Alpine Skiing in Levi
I’ve been writing so much lately on the future of the media and all kinds of “serious” stuff, so please allow me this little digression… just to show what I really do for a living and what I enjoy doing.
Presently I am covering the opening of the alpine season World Cup in Slalom, Levi Finland. Women ski on Saturday and men on Sunday. After the first round now on Saturday Tanja is third (Maria Riesch is leading). The biggest drama was however provided by Sanni Leinonen who lost a pole in the first run.
Two of the most interesting athletes I managed to get into the same frame — i.e. Kalle Palander and Lindsey Vonn. Lindsey was 6th after the first run — and I am really looking forward to seeing Kalle tomorrow.
More images probably coming up later today and tomorrow.
(UPDATED 13.11. at 16.30)
Bloody hell, she did it! Third, not bad, not bad at all… I managed to get couple of decent shots as well — nothing out of this world but OK.
I set up the LIVEFEED as well, so if you are interested, tune in tomorrow for the men’s race and see the images as they roll out straight out of the camera.
I gotta give credit to my journalist -Santtu Silvennoinen of Iltalehti. We make a good team — did e.g. Vancouver Olympics together as well as the past two Four Hills Tournaments. Anyway, obviously he’s been too influenced by me and my sometimes overtly social attitude… because, today he just walked up to Lindsey and asked if she’d like to go to have after ski with us. Unfortunately she had a flight out of here already tonight, otherwise I’m sure she would have said yes… ;-)
(UPDATED 14.11.2010)
Men’s race… and no need for me to go to the second round. All the Finns were out in the first one, Kalle got disqualified because he missed a gate. But the weather was nice and the light wasn’t that bad…
I am not really a great sports fan, like I usually really do not care that much which team wins (and this always seems to surprise people when I tell it…), but there are some people I work with who just so totally inspire me — and push me to do what I do in my own work.
Bode is one — and Kalle is one definitely. He actually made a really touching comment the other night during the interview which really struck a chord with me. When asked why he is trying to make his comeback, he answered that “the moment you come over the line… and see you have the top time.… and you know there is nobody coming after you… then for ten, fifteen seconds… you really feel like the God. And there is no money in the world that can buy you that feeling. You have to earn it.”
I really liked that, somehow it rang a bell. I guess something similar is driving me trying to shoot sports — over and over again — and to look for that “perfect” image, when it all comes together… And when — and it is very rarely indeed — you manage to get it — the feeling is just so beyond any words can describe.