Pound It

The All Sports Media Party arrived once again with the usual appearance of Danny Wuerffel. Sam Acho, a defensive end from the University of Texas, won the annual Danny Wuerffel award for exemplary community service and academic achievement. Above Acho and Wuerffel pound hands before interviews. This year's former star player was none other than Hall of Fame quarterback, Jim Kelly, who played for the Buffalo Bills after the University of Miami. Below Kelly laughs with a community member:




Danny Wuerffel shakes the hand of a fan during the All Sports Media Party.


Fort Walton Beach beats Escambia 59-50 on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011.


Niceville beats Fort Walton Beach 9-3 on Friday, March 11, 2011.


Paxton defeats Laurel Hill 6-3 on Thursday, April 7, 2011.




Students watch as a woman who weaves baskets shows them the steps it takes to create different kinds of baskets. This was part of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War "School Day" event put on by the Walton Guard reenactors on Friday, April 8, 2011.


Some of the reenactors allowed the students to hold the rifles to see how heavy they were.

My updates have been slower now that I am working on a photo story about a homeless man working his way back into society through a shelter called Opportunity Place. The project is about half way through and will be updated on here upon completion.

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Livestrong for Lockwood

Livestrong. That is what Ian Lockwood was all about and all his teammates knew it. Being diagnosed with brain cancer in 2009, Lockwood overcame the obstacle and was cancer-free last summer. Only in recent months did the cancer return to claim his physical life, but it failed to eliminate the impact his heart and spirit had on the community. The senior Navarre High School football player was well loved and supported by family, friends, and even others who never knew him personally. Many of those people gathered together on a dreary Friday afternoon at the football stadium to celebrate his life and shed a few tears. Former UF football coach Urban Meyer and former UF safety Ahmad Black (top photo) were present at the service and released black and yellow balloons along with Ian's parents symbolizing their release of Ian into heaven.

Here is Ian Lockwood in October of 2009. I took this photo during half time of their homecoming:


The Navarre players rally together and raise Ian's helment to honor their friend and fellow teammate:


Many cried and held hands tightly during the service:


Urban Meyer hugs Ian's father as his mother wipes a few tears:


On Wednesday, Feb. 2, a car wreck occurred on Highway 20 across from the new Walmart in Niceville. Here was one of the cars with damage:


Rocky Bayou beats South Walton, 1-0 on February 3rd:


Choctaw defeats Rutherford, 8-0 on February 3rd:


Choctaw loses to Washington, 55-53 on February 4th:


Fort Walton Beach beats Niceville, 45-14 on February 5th:


Students from Wright Elementary sing during their Black History Month Program:


Video:


Choctaw loses to Pensacola, 48-45 on February 11th:


Choctaw defeats Ponte Vedra, 3-0 on February 11th:


Check back for more updates!
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www.varsitysportswest.com

Playful Pygmies, Pumped Players, & Prideful Participants

Pygmy goats are entertaining, almost like dogs. This assignment (on January 19th) was a feature piece on a lady in Holt who owns a goat farm:

Video:


Fort Walton Beach plays hometown rival Choctawhatchee and wins 43-40 on Friday, Jan. 21st:



Right after the girls play, the boys duke it out on the court and Fort Walton Beach wins their third-straight series game, 60-50:



For the third year in a row, I photographed (and shot video) of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade on Highway 98 and Hollywood Blvd on Monday, Jan. 19th. I took a different approach this year and focused my interviews (for the video) on MLK's vision of helping others:





Video:


In the Boys soccer District 1-4A tournament, Choctaw battled West Florida Tech and won 9-1 to claim the district title:









www.melphotos.imagekind.com
www.nwfdailynews.com
www.varsitysportswest.com