Day 365/365

     For my last day of the challenge I got to hang out with some Saginaw elementary school students who are piloting an after-school fitness program called 'Kids Run the Nation.' I was having a pretty crappy day yesterday, so getting to hangout with them for a bit and seeing how much fun they were having did make me feel a bit better. It also finished this project off on a high note!

Day 362/365

     Yesterday/Saturday/day 362 I shot a high school girls basketball state championship game down at Michigan State University's Breslin Center in East Lansing. I shot plenty of photos during and after the game, but this one was by far my favorite. Nouvel Catholic Central unfortunately lost, but not for lack of trying. This team's been one of my favorites to photograph during this basketball season. They've given their all in every single game of theirs that I've seen, and Saturday's was no different. A senior and standout on the team is also the daughter of the team's head coach, so I knew going into this game that their reaction would be the one to watch for. The coach went and consoled every single member of her team, but those first few seconds following the final buzzer were just for her and her daughter. It was quite a moment to witness.

Day 361/365

     Friday/day 361 I covered a school assembly hosted for the Frankenmuth elementary, middle, and high schools. The assembly was held so that Detroit Lions kicker Jason Hanson could come and talk to the students about nutrition, and how important it is to make healthy choices, even when you're young. Hanson seemed like a pretty down-to-earth guy, making jokes about how he was sure he was boring everybody and making a point to get all of them involved.

Day 359/365

     More basketball for Wednesday/day 359, this time a regional championship. I went a little crazy on the editing with this one...

Day 358/365

     

     Tuesday night/day 358 was full of some more postseason basketball; the girls state quarterfinals to be exact. It was full of some great playing, and lead to a Saginaw team winning. As an advantage to posting this late: the team, (Nouvel Catholic Central), won the state semifinals today, and will be playing for the state championships this weekend! Hopefully I'll be covering the game, so stay tuned. They're a fantastic team; a lot of fun to watch and even more so to shoot.

Day 354/365

     I got to shoot Arthur Hill vs. Saginaw High for the second time on Friday/day 354 during the boys basketball district finals. Words cannot express how great a matchup these two teams are. It was easily some of the best basketball I've ever seen, (again), and I have a feeling it'll be some of the best I'll ever see. Thanks Hill and High; you're one of the factors that have made this internship so great, and have reaffirmed that I made the right career choice.

Day 353/365

     Sorry for the delay; I've been working so many night shifts and trying to catch up on sleep in between that I feel like I've been on the opposite schedule as everyone else. Anyways, last Thursday/day 353 I covered a local high school's hockey team making a run for the state playoffs. Unfortunately for them they lost, pretty badly, but their fans were some of the most supportive I've ever seen. They never stopped cheering for the guys, going so far as to camping out by their entrance to rally behind them before the start of the final period. It's amazing the kind of emotional reactions that sports can bring out in people.

Day 352/365

Another night shift. Another postseason basketball game. Another close one!

Day 351/365

     Tonight's game was a regional semifinal, and was one that was only won by two points. Two. Points. Did I mention I love postseason basketball?

Day 350/365

     Monday night I shot a boys basketball doubleheader, made up of two incredibly good games. With the high school basketball postseason being upon us, they just seem to keep getting better and better.

Day 348/365

     Saturday/day 348 I got to check out roller derby for the first time ever. It. was. awesome. There really isn't any other word for it. One of my friends from work was on one of the teams, and while they lost the bout, it was incredibly close the entire time. It was a lot of fun to see and shoot for the first time. My flash died on me when I was doing test shots when I first got there, so I was a bit bummed about that, but I'm definitely planning on shooting it again. Until next time!

Blogger's Note

     I just wanted to take a quick moment to share: this photo I took during the Ken Bluew trial, (posted on day 205), of the Saginaw County Medical Examiner demonstrating how he believed former Buena Vista Police Officer Ken Bluew strangled Jennifer Webb on the then-Saginaw County prosecutor placed an honorable mention in the MPPA's Best of 2012 general news category. A few people I work with and others from different areas of the state for MLive did really well. If you'd like to see the winners you can find them here!

Day 347/365

    Friday/day 347 was spent shooting a basketball tournament out in the middle of nowhere. Nevertheless, it was a great game, (perk of shooting postseason basketball - the game's keep getting better and better). I'm sure there will be even more these coming weeks. 

Day 346/365

     I did shoot sports Thursday night/day 346, but not before shooting Jessica Schwerin's return to school after finishing her home rest following her kidney transplant surgery. I've loved covering this story, but it was nice to bring some finality to it in wrapping it up. She's an awesome kid, and to see how great she's doing and how the community has come to support both her and her donor Brian Martindale has been a great thing to witness.

Day 345/365

     Sorry for the delay in updates; I'll try to stay on top of it more now that the 365 project's in its final home stretch! Wednesday night/day 345 was spent shooting a hockey regional. Bare with me here, the next few weeks will most likely be filled with high school sports action with the winter sports postseason being upon us. Bring it on!

Day 344/365

     This morning I covered a status hearing of sorts where a circuit court judge turned down the plea deal of a man who's one of three, (plus one who's still at large), charged in connection with the death of a 6-year-old girl. The shooting, which resulted in the girl's death and her father in critical condition, happened this past August when Saginaw was finishing off an extremely violent summer that resulted in the city breaking its 20-year homicide record. Notorious for its "no snitch code," Saginaw residents rallied for that code to be broken, and seem to have been successful as one of the men involved is now testifying against the two alleged shooters. 

Day 343/365

     Last night/Monday/day 343 I covered both a girls basketball tournament and an ice hockey tournament. The post season is approaching for winter sports, making the games more and more exciting to watch, and therefore photograph, as it approaches. 

Day 340/365

     Friday/day 340 had me covering a benefit for Brian Martindale, 10-year-old Jessica Schwerin's kidney donor who's fallen on hard times recently both medically and financially. Luckily he has a great support network of friends, family, and people who've taken note of what he did for Jessica, and thanks to donations he'll be able to keep things going a bit longer. 

Day 339/365

     I got to shoot an anti-bullying rally this afternoon, that this weekend's upcoming Monster Jam took part in. After an assembly giving some local middle school students some tips on how to respond to bullies, an announcer from the monster truck free-for-all picked thirteen kids to go outside with him and spray paint a "crush car" with bullying sentiments that will be crushed this weekend at the Monster Jam. The kids, as expected, loved it, and it was a pretty cool event to witness.