Love - 40 Against the Photographer

I put this down as a lesson learned when covering pre-season tennis in Oregon...get there a half-hour early, or one just might miss the key matches.

When covering a recent pre-season match between Westview and Tigard high schools for the Beaverton Valley Times, the reporter and I showed up minutes after the scheduled 4:00pm start, only to watch the final few points of the first singles match. Upon inquiring, we found out that it was common practice for the coaches to get the matches started right after the kids get off the bus when there is a threat of rain. Hardly any warm up...just get out there and start playing.

After starting nearly 45 minutes before scheduled time, the first singles match was over very quickly in straight sets. This left the first doubles as the only news-worthy item. Luckily, that contest ran a bit longer as the match was a bit more even, and I was able to get some shots for our coverage. So...If the sky is gray...arrive early that day.