2015 Boys Basketball Tournament
Witnessed five games of the boys basketball tourney shooting for Callam Sports Photo.
- Freeman over Archbishop Bergan
- Hastings St. Cecilia over Battle Creek
- D2 Final: Exeter-Milligan over Bancroft-Rosalie
- A Final: Creighton Prep over Omaha South
- C2 Final: Hastings St. Cecilia over Freeman
I have to say, I am impressed with the crowds at both the girls & boys tournaments this year. A few times in the 2014-15 season, I have been critical of some of the smaller crowds throughout parts of the regular season. However, the state tournaments brought out a lot of fun support.
Here are some of my highlights (in chronological order). Hope you enjoy!
And of course, it is a little sad that basketball season is over. But it is great to look forward to getting outdoors for longer days, better weather!
2015 Girls State Basketball Tournament
The state tournament brings a lot of joy and a lot of tears. For this year's edition, I covered one Thursday night game for the Beatrice Daily Sun, two Friday games for Callam and the final three championship games on Saturday also for Callam.
Those last five games for Callam are always interesting. Of course some of the pros of the Callam coverage are not having to caption photos, not having deadlines and getting to shoot all teams. But sometimes I wonder if the quantity of trying to get solid photos of every single player effects the quality of photos I can get from one of my favorite events of the year.
Beyond the action photos, shooting for Callam also includes taking photos of all medal ceremonies and team photos. That means this year, I didn't see a single championship trophy presentation. I was already back in the rooms under the PBA stands getting ready for team the runner-up and championship team photos.
This of course presents one of my least favorite moments of the year -- watching the second-place team react to just coming up short in the championship game. You do learn a lot about some teams & coaches. Even when the lowest seed of the tournament (basically the biggest underdog that could possibly win it) loses in that championship game, there are still plenty of disappointed players.
There comes a time when a coach, sometimes just an assistant, says some pretty amazing words to these young students. I wish everyone could hear those speeches. And on Saturday, there is less than a minute that passes between that runner-up team leaving that room and championship team joyously running in for their photo. It is really a roller coaster. We finish the championship photo and then it's back to the court for the next game.
To the players, the coaches and the fans, I sure hope you enjoyed the ride!
2015 State Cheer & Dance
Shooting the State Cheer & Dance Competition is a pretty unique event.
Like any other state championship event, you have students from across the state. Some from small schools and others from the big metro schools. You have multi-sport athletes who also cheer. And then you have dedicated dancers who specialize in this type of event.
However the most unique part of this competition is the schedule. For more than 12 hours, you have groups going back-to-back every 2-3 minutes. There is only one major break, but other than that, there is no down time.
The main Callam photographer bounces between the two locations on the floor as the groups alternate from one end to the other. Back-and-forth. Group after group.
Add in loud, repetitive music (usually bad remixes of popular songs) and it’s an interesting day to power through.
But, State Cheer & Dance has another pretty awesome quality — the people.
There is always energy at the high school state championships. But the energy that these students bring to this event is unparalleled.
Exhibit A: When awards are announced, all competitors are welcomed to the floor (similar to any band competition awards — just with EVERY competitor). They start cheering. They start dancing. With every song that comes blaring over the sound system, everyone rises to sing & dance with the music.
Exhibit B: For every group on the floor, there is one row of priority seating right next to the court. Usually these seats are filled with coaches, families & friends. But more often that not, it also includes teams from other schools. It is pretty cool to see everyone support each other.
Exhibit C: There was a Taylor Swift look-a-like... (see below).
If you have never been to State Cheer & Dance, add it to your list.
For more of our photos taken during State Cheer & Dance, check out Callam Sports Photography.
MUDECAS Basketball
This past week, I photographed the 2015 MUDECAS Basketball Tournament held in Beatrice. The A Division games are held at the City Auditorium -- which is one of my favorites. And while the venue may not have the fancy, updated features common in many facilities, this building (and this tournament) has some great history and atmosphere.
It's the brick walls. The big curtains. The old-school seats. The wall mats are hung by rope. The locker rooms are on the stage.
It can get crowded. It can get hot. It can be loud.
But it's a lot of fun basketball with some great people. Be sure to check out the Beatrice Daily Sun for more of photo coverage. This is my recap of the week including some shoots you won't see in the paper. The tournament ended with the Boys A Division Championship coming down to a last-second heave to win the game. It was a tremendous way to end the week. Until next year!
The Memmings | Family | 2014
Meet Miles, Ginni & Jeremie. Time is just flying with Miles! He was the first baby of the next generation of the Moellers. And since then, he's been joined by Eden!
But back to the Memmings. This was such a beautiful day in Nebraska. Fall colors, fun light and tons of smiles! Enjoy!
