UltiPhotos Behind the Camera: High School Westerns by Scobel Wiggins

June 06, 2013

We are very excited to announce the revival of our blog with a look Behind the Camera with Scobel Wiggins. Scobel has been shooting for UltiPhotos since early this year, but has been an Ultimate Photographer for fifteen years. Here she talks about shooting her latest tournament, High School Westerns. Keep an eye out for future blog posts from our talented photographers!

Last weekend I covered High School Westerns in Corvallis Oregon. It was the first time I shot a tournament without knowing a single player, and it's been ten years since I've shot high school. Some things have changed, others are rock solid.

First thing, the kids were awesome. That part is exactly the same and refreshingly new at the same time. Their parents were awesome too.

There were a lot of them; after South Eugene won about 100 people made a tunnel for the boys. I heard coaching from the sidelines, which was unnerving, but it's hard to argue a call when the players agree and you could tell the first-time fans were working it out. One grandmother was so moved hearing about Ultimate Peace I think she raced home to make a contribution. And a quick conversation about a punctured lung I witnessed long ago had them moving bikes and watching out for their kids all day long. But maybe the best was a parent from Eugene who cleaned up every sideline they visited. I saw two banana peels on the ground all weekend, and I think he might have picked them up too.

Kids play hard and there were lots of stoppages for cramping and injuries. One kid hurt himself by tying his shoes too tight, but one of MLU's stars outdid him by hurting himself this weekend using too much Ben-Gay.

An athlete told me she'd had four concussions in two months, I suggested a helmet and she just laughed. And it all got me thinking how few injuries the Rainmakers have suffered this year, and wondering if the difference isn't Ren Caldwell of RenFitness who keeps the players toned and balanced.

The love the coaches have for their athletes was a beautiful thing to see.

Thanks to USAU and David Raflo for an extremely well run tournament.

HS Westerns, Sunday

Keywords: behind the camera, high school, high school westerns, scobel wiggins, states, usau, youth

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UltiPhotos Behind the Camera: High School Westerns by Scobel Wiggins