MUSINGS & OBSERVATIONS

« Be Careful What You Ask For Dept - I never learn to keep my big yap shut especially past comments about how the reduced number of teams make for shorter, less competitive meets. Thirty-one teams today, first time with this many teams this season and although the meet was managed quite well, it seemed as if it was a marathon, especially the 55m event. Had to be about 1,000 heats and it actually took longer than the race walk! Took my potty and lunch break at this time rather than wait for the racewalk...

« Speaking of which, the best quote of the day comes from perennial Lancaster Master of Ceremonies, Kevin Carriero who walked by me, turned and said "I'm gonna charge mileage given how long I've been on my feet today!"

« Class Acts - talking about the North Tonawanda girls who wore armbands as a memorial to teammate Kayleigh Bemisderfer's mom, who passed away last December. Prayers and thoughts are with you and your family always, Kayleigh.

« Letter of Intent Day - was last Tuesday and three young ladies who we've all watched evolve into fabulous student-athletes signed off to what will be a new chapter in their lives...Melissa Kurzdorfer of Lancaster inks with Kent State, Sweet Home's Katie Niblock pens with Iona and Brenna Symoniak of Amherst stays with the orange uniforms and signs off with Syracuse. If anyone else in Section 6 has also signed letters of intent with a college or university, please drop me a line so I can acknowledge this as you have earned every right to be recognized.

« 2009 Fredonia grad and fellow photographer, John Conti shows up at the meet today carrying his "howitzer" lens as he always wants to make me feel inferior. I shouldn't be surprised that he has this lens as he does shoot with a Canon camera...ba da da dum!

« Speaking of fellow photographers, it's always a treat to chat with Clarence parent, Randy Yerrick, and compare notes about how we're shooting a particular event or what settings to use in certain conditions. Today's lesson was how to best shoot from ground level with the camera literally on the ground and try to blindly aim it as the kids raced by. Well, you think we were two kids out fishing as when we captured the images and got one right, we're screaming, 'I got one!". We had some good laughs!

« Did anyone notice the air horn go off during the relays today? Darn thing sounded like the aftermath of a chili cook off!

« I felt like one of the Three Bears trying out the various cushions at the end of the day just to get off my feet. I've concluded that the smaller ones that looked like a wedge of cheese was the most comfortable and I could still shoot some photos while lying down given the pitch of the cushion.

« Has anyone who is down on the floor ever notice the number of feet dangling off the overhead area during the meet? Besides the wide assortment of footwear such as running shoes, Uggs, boots, flip-flops, Crocs (I hate those things!) and just plain 'ole stinky feet, it reminds me of the icicle Christmas lights hanging off homes and garages. Which reminds me I better take mine down!

« The saying "you have eyes in the back of your head" was never more appropriate today than around the shot put area as an errant throw almost hit the back of one student-athlete who was watching the pole vault. A collective sigh of relief was let out when the shot harmlessly bounced short of the young man but that area cleared out in a hurry before the next thrower got his turn....at least it wasn't me!