Sunday, March 29, 2009

Once Upon A Time In The West


Every year, (twice actually, counting the girls) Wyoming Valley West hosts a volleyball tournament- The Spartan Classic. After a few years of this, we have certain expectations from the day.

There will be waiting. Lots of waiting. For whatever reason, the schedule seems to be full of a lot of downtime at this tournament. A few weeks ago at Freedom, there was none. The Pottsville tournament has some breaks, but usually just enough time for a parking lot margarita before we are playing again. This time, we at FotoFink were a bit more prepared, using the time between games to get a head start on some photo editing.

Hair will be interesting. What is it about volleyball that encourages ridiculous hair? 2007, when Hoban went. Last year. This year was no exception, with our own boys adding to the festivities.

Steve will drop Trou. This is not my favorite ritual, but it seems to be a tradition now.

Not everything was as expected, however. We enjoyed some new events this year as well.

WVW got some pictures in the gallery. No, I am not defecting. One of the members of the WVW team saw me working on some photos in the cafeteria between games. He said some nice things about the shots, so I gave him the web address and promised to get some of his team if they played HR. How do you get on FotoFink? Sometimes it's that easy.

Breakfast traditions change. Overheard at the coach's table "Every year, twice a year, we eat breakfast at Rinehimer's. This time we got there and it was boarded up." Sign of the times, I suppose. It's a good thing that there was Halushki at the concession stand.

We won. Read that again if you'd like. In the last few years that I have been following, we have come close, nearly made it, and lost by a whisker. This year, nothing was stopping us. (That link was unfair. I don't know enough about the rules of volleyball to judge anyone's application of them. It just seemed like this gentleman came close to ruining our day.) In spite of all opposition, HR emerged as the champion for the day. Enjoy this while it lasts, because the regular schedule resumes on Tuesday with a trip to the North Pocono Thunderdome.

A few more random thoughts on the day:

I am experimenting with flash photography for some indoor sports. There are lots of arguments for and against it, and I think for volleyball I am leaning towards against. In large part, this is because our uniforms are made with a reflective logo and number, which would be very beneficial for jogging at night. Flash from the camera, however, makes it look like we are the team from Three Mile Island. What is Jimmy doing in the background of that shot?

Does anyone else remember The Ambiguously Gay Duo on SNL? I don't know why this picture made me think of that.

The title for this entry may bring out different thoughts for everyone. For me, it's this. Perhaps that can be added to the list of things that only I like.

In general, I don't like to use this platform to point out the accomplishments of any single player. More importantly, I know that no one like to hear anyone else brag about their own children. I will say though, that if you ever want a warm fuzzy feeling, watch your son's teammates congratulate him after he makes the tournament-winning point in a game that is headed to overtime. Good stuff.

The gallery is here. Easily a record number of shots from a single event.

The majority of my photographic work is here. Feel free to buy some so it can be yours.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Over 40 Soccer


Soccer is a young man's game. Thud. That was Mrs Fotofink throwing a shoe. Make that- Soccer is a young man's, woman's or person's game. On cold Thursday nights, however, the WV Sports Dome plays host to a group of 40+ athletes (?) who try to prove that wrong. Try may be the operative word there- so far there have been no scouts from the English Premier League in attendance, no absences due to National Team duties, just a bunch of old f*rts having fun breaking a sweat before they hit the bar for some serious training.

A few things that we can count on every week. R.C. will make us stop complaining about being old (71?). Guisseppe (spelling?) will wonder why he doesn't have a better team. Julio will fall down. Julio will flirt. Joanie will scream. Goals will be scored. Most importantly, fun will be had.

The 50% or so of us that stay uninjured should be back for more fun next season. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures, watch your carbs, and keep a close eye on your blood pressure.

The whole gallery of shots is here.

The entire FotoFink experience can be had here.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Lehman


There was a time, back in the days before the merge, when there were two big matches every season- Lake Lehman and North Pocono. Things are different now. Lehman came to visit and the most exciting, anticipated aspect of the day was the return of Sonic. Although the JV squad dropped it's match 2-1, the varsity squad put together perhaps their most solid performance of the season in their 3-0 sweep. This is a good time to be playing well, as the Valley West tournament and North Pocono match are both in the coming week.

From what I see of volleyball, momentum is a huge part of the game. Fans may have noticed the steps teams will take to push momentum in their favor- timeouts, congratulating players that have just erred horribly, and most annoyingly- chanting. Lehman's JV squad were chanters. Perhaps due to their younger age, they knew just one chant. After every point, the same chant. Through all three games. Tedious? You bet. But just wait. North Pocono is coming up. BIG chanters. (Roof -e-o? are they playing volleyball or drugging their prom dates?)

The shot above is of Gary Verazin, who is also known for his goaltending prowess with the soccer team. I consider this to be one of the best shots I've managed all season. It's focused, action is frozen, colors are good, and Gary's face is clear in the shot. In fact, there are about 4 shots of Gary in the gallery, I think they are all above average (I almost hurt my arm patting myself on the back there, but someone has to). Thanks have to go to Gary though. Poses like that make me look good.

Anyway- Pictures are here. Our staff was on site early, so there are plenty of JV shots as well. Once back at the cozy mountain retreat though, our team of player identifiers was unable to stay awake long enough to be much help, so there are plenty of URPs in this batch. Are you out there Robert? Can you help?

The whole shebang is here. Thanks for looking. Buy a picture.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Veja Du




In a reversal of last Friday's action, Tuesday found our staff stretched between soccer and volleyball, only this time in reverse order. Always up to the task, your trusty shutterbug made both games, with time for a hearty meal in between.

This time the opener was a volleyball match pitting HR against Pittston Area. The JV game was a last-minute add-on to the schedule, so HR came largely unprepared for the opening games, leaving most of the younger teammates behind. Quality won out over quantity, however, as the Royals downed the Patriots in 2 straight.

Varsity action was similarly one-sided. Give Pittston some credit, apparently their volleyball program has been in some jeopardy, but a few committed players and coaches have kept it going. All in all, a good day for the Royals, but a tough day for pictures- lopsided games mean lots of serve/miscue/repeat- and not much in the way of action. We did get to see some unusual events as a result- check out "Air Farrell"'s jump serve for example.

The whole gallery is here. More to come from Thursday's game and Saturday's tournament.

After leaving the nice, warm Pittston gym, our staff made our way over to Mountain Top for the girls soccer match with Crestwood. If you are a faithful reader of my work, you will recall that I have pondered this question before:

"Why do schools with lighted fields insist on using them?"

By them, I mean the lights, of course, not the fields themselves. Really though- couldn't that match have been played in the warmth of day just as easily as every other school's soccer matches? Just becasue the lights exist, doesn't mean the fields can't be used during the day as well. Are you listening Tunkhannock? Why force our athletes and spectators out in the harsh cold when we don't have to? Don't get me wrong, I like the cold weather. For skiing. I also appreciate extreme weather for soccer. That was a bit more extreme than I care for though. When your bench look slike a slumber party, there is something wrong.

Besides the cold, it was quite an entertaining match, with your Lady Royals coming out on top of a 3-2 score.

Time is short, so the pics are here.

Whole site is here.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Doubleheader


Friday presented a dilemma here at FF- girls soccer or boys volleyball? On one hand, the girls were playing at King's college, which is a nicer facility than they will usually see. On the other, volleyball is the last season that will feature a Finkernagel for the foreseeable future, so it would be a shame to miss a game there. Either way, there was a Wingert in the picture. In the true spirit of compromise, our staff decided to cover both, and hope for the best. Luck was with us all, as the sun favored pictures in the first half of the soccer match, and the volleyball game lasted (dragged on) long enough to allow our staff time to catch all of the Varsity and some of the JV action.

First off were the girls, facing North Pocono in an early season match. There are lots of words that spring to mind while trying to describe the nature of the play- Lopsided is probably the most kind. The Lady Royals were up 6-0 when our staff had to leave, and reliable reports tell us that the remaining minutes were no different. Some sure signs that the game is going your way-

Christina Flaherty is taking over in goal this year. While we are familiar with her adventures on the basketball court, we have been looking forward to getting some shots of her in action on the pitch as well. This was as much action as she saw in the first half. Sorry Christina- we'll get better shots of you on a day when the other team manages a shot.

Sometimes, play becomes so one-sided that the team on the defensive side just never bothers to try an attack. They become so entrenched in their own end that it just doesn't feel worth it to send some players forward, because the ball is just coming right back at you anyway. It then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy- if you expect to defend, you will defend. Coaches will yell insightful comments from the sideline like "Push Up!" to correct this; It's a very bad sign when it happens in the first 10 minutes.

There are high expectations for this team, but surely not every game will be so easy. Thankfully you can savor this victory over and over with the photos from Friday.

Boys volleyball then rounded out the day, as our staff hurried back to the HR gym to see the battle against Abington Heights. After the Royals dropped the JV match, there was some concern among our staff. HR has seemed a little "out-of-sync" lately, and AH looked sharp in warm-ups. The games told a different, but familiar story (take note, that link will take you to last year's match photos), however, as your Royals powered to a 3-0 victory, behind some solid play from several team members. Give some special credit to Steve Covert, who has re-invented his serve this year into one that might even be more effective than last year's. It's hard to tell from those shots, but last year's was more of a power-jump serve, this year's is more of a sissy-mary push serve. Last year's was more exciting to watch, but you can't argue with 18 service points.

On to the match photos.

Entire site is here, as always.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Confession Time


Not in the traditional, Catholic sense in this case. I just have the urge to confess that I don't like basketball. I realize that the entire planet is consumed by "March Madness" right now, but for me- no. I don't like basketball.

Right now, hopefully are saying to yourself- "So what?" If so, good. I don't want to take away from anyone else's enjoyment. I am sure there are things I like that others don't- Soccer, asparagus and George Thoroughgood all come to mind. Live & let live. Basketball just never did it for me. Too much offense, too much about the "show". Remember the upset game between Nova & Georgetown in 1985? I was a student at Nova at the time, and didn't even watch the game. Don't even get me started on how I feel about this guy. Oh Baby.

So why this blog entry then? It's part rant (basketball pre-empting Survivor on Thursday? Let me at the guy who made that decision!) and part... well.... confession. I have to admit, I enjoyed the Siena game last night. Probably mostly because of Owen, of course, I guess it just feels good to be able to say "I knew him when". Faithful FFers will remember Owen from both soccer and basketball during his time here in WB.

Enjoy Siena's ride while it lasts fans. It might even convert me.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

St. Patrick's Day VB


St. Patrick's day 2009 turned out a bit more routine than in years past- but as you can see, some got into the spirit regardless. The excitement for today included a parade of volleyball, with our staff on hand for the JV game, followed by the Varisty, followed by the JV. (That's not a misprint, JV played both before and after the Varsity- I don't know why) The day was not without miscues, but the teams managed to pull things together to come away with a 9 game sweep of the visitors from Lackawanna Trail.

Time is short today, so here's a few random thoughts-

Volleyball has the most interesting looking people. Be it coaches, players, or fans, they really seem to show up at volleyball games.

Separated at Birth is back. I've been uninspired for quite a while in that department, but some recent suggestions from some long-time followers have set the wheels turning again. This one is my own observation, but there should be more to follow.

Sometimes, (rarely), this hobby turns out to be important. Coach K noted that some players were looking at the last set of pics and noticed some problems with their techniques. As one player put it, "If we make it to States, FotoFink helped us get there". No argument from me. Now do it.

Link to the gallery is here.

Entire site is here.

More VB on Friday. Girls soccer in the near future too.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Spring has Sprung


I know that the calendar may say I am a few days early. Joe Snedeker will say I am a few days late. Here at FotoFink HQ, the first sign of spring is obvious- Boys Volleyball! Granted, today's action was just a scrimmage, and meaningful games are still about a week away, but nonetheless, we are on the doorstep of the mud season (Thanks to my fellow Smugmugger for that shot).

The scrimmage was something of a unique volleyball experience. Games were timed rather than tracked by points. The dress code for uniforms was obviously relaxed (C'mon there Snoop, get with the team!). Referees were plentiful. Most importantly, there was three hours of pretty much non-stop volleyball for our staff to keep busy with (take note, WVW) . Since scores were only loosely kept, it was difficult to determine who "won" the day, but your Royals made a good showing, matching up with teams from Freedom, Liberty, Whitehall & Dieruff for some spirited play.

The picture at the top of this post is of my son Jimmy. I usually try to post a shot in that spot that shows great action, is exciting, or at least interesting in some way. This is actually one of my favorites of Jim- unlike most of the shots I get, he's playing a game and I can't see his boxers.

As an added bonus, I was able to take a few important lessons away with me from the games-

1. Brian May hits hard. Do you see how he is smiling a little in that shot? That's because he knows the ball is about to hit our best (only) photographer. Note to self- Bring a longer zoom lens next time.

2. I know that someday I will get old. My hair will turn gray, and I just may be vain enough to want to dye it back to some lovely shade of Elvis black. If I choose to do so, I should remember to do it often enough to avoid the Pepe' Le Pue stripe.

3. When PJ stretches in his special way, he has an impressive chest. By impressive chest, I don't mean in the "Arnold Schwarzenegger" way.

4. The only thing that looks sillier than a mohawk is a partially-grown back mohawk. Add some futuristic goggles, and you have a really unique look.

5. Six years of watching volleyball, and the rules still confuse me. Apparently, sometimes this is not a carry.


OK. I've had an awful lot of fun at other's expense with this post, so before the karma train comes back to get me, onto the entire gallery of pictures here.

The entire site is here, as always.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

All Good Things....


...must come to an end. My recollection of that phrase goes back to my youth- Mama Fotofink was explaining some harsh reality of life with this cliche, and I wasn't buying the lame explanation.

Now, as a matured adult (well, adult anyway), I am using the same cliche to justify the girls elimination from the state tournament tonight. At some point, win or lose, the season had to end. In all likelihood, it would end with a loss, since only one team wins it all. These are all good teams that are left playing, so it could have happened at any time. This season, like all good things, had to come to an end.

The game started off on a positive note. In an eerily similar start to Saturday's win, Monica opened the game's scoring by draining a three pointer. This momentum carried through the first and part of the second quarter before ACC took a lead they never relinquished. Faced with HR's zone defense, the Vikettes (c'mon.... Vikettes?) were forced to get back into the game by shooting from the perimeter, and as a result, came back by three points at a time. The ACC girls also took complete control of the tempo of the game, slowing to a crawl once they had the lead. On top of all this, our girls struggled offensively in the second half, scoring just three points after the halftime break. The end result- a convincing win for Allentown, and the end of basketball season for the Holy Redeemer faithful.

X's and O's aside, the difference in this game was clear from the opening ritual. I am not sure what is creepier- all those players lying on the ground or the "Girls Gone Wild" camera guy hovering over them. Either way, this was a hard act to follow.

So what now? Seniors will look back on their last basketball season as a successful one. Underclassmen (underclasswomen?) will be back next year- this team should be strong for a long while. Fotofink will move on to boys volleyball and girls soccer. This guy will hopefully show up at some more games- we've been struggling to find a good mascot since the merge.

Of course, there are always pictures to relive the season. Photos from the last game are here. The entire season (or at least the part I saw) is here. Over 15,000 photos can be found here. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

How Badly Do You Want It?


Success in an athletic competition comes as a result of many things. In general, talent and preparation are two big reasons that one team prevails over another. But races don't always go to the swift, nor do battles always go the strong (to quote someone from well before my time). There is an "X" factor, something beyond skill & coaching. In looking at the pictures from the girls state playoff game, the "X" factor is clear- Determination.

Not that these girls aren't talented, or well prepared- They seem to be both. What made them dangerous today was that they wanted it. Badly. In the split second that a camera captures an image, it is frozen for all time (This is not always a good thing) and certain things, which may not be obvious during the game, become very clear. The pictures from today showed that our girls had the "X" factor. In the shot above, Megan is determined. (she usually is, by the way). How badly does Monica want it here? Or Alyssa here? Christine here? Laura? This guy, who apparently left his dignity in the car? Take note- This game wasn't really that close- by my loose recollection, HR led by 14 points through most of the game. The girls won a game last week where they didn't play very well, but managed to win anyway. They seem focused on not letting that happen again, regardless of the score. This should make them a worthy opponent to any team as they continue through the state tournament on Wednesday.

Regular visitors to the blog (both of you) have come to expect something a little more light-hearted in my rants, so I dare not disappoint. A few posts down, you may recall that I was complaining about the obstructed view that my floor seat provided. One thing about playoff games- there is more coverage from the local media, resulting in even more obstructions. This time, it really didn't seem so bad though. You really have to love it when spring rolls around.

The gallery of all the shots from the game is here.

The incredibly popular Freshman Girls vs Meyers gallery is here. (Why is this getting so many hits lately?)

The entire cool website is here.

Enjoy!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Moderator Day


Question: What happens when your favorite photographer/ski club volunteer is sidelined for a ski outing?

Answer: Pictures, but only from the deck of the lodge, of course! (why do I sound like Dwight Schrute when I read that back?)

In what is becoming a tradition, the 5 moderators of the Holy Redeemer ski club took to the slopes of Sno Mountain on Sunday for a day of skiing. Forced by injury to miss the skiing part, but unwilling to completely forgo the festivities, our staff (me) found solace in snapping a few shots from the deck before retiring to the lounge for the day. You may notice a few (hundred) strangers in the shots- It turns out that there is a lot of downtime when you are waiting for one specific group of people to make their way down the hill. So there I am, camera in hand, interesting people all around... snap, edit, post- Now they are preserved here in realtive obscurity.

In the end, the day was filled with bad teeth, banana trees, drunk people, beans in the dessert, good food & good friends enjoying some on and off slope merriment. Here are the best pictures I could get from my chair on the deck.