Flash forward to 18 years.....FIFA World Cup(part 2 of 2)

The USA Women's Soccer team had been training in Sanford, Florida in preparation for the 1999 World Cup. Having been hired by Nike that year to cover the team, I had traveled throughout the south photographing several matches.I knew that the team was something special and went on an exhaustive search finding a credential. After about thirty phone calls I found that Sport magazine had an opening for the game and sent in the request. I received credentialing confirmation about one month later via Fed Ex. I had arrived early in Pasadena with plans of getting on the field about four hours prior to the game. When I got there disaster had struck....no credential and I wasn't in the FIFA computer. I had all the FIFA documentation in hand and all on their stationary...still it took 4 hours to get it straight and by that time every prime position on the field had been taken. I had arrived on the field three minutes before game time....

Brandi Chastain went onto the field seeking redemption that day, she had nearly cost her team a chance to play with an inadvertent "own goal" against Germany in the quarter finals. The game against China went down to penalty kicks and was tied at 4-4 . Before the game her coach Tony DiCicco had asked her to kick left footed for penalty kicks. The coach knew that Brandi had missed the same penalty kick(using her right foot) in the Algrave Cup against this same Chinese team just three months prior. Brandi had waited three months for her second shot...

.......I had waited 18 years for mine.

Where it all began...(part 1 of2)

I spent three summers working at Camp Illahee, a girls camp located in Brevard, North Carolina. My duties included the lawns, horse stables and general maintenance of the grounds. I recall the weekly pay as being around $80 or so plus all living expenses. During my final year at camp I was bitten by the photography bug and saved throughout the summer to buy a Minolta XGM and a Vivitar 35-70mm lens and I think seven rolls of film. My first roll of film was taken at the pre-breakfast morning rides. I took a few shots before deciding to take some photos of the riders jumping. I kneeled in front of the jump and framed the photo. The horse who's name was Anonymous was ridden by Carrie Lynch that morning, he was partially blind in his right eye and as he approached the jump he spooked and jumped awkwardly. I took the photo more out of reaction than thought and swore a 1000 times over that I had missed the shot. A week or so later the film was developed and there on the 28th frame of my first roll of film I had my first keeper. The image was framed and put on my wall and there I was thinking...why did it take me 28 shots to get one good one? Little did I know that it would be 18 years before I again put a photo on my wall....