Merrily Down the. . .

{Tying in the boat for practice}

I took the photograph above during a spring break training trip in Oakridge, TN in 2001 from my seat on the boat. It’s one of my favorites for many reasons: a) it’s not a typical angle for a rowing photograph (I was the coxswain) b) it looks like a really windy day, but in fact Wyatt just has really bad bedhead c) the guy -Wyatt Allen – in the photograph went on to become a World Record holder and Olympic Gold Medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympics d) Wyatt had never rowed a day in his life before coming to Virginia, and almost didn’t make the team. The photo was part of an 18 picture photo essay I shot of the UVA men’s crew team for an Ethnophotography (anthropology) class that won “Best in Show” that year.

Today Wyatt Allen is getting honored as the US Rowing Male Athlete of the Year. Wyatt is an incredible guy on and off the water, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving! Congrats!

5 comments

  • go wepo

    December 1, 2007 at 4:09 am // Reply

    So wait, this means that I coxed a coxswain who coxed an Olympic gold medalist and 2007 USRowing Male Athlete of the Year?! Can I put that on my resume? ;-)

  • Xander

    December 2, 2007 at 4:20 am // Reply

    That is a great photo- and how exciting to have captured an important sports figure at the start of his career! I browsed through the rest of the collection, and I loved them. I love the way the slightly-off framing perfectly catches the quirky moments in this team’s preparation, and they really work well together to tell a story and create a sense of the culture. And some of these guys are very handsome, which of course helps. -X

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