Iolani Varsity Softball Opener A Good One!

The Iolani varsity softball team opened the season with a strong performance against MPI at the immaculate MPI field. I've never shot a game at the MPI field but I have to tell you, this is one great field for not only the players, but for the photographer. Usually I shoot from on the field and I did take quite a few from the field. But, there were some real interesting locations on the hills surrounding the field that in some ways were better than being on the field.

The game? 6-0. Iolani's offense and defense were clicking. For a detailed rundown of the game, please visit the Iolani Events website.

It's Softball Season!

Yesterday our Intermediate Red Softball Team (pretty much all 7th graders) beat Sacred Hearts, 12-6. It was an exciting game with many lead changes, lots of errors, lots of passed balls, lots of hit batters, lots of stolen bases, a bunch of singles and a few towering triples. To summarize, there wasn't a lot of defense on either team, but it was still fun!

I always am asked what my favorite sport is to photograph. It's a tough question because I really enjoy every sport I shoot. One thing I really get a kick out of is producing a "Sports Illustrated" quality photo. This means that the indoor, low light sports have a big disadvantage. I don't believe in using a flash during athletic contests. It is too disruptive and has the potential to affect the game. I do have the needed quality equipment to still be able to cover the indoor sports, but there are lots of hoops I need to go through to get an acceptable product.

The sport that probably has the most opportunities for fabulous photos is soccer. The light is usually very good and the action is continuous. With a long lens (I use a 140mm-420mm zoom) I can pretty much cover the whole field. A close second to soccer would be water polo (during daylight). This makes sense as water polo is very similar to soccer in a lot of ways.

Which sport is the most challenging? In my opinion, it is softball/baseball. The really great shots in softball or baseball are spectacular plays made by the defense. It is very difficult to get a great shot by just following the ball. You need to anticipate the play. So, if there are no outs or 1 out, and a man on first that can run, what do you get ready for? You either focus on first for a pickoff throw to first, or on second for the steal. There is lots of guesswork but when you guess right, the payoff is big. I need to really be on my toes, always thinking, to have a good day doing softball!

Football has some of the same characteristics as softball.

The hardest sport to photograph is probably indoor volleyball. The light is usually poor. The action is fast and somewhat unpredictable. Another very difficult sport is judo. This is one of the fastest sports I cover, the light is also poor, and the participants have their head looking down almost continuously. Very tough!

Every sport has it's idiosyncrasies. It's fun figuring them out!

To see more photos from yesterday's game, please visit my Smugmug galleries.

Girls Intermediate Tennis Continues To Roll!

On Monday, at the Iolani tennis complex, the girls intermediate tennis team showed their depth and strength in a different way. For varying reasons, 4 starters were not available to play. With most teams this would be a recipe for disaster. But for this team, Coach Alison has a lot of options. She moved the girls around and STILL won the match 5-0 with the only contest being truly competitive at 1st singles. Next up, Mid-Pacific Institute.

Tentative Schedule 11/27/06-12/3/06

Monday - Intermediate Girls Tennis
Tuesday - Intermediate Red Softball
Wednesday - Varsity Softball
Thursday - Intermediate Black Softball
Friday - JV Softball
Saturday - Varsity Softball vs Punahou and Hokuloa at Ward Center

Iolani Intermediate Boys Tennis Also Very Strong!

After being impressed by the 2006 edition of the Iolani Girls Intermediate Tennis team, I was curious to see what the boys team looks like. Like the girls, the boys are defending ILH champions. I'm happy to report, that like the girls, the boys look deeper and better than last year. Maryknoll's team was admittedly weak (5-0 in less than an hour!), but it was obvious that Iolani has talent up and down the lineup. Yes, it's only the first match of the season but the possibility for a sweep from both the boys and girls is there.

Punahou tends to be the largest challenge and I'm sure they'll be there with their usual excellent team. And, of course, with tennis you only need a few top players to turn a program around, so there is always the chance that someone else will be able to challenge this year.

Next match is Tuesday vs Le Jardin, at Iolani, 4pm.

Repeat for Iolani Girls Intermediate Tennis?

Last year the girls intermediate tennis team went undefeated, beating arch rival Punahou, twice, to win the ILH crown. It wasn't easy, though, as Punahou was as deep as Iolani. Every match was close, and the finals came down to a tie-breaker between two 1st singles players that refused to lose.

And, that last match lasted 2 days as the overall score was tied at 2-2, the first singles match was just starting a tiebreaker, and the skies opened up.

Just think about it - 2 intermediate tennis players going to sleep with the knowledge that the next day they would play a tiebreaker to decide the ILH champion. Talk about drama!

This year the Iolani team looks deeper and better to this observer's eyes. Yesterday was the first match of the year against an over matched Kamehameha team. Usually the intermediate crown goes to either Iolani or Punahou. I haven't seen Punahou this season yet. You can pretty well count on Punahou to be there at the end, but it only takes a few players to join a team to change the landscape so maybe there will be more teams in the race at the end this year.

HHSAA State Championship XC Photos Now Available!

Concerning photography for the State Champs in XC, this is what I know.

1. I was told I couldn't cover the meet as there was an exclusive contract with another photographer.

2. I thought that photographer was Rebelshots, but the evidence points to the fact that they have closed down.

3. One of Rebelshots' ex-employees covered the volleyball matches.

4. I don't know why, but no one covered the State Champs in XC.

When I found out that no one covered the XC meet, I contacted the HHSAA and let them know that although I didn't cover the States like I usually do, since I was only taking photos for my personal use, my school and my websites, I do have some photos. I concentrated on Iolani (both boys and girls), the leaders (I'm guessing maybe the top 20, maybe more), and the awards ceremony. I have been given permission to put up my photos in galleries and offer them for sale.

I am treating these photos like any other. They are the same prices and I will offer the same lower prices for the first 2 weeks, starting today.

I will also offer collages and posters. Posters could be really good for my OIA or outer-island friends since I may only have one good photo of your athlete.

To see some sample posters, please visit http://coach-al.smugmug.com/gallery/1920821

To see sample collages, please visit http://coach-al.smugmug.com/gallery/1335567

To visit the photo galleries, please visit http://coach-al.smugmug.com/ILH%20Cross-Country%202006

Thank you for your support.

Coach Al

Tentative Schedule - 11/20-11/26

Monday - Girls Intermediate Tennis
Tuesday - Boys Intermediate Tennis

XC States 2007 - Girls Top 10 Prediction

Predicting the top 10 girls at next year's state championships is fraught with danger. 1 year is a long time for an injury to occur, interest to wane or gain, a new athlete to appear, coaches to improve or mess someone up. Please keep in mind that I'm no expert. I just happen to attend every (ILH) XC meet every year and really LOOK at everyone. Tends to happen when you are taking their picture. I have drawn heavily on the results from States but have made some adjustments based on my own observations. These are totally my thoughts and I certainly know that I'm going to miss some kids and not be aware of certain important situations. So, without further ado...

Thoughts I'm working with:

There were 8 seniors in the top 25 at States in 2006.

Julie had a relatively injury free but busy season. She did have a hamstring problem but it wasn't major. She performed consistently at a high level throughout the season.

Kristin Ali Keith - great young runner.

Jenna Wong - much improved. Has not reached her potential yet. A great future is in store.

Malia Kagawa - Just gets better and better. Will be a senior next year. Will be in the mix at the top.

Hailey Grossman - Only 9th grade. Had a good race at States.

Haley Abing - Was sick the 2nd half of the season but still ran tough. If healthy she could have won it all this year. She is my favorite for next year.

Kristi Torkildson - Good solid runner.

Farrah Manaday - Got better as the season went on. Will continue to improve.

Dayna Domingo - The few times I've seen her I was impressed.

Dara Pagaduan - A mainstay for Kamehameha.

Katie Pellitteri - Sustained a pretty serious injury in the middle of the season that cost her 3 weeks of training. She did everything she could to rehabilitate but couldn't quite get back to challenging at the top. She will come back and be in the mix.

Cheyane Kamai and Emma Broderick - will team with Dara to form strong core for Kamehameha.

Keilani Wasson - I like how she runs. Should have a better season in her senior year.

Amanda Tamanaha - Ran sick at States. Unlucky timing. She would have done pretty well if healthy. She's young, good and tough.

Lea Lundblad - only an 8th grader but could be the best female runner to come out of Hawaii, since, well - Lauren Ho. That wasn't so long ago was it? The only question I have with Lea is can she be as good at 3 miles as she is in the 800 and 1500 and 2 miles? I think I know the answer, but I haven't seen her at this distance yet. She has awesome sprinter speed when she needs it. She will challenge for the top in 2007.

My prediction (guess) for top 10 for States in 2007:

1. Haley Abing
2. Julie Besenbruch
3. Lea Lundblad
4. Kristin Ali Keith
5. Jenna Wong
6. Katie Pellitteri
7. Kristi Torkildson
8. Farrah Manaday
9. Malia Kagawa
10. Amanda Tamanaha

As always, I'm interested in your thoughts. Comments are welcome, especially if I missed someone.

Crowd Wanted!

The Iolani boys varsity water polo team is playing Punahou at 6pm, Thursday, November 16 at Kamehameha Schools pool. Iolani beat Punahou 8-6 this past Friday. We need to do it again. Please come and support the team!

XC State Championships - Boys

So how did I do with my boy's predictions? I had predicted:

1. Leilehua or Kamehameha (Oahu)
3. Iolani
4. Punahou
5. Baldwin
6. Seabury Hall







The actual results were:

1. Kamehameha (Oahu)
2. Leilehua
3. Iolani
4. Honokaa
5. Punahou
6. Seabury Hall

So, I nailed the top 3 (like I did on the girls side), I missed on Honokaa totally at 4th, Punahou was 5th instead of 4th, Seabury Hall was 6th. Baldwin slipped all the way to 10th. Next year I need to follow the outer islands more closely but I am proud of my record. (I sure am lucky, who said that?)

As for next year, this is how it looks to me. Please keep in mind that I'm more familiar with the girls side. That tends to happen when you have 2 daughters running!

Kamehameha (Oahu) loses 3 seniors, but with the size of their program, they should be able to reload. May not win next year, but will still be a top team.

Leilehua - next year should be Leilehua's year. They have the best male runner in the state in Bryce Jenkins and he's only in 10th grade. They only lose one senior and he wasn't in the top 5. Leilehua is the favorite for 2007.

Iolani - Iolani loses 2 seniors, including Kon Weber. That is a huge loss, but the program at Iolani is large and well run. They will find replacements and still be in the top few.

Honokaa - Honokaa will sustain major damage as they lose 3 seniors, 2 of their top 3. I don't know much about this program but they will need a good pipeline to maintain their strong showing from 2006.

Punahou - Punahou only loses one senior. They should be better next year.

Seabury - Seabury loses their 1, 3 and 6 runners. They are pretty much in the same situation as Honokaa.

Radford - Radford only had 5 runners and they are losing their top runner so the pipeline better be strong or their visit to the top 10 will be short-lived.

HBA - Matthew Nakamoto is only in 10th grade. He came on like gang busters this year and should be a good foundation for HBA to build on. They lose Spencer Sutherland, but HBA is an improving program. My personal theory is that having someone like Lauren Ho at HBA attracted more kids to the program and although Lauren is now running at the college level, the program continues to reap benefits from her wonderful career.

Kaiser - Loses 3 seniors.

Baldwin - Loses 4 seniors. It will be a challenging year for Baldwin.

The 3 runners pictured on this page are Bryce Jenkins (16:23), Mac Crommett (16:40) and Kon Weber (16:41).

XC State Championships - Girls

Predicting the team finishes in a State Championship is only for fun. If I saw all the athletes as much as I see the ILH athletes, I'm sure I could do better. But, hey, I think I did pretty well.

The order I predicted was:

1. Punahou
2. Kamehameha-Kapalama
3. Iolani
4. Seabury
5. Maryknoll
6. Leilehua

I had the top 3 right - Punahou, Kamehameha and Iolani. Mililani was fourth, then Hawaii Prep and Kamehameha of the Big Island.

Seabury Hall was 7th so I messed up pretty well with them. My "sources" tell me that Seabury Hall had a bad day, that everyone but Hailey Grossman for various reasons, didn't run as well as they were expecting. It happens. The CORP course is tougher than it looks.

Mililani was fourth. That was one I should have been more accurate with. Yes, they are OIA, certainly not my specialty, but I probably know more about Mililani than any other OIA schools.

Hawaii Prep at fifth? I plead ignorance. Same with Kamehameha, Hawaii. I just don't follow the outer islands as well as I'd like to.

I was surprised at Leilehua's eighth place finish. They impressed me at the OIA Championships. Unfortunately, Leilehua was heavy with seniors so this might have been the year they had to do it. Maybe they have some youngsters coming up?

So what about next year? This is where it gets real interesting.

Punahou - will still be the team to beat. They will lose 3 seniors from this year's championship team, but they are loaded with girls to move up. Their JV team would have done very well in this meet. Beware of Punahou!

Kamehameha - They don't lose anyone. Lots of Juniors. Next year will be a big year for Kamehameha, Oahu.

Iolani - Loses 3 seniors but the top 4 runners are all 9th and 10th graders, and the pipeline is full. Iolani will be stronger next year and could challenge for the top.

Maryknoll - If the HHSAA let Haley run for Maryknoll in the States, Maryknoll would challenge for the top spot. But even without Haley next year, they will add a few 9th graders that will help them a lot. I'd like to see this situation resolved. Seems to me that the ILH and HHSAA rules need to be consistent. Personally, I'd like to see Haley be able to run for whatever team she runs for in the ILH. Messy situation that makes it hard to handicap Maryknoll. Having a team that has the #1 and #2 runners in the state (in my opinion) not being able to compete in states is a very strange (and sad) situation.

Mililani loses 3 seniors but their pipeline is deep, as always. They will remain near the top.

Hawaii Prep - time to rebuild. They are loaded with seniors. I don't know what their pipeline looks like.

Seabury Hall - Seabury loses a few seniors, BUT, Seabury is a school to watch. Lea Lundblad (currently 8th grade) will challenge Julie for the top spot next year. I've also heard Seabury will be getting some top transfers that will help them. Seabury should be much stronger next year.

The 4 runners pictured on this page are Julie Besenbruch (19:27), Kristin Ali Keith (19:53), Chelsea Smith-Wish (19:56) and Lea Lundblad winning at the Iolani Invitational at Kualoa earlier in the season.

As always, comments are always welcome.

Another Big Win For Iolani Varsity Boys Water Polo!

This past Friday night, at Kamehameha Schools pool, the Iolani Boys Varsity Water Polo team had a chance to win a big tournament. To do that they needed to get by Punahou. Lately, actually it seems like its almost always that way, Punahou has been the roadblock. And this season the Punahou teams have had the upper hand.

But, on this night, the Raiders had the answers. Punahou started out fast, moving quickly to a 2-0 lead. But the Raiders' defense tightened, the shots started going in and the game got interesting. The Raiders tied it at 3-3, but were behind 5-3 at the half.

The second half, though, belonged to the Raiders as they outscored Punahou 5-1 to gain a hard-fought win, 8-6. We need to do it once more. Thursday night at Kamehameha for the ILH Championship.

For more photos of this game, please visit my Smugmug gallery.

Thank you for your support!

Ever since the XC State Championships have ended, I've been receiving emails from angry supporters about the lack of photographic coverage. I tried to get the message out before the meet so everyone would be aware that I wouldn't be covering States, but it's hard to reach everyone.

This is the story. The HHSAA "owns" the state championships in Hawaii. As such, it is their right to control anything that generates revenue having to do with those championships. Photography is one of those activities. The HHSAA has decided they want to deal with only one photographer to cover all the State Championships. I understand that decision as it makes it easier to run a very complicated business. Of course, I don't like it, but I understand it.

For cross-country, what that means is the coverage was provided by someone who (as far as I know) hasn't covered ANY cross-country this year. If you go to this photographer's site (please don't ask me for a link because I don't feel like providing any free advertising for him), you will see that he doesn't even have a category for cross-country. It has now been a few days since the meet has ended. As you all know, I would have had all the photos up long ago. Actually, for a morning meet I would have had them up by the afternoon, certainly by that night. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before his photos are posted.

I did take some photos at the State Championships but they were for my own use and for my school and running related websites I maintain. These photos are not for sale. I didn't even use a pro lens. I was trying to enjoy the freedom of finally attending a cross-country meet as a dad and not a photographer. Please don't ask me for photos as I will not go against the HHSAA rules.

What would be nice, would be a little different policy when it comes to photography for States. Let the favored photographer have "most" of the Championships, but when there is a dedicated photographer in a certain sport (like me) who knows the sport very well and has earned the right by covering EVERY MEET in the season, allow the expert to do just that sport. But, I don't make these decisions. I have expressed my displeasure but I'm sure my opinion falls on deaf ears. Who suffers because of this policy besides me? If this favored photographer does not provide the service that I do, you suffer. You are welcome to let the HHSAA know if you feel strongly about it. Maybe things will change some day.

I will be back with an analysis of the Championships soon.

That's all for now.

Al

Big Win For Iolani Boys Varsity Water Polo

Last night at Kamehameha Schools pool, the Raiders pulled off a huge 11-4 win over Pac-5. This gives the Raiders the opportunity to play Punahou on Friday night at the same location for the ILH Championship. See you all there!

Taking photos of a fast action sport like water polo at night is quite a challenge, but I was pleased with the overall results.

More thoughts on XC States

From an unidentified dedicated follower of Hawaii XC:

"Keoni Ucker collapsed and crawled across the finish line in the Big Island Cross country championships before passing out again. He ran an 18:07. If he recovers, he has the potential to challenge Leilehua's Bryce Jenkins, as he ran a 15:59 on a flat course in October. Trouble is, Keoni doesn't like hills. Mac Crommett won the boy's BIIF title with a 17:24 (5k). Keri Ogden won the girl's title with a 21:09.

"Chelsea Smith-Wishard took the KIF girls title with a 20:20 (3 mi.). Waimea's Kaimana Girod took the KIF boys title with an 18:15. On Maui, Haley Grossman, a freshman, won the MIL title with a 19:52. Second was Libby Matthews with a 20:27. Molokai's Manu Adolpho, and Kamehameha's Kalani Rosell ran 16:56.

"It should be a very interesting race between Keoni and Bryce (who likes hills). Kon Webber will have a real fight for third. For the girls, it's pretty much wide open. Chelsea has improved greatly over her Kualoa race, and Haley Grossman is a real wild card. Haley Abing continues to recover from her late-season illness, and Julie Besenbruch is in good health."

State Championship XC - Boys

On the boys side, I don't see a clear favorite. I expect the battle for first place to be between Kamehameha and Leilehua. Leilehua has the advantage in the first few runners, but Kamehameha has a deeper team. I expect it to be close.

I'm putting Iolani at third, Punahou fourth, Baldwin fifth and Seabury Hall sixth.

I hardly saw any data from the Big Island and Kauai, so it's possible I'm missing someone.

To recap:

1. Leilehua or Kamehameha
3. Iolani
4. Punahou
5. Baldwin
6. Seabury Hall

As to who will win the individual title, it's awfully hard to go against Bryce Jenkins and I'm not going to. Kon Weber, Manu Adolph and Kalani Rosell will challenge him, though, so I don't expect him to be running alone, at least not with the kind of lead he had at the OIA Championships.

The boys race, this year, will be much more interesting than the girls, where the battle will be for second place.

I can't wait. See you there!

Tentative Schedule - 11/6 through 11/11

This looks to be a slow week for photography.

Monday - if Iolani is playing in the early Div II Water Polo game today, I will be there for a short while. I am checking on the schedule.
Wednesday - ILH Water Polo Div I playoff game at 6:30 Kamehameha Pool, Iolani vs Pac-5, the winner plays Punahou on Friday
Friday:
1. I will be at XC States but not taking photos commercially as I will just be there as a doting dad.*
2. ILH water polo champs at Kamehameha.
Saturday:
1. Aulea Swim meet at Kailua District Park, 8:30am
2. Varsity football vs Damien, 7pm at Kaiser H.S.

* The HHSAA has an exclusive contract with another photographer to cover all the State Championships, so I will use this time to catch up on team collages, individual collages and posters. If you are interested in any of these products, please contact me.

Can anyone beat Punahou in girls XC?

I was going to do an in-depth analysis but a lack of information from the outer islands and a lack of time have conspired to make this less comprehensive.

So, in a word, the answer is "NO". Not this year. Punahou will win on Friday, no hedging, they will win. Leilehua looked good in winning the OIA championship yesterday, but when I compared the times, they don't stack up against Punahou. Actually, they don't stack up against Kamehameha either, or Iolani.

Maryknoll is hard to handicap. Julie certainly is the favorite to win on Friday, but Haley has been sick. When healthy, Haley has run extremely well this year. Even sick she still ran a 20:29, good for fourth place on Saturday. Maryknoll also has Malia Kagawa who looks better and better every week. I expect Haley will run better on Friday if she continues getting healthier, and probably finish 2nd to Julie. Maryknoll's team finish depends on their number 4 and 5 runners and could put them as high as 2nd or out of the top 5.

Emma Broderick's strong showing on Saturday changed the complexion of the Kamehameha team, giving them someone who can stay close to the leaders. Kamehameha and Iolani have good balance and depth and should be in the top few.

The only outer island team I've seen that should be in the top couple of teams would be Seabury Hall. But, again, it's hard to really be sure since they are running on different courses.

So, for what it's worth, here are my predications. No guarantees, except for Punahou.

1. Punahou
2. Kamehameha
3. Iolani
4. Seabury Hall
5. Maryknoll
6. Leilehua

This is only my opinion (guess?). Comments are welcome.

Update (11/6) - After receiving some good information from a Punahou parent and a Maryknoll parent (I guess people really do read this blog!), I am making this update. I knew that Haley didn't go to Maryknoll and was actually told that she'd have to run for her own school (La Pietra) in States, but I forgot. So, if this is true, and I believe it is, Maryknoll is out of the mix completely, as they will only have 4 runners. I was thinking that Maryknoll would be a powerhouse next year and they will be, but only in the ILH, not at States.

Also, Punahou does have some medical issues, but all the contending teams seem to have varying medical challenges. My bet (figuratively speaking) still is heavily on Punahou.

My new guess:

1. Punahou
2. Kamehameha
3. Iolani
4. Seabury Hall
5. Leilehua

Change in selection method for States needed?

If this subject doesn't evoke comments, I'll be a bit suprised.

First off, I couldn't attend yesterday's Iolani-Punahou varsity girls volleyball game as I had a scheduling conflict involving my daughters' XC team. The prize was large for this volleyball match, a berth in the State Championships. Punahou won 26-24 and 28-26. From reading the newspaper article it sounds like it was another wonderful, close match. My congratulations to Punahou. I know you'll represent the ILH well.

I have witnessed quite a few close matches this year between the 3 schools - Kamehameha, Punahou and Iolani. They are all excellent teams. In the top 10 poll each week, I believe these 3 have been ranked 1-2-3 the whole season, I know they have been the last few weeks anyway.

Which brings me to my point. As a sports fan, I'd like to see the top teams battle it out in the state championship tournament. These 3 schools pretty regularly produce top teams, in many sports. In volleyball, with only 2 berths available for the ILH, one of these teams is left out.

I'm not saying this now just because Iolani will be watching from the sidelines this year, although I admit it irritates me enough to write about it.:) Punahou, last year, was in the same sad position.

Bottom line, I think these 3 teams are the best 3 in the state and the polls agree. The NFL has a wild card system to allow better teams in to the playoffs that don't make it the "regular" way. Maybe something like that, using the weekly polls as a basis, could make the selection of teams fairer and produce a better, more exciting championship?

Just a thought.

Comments welcome.

Al

Enough rain already!

I was planning on covering the Girls JV Black Soccer game vs. Punahou Gold yesterday. It has all the makings of a great game. The rain changed that. Since all outdoor athletic activities were cancelled yesterday, I made a quick change of plans.

I was going to shoot "Much Ado About Nothing" put on by the 'Iolani Dramatic Players on Friday night, but there was a preview yesterday afternoon, so that's where I went. This is a fun show!

From the program:

"Set in Messina, this comedy revolves around two sets of lovers: Claudio and Hero, our young and naive couple, and Benedick and Beatrice, our more jaded and bitter set of rivals. Both couples fall prey to trickery in different forms. Claudio and Hero's love is put to the test through the evil machinations of Don John, the villain in our play. Benedick and Beatrice are tricked through the manipulations of their friends who see what the lovers cannot, that they are the best match for one another."

There are some great, funny performances. Everyone's favorite, I'm sure, will be Christian Brady, playing Benedick. But there are others too. I recommend it highly. There are 3 more shows - Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at Seto Hall.