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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

Boys Bball Playoffs

We seem to be alternating between skiing and basketball here on the site, so for consistency- today's update is on the HR boys playoff win over the West Scranton Invaders (yes, Invaders. I realize that it is probably due to my generation, but this was all I kept thinking about). In spite of some foul trouble for Pete Alexis, your Royals were cruising in this one- up by a score of 32-16 at one point in the third quarter. As was the case with the freshman boys last week, the game wasn't over by any means. The Invaders began to whittle away at that lead, thanks in most part to a great improvement in their 3-point shooting, which, in a cruel twist of fate, came at a time when HR went cold on their free throws. Every time it seemed like Redeemer had the game locked up, foul, miss, 3 brought West back into the mix. Finally, 5 seconds left, with a one point lead, HR makes a free throw and manages to keep West off the board to take a 2 point victory. Exciting stuff, in case you missed it.

On the subject of missing the game, where oh where has the Red Sea gone? Frustrated Alum were noting how in years past, this game would have been SRO. Last night? Have a look. This was the largest concentration of red in the stands. Aside from the one guy in the Red Sea shirt, the rest of the folks in red may just be Valentine's day leftovers. West Scranton brought their cheering section, but their material was pretty weak (note to the West fans- If you are going to call our player Herman Munster, don't sing the theme to the Adam's Family! Either know the material, or stay off the subject. The Munsters was the far superior show, but Zach does not look like Herman). Regardless- this is playoff time folks- every game could be the final appearance for the Red Sea. Lets hope the turnout for the girls game is a little stronger.

In only-somewhat-related news, in an earlier post, I referenced a brief, but still unremarkable playing history in my past. Through the wonders of the internet, facebook, and a friend I haven't seen in over 25 years, proof has surfaced. See if you can find yours truly in this group of long-haired seventh graders. Here's a clue- Mrs. FotoFink says I looked just like our son Chris. Poor kid. We actually had a very good team at that time, going undefeated for the season. My 11 points for the season had little to do with that success however. Every team needs a 17th man.

The gallery from the game is here.

The full website is here.

Buy a picture or 2. I need some more camera gear.

Ski Club 2009 Finale

The final week of Ski Club is always a bit more interesting- weather is warming, daylight is longer, and of course, there is a Pizza Party. Unlike seasons past, where we needed Pizza Nazis to control the pie allocation, improvements to the system made for a much more relaxing experience this time through. On the hill, our staff managed to find a few more of you than last week, resulting in a few more action shots as well.

We had some confusion over the group shot- The original idea was to take it outside, in front of the burning fireplace. That morphed to inside, near the unlit fireplace. Poor light forced us to consider alternatives to that as well, and we ended up on the handicapped ramp to the bar. We had to move a few "outsiders" from their seats to pull it off- Thanks go out to the girl who was unfortunate enough to choose one of those tables for her dinner. As more and more of you assembled around her, the fear in her eyes became clear. In the end it worked out, and it seemed to provide some fun- especially for the non-HR kid who asked if he could get in- just because he wanted to be in the yearbook. A group having that much fun generates it's own "buzz".

Speaking of fun, Marielle Keefe seemed to enjoy herself at the party. You may notice her in a few (hundred) of the indoor shots. Here at FF, we are used to a much quieter Marielle, contributing to the success of the girl's volleyball team. It turns out, she's not camera-shy. Who knew?

Out on the slopes, David George filled me in on how he is/isn't related to the rest of the George's on Facebook before showing off some snowboard tricks. I took a run with Dustin Siperko, who seemed pretty normal in spite of the crazy suit. Jimmy Fink made a successful return to the site of the ACL tear a few season's ago. Nate Albrecht showed us his best side. Lots of you caught my attention on the hill, forgive me for not being able to recall your names. Leave some comments on the site to ID yourself if you'd like.

As always, many thanks to Mrs. Alfano for organizing this craziness. Hopefully we will see you all again after the summer hiatus!

See the full gallery here. Last week's shots here. The whole site here.