My job when going to these games is to cover the action as closely as possible. And since we have a one-man department, I'm in charge of taking game notes and getting photos. You can't get good game photos sitting in the press box. I've been covering high school football for close to 20 years now, and I have never watched any game from the pressbox. Not even one. Because I can't.
No, that's me, right on the sideline, where the action heads my way from time to time. I've got to anticipate. I can't go dashing madly from one side of the field to another every three minutes, so I try to pick a spot where the action may be heading my way. Usually, that's about 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. If the team gets off a nice running play or a good pass, I might be able to get a good shot.
But there are so many variables that it mostly comes down to playing your hunches. And lighting is always a big factor. Tonight, I was lucky. The game started with about an hour of daylight left, so the sun was out. By the second half, though, it had set ... and since the lights at these fields are usually so dim, I need to use a big flash attached to the camera. Because light disperses over distance, I need to be close, within about 10 yards of my rapidly moving subject. So my toes are usually just inches from the sidelines. If a play heads my way, I need to be ready to fire a shot--and to then duck out of the way if they're getting too close.
Usually my 56-year-old legs are pretty good at that. I've just been nailed along the sidelines a few times. Once was about 15 years ago. The back on our team had made a nice gain, and I had him in focus when a tackler hit him in the side--and knocked him out of bounds. Right into me. Wham!
I was knocked on my back hard. My cap flew off, my glasses flew off, I dropped my notebook, and I even think the camera (an SLR) flew out of my hands--fortunately, all of us landed on the grass along the field. Still, the shin on my right leg got hit pretty hard by one of the players' cleats--it drew a little blood, and the shin was bruised for at least a month.
I have had "incidental contact" with players going out of bounds from time to time, but that was the last time I had really gotten nailed. Until tonight.
OK, our team had a good lead in the third quarter, but the other side (the home team) was driving, led by their quarterback. It was a second down play, and he rolled out to his left and then started downfield, with a couple of our guys in hot pursuit. Right towards me! Great! I thought. This could be a good shot!
Too late, I saw that they were heading right at me. Others were standing nearby, and they blocked my only exit. Here comes the tsunami. All I could do was lower the camera and shield it with my body while turning away. And pray.
Wham! The QB made impact on my shoulder and knocked me down, hard, onto my right hip. My genuine imitation Milwaukee Brewers baseball cap flew off, my glasses were knocked askew, and I dropped the notebook. The camera, though, avoided major impact. I managed to hold on to it, and it seemed to be none the worse for wear.
I guess you can say the same for me. The opposing player who hit me apologized (why?) as he helped me back up. After everyone saw I was OK, there was a good deal of laughter and teasing. "Nice hit!" "Do I credit you with the tackle?" My hip, where I landed on the grass, was a little sore, and I wondered on the way home whether a big bruise is in my future, So far, none is evident.
Guess I survived another one.
*****
This may have been our last nice day/night for some time. It was in the upper 70s and sunny as I drove to the game, and temperatures were still in the 60s for most of the drive home long after sunset. But on Saturday, a storm front starts moving through the region. By Tuesday, highs here will be in the upper 40s--about 30 degrees cooler than today.
Well, it's that time of year. The leaves haven't changed too much yet, but the reds, oranges and yellows are on the way. In two or three weeks, it's going to be really pretty around here.
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