John Lariviere's Blog

I'm Blogging Again, But Not Here

2009-10-05T22:21:00.000-07:00

OK, it's been months since my last blog entry. Without boring you all with excuses why it's been so long, I'm back on track. However, I have moved my blog to my hosting service using WordPress as the blog engine. So follow me at my Oregon Sports Photos Blog.

Glencoe vs Thurston Playoffs

2008-11-26T03:59:00.000-08:00

Night Glow

2008-10-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

As Summer arrives in Tigard, Oregon, so do the balloons. The Allstate Festival of Balloons in Tigard is held in mid-June, attracting about twenty-five balloon entries from around the U.S.A. and this year one entry from the Czech Republic.

One of the fan favorite events is the night glow. Balloonists set up in the main launch area as the sun begins to set in the evening and as darkness settles in, the pilots periodically blast their burners which light up the balloon like a huge firefly. The unique challenge to getting good shots of the balloons fully aglow is part luck and part astute timing. You see, the pilots only blast the burners for a few short seconds and, except for one coordinated blast called out by the event announcer, the blasts are random. So trying to get a shot of multiple balloons can be a bit challenging; much like catching fireflies.

Manchester United Premier Cup U.S.A. Finals

2008-08-29T00:35:00.000-07:00

The Memorial Day Weekend is the traditional start of Summer. In Beaverton, Oregon on the Nike World Campus the long weekend is also the annual U.S.A. finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup, a premier youth soccer tournament for U-15 boys and girls. This year the tournament was expanded to 32 teams in each the boys and girls brackets with matches hosted on the pristine fields on the Nike campus and fields of equal caliber on the Catlin Gable School campus.

The San Diego Surf defeated Pateadores S.C. of Mission Viejo, CA to earn the honors to play in the Man U Premier Cup Finals at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. The going at the finals was a bit rough for the Surf as they managed one win out of five matches. For the girls, the Dallas Texans edged out Crossfire Premier from Seattle, WA in a penalty kick shoutout to win a trip to Gothenburg, Sweden to compete in the Gothia Cup. The Texans made the best of the opportunity and won the girls U-15 championship by defeating Bele Barkarby FF of Sweden 1-0 in the final.

Photos of the Man U Premier Cup U.S.A. Finals located in the Oregon Sports Photos Gallery.

He's Still Got It!

2008-08-01T23:52:00.001-07:00

Former President Bill Clinton swung through Oregon in April to campaign for his wife Hillary's campaign bid for the Democratic ticket against Barack Obama. In one day, Clinton visited North Bend, Monmouth, Oregon City and Portland. Clinton met with about 2,000 enthusiastic supporters at Oregon City High School after running 90 minutes late from his three previous stops. No one seamed to care as the chance to be in the presence of the former President in an intimate setting in the Oregon City High gymnasium kept the energy level high as Clinton received cheers from the crowd.

Clinton spoke for over 30 minutes, covering the various points of Hillary's campaign with substantial amounts of data backing up his rhetoric. He never missed a beat as he spoke about her plans to deal with Iraq, health care, the economy and energy issues. Clinton speaks with elements of charm, often adding humor to keep his audience engaged. He dances from topic-to-topic with smooth eloquence and his energy level totally masked any hint of fatigue from the marathon day of speaking engagements. Whether or not you agree with the Clinton's politics, its hard to deny Bill Clinton's skills as a public speaker and gift for politics.

Passing the Bar

2008-08-01T22:16:00.001-07:00

As I catch back up once again with blogging, below are some shots from early Spring dual track meets featuring jumpers and vaulters battling against the same foe...gravity. Milwaukie High School jumpers lost out by an inch to Oregon City High School as the OC top two of Alex Humpreys and Derek Hinkle both cleared 6'-1" followed by Milwaukie's Neo Smith at 6'-0". The Lake Oswego High School girls took the top two spots in dual action against Rex Putnam High as Morgan McGuire set a school record of 9'-7" followed in second place by Gabi d'Amoto at 8'-6".

Pacific's Field of Dreams

2008-05-08T23:18:00.000-07:00

On a Saturday late in March, the rain stopped and the clouds parted for a very special event in Forest Grove, Oregon. On this day Pacific University held a dedication ceremony for their sparkling new baseball stadium named after the late Chuck Bafaro, Pacific's baseball coach for 31 seasons between 1964 and 1994. Bafaro's teams captured three conference championships and racked up 533 victories, as he was named the NAIA District II Coach of the Year three times, in 1968, 1972 and 1979.

The all natural grass field sports dimensions similar to major league parks with the baselines hitting the wall at 345 feet, the power alleys stretch out to 375 feet and it will take serious power to send it over the center field wall at 390 feet. The dugout and press box facilities are first class with the grandstands capable of seating 500 fans. Overall, Bafaro Stadium is a jewel of a diamond.

The Pacific Boxers took to the field following the dedication ceremony to play a double-header against the Whitman College Missionaries. With a rare afternoon of early Spring sunshine, the Boxers made it a perfect day by winning both games 5-3 and 7-6. The second game was a thriller come-from-behind victory in the ninth inning, as they overcame a 3-6 deficit by rallying to bringing home four runners for the win. It was a perfect day for Pacific and a perfect day for baseball.

The Four-tunes of Two

2008-04-11T01:27:00.000-07:00

In high school sports, every athlete's dream is to win a state championship. Few are able to realize such a dream during their four years of high school competition. It is actually just a select few that get a chance to play at the varsity level more than two years, so to be so fortunate to win more than one state championship is beyond most athlete's comprehension. So imagine what it is like to win four state championships during your high school career. And not just ride the pines the first couple of years, but to step on the court in year one and be an integral component your school's first championship title, and over the next three years become the team's heart and soul, team leaders and two of the top players in the state.

Meet Alex Earl and Michelle Jenkins of Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon.

As seniors this year Alex and Michelle tapped off their remarkable high school careers with their fourth straight OSAA 6A Basketball Championship for Southridge by defeating Oregon City 49-43. Alex is a quick play-making guard who is comfortable running the team's offense, is tenacious on defense and has no fear when it comes to putting up pressure shots from outside. Alex's talents will be very much appreciated at Arizona State University starting next Fall. The University of Southern California will be the beneficiaries of Jenkins' powerful play at the low post and seemingly never ending work rate. It was four fabulous years for two phenomenal players.

Alex Earl (left) and Michelle Jenkins (right) celebrate during the OSAA
6A Basketball Championship game against Oregon City.

Alex Earl works the ball against Central Catholic's Chelsey Christensen
during Southridge's 39-24 OSAA 6A semi-final victory.

Alex Earl takes her turn during the ceremonial cutting of the net following
her team's fourth straight OSAA 6A Championship title.

Michelle Jenkins Jenkins drives against Central Catholic's Courtney Flynn
during the OSAA 6A semi-final game.

Michelle Jenkins works the low post against Oregon City's Lindsey Shearer
during the OSAA 6A Championship game.

Check out the Les Schwab Invitational Action

2008-02-29T22:42:00.000-08:00

I recently found the time to update my Oregon Sports Photos site with three pages of action from this year's Les Schwab Invitational High School Basketball Tournament held over the Christmas break. Once again, the Schwab brought outstanding basketball talent to the state as ten Oregon schools competed along with six visiting schools from California, Louisiana, Washington and British Columbia to the twelfth annual title.

I have shot the Schwab the past few years as I take a few vacation days and seize the opportunity to get into the flow of shooting basketball at the outset of the season. It was great to meet fellow SportsShooter Juliann Tallino as she was on site to cover the last day of the tournament for Max Preps.

To see all the action > Start by clicking here!

Meet Mr. Six

2008-01-21T23:04:00.000-08:00

I always proclaimed myself to be open-minded, except when it came to owning a cat. I didn't have anything against cats; I just did not want to be "a cat owner." Little did I realize that my mind would be wedged wide open a couple years ago by a cute little rescue kitty.

My wife and her friend were eating out at a local restaurant and heard the whining sounds of newborn kittens in the rafters of the eave over the entrance. Without hesitation, the two summoned the manager and found out they were born to a feral cat who had not been seen in a couple days. That's all they needed to know...the two got a box, brought them home and for weeks nursed them to health.

One of the litter stood out amongst the others. First, he had an extra toe on each foot which is known as being a polydactyl cat. This type of cat is sometimes referred to as a Hemingway Cat, named after the famed Ernest Hemingway who owned and raised polydactyls after falling in love with them upon receiving his first as a gift from a ship's captain.

The second thing that made this little six-toed cutie stand out was that he was extremely social; followed my wife everywhere she went as she was sharing the nursing duties for the litter. It didn't take long for the two to fall in love and when my wife asked if we could keep him, I knew I was out-matched.

It turned out to be a great decision. Mr. Six, whose name started as just light-hearted moniker due to his extra toes, turned out to be the a great addition to the family. He acts more like a dog than a cat. He always wants to be around one of the family members, loves to drink water from the faucet and even responds to a handful of voice commands. Mr. Six certainly charmed his way into my heart and with his great personality is a constant source of entertainment around the house.

There's Something Funny Going on in Beaverton

2008-01-18T23:31:00.000-08:00

Eric Kingstad figured Beaverton (Oregon) could use a good laugh. So he is doing something about it. In November, Kingstad opened the Jester Comedy Club in the corporate events and meeting complex he owns in Beaverton. There is no other club of its kind in the suburb town just outside of Portland and Kingstad is going all out to provide an upscale establishment with nationally known headline acts.

On opening weekend Cowboy Bill Martin christened the club as he brought his hilarious down-home country routine into town. Despite the moniker, hat, boots and western clothes, Martin's comedy has a broad appeal and taps on elements of life to which city folk and rustlers can relate. The opening weekend crowds responded with barrels of laughter providing a great atmosphere which Martin mastered keenly.

Opening for Martin was Northwest based Kermit Holiday who bills himself as "the world's skinniest comic." He took the crowd on a ride through pop culture and got the laughter rolling. Coverage of Jester's opening night was for a Beaverton Valley Times feature story.

The Dream Season

2007-12-20T00:18:00.000-08:00

After loosing in the quarter-finals of the OSAA 5A High School Soccer Championships in 2006, the fourteen seniors on the 2007 Glencoe Crimson Tide team knew this had to be "the season." The side rolled through the regular season undefeated with a 14-0-1 record. And during the playoffs, Glencoe scored twelve goals for with only one against in three games to land a spot in the state championship final against returning finalist Bend High School.

Coach Tom Stephens knew this year's team was special. The staff and the players often referred to atmosphere on the team as a family. The school had never made it to the state finals and Stephens wanted it so bad...for his players...for his seniors. After falling behind 0-1 early in the second half, the Tide actually became energized and began backing Bend up against its own goal. A goal off a corner kick by Nolan Dempster to equalize was followed by a driving far post shot by Wil Hiles beating the keeper with eight minutes remaining to push Glencoe ahead 2-1. The final whistle at the end of regulation set off an emotional celebration as players and fans cherished the special moments of winning the school's first state championship title.

It was a special season...it was a special team....it was a family celebration.

Also view a photo video honoring Glencoe's 2007 OSAA 5A High School Soccer Championship season on OregonSportsPhotos.com.

Fall Season Winds Down

2007-12-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the Fall high school sports season in Oregon, the weather is warm and wearing jeans and a t-shirt can even be over-dressed at times. At the end of the season, it's three layers of clothing, gloves and cups of hot tea. I covered the OSAA Cross Country Championships at Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon for four Pamplin Media Group newspapers. The day was a mix of cold and crisp in the morning and warm and sunny in the afternoon; a testament to the mix of weather experienced during the Fall in Oregon.

The Jesuit High School (Beaverton, OR) girls kept their string of championships running as they took home their sixth straight 6A first place trophy. The Jesuit boys took second seating to the kings of the 6A boys harriers, their rivals Central Catholic (Portland, OR) who won their third consecutive title. Other schools I was covering in the 3A, 4A and 5A divisions had great individual accomplishments, but team results were not honored with hardware.

Skate On!

2007-11-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

Finally! Five years after Tigard youth suggested to then Mayor Jim Griffith that a skatepark be added to the city's park system, the dream has been realized. After Griffith's death in 2003, members of the Skatepark Taskforce asked that the proposed park be named in honor of Griffith because of his strong advocacy of the park and youth activities in Tigard. Current Mayor Craig Dirksen blessed the request and led the charge to secure funding for the Jim Griffith Memorial Skate Park.

The 15,000 square foot in-ground facility opened in October, much to the delight of the local thrashers. The design includes three bowls, along with common street features. Located in the northeast portion of the City of Tigard City Hall parking lot, the park, needless to say, is packed with skaters of all abilities who give it a big "thumbs up."

Good Lord, What a Gourd

2007-11-27T20:37:00.000-08:00

The West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta held in Tualatin, Oregon in late October is an event that words alone fall miles short of providing one with a perspective of the event. Think about it. If you read that well bread, educated adults carve out pumpkins ranging between 500 and 1,200 pounds, then drop them into a lake, climb inside the gourd and proceed to paddle around a buoyed course all in the name of fun; do you think you would really "get it" without seeing it?

A few thousand people showed up at the Lake at Tualatin Commons to witness the event for themselves. For a fourth year, the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Association hosted the giant pumpkin regatta, which has become a popular Fall event in Tualatin. The growers donated the pumpkins and the community joined in the fun as event spectators were welcome, and encouraged, to don a life vest and kayak paddle. You can read about the event in the Tigard-Tualatin-Sherwod Times pre-race feature and post-race feature, but the pictures will surely complete the scene.

How Ironic

2007-11-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Pre-season assessments of Oregon's back-to-back state championship football team didn't have them as a clear favorite to three-peat, but as the Jesuit Crusaders started off their season by demolishing early foes, people began to think that Jesuit will surely be in the thick of the playoff race in late November.

Well, fate has its cruel side. During season play, Jesuit stomped on its Holy War rival Central Catholic with 60-0 drubbing in the second week of the 2007 season. It was an embarrassingly sad showing for the Rams. Then, a 27-13 win over Westview set up the Crusaders for its fourth Metro League crown and top seeding in the playoffs. But on the final week of the season, Jesuit dropped a contest against Southridge 28-27 in overtime, ending its Metro League season sharing the title with Southridge and Westview.

How could fate be even more cruel for the Crusaders? An uncharacteristic early dismissal from the playoffs in the first round with a 47-35 loss to Canby...this hasn't happened to them in 20 years. And cruelest fate? Central Catholic and Westview are both playing in the quarter-finals tonight for the OSAA Championship while the Crusaders are likely at home helping clean up after the Thanksgiving holiday. Talk about winning the battles and losing with war.

Jesuit 60 vs Central Catholic 0

Jesuit 27 vs Westview 13

Where Did The Summer Go?

2007-11-09T00:31:00.000-08:00

I am supposed to be blogging weekly. Well, that hasn't happened for a while. Shooting...I've been doing. Writing took a back seat. So let's give you a quick highlight blog of some Summer assignments.

Little League Softball World Series
Umpires dancing to "The Chicken Dance" can only mean one thing. It's the Little League Softball World Series held at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland, Oregon. Teams were treated to beautiful weather, great softball competition, a first-class venue and a fabulous host...Alpenrose. The South team from Morristown, Tennessee edged out the Southwest 3-2 to claim the 2007 title.

Tualatin Crawfish Festival
The City of Tualatin has had a love affair with the crawfish for 56 years. It celebrates its anniversary every August by throwing a festival which includes a parade, live music, a crawfish cook-off and a slew of other events. Most notably is the famous crawfish eating contest. The record number eaten in the fifteen minute contest? 170...In 1970 by then 43 year old Cotton Scheckla. This year's winner was a far distance from Cotton's record, winning by downing 97 mudbugs.

Lake Oswego School District Alumni Bash
The Lake Oswego Alumni Association tried an experiment. They threw a party, inviting all alumni from the district's two high schools; Lake Oswego and Lakeridge. The first high school in the district was Oswego High (now Lake Oswego) built in 1951, followed by the addition of Lakeridge in 1971. Without knowing what to expect, organizers were pleasantly surprised when about 600 alums showed up for the bash held at Millennium Plaza Park. Event coverage was for the Lake Oswego Review.

Showing Patriotism in St. Helens
The Lions Club in St. Helens, Oregon volunteered to place flags on the town's main thoroughfares every legal holiday five years ago and, without fail, have lived up to their commitment. At dawn, club members spread throughout town and get the 218 flags set up and at sunset, the process is reversed. The South County Spotlight featured the event in their July 4th edition.

I Don't Do Weddings

2007-09-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

Well...that's what I keep telling folks. It's not that I am adversed to shooting a wedding...I just know that they are far from simple undertakings and I have not felt prepared to take on such a challenge at this point in time.

I was asked to help out as a second shooter for a recent wedding. I figured that it would be a good opportunity, and I was very glad I gave it a go. The setting was outdoors at the farm home of the bride's parents just outside of Scholls, Oregon. It was one of the coolest weddings I have been to. A great mix of people and a terrific atmosphere...they even served beer before the ceremony started!

I "stole with pride" a concept from Craig Mitchelldyer, who is an extremely talented wedding photographer, and put together a collage of some of the photos. Overall, I am very pleased with the results. I wouldn't call myself a wedding photographer yet...but I had my first taste and I enjoyed it.

Free Family Fun

2007-08-17T23:22:00.000-07:00

The Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District hosted its second annual Party in the Park at the Howard M. Terpenning recreation complex in Beaverton, Oregon. The day-long festival included a classic car show, entertainment and lots of sports related activities for young and old. The climbing walls were extremely popular with the kids as the lines to attempt a scaling lasted throughout the day.

I shot the event last year for the Beaverton Valley Times, and my photos of that shoot were used for this year's insert to promote the event. The variety of activities provided a wealth of shooting opportunities. A couple shots were used on the front page of the Valley Times the following week and the rest were filed away for next year's insert. A crowd favorite was the Get a Life Marching Band, which consists of former high school band members that are mostly well over 40 who can't let go of marching band experience. They play great music and know how to have a good time.

Condon's Allen Hamner Memorial Cook-off

2007-08-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

If you never have been to a BBQ cook-off...by all means, go! You will be treated to some of the best tasting beef, chicken and pork you have ever tasted. But don't just sample the food and walk off...take the time to chat with the participants. They are extremely passionate about their craft, or as some call it, their sport. Most travel long distances to competitions, invest hundred or thousands of dollars in equipment and work tirelessly for twenty-four hours preparing and cooking their entries for judging. They are a special breed of people. When asked why they are involved in competitive cooking, quite often the answer is, "the people" or "the community of the competitors." Despite the fact it is a competition, the camaraderie and support for fellow participants is very high.

The 2nd Annual Allen Hamner Memorial Cook-off was held in Condon, Oregon during the Fourth of July week. It's far from the largest cook-off around, but what it lacks in size, it more than makes up for it in spirit. The organizer, Kim Ryan, is the daughter of Allen Hamner, who was Condon's pharmacist until his passing in 2005, a victim of skin cancer. The cook-off was initiated in 2006 to help raise funds for the Allen Hamner Foundation, dedicated to the awareness and prevention of skin cancer. The cook-off, sanctioned by the Pacific Northwest Barbecue Association, will be back and looking to grow in size next year, as the Fourth of July falls on a Thursday and Condon's Fabulous Fourth celebration will draw a large number of visitors to town.

Intel® Rides with Orange County Choppers

2007-07-11T01:16:00.000-07:00

In passing, it may seam like an odd pairing...The roughneck Teutuls of the famed Orange County Choppers designing and building a custom chopper for the eggheads at Intel®. But upon closer inspection, one can see how leading edge technology is the common denominator between Intel and OCC. To design their world-renown custom bikes, the Teutuls utilize Hewlett Packard xw8400 workstations powered by Intel's quad-core technology processors. OCC creates leading edge chopper designs using Intel's leading edge technology.

In April of this year, Intel and OCC unveiled a chopper designed and built for Intel in commemoration of the company's 30th year of providing embedded computing technology. The 250 horsepower bike includes a military grade ultra-mobile PC instrument panel that incorporates a fingerprint recognition ignition system, built-in GPS, Bluetooth, Internet wireless access and review-facing webcams that replace review-mirrors.

The details and superior craftsmanship, a trademark of each Teutul creation, is clearly evident when one has an opportunity to view the bike up-close and personal. The Learning Channel will be running a two-part series highlighting the Intel build July 12th through 19th. It includes scenes when Paul Senior, Junior and Mikey visit an Intel fab to gain inspiration for the design concept.

Carrying on a Legacy of Peace

2007-05-18T01:39:00.000-07:00

Like his grandfather Mahatma K. Gandhi, Arun Gandhi speaks in a soft and gentle tone, but his message is one of power and strength. He speaks of the power humankind has to inflict change in the world through non-violent means. He encourages people to find the strength to separate anger from violence. Anger, he says, is a natural emotion; violence is not natural, it is a learned behavior that man too often chooses to respond to anger.

As a young child, Arun Gandhi was the victim of racial prejudice and violence growing up in South Africa. His life changed when his parents, frustrated with young Arun's reaction of violence against violence, sent him to live with his grandfather, Mahatma Gandhi, in India. His grandfather had a profound influence on Arun, so much so that Arun now has dedicated his life to carry on his grandfather's legacy of teaching about non-violence and influencing peace throughout the world.

Arun Gandhi brought his message of peace to ninth grade students at the International School of Beaverton, where he shared the story of his young life and how he chose, at an age similar to that of the student audience, to follow the lessons of his grandfather and be a catalyst for peace. He is the founder of The Gandhi Institute and through his work has met with the world's leaders to speak of solving differences through non-violent means. During the hour he spent with the students, Gandhi engaged in a dialog of questions and answers. It was a rare opportunity to share time with a man who continues the work of the most renowned symbol of peace through the human spirit; Mahatma Gandhi.

Love - 40 Against the Photographer

2007-04-12T01:18:00.001-07:00

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.

Hello, This is Michele from Sports Illustrated...

2007-03-23T19:51:00.000-07:00

...my first thought after answering this call on my cell phone was, "Oh no, a solicitation for me to subscribe to SI." But that thought was quickly purged from my brain as Michele finished her opening statement..."I am an assistant photo editor and I was wondering if you might have any photos of Kevin Love."

Imagine the thoughts that were now rushing through my head. In a cool, composed tone, I simply answered, "Sure I do. What type of shots are you looking for?"

Long story short...I had my first submission to Sports Illustrated make the cut and was published in the March 10, 2007 "March Madness" issue and on the SI.com web site. It is quite a thrill to achieve this milestone. The photo is of Oregon prep basketball star Kevin Love and is used in the SI Players section in the leading feature sections of the magazine. I was shooting the Les Schwab Invitational High School Basketball Tournament in December when I captured a nice shot of Love about to hammer a fast-break dunk (my LSI blog post featuring the SI photo of Love). The SI editor asked me to upload a handful of shots to their database. I submitted some good images of Love, but I figured the one selected was a front-runner for potential publication. The SI editor found me through my SportsShooter page and Googling Love's name....it pays to capture photos!

A special thanks to Craig Mitchelldyer who sponsored my application to SportsShooter and whose work has been an inspiration as I have developed my skills and knowledge that provided the opportunity to make it in SI. It was also nice to hear from him that my shot made SI when he opened up his copy, saw the photo and called to congratulate me....I hadn't known it made the cut until then. Thanks Craig!!!

Photo Published in 03/10/07 Sports Illustrated

Photo Published on SI.com (link)

Mothers and Sons

2007-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

A very important chapter closed Saturday on the hardwood of McArthur Court in Eugene, Oregon for two mothers of prominent Oregon high school students. Four years of joy, disappointment, excitement, apprehension, rewards and failures ended when the seconds ticked down to zero and the arena buzzer cued the start of a victory celebration for a team from a modest Southern Oregon town while bringing silent moments of hollow reflection upon the dethroned champions from the suburbs of Portland. As the teams reacted in their respective manner, each mother was quick to seek out their sons. One mom embraced her two boys, who as teammates, celebrated with such a degree of emotion each were brought to impassioned tears. The other stood on a chair and gently hugged her giant of a son and kissed his temple as he held in his emotions of a dramatic loss and gazed down court watching his rivals celebrate wildly.

Kris Singler, mother of South Medford star recruit Kyle Singer, and Karen Love, mother of Lake Oswego's gift to UCLA Kevin Love, shared deeply emotional moments with their sons, but with South Medford defeating Lake Oswego 58-54 for the OSAA 6A Basketball Championship, their emotions were on the opposite ends of the spectrum. What the two women shared equally at that moment in time was closing the four year chapter of successes, setbacks and stresses of being the mother of an elite college recruit. As both mothers held their sons tightly during the post game celebrations, each may have be experiencing very different emotions in respect to the game's outcome, but very likely they shared very simular feelings as each reflected on her son's remarkable high school careers.

On the Way to a Championship

2007-03-04T18:48:00.000-08:00

When a team is ranked number one in the state and favored to be in hunt for the state title, it doesn't make the road any smoother. It may bring pressure; it may put the fear into weaker opponents; it may raise confidence; but the one thing it doesn't bring is a guarantee of a state championship title.

St. Paul High School from the Willamette Valley carried their No. 1 ranking all the way to Baker City, Oregon this weekend, site of the OSAA 1A Basketball Championships, and managed to close the deal by winning the whole enchilada with a 54-49 overtime victory against Joseph High School of northeastern Oregon.

After a first round bye, St. Paul earned their way to the tournament with a home court 45-22 win over Imbler High School. I have shot some St. Paul football and basketball games over the past couple of years. St. Paul High School has a strong commitment to athletics and receives tremendous support from the community. It is characteristic of all the small towns all across the state of Oregon where the high school is a central point of the community. The spirit is refreshing, which makes shooting small school athletics a lot of fun.

Spoilers

2007-03-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

The Westview Wildcasts spoiled Jesuit's perfect Metro League record on the last day of league play with a 52-41 home victory in front of a spirited student body dressed in a sea of red t-shirts imprinted with "Pack the Pit" on the front and "Beat Jesuit" on the back. It was senior night at Westview, and with a very unexpected loss to Southridge a few weeks earlier spoiling the Westview's chance to challenge Jesuit for the Metro League title, thumping the Crusaders provided some degree of satisfaction for the second-place Wildcats.

As the OSAA Basketball Championships get underway, Westview has a good chance to become spoilers once again. Their strong finish at the end of league play has provided critical momentum in time for the playoffs. Some consider Westview as a dark horse that can not be overlooked as the state tournament gets underway. With 6'-11" junior Andy Poling and 6'-9" senior Trevor Siefken, Westview has the size to do battle with top-ranked Lake Oswego and South Medford. If the Wildcats bring their "A" game to the state tournament, Westview just might not be done spoiling other teams' post-season plans.

Their First

2007-02-19T22:35:00.000-08:00

After being exclusively an all-girls school dating back to the early 1900's, St. Mary's of the Valley High School in Beaverton, Oregon began admitting boys in 1991 and changed its name to Valley Catholic. As enrollment for boys increased over the years, the sports programs have steadily gained in strength. The boys basketball program reached a major milestone the first week of February when their convincing 55-36 home victory over Dayton High School secured the program's first ever West Valley League title.

After edging Dayton on the road by only one point earlier in the season, Valley Catholic head coach Jeff Gallagher expected the game to be tight. However, the team's up-tempo play wore Dayton down, and after a solid second-half performance broke the game loose, the Valiants celebrated after the final horn with their first net cutting ceremony.

It Had to Happen Some Time

2007-02-04T23:50:00.000-08:00

Winning streaks never end on a happy note. In fact, when they end, the pain of the loss is usually amplified exponentially by the duration of the streak. When a 58 game winning streak comes to an end...IT HURTS!

Southridge girls fell to Jesuit 61-48 on their own home court, ending a 4 year, 58 game winning streak against Metro League opponents. As the girls quickly left the court towards the private solitude of the locker room, the pain could be seen in their faces. This loss will stand out in the team's minds for quite a while...the pain will likely subside fairly quickly as the Skyhawks focus their attention on another streak that they would like to keep ongoing. This streak stands at only two wins...but they are big ones...two OSAA State Championships. As Oregon's form of March Madness unfolds next month, time will tell if the Skyhawks championship streak will continue. The girls do not want to experience a similar feeling again this season.

A New Dawn in Beaverton

2007-01-31T19:26:00.000-08:00

I packed my SB-800 strobes and remote Pocket Wizards to shoot a game at Beaverton High School last week. When I walked into the Beaverton gym, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Beaverton opened its doors to students in 1902. It is the oldest school in the Beaverton School District...the oldest in the Metro League. It has been through several remodels over the years; the facilities are a mixture of historic and modern. Despite its age, the gym did not lay claim to having the worst lighting in the district...ironically, the District's newest school, Southridge, holds that honor. Beaverton has a low ceiling, and I have had some luck bouncing my strobes off the ceiling to add just enough light to capture the action, but not so much as to give the photos a heavy flash look. That was to be the plan de jour. However, when I walked into the gym with its newly installed lighting, I first instinctively reached for my sunglasses, then I put aside my strobes and enjoyed shooting under the best lighting in the Metro League.

Metro League rival, Jesuit High School, also installed new lighting this year, greatly improving its dungeon-like gym lighting. So come on Southridge, shine some light on that back-to-back state championship girls basketball team.

Pre-season Games Don't Count - Or Do They?

2007-01-24T21:05:00.000-08:00

Pre-season is all about preparation. It's about getting your game together. It's an opportunity to experiment before "it counts." The Battle Ground, Washington Tigers ventured across the Columbia River to challenge the Southridge Skyhawks of Beaverton, Oregon in a pre-season match-up in early January only to loose 63-52. It's now week two for the 4A Greater St. Helens League leader as Battle Ground is off to a 4-0 start. Overall however, the Tigers are 9-5. Taking some risks by scheduling a few non-league teams from Oregon and Washington, Battle Ground took their lumps. Currently the Tigers sit on top of the league table. Non-league games don't count in the quest for a state title when all the wins and losses are totaled up, yet experience adds up in a big way. Daring to take risks and challenging tough teams is what does count in the long run. Time will tell to see if Battle Ground's willingness to take on strong competition in pre-season will help them come playoff time.

The Davids Pin the Goliaths

2007-01-24T18:23:00.000-08:00

It wasn't supposed to have been a real close match. After all, number seven ranked Westview was a pre-season pick to battle powerhouse Southridge for the top of the Metro League table. Beaverton was beginning a "rebuilding" year. Beaver coach Tony Salts was quoted in the Beaverton Valley Times 2007 wrestling preview stating, "We're looking forward to a pretty good season."

The Beavers' hope for a pretty good season got off to a pretty good start by upsetting Westview 38-34 in a contest that came down to the final match where Beaverton's 285 pound anchor Richie Riggs pinned Westview's Eric Perry. The match started off in Westview's favor as they quickly jumped out to a 28-0 lead. But the Beaverton middle weights scrapped their way back into the match and the heavy weights closed the deal. As the referee's hand slammed to the mat signifying Riggs' pin, the Beavers erupted in celebration. Unfortunately, coach Salts was not able to be at the match to share his team's joy as he had to miss his first match in 15 years to be with his seriously ill daughter. His team wished he could have been with them to celebrate, but they understood what was most important that day.

Skyview Clips Hawks' Wings

2007-01-10T02:38:00.000-08:00

How do you beat a team that smothers you in defense? You smother them right back!

Skyview High School girls basketball team of Vancouver, Washington shocked second-ranked Southridge High School of Beaverton, Oregon by defeating the Skyhawks on their own court 55-52 in OT during a non-conference game for both schools. Southridge has been known for their tumultuous full-court pressure defense that has melted opponents and has been a critical aspect to winning their recent two straight OSAA State Championship titles. When Skyview came out with a similar pressure defense, it neutralized the Skyhawk offense enough for Skyview to stay within a few points of the Hawks the entire game. A last second layup at the buzzer by Skyview's Catherine Cloakey after a missed desperation shot by Dayle Powell sent the contest into overtime, where Skyview capitalized on a couple breaks and got a five point lead nearing the end of OT. Southridge was forced to foul in an attempt to try and catch up, but solid freethrow shooting allowed Skyview to claim the upset. This was a game where defense outshined the offense and was the key to bringing one of Oregon's top-ranked teams down for a rough landing.

The 2006 Schwab

2007-01-09T00:18:00.000-08:00

The eleventh annual running of the Les Schwab Invitational High School Basketball Tournament served up a king's buffet of basketball talent and excitement to packed crowds in the Liberty High School gym in Hillsboro, Oregon during the final week of December. The tournament field included some of the top talent in the nation as Oregon has been blessed with two of the best players in the nation with Kyle Singler of South Medford and Kevin Love of Lake Oswego who were billed as top draws for the tournament. With visiting teams from Oak Hill out of Virginia, Wheeler High from Georgia and Mountain View of Arizona joining the field of 16 teams, the Schwab was a showcase of for some of high school basketball's elite.

Oak Hill won their fourth Les Schwab title as they defeted South Medford 99-90 in a nationally televised game on ESPN-U. The game featured amazing performances from Oak Hills' Brandon Jennings and Nolan Smith and South Medford's Kyle Singler and Michael Harthun. Oak Hill took control of the game early, but South Medford clawed it's way back in the fourth quarter to make a run at the nation's number one ranked team, only to succumb after failing to close the gap tighter than five points. One other feature game included a match-up between Singler and Love when South Medford staked it's claim to a number one ranking in Oregon by defeating Lake Oswego 71-63 before a sold-out crowd in the semi-finals.

The Schwab is a special gift to basketball aficionados in Oregon. Each year fans have been treated to great play, exciting games and a chance to see rising stars play in the prime of their youth.

Two Thrillers and One Definitive Statement

2007-01-07T23:36:00.000-08:00

The 2006 OSAA Football Championships held at Autzen Stadium on the campus of the University of Oregon during the second weekend of December included the top three divisions of the new six-division format for high school athletics in Oregon. While the league re-alignment continues to be a topic stirring debates, there was no arguing that it helped produce some great competition in the new 4A and 5A levels. Each of the 4A and 5A championship games went into overtime and concluded in thrilling fashion.

Siuslaw and Sisters settled their 4A championship game in a single overtime period as Siuslaw was able to score on a Kody Thrall touchdown and successfully stopped the league's leading rusher, Sister's Cory McCaffrey, on a fourth down play to win the school's first title in 25 years by a score of 21-14. Corvallis and West Albany took three overtime periods to settle their score, as Corvallis kicker Wade Penner made good on a second chance to win the game with a 29 yard field goal after missing a 37 yard attempt in the first overtime period, giving the Spartans a 17-14 edge over their local rival.

At the 6A level, the Jesuit Crusaders blew out league rival Southridge 56-7 to start a debate as to whether this year's team is Oregon's best high school football team of all time. As fans and journalists compare the '06 Crusaders to great Oregon teams of the past, all that interested coach Ken Potter and his team was proving to themselves that they had what it took to play "the perfect game." Meeting with his team in the endzone during their traditional post-game chat, coach Potter thanked his team for their dedication and effort throughout the season, for he believed that their quest for the Holy Grail was complete...He stated that the Crusaders had played that perfect game they were seaking.

More OSAA Football Championship photos.

Santa Claus is Coming...To Tigard

2006-12-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

With it being three weeks before St. Nicholas makes his pilgrimage across the world to deliver joy and hope to young and old, his shiny red sleigh is at the North Pole Sleigh Shop getting tuned up and ready for the big event. So when Santa needed transportation to attend the 7th Annual Tigard Christmas Tree Lighting in Liberty Park, the Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue District stepped up and substituted Santa's red sleigh with a shiny red firetruck.

In between holiday music sung by the Mitch Charter School Choir, Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted the enthusiastic crowd and led the countdown for the tree lighting. As the count hit three...two...one...zero, the star inexplainably failed to light. Being the resourceful person he is, Santa quickly jumped into the bucket of the Tualatin Valley firetruck's extension ladder. The firefighters raised him towards the Christmas Star where Santa applied some Christmas magic to get the star lit to the joy of the onlookers.

After the ceremony, Santa and Mrs. Claus were hosts to children and their parents, providing cookies, hot chocolate and lemonade as they listened to Christmas wishes at the Tigard Fitness Center. It was a fun event to cover for the Tigard-Tualatin Times.

OSAA 1A Eight-man Football Semi-Final

2006-12-03T23:22:00.000-08:00

After weeks of pouring down rain in Oregon, the skies cleared last weekend to present a beautiful Saturday afternoon for the OSAA 1A Eight-man Football Semi-Finals held at McCulloch Stadium on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. But unfortunately, the number four ranked team from Dufur, Oregon rained on the parade of the second-ranked, unbeaten team from St. Paul. Dufur literally ran away with the game in the second half, scoring 32 unanswered points to top the Buckaroos 52-20 and earning the right to play in the title game against Perrydale the following weekend at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

Crusader Crunch

2006-12-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Rumor has it, there are still some Lincoln Cardinal players wandering around Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon dazed, confused and wondering what happened to them after the Jesuit Crusaders thumped them in the final minutes to steal the 2005 OSAA 4A State Championship. Lincoln has a lot of company, as Jesuit has picked up where they left off with the Cardinals and rolled through the 2006 season manhandling every team that has stepped on the field with them. The undefeated Crusaders have put numbers on the scoreboard that the school's basketball team would envy by scoring over 60 points in three of their games and over 50 points in three other. Their margin of victory for the season has averaged over 38 points. Challengers walk off the playing field at the end of the game asking that same question..."What hit us?"

Oregon 5A and 6A Soccer Championships

2006-11-26T18:49:00.000-08:00

If I'm not playing soccer, I'm likely shooting soccer; I have thousands of soccer images on file. Knowing the game, makes it more fun to shoot the game. It doesn't have to be a "big game," I enjoy shooting any soccer game, but the "big games" can bring out more passion and emotion...and nothing brings that out like high school state championships.

At the 6A level, Jesuit's boys team found itself in a very familiar setting as they made their 12th final appearance against McMinnville, a team who had never made it to a championship final. It was the classic tale of David toppling Goliath as the quick, skillful and industrious Grizzlies shocked Jesuit by winning 2-1 in an overtime penalty shootout. The match was extremely fast paced and physical which, along with the tensions of a shootout, built up to an explosion of joy for McMinnville when that last PK settled in the back of the net. For the 6A girls, Tualatin won its second championship in as many years as it dominated a pesky Oregon City side, winning 3-0 in a match that turned out to be a bit of a yawner.

For me, the match of the day was the 5A boys final pitting an underdog side from Hillsboro High against a heavily favored Bend team. Early in the match Hillsboro surprisingly jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but only to go down to 10 men two minutes later when one of its players was ejected for a dangerous tackle. Forced to play over three-quarters of the match a man down, Hillsboro not only beat the odds, they beat Bend by an amazing margin of 5-2. The passion and emotion that Hillsboro used to overcome a favored side while being a man short burst out in an ardent post-game celebration with its faithful fans.

Oregon High School Water Polo Championships

2006-11-26T17:17:00.000-08:00

When it comes to water polo, the Newberg Tigers boys and girls own the state of Oregon. The Newberg boys team claimed the 2006 championship title by thumping Westview of Beaverton 18-2 in the final game at the Osborn Swim Center in Corvallis. The ladies followed suit by dominating the Skyhawks of Southridge 8-2 in their final, winning their 14th state title in the past 20 years.

I was shooting for the Beaverton Valley Times and the Tigard-Tualatin Times as Southridge, Westview, Beaverton and Aloha sent teams to the state finals from the Beaverton area and the Tualatin boys battled Southridge to win third place honors. Being my first water polo match, I found it to be a bit of a challenge to shoot, as the light was very low and splashing water kept blowing out the autofocus. The shooting went well, but I felt I could have done better. Between the two publications, seven shots were published, as the Beaverton Valley Times ran five of them in color with its complete tournament coverage filling more than a full page.

Tualatin Giant Pumpkin Regatta

2006-11-26T16:50:00.000-08:00

When I received a call to cover a regatta in Tualatin, Oregon, I wasn’t aware that the suburb town outside of Portland had a regatta. The slow moving Tualatin River does run through the heart of town, but it is not navigatable to anything other than rafts, rowboats and kayaks. So when I questioned the assignment editor as to where the regatta would be held, I was a bit surprised to hear that the regatta would be held in the town’s small Lake at the Commons…and I was even more surprised to hear that the rowers would not be racing sleek, high-tech sculls but will be rowing in pumpkins…giant pumpkins.

It was the third annual Giant Pumpkin Regatta sponsored by the Pacific Giant Vegetable Growers Association. Giant vegetable growers are a competitive bunch, as every year they attempt to top each other by growing the largest pumpkin, even competing on a national and world basis. The current world record giant pumpkin tops out at 1,504 pounds. So as the growing season winds down, the growers extend their competitive nature by carving out giant pumpkins, jumping inside them and race around the Lake at the Commons in Tualatin. It’s quite an event, one that can only be witnessed, not described.

Little Big Men

2006-11-21T21:19:00.000-08:00

From the sidelines and the stands, they look out of perspective on the local high school football field. Despite the added dimensions that helmets and pads provide, youth football players still don't look all that big...they don't cover as much ground as senior players do under the Friday Night Lights. But when a camera shutter is able to catch them at key moments of a game...they look every much the part...they are an emulation of "the Pros."

Throughout the youth football ranks and ages, player sizes range from "more uniform than there is kid"...to "we don't have a jersey big enough for that kid"...and all sizes in between. The common denominator is the size of each athlete's heart...it's BIG. Abilities also vary in the youth game...but no matter what, the kids give it all they've got...week in, week out. One of the greatest compliments I ever received for my sports photos was from an ecstatic father who understood that his child is one of those kids that doesn't exactly dominate the first string line-up. He said, "Wow! You were able to make my son look like a real football player...Thank you, thank you so much!" I was humbled...all I did was capture the moment where his son actually did look like a real football player. How the perspective of things change when we look at them differently.

A New Year...a New League...Great Results

2006-11-09T23:26:00.000-08:00

The governing body overseeing Oregon high school athletics (the OSAA) made a revolutionary, and somewhat controversial, move last year to realign its leagues from a four level system to a six level system. The net result was a balancing of the power closer to the respective student population of competing schools. For schools such as Glencoe High School in Hillsboro, Oregon the realignment provided a more equitable level of competition for their league play.

For the second year, I was a volunteer coach for Glencoe's JV soccer program. Over the years, the school has developed a solid program. The league realignment provided Glencoe an opportunity take a leadership position in the Northwest Oregon Conference of the 5A division, and the program seized that opportunity this Fall. The Varsity boys finished first in the conference with an overall record of 15-1-1 and are in the midst of the playoffs for the OSAA 5A Championships.

The JV Team's success this year shows great promise for the program in seasons to follow, for they compiled an impressive 13-1-0 record with 76 goals for, 9 against. Defensively, the backline players were menacing, hard working and dominant in the air. The midfield was a combination of workhorses and play-making tactitcians, while up front a combination of quickness and artistic creativity produced the offensive threats resulting in the ball frequently resting in opponents' nets. Success at the JV level does not always guarantee Varsity success...but the Glencoe program has a solid foundation to maintain their leadership in the Northwest Oregon Conference and the newly formed 5A division.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

2006-11-07T18:20:00.000-08:00

Followers of my blog (and yes, there are some followers) have noticed that the updates drifted off in August. Well...like everyone else, my excuses are many and all relate to how busy it's been. No excuses...so let's catch up real quick...here's how the Summer wound up for 2006...

Condon's Fabulous Fourth of July
Nothing beats spending the Fourth in the North-Central Oregon community of Condon. The town hosts a full agenda of events during the holiday week and I had a great time shooting a handful of them. Highlights included the Fabulous Fourth Fun Run and Walk, the Kids Games at the high school, the Big Parade, the Soapbox Derby, Breakfast and Dinner in the Park, bagpipes in the Hotel Condon, Fabulous Fourth Fireworks...and the list goes on and on. Special appearance this year was Mother Nature with a Fabulous Fourth Electrical Extravaganza lighting up the evening sky. Nothing beats it...Nothing!

Camping at the Prineville Reservoir
The annual neighborhood camping trip destination once again was the Prineville Reservoir in Central Oregon. The weather was great...nice and hot. The boats were running sun-up to sun-down...pulling skiers, boarders and tubers. Lots of good food, drink and cases of sunscreen. It was a great week.

Beaverton Party in the Park
I had some fun assignments for the Beaverton Valley Times over the Summer, including shooting a classic car show that was part of the Party in the Park celebration sponsored by the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District held at the Howard M. Terpenning Recreation Center. Some very cool cars were on display...spent a few hours taking a ton of shots and chatting with owners, who had some great stories about their restoration projects.

Tualatin Crawfish Festival
It's a 56 year old tradition. The city of Tualatin, Oregon proudly celebrates...the crawfish! Members of the local VFW began the festival after their new lodge was completed in 1951. At the time, crawfish were hugely abundant in the Tualatin River that ran through town, so the forefathers of the event saw fit to celebrate and promote crawfish. The tons of crawfish sold and eaten at the festival today are now shipped in on pallets from Lake Billy Chinook in Central Oregon. I shot multiple festival events on the Saturday of the weekend event, including a cycling criterium, the Crawfish Festival Parade, a model powerboat regatta and...of course...the famed crawfish eating contest. The winner downed 97 of the crustacean in 15 minutes. You had to see it to believe it.

Little Big League

2006-08-20T00:47:00.000-07:00

Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, Pedro Martinez, Edgar Renteria...they all started here...where the bat was over half their size...a throw from third to first rarely made it all the way...and innings usually ended by meeting the maximum run limit rather than by three outs. This is T-Ball and Rookie Ball, where the concepts of baseball are learned and the joy of the game is instilled in a child's heart. In between the muffed catches, the trips while rounding the bases or the daydreaming in the outfield, the skills of the game begin to develop and occasional feats of athleticism surprise and thrill parents and coaches.

The girls are not left out of the fun...Little League has equivalent softball programs for the young ladies aspiring to follow in the footsteps of Jennie Finch, Jessica Mendoza, Crystl Bustos or Lisa Fernandez to play for the U.S.A. National Team.

The Road to Old Trafford

2006-08-19T21:26:00.000-07:00

As most the soccer world was fixated on the road to Germany for the 2006 World Cup, U-15 club teams from around the United States had their eye on a different road that could potentially lead them to the historical grounds of the Manchester United Football Club, Old Trafford. Their ticket? Winning the U.S.A. finals of the Manchester United Premier Cup hosted on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton, Oregon.

During the Memorial Day Weekend, twenty boys and twenty girls U-15 club teams from throughout the U.S.A. battled for the honor to represent their country in the finals. For the boys, it meant a trip to Old Trafford in Manchester, England. For the girls, the finals were an invitation to the prestigious Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Oregon weather treated its guests to a variety of conditions...Traditional Spring downpours along with gorgeous sunny skies. The impeccably manicured grounds of the Nike World Campus provided excellent conditions throughout the weekend.

Ohio FC Mutiny from Dublin, Ohio won the honor over the Dallas Texans from Dallas, Texas in a penalty kick shootout after regulation play of the qualifying final ended in a 1-1 draw. In the ladies competition, So. Cal United from Thousand Oaks, California topped the Vardar Soccer Club of Rochester Hills, Michigan to earn a trip to Sweden.

Metro League Tennis

2006-06-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

A recent assignment for the Beaverton Valley Times took me to the Tualatin Hills Recreation Center to shoot a match between Aloha and Southridge High Schools. The Southridge ladies edged out Aloha after the total games won and lost needed to be calculated between the teams after the match and set scores were tied. When it was all added up, Southridge 79 games won against Aloha's 68 turned out to be the deciding factor.

LAX Explosion

2006-06-10T23:35:00.000-07:00

If you are looking for a story about a big kaboom at the Los Angeles International Airport, this isn't it. The LAX Explosion is the sport of lacrosse, commonly abbreviated as "LAX," that has burst on the youth and high school scene in Oregon. The sport has experienced tremendous growth in the last couple of years. With a combination of skill, speed and hard hitting, lacrosse is the perfect morsel for the palate of the youth of America seeking a new taste for an old sport. Introduced by early Native American Indians, lacrosse plays similar to hockey, sans the skates and the players get to keep their teeth.

The Oregon Youth Lacrosse League is the organizing body for all that is lacrosse in Oregon. The league consists of 33 high school boys teams and 24 girls teams, along with a healthy crop of youth teams between the ages of 11 and 15. How much fun is the sport? Just ask the Hillsboro JV Team, which in their first game of the school's premier season for the sport, tied their game against an experienced team from Century High School with a desperation shot from over 35 yards out from goal in the final 10 seconds. As if the nature of the game for the kids were not enough, a start like that sealed the deal...they were hooked.

Victories Within a Victory

2006-04-16T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of respect for track and field athletes. The discipline to train and prepare for competition is often grueling and lonesome. During competition, in a sense, they compete more against themselves than against their competition. Sure, there are event and meet winners, but in the end...was it the athlete's best? For many events, the chance to achieve such an accomplishment only lasts seconds...the pole vault, sprints, throwing events and jumping events...all the training and preparation comes down to peaking within a timeframe that lasts no longer than it takes to tie one's shoes. To achieve, it takes focus...it is the results of disciplined training and preparation. If an event doesn't go so well and the results were not as the athlete desired...then it's back to hours of training to prepare once again for those brief moments of peak performance...and the quest for the next PR.

Here are a few shots from a recent dual meet between Hillsboro and Beaverton held at Hare Field. The Beavers edged out the Spartans in the boys competition 76-69, with the Beaverton girls following suit with a 78-67 victory over the lady Spartans.

The Scrum of the Earth

2006-03-30T19:29:00.000-08:00

It's rugby season once again in Oregon. The Oregon Youth Rugby League kicked off its high school season in February and is heading towards playoffs in April. There are three boys divisions and one for the girls. Teams are primarily from the Oregon I-5 corridor...from Portland to Ashland. The Portland area matches are played at Lents Park in southeast Portland, with outlining teams playing at home fields such as Canby, McMinnville and Newberg. Matches are played on Saturdays in the earlier half of the day.

Are you a rugby fan? If so...stop by and watch a match. Don't know much about rugby, but love sports with great action?...get out to a match! The kids play their hearts out and the quality of play is very good. I highly recommend you get to an Eastside Monkeys match early and enjoy the pre-game Haka the side performs before the match kicks off. The Monkeys are an extremely strong team with some very talented players that has been dominating this year's Division 1 table.

The girls division has nine teams from the Portland and outlining areas, plus Corvallis and Eugene. The ladies go at it with the same heart and grit as the gents. West Linn Green has been a force in the league with teams from Lincoln High School and Corvallis in the thick of the mix.

The Oregon Spring weather isn't much fun for baseball right now...not worth heading out to the golf course either...so check out the OYR League Schedule and catch a match...guaranteed you will enjoy the action, or your money back (the matches are free). More recent OYR League match photos at OregonSportsPhotos.com.

Diamond Rain

2006-03-25T00:37:00.000-08:00

Any location north of the 45th parallel, it's tough to be a baseball or softball player. As spring training attracts the diamond fans to the Southwest Desert or the Gulf Coast, in locations such as Oregon, the opening of the baseball and softball seasons in March can seem to be an exercise in futility. Most of the action in the early season is not on the diamond, it's in the scheduler's office juggling games around rainouts. Nike, Wilson and Rawling warm-ups give way to gear from North Face and Columbia Sportswear.

In between the raindrops and despite chilling temperatures over the past couple of weeks, the high school boys and girls of Spring in Oregon braved the elements and kicked off the 2006 season. With a little luck, with daylight savings time will also come sunnier days and warmer weather that is more conducive to baseball and softball. Last year...the first day of high school baseball season was greeted with 70 degree temperatures and sunny skies. Sure...it was a bit of a fluke...but is sure was a nice way to kick off the season.

It Doesn't Get a Whole Lot Better Than This!

2006-03-24T23:18:00.000-08:00

Are you lacking a little excitement in your life? If so, then book the second week of March 2007 to spend some time at the OSAA Boys Basketball Championships. This year's tournament served up some thrilling down to the buzzer classics, including the championship final where the Lake Oswego Lakers survived a last second shot attempt by the South Medford Panthers to win the school's first basketball state championship 59-57.

If Jesuit makes another appearance in next year's tournament...secure yourself a ticket. In 2005, Jesuit claimed the state title in a miraculous come from behind, final seconds victory over Lake Oswego. This year, each of the Crusader's games were end-to-end excitement with victory teetering on the tipping point down to the final seconds. J-High ended up claiming the third place trophy...their sixth third place or better finish in eight years at the tournament. After loosing their star talent, Seth Tarver, to graduation, Jesuit may find it a bit difficult to extend this feat to a ninth year. But if they are in the tournament, you may want to be sure you're in the house when they're on the court.

OSAA Girls 4A Basketball Championships

2006-03-24T22:26:00.000-08:00

A beginning of a new dynasty? The jury is still out. However, the Southridge Girls Basketball Team has stepped up to the elite level. The ladies proved to the Oregon basketball world that they are for real. In a classic thriller, the Skyhawks defeated the former queens of the court, Oregon City High School, to win the Oregon 4A High School Championship for the second year in a row. Can the Skyhawks repeat next year? That will be the big question as Southridge loose a few key players to graduation, but a core of talented underclassmen will be returning...and the ladies are disciplined, they play with passion and they are a very unified team. It will be an interesting season in 2007.

Unfortunately for me, I was not able to shoot the girls final as I had an assignment to cover a 4A Boys playoff for the Valley Times and the Oregon City News between Jesuit and Oregon City. I was able to shoot a handful of games leading up to the final and shot some feature photos for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Below are some shots from sub-round play.

Love & Basketball

2006-02-20T03:23:00.000-08:00

No...we are not talking about the 2000 sports-romance movie starring Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan. We're talking...Kevin Love. The 6-foot-10 junior center out of Lake Oswego, Oregon that is attracting a larger audience these days than that romance story pulled into multi-plexes around the nation. Kevin Love is a hot prospect being courted by the largest colleagic basketball factories in the USA. Love's celebrity status is drawing a lot of attention. So much so, that ESPN U television network recently taped Lake Oswego's home game against Three Rivers League challenger Oregon City High School. Although the game may not have been impressive to a national TV audience, Love sure was. He kicked in 37 points, captured 22 rebounds and basically owned the key on defense as the Lakers rolled to a 68-48 victory. Love and basketball...coming to a television network near you...and get ready for the fall of 2007 premier at a college campus, yet to be named.

Kevin Love towering over the Oregon City defense.

Good luck trying to stop a 6-foot-10 center when he wants to head to the hoop.

The standard "impromptu" cheerleader shot.

Close up, it may look like the crowd is going wild, but look behind "the crowd."

Love is getting as comfortable with the post game interviews as he is at the freethrow line.

January Hoops

2006-02-17T01:03:00.001-08:00

Back in my high school days, when I was the Photo Editor of the Jesuit Crusader, I loved shooting basketball. My arsenal...a Nikon F, a Vivitar 285 strobe and good old Tri-X. It's been decades since then, and I find myself walking into the same gyms that I shot over 30 years ago...sitting in the same location. The memories come back to me as clearly as watching a Beta-Max recording of the same era.

Here are a few captures from the first few weeks of January. My Oregon Sports Photos site has a couple pages of January Hoops...stop by and take a look.

Time to Catch Up - Les Schwab Invitational

2006-02-17T00:08:00.000-08:00

The holidays were busy, and after the first of the year, things haven't slowed down. So it's time to do some updates. Let's start with the Les Schwab Invitational High School Basketball Tournament held at Liberty High School in Hillsboro, Oregon during the holiday break. It is a great showcase of basketball talent from some of the top high school programs in Oregon mixed with some nationally ranked teams from 5 locations throughout the United States. With a number premier players participating, the tournament draws college recruiters like bees to honey.

Out-of-state teams continued the dominant influence of the tournament as Reserve Christian of Reserve, Louisiana was the seventh team outside of Oregon to win the championship title in the tournament's ten year history. Top local finisher was Lake Oswego High School from Lake Oswego, Oregon featuring junior Kevin Love, who is one of the hottest college prospects in the nation.

For more photos of the 2005 Les Schwab Invitational, visit my Oregon Sports Photos web site.

OSAA Championship Football Weekend

2006-01-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Oregon's 2005 high school football season wrapped up during the second weekend in December at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon with championship finals for the 1A through 4A schools. Autzen presents a magical stage for the athletes. It's a premier facility and provides an aura of "big time" football with its rich history of being the home field of the University of Oregon Ducks. Ask the kids involved in the games and it is likely every one of them savored the memories of playing at Autzen...even those that came up on the short end of the score.

Friday night's championship games were held under cold, clear skies featuring the 1A and 2A schools. First up was South Wasco County from Maupin against Mohawk of Marcola in the 1A Eight Man Football Championship. The Indians of Mohawk racked up 487 yards on offense, 414 of those rushing led by Tyson Ludwig with 224 yards. In the end, it was Mohawk that lifted the championship trophy by defeating South Wasco 44-18.

The 2A matchup pitted Vale High School against Nyssa High School. These two teams are from the extreme eastern edge of Oregon, only about 25 miles apart. On any given day, it's about a 30 minute drive between these local rivals. However, this was not just any given day. To compete for the 2A crown, these teams traveled about 350 miles, or 7 hours, to play each other on the championship stage under the lights of Autzen. Nyssa put together a strong running game led by Paul Jones with 218 yards to defeat Vale 19-2. The two points accumulated by Vale were perhaps the most unique 2 points in high school football history. Oregon is the only state in the nation currently experimenting with a new rule that limits the number of points a defensive team can score during the offence's post-touchdown conversion attempt. With 1:05 left in the third quarter Jason Noland of Vale intercepted Nyssa's two point conversion pass attempt in the endzone and ran 100 yards for the score, which made Jason's run likely the longest run ever for the least number of points...all it got his team was 2 points.

Saturday's first afternoon game matched up the 2003 3A champion, Marist High School of Salem, against Sherwood High School, which lost to Wilsonville in the 2004 3A championship. Sherwood's hopes of capturing their first state championship were dashed as Marist turned up the power in the fourth quarter to come from behind and edging out Sherwood with a 17-13 victory. The game was very balanced as Marist combined with 136 yards passing and 98 yards rushing for 234 yards and Sherwood tallied 130 passing yards along with 118 yards rushing for 248 yards total.

The final game of the championship series highlighted the Lincoln Cardinals of Portland against the Jesuit Crusaders of Beaverton. Lincoln fought their way to Autzen topping off a Cinderella season to bring the Cardinals to their first championship appearance in the school's 136 year history. The dream was nearly realized until Lincoln had a punt blocked with 2:53 left in the fourth quarter that Jesuit recovered on the Lincoln 3 yard line. It was a cake walk into the endzone by Jesuit quarterback Austin Pearce that turned Lincoln's carriage into a pumpkin, ending the Cinderella story as Jesuit claimed the 4A championship in thrilling style with a 14-10 victory.

More OSAA High School Football Championship photos can be found in the Oregon Sports Photos archive.

1A Championship: Mohawk 44 - South Wasco County 18

2A Championship: Nyssa 19 - Vale 2

3A Championship: Marist 17 - Sherwood 13

4A Championship: Jesuit 14 - Lincoln 10

Always Smiling...Well, Almost Always

2005-12-17T20:21:00.000-08:00

Imagine...the quarterback drops back into the pocket...he looks left...nothing. Then he looks right...he spots one of his trusted receivers slipping behind the secondary. He draws the ball back...ready to spring. As the camera zooms in tight, we see a big flashy smile. Reality? Of course not...he's focused...eyes fixed on his intended target...this is no time to be smiling.

As the athletes on the field maintain their disciplined composure...thier "game face" is stalwart...composed...focused. In contrast, the game face of the athletes on the sideline includes a perpetual smile during every one of their "plays"...during pressure situations, through the toughest of elements and even when the score looks hopeless. These are the cheerleaders. While we wouldn't expect football players to be smiling as a part of their athletic routine...it's a major element of the cheer team's game.

With championship titles, scholarships and prestige on the line, it is no secret that cheerleading is no longer strictly about rhythmic chants, but is heavily swayed towards athleticism. And throughout every routine, no matter if it's 40 degrees and raining or the team is performing a routine with a high degree of difficulty, the smile is present. It's required...it's expected...it's a trademark.

During the OSAA State Football Playoffs and Championships, a wide variety of cheer teams supported their teams. Mohawk High, from the small Western Oregon town of Marcola had three cheer team members...while 4A Lincoln High School of Portland sported a squad of about 20. No matter what the size of the squad or the level of skill, the common denominator is an ever-present smile...through every routine...without regard of the elements.

Of course, the smiles often give way to tears when a playoff loss shatters the dream of a championship. But it's only a brief interruption, as pride of an accomplished season soon has the team thinking about getting ready for the next season to follow.

250 Miles, 18 Wins, 127 Goals, 1 State Title

2005-12-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

Living on the eastern side of the Cascade Range in Oregon has many benefits that the urban centers on the western side of the state struggle to compete with....strong community bonds, a beautiful environment and a more manageable pace of life are just a few of the treasures of Eastern Oregon living. However, for high school athletes there are a few challenges. One of the most grueling is that athletes spend a lot of time on buses traveling to and from competitions. It is not uncommon for a school to have to travel over 100 miles for a normally scheduled game. So when McLaughlin Union High School from the north-eastern Oregon town of Milton-Freewater packed their undefeated soccer team, along with over 200 fans, on buses and traveled 250 miles to the Portland metro area for the OSAA 3A Soccer State Championship, it was not just another bus ride.

McLaughlin dominated their opponents during season play, with 14 wins and 114 goals...a majority of those goals were scored by Marcos Betancourt and Victor Corona. After including their playoff matches, the Pioneers tallied 18 wins with 127 goals-for and only 9 goals-against. During McLaughlin's state final match, the dangerous duo struck for a goal each as the Pioneers shocked LaSalle High School, located in the Portland area, to win the state title in an exciting 2-1 victory. Betancourt converted a first-half penalty and Corona struck a sizzling 25 yard free kick with the outside of his right foot which beat LaSalle keeper Clarke Henarie in the upper-right corner.

The 250 mile bus ride back to the open range country of Eastern Oregon was likely the most pleasurable 7 hour trip the McLaughlin Pioneers ever experienced, for this was the school's first state soccer title. The Pioneers no longer have to live in the shadow of the more prominent 3A schools on the western side of Oregon. In fact, as the new soccer dawn rises from the East, it's the urban schools that are now in McLaughlin's shadow.

Oregon 1A Football Playoffs at the Rodeo Grounds

2005-11-29T23:53:00.000-08:00

It’s a small western Oregon farming community of 360 people…a high school with an enrollment of only 72 students. Yet every year the town of St. Paul, Oregon shows its support of the St. Paul High School 8-man football team by providing a newly planted field in the town’s center stage, the St. Paul Rodeo Grounds.

Home to one of Oregon’s largest rodeo events held each 4th of July, the St. Paul Rodeo grounds is also the home field for the St. Paul Buckaroos 8-man football team. Shortly after the last bronco has bucked off the last rodeo contestant, a small troop of volunteers begin work building a football field in the middle of the rodeo grounds in preparation of the upcoming fall football games for St. Paul High using donated seed from the local Oregon grass seed farmers. The 10,000 seat arena provides more than ample seating and is perhaps the most unique home field for an 8-man football team anywhere in the nation.

After the fall football season, the troop of volunteers moves in and tear up the arena grounds in preparation of the biggest hoedown in Western Oregon. Year-after-year, the cycle has continued…plant a field…play football…then tear it up and host the rodeo. It is a great show of community support appreciated by present and past student athletes of St. Paul High School.

These photos are of St. Paul’s second round OSAA 1A 8-man football playoff game against Joseph High School from Northeastern Oregon. St. Paul’s pristine field holds up most the season, but as playoffs roll around in mid-November, the Oregon rains weaken the temporary turf and a good ol’ fashion mud bowl creates a challenge for both teams. Joseph’s 250 mile trek back to Eastern Oregon was a lot more bearable as their 32-6 victory spoiled the home team’s hopes of advancing to round three of the playoffs.

The Longest Yard

2005-10-04T00:48:00.000-07:00

If you are over 30, you likely have seen the movie The Longest Yard. Burt Reynolds plays an "old pro" quarterback that leads a rag-tag team of prisoners in a football game against the guards in the 1974 classic film. The final scene is a bit cliche...seconds to go...the prisoners down to their last play, needing a touchdown to win. The ball is snapped...Reynolds begins a sweeping run around the right tackle (all in ultra-slow motion, of course). As he rounds the corner, he sees that his path to the endzone is obstructed by numerous opponents. He reverses course...starts a long sprint towards the opposite side of the field, looking for an opening to the goal line. Suddenly, he sees an opportunity...he cuts towards the endzone...dives over a pile of players...the guns sounds...the game ends...Reynolds lands in the endzone the hero...the prisoners beat the guards. These plays only happen in the movies...right? Wrong!

In a recent youth football game between the Southridge Skyhawks 3/4s and the Tualatin Timberwolves 3/4s (third and fourth graders), the scene from The Longest Yard played out, almost to the tee. After letting the Skyhawks slip out to a three touchdown lead, the feisty Timberwolves fought their way back to within a touchdown in the waning moments of the fourth quarter. The scene was set...down to their last play and only a few seconds remaining, the 'Wolves were inside the Skyhawk's ten yardline. Well, if you haven't figured it out by now...a remarkable play was about to unfold.

The Timberwolves' halfback took the ball...sweeping wide right, he gets cut off as he heads towards the endzone...nearly tackled, he spins around and heads to the opposite side of the field. As he outsprints all eleven Skyhawks, the horn sounds...the game has ended...but his run had yet to...he continued his run heading to the corner of the endzone. One last Skyhawk dives for him in a futile attempt to dash the fairytale run. He misses...Tualatin scores...the game was now over with the Timberwolves celebrating an improbable victory.

You just gotta love youth sports! Below are photos from the Southridge 3/4 Whites against Scappoose and the Southridge 3/4 Golds against that scrambling Tualatin team.

No Respect I Tell Ya, No Respect At All

2005-09-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

They often get the hand-me-down uniforms, play on the crap fields, scrounge for every piece of equipment and if it weren't for having parents...would only end up playing in front of the occasional flock of seagulls hanging around the field scavenging for food. These are the high school JV soccer teams across America. Maybe it's a rite of passage...working their way up to the Varisty level...paying their dues. As the "professionalism" of high school athletics continues to alter the face of Varsity programs, the JV teams are still a bastion of competition for the sport of it.

I have recently become a volunteer assistant coach for the Glencoe High School JV Soccer Team. It's a fine group of kids that play their hearts out and are learning to play a quality game. The lads are off to a good start for the season with a 3-0-1 record. Their first match of the year was a 3-1 victory over Forest Grove HS, followed by a 1-0 home victory against a physical West Linn HS side.

This week Glencoe traveled to Tigard HS where they saw their 1-0 lead evaporate to a 1-2 deficit. The boys won the battle of the midfield in the second half and tied the match late in the game for a 2-2 draw. Today it was another away match with Newberg HS. On a rough and narrow football field, the lads played a magical first half and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The second half was a more balanced affair as each team scored a goal resulting in a 5-1 victory for Glencoe. Respect may be tough to attain off the field, but if the lads continue their winning ways, they will earn a fair amount of respect on the field.

Get On Board! Tigard Skate Park

2005-09-17T01:30:00.000-07:00

"If we had the money, I would start construction tomorrow," stated Tigard Mayor Craig Dirkson. He is speaking of the proposed Jim Griffith Memorial Skate Park he and a group of committed Skate Park Task Force volunteers are in the midst of raising funds in order to bring this dream to reality. Dirkson is so supportive of the project, he is even providing a portion of the City Hall parking lot as the prime location for the 25,000 sq ft park.

The Task Force has tirelessly been soliciting contributions from the community and businesses, applying for grants and putting on fund raising activities. Over 100 skaters and their parents have supported the efforts, including participating in the design of the park. There still is a long way to go until a groundbreaking can be scheduled. Simply put...they need more donors! As Rich Carlson, the Task Force leader said, "If other towns in Oregon such as Donald, Aumsville and Siletz can support a park, certainly Tigard should be able to step up and do it."

Last weekend, as part of the Tigard Family Festival, a fundraising event was held at the proposed location in the City Hall parking lot. It was a carnival atmosphere for kids and skating demonstrations were held in between the rain showers. A demonstration team sponsored by Tribute Skateboards was on hand, which included Josh Beaudry, who grew up skating in Dundee, Oregon and later spent time on the pro circuit. To find out more about the park and get information about how you can Get On Board, visit the Tigard Skate Park web site.

November 2007 Update: The park is now open. Read it, see it in this blog entry > Skate On!

The Road to Williamsport

2005-09-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

It didn't look good. At the end of the second inning, the favored Murrayhill Little League team was down 6-1 to a feisty Corvallis squad. The cheers and excitement were coming from only one side of the Alpenrose Stadium. But it was just a matter of time, and that time was the third inning. The Murrayhill bats lit up and for six runs and the knockout punch was delivered in the fourth inning as Murrayhill put the game out of reach with an eleven run inning. The victory sent Murrayhill on to the regional tournament in San Bernardino the following week. But their dreams of a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania were dashed as the eventual World Series Championship Team from Hawaii proved to be too powerful for the boys from Oregon, and it was a plane ride back home; not to Williamsport.

Timbers, Earthquakes and Sounders

2005-08-24T23:06:00.000-07:00

I had just left the office, heading home on a sunny Wednesday evening when my cell phone rang....it was a photographer that often shoots for the Portland Timbers Professional USL Soccer Team. He had a conflict that evening and asked if I was available to shoot the Timbers vs San Jose Earthquakes US Open Cup match that evening. This was a cool opportunity, so I quickly took him up on his offer. Game time was in a little over an hour...I just happened to have my camera gear with me so off I trucked to PGE Park. I met Collin Romer, the Timbers' media relations manager, got the lowdown on what he was looking for and then headed down to field to shoot the match.

Unfortunately for the Timbers, going up against an MLS team in the second round of the Open Cup dashed the hopes of going further in the competition as San Jose downed the Timbers 2-0. I was able to pull off a handful of decent shots that were used for the MatchDay game report on the Timbers Web Site.

Collin was pleased with my work and offered me the opportunity to shoot another match a week later when the Timbers took on their arch rivals, the Seattle Sounders. PGE Park in the late afternoon presents some fairly challenging light conditions with half the field in dark shadows and half in bright sunlight. One is either shooting into the sun or blowing out the background with shadowed players against the sunlit outfield wall. This match the Timbers and I both faired well with their 1-0 victory over the Sounders and my photos that once again used for the MatchDay game report.

A Hot 43 Degrees

2005-08-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

One of the steepest velodrome tracks in the United States can be found at a family owned dairy in the suburbs of Portland, Oregon. I have mentioned before that Alpenrose is a family entertainment paradise without equal. Not only is there a terrific mix of sporting venues on the dairy property aimed at providing wholesome family entertainment...it is all provided for FREE, courtesy of the Cadonau Family, founders and owners of Alpenrose.

In 1962, a half-mile dirt track was installed in the back lot of the dairy property, intitiating what was soon to become a rich history of cycling at Alpenrose. The dirt track was replaced by the Velodrome in 1967 to host the National Championships...a 268 meter oval with 43 degree banks. If one stands at the top of one of the banks and looks down, the extreme angle is intimidating to say the least. After years of use and exposure to the elements the track went through a complete restoration in 1997 and remains in excellent condition today.

The "Circuit d' Alpenrose" is a jewel to the Oregon bicycling community. The summer weather brings a packed agenda of racing events, weekly series races and evening training races. The Oregon Bicycle Racing Association (OBRA) oversees all organized activities at the Velodrome through the tireless efforts of its volunteers. Schedules of events and information about the Alpenrose Velodrome can be found on their website.

Below are a few shots I recently took of some training races after shooting a softball game on the adjacent fields.

Watersports on the Prineville Reservoir

2005-07-24T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ah summertime...Vacation time. Summer is short in Oregon. It seems we no sooner celebrate Memorial Day and the next thing one knows is that it's time to hand out trick-or-treat candy on a cold, dark 40 degree rainy night. On the west side of the Cascade Range, the good, hot summer weather really doesn't set in until after the 4th of July. But on the east side, on the high plain desert, sunny skies and hot days seem endless. The stark difference in weather between Western and Eastern Oregon is dramatic.

Every year several of our friends pack up their families, camping gear and ski boats and head off to Eastern Oregon for fun in the sun. The whole trip revolves around watersports. For the past few years, the location of choice has been the Prineville Reservoir. It was 5 days of nearly non-stop water sports...water skiing, wake boarding, tubing and jet skiing. With a messed up knee keeping me idle...while everyone played, I shot the action. Over 4,300 frames later, we packed up, pulled the boats in and headed back to work, paying the bills and house chores...Ah vacation time...only 51 weeks and we get to do it all over again.

Condon's Fabulous 4th Kid Races

2005-07-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

As part of the Condon, OR 4th of July celebration, the adults had their Fabulous 4th 8K Run and 5K walk in the morning, and in the afternoon the kids took part in the traditional Kids' Races on the High School football field. The event is full of thrills and spills as the youngins competed in sprints, a three-legged race and a solo gunnysack race with distances varying based on age group. It was fun for all, and the victors claimed a shiny new Sacajawea One Dollar Gold Coin as a first place prize, courtesy of the Bank of Eastern Oregon.

See the photo gallery of the Kids' Races here: Condon Fabulous 4th Kids Games.

Condon, Oregon Fabulous 4th Run & Walk

2005-07-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

Every 4th of July a small farm-based town of 650 residents in Central Oregon swells three times its size as family and friends gather to celebrate our nation's birth in a style reminiscent of a Norman Rockwell painting. Surrounded by miles and miles of wheat fields, the town of Condon, Oregon holds on to generations of tradition as modern times challenges the economics of being an isolated town with its roots tied to family-owned farming.

Known as "Condon's Fabulous 4th Celebration," annual events include breakfast in the park, a traditional small-town parade, a soapbox derby race, kids races and an impressive fireworks display at the High School. A couple of years ago a fun run and walk was added to the agenda of activities. The run starts 5 miles out of town at the windmill farm and ends at the town park. This year 15 runners hoofed the rolling road into town while about 25 walkers opted for the shorter 5K walk. It was a beautiful morning in a beautiful corner of the world. Life in Condon doesn't stand still...it just moves at a pace city folks don't appreciate often enough.

See the photo gallery of the run here: Condon Fabulous 4th Run & Walk.

My first photo assignment: Graduation 2005

2005-07-12T22:59:00.000-07:00

Graduation is a time of nerves, excitement and anticipation...but this time I am not describing the graduates' feelings, I am speaking of my own. I was fortunate enough to be asked by the Beaverton Valley Times to cover three graduation ceremonies for their June 16th "The Class of 05" feature section. I photographed ceremonies at Valley Catholic HS, Southridge HS and Jesuit HS in Beaverton, OR. It was a great experience...Definitely a challenge to find the moments, get a good shot and get the personal information from those in a photo. All-in-all, I was very pleased to have 7 of my submissions published. Below are 3 of them with the captions as they were published.

Self Portrait - Valley Catholic High School grads (above, from left) Eric Choi and Glen Thonis take a pre-commencement photo Saturday, June 4, in preparation for their final appearance with their class.

Graduation Scenes - Jesuit grad Sacha Bernards adjusting Chris Dieringer's honor tassel as Laurel Bently looks on.

Ready To Go - Southridge senior designated hitter Cory Bence showed up for graduation Saturday afternoon at the University of Portland still clad in her softball jersey and firstplace medal from the Skyhawks' state title win.

More fun with the kids

2005-06-21T23:20:00.000-07:00

As the Little League seasons wound down, I got out to a couple of softball and baseball games to shoot some more kids of some family friends. Shooting Little League continues to be great fun. The action...the expressions...the emotions...the drama...Little League makes for great shot opportunities...and some of them even have something to do with baseball.

See the photo galleries of game shots here:
Murrayhill Little League, Dodgers vs Reds
Oregon ASA Softball, Blaze vs Rampage
Murrayhill vs Tualatin Softball

Manchester United Premier Cup

2005-06-21T21:27:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend 32 of the best U-15 boys and girls premier soccer clubs gathered at the Nike World Headquarters Campus in Beaverton, OR to compete in the U.S.A. Regional Finals for the Manchester United Premier Cup. Over 7,000 boys teams from 40 countries are vying for honors to compete in the Man U Cup Finals, which will be held in Hong Kong in July. For the girls, winning the Regional provides a berth to the prestigious Gothia Cup in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The Oregon Spring weather was perfect for soccer; the action was top notch and the beautiful Nike Campus provided an excellent setting with world-class facilities. The campus was the training facility of choice for the Manchester United English Premier League squad during their past U.S.A. summer tours.

The Washington Crossfire 90 club from Redmond, WA are now busy booking tickets to Hong Kong as they took first place honors for the boys. The Slammers FC of Newport Beach, CA will travel east across the Atlantic as their first place victory sends them off to Gothenburg.

See the photo gallery of game shots here: Manchester United Premier Cup.

Quarter Midget Racing: Region 9 States Race

2005-06-03T02:12:00.000-07:00

I have fond memories of when I was a kid watching the quarter midget races at Alpenrose Dairy in Portland with my family. As I remember, we would stop by Alpenrose on a Sunday after church to watch the races...or the little britches rodeo...or the bicycle races on the velodrome...or any of the many other events the dairy sponsors. Alpenrose is an amazing place...a true testament to a family owned business understanding the value of being involved with the community and supporting family oriented activities.

I was taking softball pictures on Memorial Day Weekend for a friend on the main Little League field, which happened to be the first day of the Quarter Midget Region 9 States Race. It was just qualifying and time trials, but I took the opportunity to shoot for about an hour and get a taste of shooting a racing event...quarter midget style. I enjoyed it and will definitely plan to drop by Alpenrose more often this summer and shoot another race. If you want to learn more about quarter midget racing, check out the Quarter Midgets of America website.

Oregon Girls High School Lacrosse Championship

2005-06-03T01:35:00.000-07:00

After shooting a recent softball game at Southridge High School I took the opportunity to drift over to the football stadium to shoot the Oregon Girls High School Lacrosse Championship match between Lincoln High of Portland and Lake Oswego High. The match started out during the "golden hour," when the sun is just above the horizon, which provided a very nice warm-toned light. As the match drew into the evening, I went from shooting with great light at ISO 200 to struggling to get a decent shutter speed at IS0 1600 due to the weak stadium lights.

It was a great end-to-end match. The lead changed hands several times throughout the match, but in the end, Lake Oswego scored a "golden goal" in the second overtime to claim the state title. It was a very emotional win for the LO ladies and a crushing blow to Lincoln.

Half-fast Coed Soccer

2005-06-02T21:39:00.000-07:00

How someone came about the idea of coed soccer is beyond me. I know of no other mixture of the sexes in any other physically demanding contact sport. Sorry...coed softball just doesn't compare. Even though on paper one wouldn't think two teams of five men and five women would result in a harmonious outcome, but somehow it all works...given all don't take it too seriously.

I have been an avid soccer player my entire life. Coed games are a lot of fun. The coed team I play on is a diverse mix of talent and characters...to say the least. We have twenty-somethings and sixty-somethings...serious talent and alternative talent. No matter how you measure it, it's a great group of folks and not too bad of a team. The team name is Half-fast and we have managed to start of the season with a 4 and 1 record. The most recent game was in Damascus, Oregon in the foothills of the Cascade Range. The backdrop to the field was a gorgeous view of Mt. Hood. In between substitutions, I took a handful of photos of the game. We won 4-1, I got some good shots of my teammates and the post-game beer was mighty tasty.

See the photo gallery of game shots here: Half-fast vs Accuprint Printers Coed Soccer.

America's Past Time

2005-05-16T23:11:00.000-07:00

It's simple...Little League is fun to shot. Easy access, a small field providing lots of shot opportunities and never a loss for great expressions from the kids. I shot a recent game for a couple of friends that have kids on an 11 year old team. Like I said...it was a lot of fun.

For the first 4 innings a pitching machine was used and the kids were pretty aggressive at swinging at the ball. After that, the kids pitched the last couple of innings...that's where things slow down quite a bit. Pitching is a bit of a stretch for them at their age. They heave the old cowhide with all their might, and even make it across the plate a few times.

The big play of the day was a popup over the plate...the catcher zeroed in on it, but as the ball approached the ground he was positioned a little behind it. He made a spectacular diving catch for the out. A couple frames of the sequence are displayed below.

All-in-all it was a good day for baseball and a good day for shooting. See the photo gallery of game shots here: Mariners vs Stingers Baseball.

Oregon: Track Country

2005-05-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

With the University of Oregon in the core of the Willamette Valley (remember "Pre?"), Nike World Headquarters in the suburbs of Portland and some of the most beautiful and diverse scenery to train in, it is no wonder that Oregon High School Track has become immensely popular over the past years. When I went out to shoot my first track meet since I was in high school last week, I was blown over by the sheer number of participants that were present for a simple dual meet between Jesuit and Hillsboro. There were athletes everywhere...and so many events were going on simultaneously...it was like trying to watch all the rides and game booths at once at the Rose Festival Fun Center on a warm summer night in June. OK...one can dream about a warm summer night during Rose Festival...but I digress.

One needs to have a game plan going into shooting a track meet....I didn't, so I tried to move around the best I could and shoot as much of a variety of events as I could. It will take a little trial and error, along with some studying up on who the top athletes are until I feel comfortable enough to know I can cover the core story of a meet. But in the mean time...I just worked on timing, style, angles and capturing some peak action. I enjoyed the experience and look forward to shooting a few more meets before the season is over.

Jesuit boys literally ran away from Hillsboro a score of 113 to 32. The girls contest was closer with Jesuit winning by a 96.33 to 48.66 margin.

Meet photos of the Jesuit/Hillsboro Dual Meet

More international flavor for Oregon: Rugby

2005-04-18T02:06:00.000-07:00

New Zealand, South Africa, England, France, Fiji...and now Oregon...the action, excitement and drama of Rugby Union has taken root in the Pioneer State. Oregon High Schools have recently adopted Canada's National Game, lacrosse, and now the youth of Oregon will soon be chanting the Haka and trading national team jerseys from around the world as Rugby becomes the next international import. What's the Haka you ask? Check out the New Zealand All Blacks web site to learn its history and begin to get an understanding how Rugby is more than a sport...it's a culture.

Last weekend I ventured out to Lents Park where the Oregon Youth Rugby League were playing the final weekend of the regular season of U19 matches before the upcoming playoffs. It was dark and a little rainy...your typical Oregon Spring Saturday. I shot 3 matches...the Tualatin Valley club overpowered the Hillsboro Rugby Club 35-0; the Eastside Rugby Club and the Wilson High School Rugby Club pooled players to play out a "friendly" match (is there such a thing in rugby?) that ended 21-0; and the Ashland Rugby Club made the long trip up I-5 worth the trouble by defeating North Clackamas 12-7.

Rugby is a great game...lots of continuous action, it is extremely physical and it's history demands that a rugby player develop strong character...it's not a hooligan's sport...it's tough and mentally and physically one of the most challenging sports. Learn more about Oregon Rugby of all levels at the Pacific Northwest Rugby Football website, or check the schedule and come out and watch a match...I guarantee you'll enjoy the action.

Match photos of the Oregon Youth Rugby U19s

A Classic Soccer Spring Ritual: State Cup

2005-04-12T17:46:00.000-07:00

All throughout Oregon last week, the State Cup Tournament kicked off for classic soccer team of all ages. This is the Grand Finale that traditionally wraps up the end of the classic soccer season. Boys and girls, ages 11 through 19, played round-robin matches last weekend, completing the round this upcoming weekend.

Winners within each age group move on to represent Oregon in the USYS National Championships Regional Tournament in July in Denver, CO. With prestige and promise on the line, the competition brings out the best in players.

I shot two random matches over the past weekends...a U15 Girls match between the Westside Metro 89s and the Rouge Valley Soccer Club Arsenal. The 89s jumped out with two early goals and coasted to the 2-0 victory. The second match was a spirited U15 Boys contest between the Westside Metro Gunners and Bend FC. The match was physical...with plenty of grabbing, pushing and even a retalitory punch being thrown...hey, these are 15 year old boys...the adreniline was flowing (and of course, the parents were screaming...oh well). In the end, FC Bend got the win after a 0-0 draw forced a penalty kick shootout. Was it deserved?....check out the Oregonlive forum for the latest on the debate...but for me....I'm looking forward to more matches this weekend. Check out the OYSA Website for State Cup competition schedules and standing...it should be a grand final to the 2004-2005 classic soccer season indeed.

Match photos of Westside Metro 89s vs Rouge Valley SC Arsenal
Match photos of Westside Metro Gunners vs Bend FC

Grab your parka, it's softball season in Oregon

2005-04-01T22:15:00.000-08:00

Only the swallows returning to Capistrano are more predictable than a rainy Spring Break in Oregon or the softball season kicking off with cancelled games. It has been tough finding games being played the last couple of weeks as Oregon skies dropped a daily dose of "springdrops" on ball fields all over the metro area. However, there were a few cloud breaks that lasted long enough to get 6 or 7 innings in to get the season underway.

I like shooting softball...probably better than baseball. There is more action...the field is smaller, so there are more shot possiblities...and besides, those baseball guys just sit in the dougout with goofy looks on their faces and don't do those cool cheers. I am getting the hitter and batter shots down...the challenge so far has been predicting field play and getting shots of the infielders and outfielders. I'll work on that over the next few weeks. In the mean time...it's off to the field with my Columbia parka, ski mittens and pocket warmer...because it's time for spring sports in Oregon!

It's Springtime in Oregon

2005-03-21T02:31:00.000-08:00

Unbelievably, the first day of the High School Baseball Season in Oregon was greeted with clear blue skies and warm temperatures. A great way to open up the season. I took the opportunity to shoot a game at Southridge High, which is near my home. The Skyhawks hosted Roosevelt of Portland and coasted to a 9-1 victory. This was the first baseball game I have shot since high school. All-in-all, it wasn't too bad. A good day for shooting...nice late afternoon sun and I found a couple of half-way decent shooting angles....which I quickly found out was going to be the trick to baseball and softball...getting access to good shots. I'm looking forward to the spring sports season...baseball, softball, track, tennis and golf.

More Southridge vs Roosevelt photos in my Pbase Gallery.

OSAA Basketball Championship - Mayhem in the Pit

2005-03-21T01:22:00.000-08:00

The Pit (McArther Court in Eugene, OR) has a reputation of being the home of some of the wildest college basketball games in the Pac 10. Last week, the aura and magic of The Pit was the backdrop to the Oregon High School Boy's Basketball Championships. In the semi-finals, Lake Oswego upset Jefferson High...handing the Democrats another tournament loss, spoiling their chance to regain the title which they last won in 2000. But it was the championship game between the Lakers and Jesuit High that added another legend to the chronicles of The Pit.

After being all but dead and buried with a 17 point half-time deficit, the Crusaders magically executed an amazing come from behind victory to crush Lake Oswego's dream of their first state title. It was in their hands...with less than 3 minutes remaining, they still held on to a 10 point lead. But Jesuit's intense defensive pressure broke the Lakers and the Crusaders managed to literally steal the state title away in the final seconds; their second in school history.

Additional photos are posted on my SportsShooter member page and in my PBase Gallery.

OPSL Final - FC Swoosh vs Westside Action

2005-03-09T21:41:00.000-08:00

You would hardly believe it is still Winter in Oregon. It was another sunny 70 degree day...perfect for soccer and for photography. The OPSL Final was held at Tigard High School between FC Swoosh (heavly clad in Nike gear) and the Westside Action (with strong Adidas sponsorship)...classic matchup in more ways than one.

I won't try to give you a full rundown on the match here (you can get that at the Pacific Coast Soccer League website), but I will say that Three Stripes edged out the Swoosh in a penalty-kick shootout.

Shooting conditions at the beginning of the match were good...the low winter sun wasn't too harsh. As the overtime periods stretched into the late afternoon, the sun dropped further, which provided some excellent light with a touch of warmth. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the outcome of shots. They can be seen in my PBase Gallery.

Coming up in a couple weeks will be High School Baseball, Track, Lacrosse, Tennis and Softball. Ahhh...springtime in Oregon...it's back to shooting in the great outdoors. How much you want to bet the sun is going to do a quick disappearing act?

Oregon 4A Girls Basketball Championships

2005-03-08T03:01:00.000-08:00

I was fortunate to spend the past weekend shooting the Oregon 4A Girls Basketball Championships at the University of Portland Chiles Center. It was a great opportunity. Lots of action...lots of good shots...and lots of misses. I learned a lot through the experience. Check out my SportsShooter member page for a few more shots. I'll post a few more shortly. Thanks goes out to SportsShooter member Craig Mitchelldyer, Valley Times Photographer Jamie Valdez and Valley Times Sports Editor Miles Vance for sharing their knowledge and insights.

Congratulations to Southridge High School's Girls Basketball Team on winning their first Oregon State High School Championship title. In the photo below, Southridge’s only graduating Senior player Ashley Yukich hoists the 4A Championship Trophy in celebration with her teammates (l-r) Michelle Jenkins, Stacey Nichols, Jamie Burg and Falissa Smith. Joining them in the back include Aarika Hughes, Kelly Vega, JJ Hones and Alex Earl. The Skyhawks defeated Central Catholic 56-45 for the OSAA title.

Oregon Premier League Soccer

2005-02-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

OK...It's February in Oregon. So while New York readies for 15 inches of snow and L.A. drowns and slides into the Pacific, we in Oregon are breaking out the SPF45 and heading out to watch the Oregon Premier League Soccer semi-finals. The first match was won by Westside Action against Penarol. The second team in the finals will be FC Swoosh who toppled IPS by an overtime Golden Goal. When I heard about the game and showed up at Tigard High at 2pm, I didn't know this was to be a semi-final...so I missed the first match. With that, I broke out the new D2H...slapped the 1.4X teleconvertor onto my 70-200mm zoom and shot away during the second semi-final.

My first opportunity to shoot the D2H for soccer was quite a thrill. I was pretty pleased with the results...but I over compensated the exposure a bit in the first half trying to prevent blowing out the whites. Lesson learned....let the camera do its job. One of the first shots of the match was one of the best (below)...for the rest...Match photos are posted here.

The final against Westside and Swoosh is next Sunday....03/06....2pm....Tigard High. I plan to be there.

Starting a Revolution

2005-02-28T18:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Blog. I am just getting this underway, so hang in there while I figure out this Bloggin' thing and do some experimenting and tweeking.

Although all subjects are open and possible...we'll focus primarily on sports photography covering my recent shoots, achievements and, of course, trials and tribulations.

Enough small talk....LET'S GET STARTED....