Tiny "ManU", Giant Champions

Ballast Point Youth Soccer - Tampa, FL 3.18.06

Early Saturday morning I returned to Ballast Point Elementary as an invited guest to photograph a soccer match-up of tiny proportions. Sponsored in part by generous people in high places, a miniature version of the UK's Manchester United took to the "pitch" to play in championship form and honor the team whose name their miniature jerseys bear. ManU ownership would be proud after the team showed skill and determination in their dominating win over their opponents with a final score of 14-2.

Youth soccer is a sport closely related to any other sport involving a youth group and intensity filled adults. Generally speaking, the parents add the intensity and strategy while the kids run around enjoying themselves regardless of the outcome.

Earlier in the season I had the opportunity to see these youngsters develop their talent firsthand. By way of a special request from a gentleman at my workplace that I hold a great deal of respect for, myself and a few co-workers volunteered our services to assist with running the kids through drills and reinforcing core soccer concepts. Having a firsthand look at team develop through routine practices was personally rewarding for me come game time. For most of the kids on the team, soccer is a great way to go out and have fun participating in a game with friends they have made on and off the field. As adults, and for some of the parents, winning seems to be a vital part of enjoying watching these kids play. Soccer drills, strategy, and discipline are all integral components to forming a winning team. Much like education, parent participation is a must in order to achieve success. By the looks of this team, one could easily attest to the commitment the parents of these kids have made to building a fun and competitive group. With youth soccer, success cannot only be measured by the final scores of their games. Just look at their faces when they are done playing and you will have your answer. For the 2006 season I was grateful to have contributed my time to help these kids succeed.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of providing photographic coverage of the game. Telling the story is integral to successful photography, but my personal satisfaction on this particular weekend was in capturing some smiles, excitement, and the nature of being a youth soccer league player. Most of the pictures I have of myself when I used to play little league T-ball generally depicted a baseball diamond of scattered kids all chasing the same ball. My aim was to relive those moments through these kids. From their first goal to their post game wrap up, being a part of their day truly made my job as a photographer much more rewarding.

Congratulations to the Ballast Point Youth Soccer group and the Manchester United team. Best of luck for the remainder of 2006.