The galleries are up from the GV v S’ville games on Monday:
They can be found here:
Big Deal comin’ now is the first-ever Liberty v Liberty North Football contest Friday night.
Expect the place to be hoppin!!
We’ll have the pictures up as soon as we can!
It’s hard to believe this school year is almost over. Marty and I have had a tremendous amount of fun hanging with the kids, their parents, and their coaches. We are truly sorry to see our seniors leaving and we will miss them. We hope they’re able to make the most of their education, careers and lives. Whatever we have to offer, or if there is anything we can do to help, we will make ourselves available.
Mostly importantly for us. Don’t forget to drop by a
nd see us. We’ll be at every game next year we can make!
Wow.. we had a ball this last week and some new experiences: A split football game, soccer.
and we have some stuff coming up, including my first 2015 trip to Lawson…
First, I got Soccer on Monday. Zac Ganzer’s kids at Excelsior Springs vs St Joe Benton. That
gallery is up here.
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Then on Thursday, Liberty North played a lightning-shortened football game, which got continued on Friday.
Friday, after the end of the Liberty North game,
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. I went to Excelsior Springs for the Spartan – Tiger game,
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and Jeff went to Park Hill, Trojans v Bluejays.
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All three of those galleries are up here>.
The week coming up:
Marty:
Monday, Sept 14, Richmond @ Excelsior Springs, Softball
Tuesday, Sept 15, Wm Chrisman @ Liberty North, Softball
Wednesday, Sept 16th, Smithville @ Liberty North, Volleyball
I’ll take Thursday off, then
Friday, Sept 18, Lathrop @ Lawson, Football
Jeff:
Monday, Liberty Softball v Truman
Tuesday, Liberty Volleyball v St Joe Central
Wednesday, Liberty Soccer v Blue Springs South
Friday, Liberty Football v Truman
an old military axiom…
Our plans get overturned for the week’s end. Jeff is somewhat incapacitated, and that made it easier for me to figure out where to go for Friday night football: Wm Jewell for the Liberty North game.
Jeff is taking care of himself, and we’ll have him back in harness when the time is right.
That time of year again. It’s like standing on the shore of the river, watching the water race by. This will be my (Marty’s) 8th season shooting High School sports as part of the team with Jeff. My enthusiasm for the craft of photography is undiminished; the beauty of the kids playing ball, the camaraderie of the coaches, parents, admins, all these things have become like fresh air to us.
So you know I’m looking forward to seeing the Jamboree action this Friday the 14th. No matter what else, football is king-of-the-year as far as pageantry and pomp is concerned. The kids love being there and we love shooting their derring-do.
Here are some of the things I’m NOT looking forward to:
Someone getting hurt. I hate that more than just about anything.
Overtime games – I find it harder and harder to make a whole game anymore. Trying to make a game and a half can be too much.
Someone making the National Anthem about them, instead of about the song. I know, I know – too much American Idol influencing the way some want to perform the ritual number. But honest to goodness, it’s not an audition.
I’ll tell you this without equivocation – the absolute best renditions of the SSB have been at Excelsior Springs, and (drum roll, please) Oak Park. (!!) It seems in both those places, the choir master recognizes the value of a quick honest rendition. I always worry when I see the mike handed to a lovely young thing who then takes 20 seconds to sing the first two lines. Gonna be a long night.
Small worries. This time of year is second only to Spring Training finally getting underway. The anticipation, everyone’s record perfect, hopes high as can be…
And we’ll watch and take pictures from the shore as one more class of tomorrow’s leaders passes by on their way to adulthood.
It’s a great way to spend a year!
To all. Jeff and I had memorable times this year, baseball, football, starting and ending the year with basketball; Just finished our 7th trip to the Jewell Holiday Classic. No better way to see a ton of good basketball in one place.
But I have to tell you, Jeff won the year for the best unplanned moment: He was near the Liberty bus carrying the cheer-leaders on their way to St Joe Central for football. It was Indian Homecoming night.
The driver was following the directions she had been given for getting to where the folks at Central wanted the Liberty buses parked…. and somehow wound up the ultimate float the St Joe Homecoming parade!!!
The Liberty Cheer team, being nothing if not well aware of how to take advantage of the moment, opened the windows and started throwing candy out to the startled crowd!!
Gonna be a while before either of us tops THAT story.
The Jewell galleries are up: We could not get all the games we would have likes this year: Jeff works (!) and I had family visiting. What we did get is not bad.
We are greatly looking forward to 2015, if for no other reason than that is the way we’re built: looking forward.
Happy New Year to all, friends, coaches, parents, officials, admins. We do what we do ’cause we love it. We love it because it’s hard to do, and because of the people we get to know.
Thanks for another great year.
The Six-team hunt for the Mens’s Gold at the Liberty North Invitational lifted off Tuesday night. Park Hill South over St Pius, and then two close games, KC Central v Kearney and Liberty North played St Joe Central.
It’s pretty obvious that whoever wins this tournament will have to play good basketball. All six teams had strengths that will carry them a long way this year. 
I used the remote setup again. The results are encouraging.
Action continues with the finals on Friday, participants yet to be determined!
The galleries from Tuesday night’s action are up here.
Impossible not to get caught up in the baseball fever, with both Missouri MLB teams still in the hunt for a World Series berth.
Jeff and I take opposing views on the merits of the various participants, and in the spirit of the occasion have decided to make a bet on the outcome of the Series, if it turns out to be a repeat of the ’85 Classic. To Wit:
IF the Cardinals win out in the World Series, Jeff has to don a St Louis Cardinal shirt, birds-on-the-bat and all, and have his picture taken with the crowd at a Liberty North basketball game, Go Eagles!
IF the Royals win, Marty will put on a KC Royals shirt, and get photographed with the crowd at a Liberty Blue Jay basketball game. Win Jays Win!
All this is terribly preliminary of course; the Giants and Orioles still have a big say in who plays in the Fall Classic. But I just wanted to get it out there, so we can anticipate the fun.
Go Cards!!
Go Royals!!
Jeff and I have great respect for the officials of the various games we shoot.
We understand something that too many people might miss: The officials are the only people there, for the GAME.
The coaches are there for their kids, their programs; parents are there for their kids, as they should be; Admins, boosters, faculty, they are mostly concerned with their schools, for the students and players.
But the refs, the blue, the zebras, their only real concern is the game.
perhaps the pinnacle of ref-dom, MLB Umpires take the field
High School Football officials.
Jeff and I have always known that we do what we do for a couple of reasons – we like being technically proficient at a somewhat difficult undertaking; keeps us busy an active. But we have both long known that the biggest reason we do what we do is the kids. Some of our biggest rewards have been when ‘our’ kids go on to shine after school.
On Friday afternoon, before the scheduled Liberty – Kearney softball game at Liberty, the girls wanted to honor Jeff on the occasion of their home opener. There were nice remarks, a t-shirt, and Jeff throwing out the ceremonial first pitch. Of course we were there to capture the moment. After all, it’s what we’re there for!
