Team USA Training Camp, Part 1

The escape from Wisconsin's cold damp spring was made, off to San Diego California for the Team USA Special Olympics training camp.  To catch up, the camp is the first chance for all coaches and World Games Athletes to finally meet, after months of email and phone calls for training.  As first time head coach, I was nervous, but hopeful that I could do the best job possible for the athletes.  I commented more than once, that I was amazed by how quickly all 49 athletes and 15 staff (for the track team), came together as a team...as a family.  Adversity helps to be sure-changes of schedule, bus breakdowns etc.  We just have the best team, so many great athletes and a top notch staff-our trip to Athens next June should go just great and I'm happy to be doing this trip with all of them.

This is usually a photography web site, but this time around I was seldom a photographer.  I did manage to snap a few images and these are some of my favorites.  I think they capture some of the personalities we have on the team, for people, are the most important thing of all in Special Olympics.

Sam Moku- World Games Coach

  We trained at San Diego State University, a beauty track located ontop of a parking ramp...okay, and surrounded by palm trees.  Sam is from Hawaii and one coach I was so anxious to meet...according to other coaches who know him. He is an excellent track coach, and just as important, a great Special Olympics coach.  Our personalities meshed well and he will become a great friend.  This shot just shows, in one instant, his joyful personality.  I look forward to working with him again in June.

The Crew

This shot is from the last day of training-and one that illustrates about every level of athletic ability.  Pictured here are some of the fastest sprinters I have ever seen and some of the most developmental Walk racers.  One of the kindest athletes and one of the most talkative and patience grabbing.  But...we are all family and they are great.

Doug

Does a portrait have to show a face?  I don't think so.  This is Doug, a quiet, unassuming person who has great knowledge of track and of athletes and who made my job so much easier.  Maybe one of the best things was just talking between workouts or on the bus or at the game about little things-just getting to know each other.  I like this shot-his hands say a lot, they are caring and strong.  The garb is typical Special Olympics Coach...everything that is needed and nothing more.

Craig.

A pretty simple photograph I know, but like the previous, I think it can tell a story.  Craig is a SO coach from Ill, with a lot of experience in track and with special needs.  Again, he tends to have everything he needs and little more and knows on track and off what is best for the athletes.  I know we'll become closer the more schedule changes we face and the more buses break down.

Polar Plunge !!!!

So my "assignment" today was to help out with the Neillsville Polar Plunge-it's put on by the local Lions club and is a great fund raiser for our  Special Olympics agency.....in fact, our athletes have raised the most money every year of the plunge and thankfully, those funds come right back to the local team to help with costs of competition and training. 

My other "assignment" (a self assignment, BTW) was to make some pictures here.  I really needed to get back on the shooting horse again.  The morning of the plunge was below zero and it gradually warmed to +9 at "swim" time.....luckily.  The Lions announce the groups and members and then it's dunk time.  A friend, News Herold Photographer Laura Schmitt  (http://lschmittphoto.blogspot.com/)  was on assignment here also.  The plunge is just a great opportunity to get fun images-expression, action (some faster than others) and shooting something out of the ordinary.  I knocked off about 200+ frames and edited them down to maybe 75 that I liked.  From there maybe 25 keepers.  I wondered how Laura does it-she can only publish maybe one photograph from the shoot and it probably is one a photo editor selects.  Must be interesting and or frustrating to press the shutter so many times and have it boiled down to one picture which captures the story-that's why she's so good.  I didn't have those restrictions and published a bunch to a Facebook album and now here on the blog.
These are some of my favorites.

Daina-our Spec. Oly. Snowboarder

The Lobster-Man

Refreshing Dip?

A couple Colby HS Hornettes

Shadows

I had given my students a word to use as a theme over the past weekend for their shooting assignment-"Shadows."  When I make an assignment like this, I always keep it open to their interpretation, hoping they'll come up with something less obvious or literal.  When someone does, it's more fun for me as a their teacher to see their creativity.  As usual, some didn't start the assignment until after downloads were due, but others did have some good examples and experimented with light and shadow-great to see.  Since this was all on my mind, this morning I decided to pull out a photo from last winter that really had little to do with nature and everything to do with shadow and composition.  This was one of my favorites from that morning.

Fog and Luminance

Schools closed today because of thick fog-really some pea soup out there.  Had a chance anyway to get grades done, keep an eye on the crisis in Madison and then escape to the woods with camera and Molly.  I knew I wanted to make a picture or two, just had a hard time finding the right thing.  Late in my hike, banks of fog would move in and out, which was pretty cool.  Hopefully I caught a little of that feeling.

Fog Bank on the Move

Black on White

Snow Art by Mother Nature

For unknown reasons, I've always loved reading about adventures of polar explorers.  My favorite book on the subject was "Endurance" by Ernest Shackleton.  It's the story of a failed attempt to cross Antarctica by sledge and the struggle to survive during a two year period stranded by pack ice and remoteness.  It's worth a read.  I think part of my attraction to these stories are that I truly enjoy snow and winter and being outdoors doing just about anything.  Call me a bit crazy, but there are times I love the bite of below zero on my skin and the struggle to just traverse deep snow.  For myself, it makes me feel alive.

As I snowshoed yesterday, the wind was up pretty high, but temps were not terrible.  I knew after working my way through the woods, I'd end up out on an open windy field.  I shot a few frames, but there wasn't a lot that caught my eye.  Nearing sunset and cresting the top of a hill,  the forms of the snow drifts started to interest me.  We'd received some rain a week ago, which formed a crust, and more recently, powder snow on top.  The strong winds during the past day or two really sculpted it and made (for me) some interesting forms.  I also liked the warm colors of the late day sun reflecting off of it.  I stopped at the highest point of my hike and wondered if those polar explorers appreciated the same beauty provided by the rawness of nature.  Perhaps, or maybe it was just another hurdle in the way to achieve their goals.

Snow Crescent

Sunset on Snow and Crust

Track Stories

I probably post something similar to this every winter, but it's something I just need to do.  I enjoy tracks.  I like the stories they can tell or the stories I try to interpret and think about.  They stop me in my.....ahhh, tracks.  They make me consider the when and why and it's okay if I never figure it all out-that's part of wonder Iguess.

White Footed Mouse tracks

These Wild Turkey tracks I happened to cut several times during my snowshoe.  The first time was out on a crusty and windblown field, where they could barely break the surface, then later in the woods wandering around in search of food.  I saw them several more times and finally they wandered into the yard checking for bird feeder leftovers.

Wild Turkey track in snow

Tubbs Snowshoe Tracks  on Cliffs field

Lastly, I stopped and checked out my own tracks.  The 24" snowshoes struggle in the 2' of snow here...or maybe it's just me.  I did get a workout, breathed fresh cold air and enjoyed the quiet.

Nat Geo Photography links

I ran across some great photos this morning-published on National Geographic's site featuring the daily dozen from readers.  I mentioned to my class yesterday that if they don't like making pictures and looking at pictures, they should take a different class.  This site is a good start.
Nat Geo-your-shot/daily-dozen

(from the daily-dozen site)

Of course, one link leads to another and I did some surfing on other pages in the NatGeo photography pages.

NAT Geo Photogtaphy

(from the Adventure and Exploration page)