Although I love shooting basketball, I always look forward to the season's sunset when games really matter because that opens up the possibility of publishing jubes and dejection.
Before you rush off to look up what a jube is, which would inevitably lead to a 50 percent loss in readership, I'll just tell you what a jube is because I can’t really afford to lose those two readers. In photo terms, "jube" refers to jubilation.
But why tell you when I can show a few of my favorites from 2008:
The Kennewick American's Larry Dewitt celebrates their Cal Ripken Pacific Northwest Regional Championship.
The Hawks celebrate their NWAACC championship.
And River View's Tysen Stanley celebrates while White Swan's Brady Carl reacts to their 44-41 overtime loss to the Panthers during the 1A Boys State Basketball Championships.
So when Sunnyside upset Hanford in February, snatching the final berth into the district basketball playoffs, I could tell that the Hanford players were upset. I followed them back toward the locker room, but they stopped short of entering for a moment and I made this picture:
Hanford seniors Kyle Cruzen, left, and Vince Garrison react to their loss.
It's not the best dejection photo to be sure, and not even as good as the River View and White Swan photo but I thought it captured the sense of a season ended. And anybody who has invested time and sweat into a team can relate to how crushing defeat feels.
Oh, how soon I would empathize when the photo was vetoed. Some thought it would open the players up to ridicule from fellow students and despite my protest, we went with this action shot.
Technical deficiencies aside, I still feel the photo doesn't help tell the story as well.
Despite my disagreement, the issue is still an interesting one. Should high school athletes be protected from potential harassment by their schoolmates?
I feel, as I felt then, that losing is as much a part of sports as winning and poor officiating are. Also, I had not followed the players into a private area. Their dejection, while not as public as Adam Morrison's half-court tantrum, took place in an area visible to the public.
But what do you think?
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kyau@tricityherald.com
(509) 585-7205
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