National Short Track Championships
Photos by Jerry Search
A few words about the pictures of
the 2002 National Short Track
Championships, Pittsburgh:
The lighting in this rink was
good, however, there were large windows at each end of the ice, and while
they looked nice in person, they reeked havoc on no-flash photography,
especially since I shoot speed skating from several angles. Therefore,
many of the 1,000 photos I took did not come out, due to rapidly varying
lighting conditions as I followed the skaters with my lens.
Also, I was often busy, and not
busy, at similar times, and so ended up with many photos of the same groups,
and not many of others. Sorry about that, but as a coach, I am quit
busy at the Nationals.
The original purpose of my website was to show
what speed skating, especially short track, is really like. To this
end, my pictures of speed skating meets tend to vary greatly in content
and setup. I want to show our sport, not necessarily certain skaters.
My pictures tend to show many different angles, from head on shots--to
straight-away shots--to even what I call butt-shots, as you have seen.
Also, I wear different hats at a meet.
I am a coach, and that in itself takes up a lot of my time. So the
pictures are just a sidelight to my coaching, which directly relates back
to my website, to teach people around the world about speed skating.
And a few words about Sam Hicks
Below is a photo of Sam, and one of the many
photos he took at the 2001 National Championships in Bay City.
Sam Hicks
|
We have a photographer who has good, high
end equipment, and the time to sit in one spot and concentrate on the individual
skaters themselves. Sanders (Sam) Hicks is also a coach. He
is a National and International Starter, and a former ASU Commissioner
of Officials. Sam is also a member of the
Speed Skating Hall
of Fame as a Contributor
to the Sport.
|
|
Juvenile Girls, by Sam Hicks. This
is one of the many photos he took at the 2001 National Short Track Championships
in Bay City. If you compare this photo to any of the ones I have
on my webpage(s), you will see that they are not in the same league.
Sam's photos are outstanding when you want a good photo of someone in particular
skating.
|
A few people have emailed me to purchase
copies of my pictures. While I would definitely like to accommodate
these folks, I simply do not have the time. Therefore, I strongly
urge anyone interested in having actual photos of their skaters skating,
to browse Sam's displays the next time he shows up at a meet (he will!)
He usually has along with him albums of past meets which you can look through.
And there is a very good chance he has one or more pictures you will be
interested in. And there is also a very good chance that they will
be superior to any that I took! Believe it or not, I bought almost
$80.00 worth of his photos at the National Short Track in Bay City.
I knew they would be far better than mine for good pictures of "my skaters".
Return
3/31/02:
00369