed up my assignment by sending me to a soccer game that was on neither team’s schedule, so I basically got the day off. Last night was my fifth game of the week. I was at Marysville High School, which has its own soccer field, complete with lights… well, sort of. (more…)
When the LA Galaxy came to Columbus to face the Crew last night, one player stood a bit taller than the rest… at least to this photographer. David Beckham finally made his long-awaited Columbus debut in front of a sold-out crowd at Crew Stadium.
As soon as Beckham announced joining the MLS, I marked the date on my calendar that the Galaxy would be traveling to Columbus. There was a lot of hoopla around the league, and tickets to all the Galaxy games quickly sold out. It was mid-summer when he finally made his MLS debut, and shortly after when he suffered a season ending injury. My hopes were a bit dashed to see one of the truly iconic sports figures of all time.
My family spent a semester in Oxford when I was in high school, and I studied in London for a semester of college. Add a spring break trip and a month-long jaunt in London, and my time in England quickly adds up. For many soccer fans in the US, Beckham is a known star, but in England, regardless of your football knowledge, Beckham is a household name. From daily sportscasts and gossip shows to sidewalk billboards, simply put, his face is everywhere.
With the Crew doing so well this year, I figured Beckham’s first appearance in Columbus would be a big deal. The game sold out, and the Crew ran a “black out the Galaxy” promotion. Numerous fans hung over the railing snapping photos and shouting for autographs as he took the field for warm-ups. There were a considerable amount of No. 23 jerseys in the crowd, and flash bulbs erupted each time he ran down the sideline.
I have to give the Crew faithful a ton of credit though. They didn’t let Beckham steal the show. It was business as usual from the Crew supporters’ section in the northeast corner of the stadium, jumping, chanting and waving Crew flags throughout the entire game. “Go home Beckham” cheers rained down from the bleachers drowning out the gasps from the Beckham-watchers each time he touched the ball.
In the end, Alejandro Moreno’s goal late in the first half ended up being the difference in the game. Everyone in attendance, save for maybe the Galaxy team itself, went home happy. The Crew supporters got their win, and the Beckham watchers, myself included, got their first-hand glimpse of the man himself, albeit a year later than expected.
My assignment for the night, which I came up with on my own, was to show the frenzy Beckham can cause. We don’t normally cover Columbus’ professional sports teams, Buckeye football included, so the sports action part of the game was inconsequential. Fortunately, I got my shot early in the evening when Beckham took the field for the first time. He had a slight smile on his face, and the fans behind him went wild. That left me free the rest of the night just to sit back and watch him work.
Seeing Beckham play for the Galaxy gave me a similar feeling to when I watched Michael Jordan play for the Wizards late in his career. Both were a few steps slower than in their prime, but their remarkable athleticism caused me to hold my breath each time they got the ball. Beckham took a few corner kicks directly in front of me that sailed off his foot with a touch unlike anyone I’ve ever seen. For this photographer, it was definitely a memorable experience.
For the second week in a row, I shot my weekly Friday night football game at Crew Stadium. For the past few seasons, schools have been playing some of their big rivalry games on this neutral site. The main event on Friday was the Olentangy vs. Liberty game, but I shot the Orange vs. New Albany undercard matchup. It turned out to be a fun game to watch. Orange, a new school that just opened this year, doesn’t have any seniors, so they played the underdog role. After trailing most of the game, they cut New Albany’s lead down to less than a touchdown before running out of time and falling further behind in the fourth quarter.
Despite all the good action on the field, the best part of this game was its start time, 6 p.m. Normally the games here start at 7:30, and aside from the first week or two of the season, it’s nearly dark by kickoff. The early start this week meant I would have daylight for nearly the entire game. Once it started getting dark in the fourth quarter, the big, beautful banks of lights at Crew Stadium did a great job of illuminating the field. I’m sure for bragging about the light this week, I’ll be relegated to a City League game next week, but it was worth it.
Olentangy Orange junior Jason Hoskins, middle, belts out a cheer for his team during the football game against New Albany at Crew Stadium on Sept. 26.
The Olentangy Orange team prepares to enter the field prior to the football game against New Albany at Crew Stadium.
New Albany’s David Sharpe (29) leaps into the endzone over teammate Wes McKeever (3) and Olentangy Orange’s Ross Smith (8) and Alex Chekanoff (33) during the football game at Crew Stadium. New Albany won 30-21.
Olentangy Orange’s Chase Swisher (7) loses control of a long pass while being defended by New Albany’s Ryan Priddy (6).
Olentangy Orange’s Chaz Weisenstien (81) and Andrew Laws (71) team up to sack New Albany quarterback Jake Sullivan.
Olentangy Orange’s Chase Swisher catches a 58-yard touchdown pass over New Albany defender Chance Moore (2).
Olentangy Orange takes on New Albany at Crew Stadium on Sept. 26.
Down 48-0 at halftime, I’d have a hard time getting up too. This Westland linebacker stayed down on his knee for a few moments as the teams left the field at halftime. Davidson’s b-team put another 10 points on the scoreboard in the second half to win the game 58-0 on a soggy Friday night.
For those keeping track, we’ve had rain three of the first four weeks of the high school football season so far.
