The college football season moved into it's second week and once again you could find me on the sidelines shooting digital images.
However, this weekend was different. Dianne and I left Jackson, Friday morning, Sept. 11th to travel to west Texas. This was my one game that wasn't in the SEC. Dinner found us in Ft. Worth to eat with my parents and youngest sister. Great time, just not long enough.
We ended the day in Abilene, Texas, after ten hours of drive time. Our "motel" for the weekend was with Dianne's sister, Kitty and her husband, Gene.
One of the discussion topics with the four of us was Kitty mentioning where she would like to take a future vacation trip. You guessed it--Alaska. Before, my mouth could open, Dianne said, "We'll go with you." Way to go Dianne. In two or three years, it could be trip number five to Alaska. Had I known we would make several trips to Alaska, I should have purchased a punch ticket and have it punched for each trip. Then after, say, five trips, you get a free trip!
Saturday, it was cloudy and high chance of rain. With Lubbock a good two and one-hours away, I could only hope the weather might be different. Following breakfast and additional visiting time, I left Abilene at 11:00 AM to journey to Lubbock, Texas, and the campus of Texas Tech University.
I experienced some rain during the drive. But, once in Lubbock, not a drop fell until I left the city limits at 11:00PM. (For those of you counting, I made it back to Abilene at 1:45AM Sunday morning.)
Texas Tech University has been know in the past as an excellent School of Architecture. Now add Law School to the list.
Since it had been several years since I had been on the campus and a game, it was important to brush up on the ground rules. The athletic dressing rooms are adjacent to the south end of the stadium. Both teams enter the playing field via tunnels. The visitors from the southwest tunnel and Texas Tech from the southeast tunnel. Since the Texas Tech team runs onto the field with an immediate left turn down the sidelines, standing a few feet from the tunnel would result in instant death.
So, I asked one of the staff members if it I could stand approximately twenty feet away in the end zone. Not good. You see, Texas Tech's mascot is The Red Raider. In this case, a female was saddled on a beautiful black stallion. She and the stallion used this area to make their initial run to the other end zone to raise the excitement in the stadium. That choice to take digital images would also mean instant death.
Third choice, was a few feet before the goal posts. Finally, an area where I didn't risk damage and embarrassment to my body. The team arrival and stallion racing events occurred in the proper order and exactly where the staff person predicted. You'd think they had done this a few times before.
Well, having captured both events on my camera, I thought all was well and safe. Not a chance! Behind me was the drum corp for the marching band. They began their cadence and I think I jumped right thru the goal posts! I had company jumping, the back judge official!
The stadium's press box side exterior was obviously designed by architects. Great aesthetic viewing before the gladiator's match. The astro-type surface is much easier on the feet and joints than a grass field. But, the lighting of the stadium was interesting to say the least. The press box side had a continuous band of lights. The visitors side had one light pole in the northeast corner and another one in the southeast corner. Nothing in the middle. Shooting toward the press box side lighting was acceptable. However, shooting toward the east, lighting was more difficult.
The quarterback for Texas Tech is a junior from Abilene, Texas. All-State in high school, Taylor Potts, also excelled in basketball and baseball. Taylor is an unusual and special athlete. He studies, goes to classes, makes high grades and the tutors for the football team don't know what to do with him. I say, LEAVE HIM ALONE. He obviously knows what he's doing. Taylor's major is Physical Therapy. So, you know there are brains in his head!
Taylor has a rifle for an arm. At 6' 5" tall and 218 pounds, people have observed him throwing eighty yard passes in practice. This particular night I witnessed him rolling to his right and throwing a forty yard bullet to his receiver. Incredible pass, thrown dead on to the receiver, receiver caught the ball and a new first down much further down the field. You can't draw that play on the board any better.
For the second straight week, Taylor threw for over four hundred yards. Yes, Texas Tech beat Rice University 55-10. The perfect season continues.
But wait. The next game is at the University of Texas, who is ranked #2 in the country and still smarting from a last second win by Texas Tech last year in Lubbock. That was UT's only loss and probably cost them the chance to play Florida for the National Championship.
After the game, while waiting to get with Taylor Potts, the Sports Information Director came up to me and introduced himself. I thanked him for the sidelines pass and he responded it was great to have me taking digital images for the university. I mentioned that I would love to shoot for him at the UT game the following week, but that was one of only two weekends I'm not shooting a game. His response, "I could make that sidelines pass appear for you!" What a dilemma! I graciously declined since I knew Dianne and I had plans for Friday night, would have been a long day flying to Austin, Texas, and I needed to have this break. But, next year UT travels to Lubbock and we're working on being there for that game on the sidelines.
While waiting for Taylor to appear outside the facilities, his mother told me Taylor doesn't like to have pictures taken of him. He would rather sign autographs for the youngsters. Sounds like he continues to have his head on his shoulders--thinking of others first. Off the field he blends into the background and is very quiet. But, once on the field, he is the general , directing traffic and has the respect of his coaches, team mates, parents, relatives, fans, including the youngsters.
It is wonderful to meet young people who have their heads on straight, know what they want to do with their lives, and serve others first. Congratulations Taylor Potts, you are impressive both on and off the field!
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