Gymnastics Meet Reviews and Tips

Review: Battle of Champions 2012 (Toledo, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 10:34:00 +0000

THE MEET

http://www.battleofchamps.com/
This was our third year attending this meet. It was again held at the SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo. It was easy enough to locate and attached by walkway to a parking garage It wasn't deserted like it was last year. Still not a lot of activity but some, at least.

Awards: The award decorations were better than last year by a small margin. They were held in the lobby area of the convention center. This year the TVs weren't turned on luckily. The windows are behind the girls but don't seem to cause flash bounceback. The ceiling is low in one area and high in another so you cannot bounce the flash off the ceiling easily. Award stands were used for the gymnasts but they were still low to the floor. It's also very dark in that areas with respect to taking pictures. Last year, I recommended possibly not using an external flash but this time I sat under the area with the lower ceiling and bounced the flash off of it using a diffuser. That worked well. One unique thing this meet does is give the girls plaques with a spot for each event and AA. As they receive their awards, they are given the metal plate that says the event and sticks on to the plaque. The other oddity is that they place everyone so you can scratch an event and still place and still receive an AA.

Concessions: One group selling meet t-shirts and the convention center coffee bar was available again. This year, there was another concession stand inside the meet area which was a welcome addition. The food was not great but there was popcorn and hot pretzels. T-shirts were given to the gymnasts and they could add iron-ons at a cost. That was good but the process was slow. There isn't anything easily accessible immediately around the center for food.

Seating: Bleacher seating was plentiful, however, the meet is held in one side of a convention hall with the dividing wall behind closed behind the gym. We entered in the middle of the hall with the gym ahead and built-in bleachers to the left and right. While the elevation was good for visibility, it meant that to see vault and bars from a reasonable distance, you had to be sitting on the left side and to see floor, you had to be sitting on the right. This, of course, let to people getting up and moving around quite a bit which was annoying. There was no change in this for 2012.

THE HOTEL

This was a driving meet for us so no hotel was involved.

DINING

This year we finished fairly late but still headed to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse which is the only place close that is open late and can accomodate a large group www.meatballs.com. They don't take reservations but they fit us in fairly quickly and easily, despite having around 22 people. Service was somewhat slow. To speed it up, all the kids got spaghetti and salads and so did most of the adults because our waiter told us it was the quickest meal and fastest to do the same for everyone. Unfortunately, it was still slow. The quality of food is acceptable. It's not the best Italian food I've ever had but it was reasonably good. Prices were reasonable and in line with the quality, in my opinion.

ACTIVITIES

While we were not there for any length of time, The only activities I am aware of in Toledo are summer ones. The science center is now gone which is a shame. The zoo is excellent and probably open in the winter if you're so inclined. Feel free to add anything in the comments if you know of any activities.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon 7D
Lenses: 200mm F 2.8 Telephoto, 50mm F 1.8 prime (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 5000 using an F-stop of 2.8 on the 200mm lens and shutter speed of 640
White Balance: Auto
Settings: Manual mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo
Testing has shown that I can drop my shutter speed as low as 1/500 and still avoid blur so I reduced my ISO

Review: Cereal City 2011 (Kalamazoo, MI)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 14:58:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

As last year, the meet was held in the recreation center on Western Michigan University's campus in Kalamazoo. The meet itself was well run and on time and the lighting and seating were reasonably good although when photographing, you discover that the light is not as good as your first impression. Seating is spread around the gym in shallow bleachers. This is fairly good but be aware that you may want or need to move around to get the best view of your gymnast.

AWARDS

Although the room was nothing to get excited over, the awards were done very quickly and accurately. We were just in some sort of small side gym and there were no real decorations which was the same for the meet itself. There wasn't a curtain or backdrop behind the award stands either. The upside was that there was plenty of room for everyone.

THE HOTEL

We stayed at the Holiday Inn Kalamazoo West. My first impression was that this was an old Holidome hotel that had been renovated. That impression was confirmed by it's design, low ceilings and old doors. The room was fine as was the rest of the hotel however, when it came to sleeping, there was trouble. Our room not only opened to the hallway but also had a window and door the opened to the Holidome recreation area in the center of the hotel. We happened to be near the arcade area. Interestingly, the arcade wasn't the real problem. One of the games is a basketball game for shooting hoops like we've all seen. The wonderfully creative kids were taking the basketball out of the game and playing basketball in the open floor space which was RIGHT outside of our room. There were kids getting body-checked into our door, basketballs bouncing off the door, window and walls, etc. until around 11:00. Had it continued any later, I would have called the desk. I highly recommend not getting a room in this area of the hotel. Assuming you have a gymnast sleeping in the room, the noise level may lead to trouble.

DINING

N/A for this trip.

ACTIVITIES

Once again, due to competition times, we did not look for any activities. I have also had previous posts that covered the nearby mall.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon 7D
Lenses: 200mm F 2.8 Telephoto, 50mm F 1.8 prime (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 6400 using an F-stop of 3.2 on the 200mm lens and shutter speed of 500
White Balance: Auto
Settings: Manual mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo
Lighting was a low but my lens was fast enough to avoid blur at a shutter speed of 500.

Flash: Speedlight 580EX II Monopod: Velbon Neopod 6 (carbon fiber) Monopod head: Manfrotto 3229 (locking swivel tilt with quick release) Camera Backpack: LowePro Rover AW II

Lighting is acceptable but much of it comes from exterior windows. If it is cloudy or dark outside, it affects the available light.

Review: Circle of Stars 2011 (Indianapolis, IN)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:03:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.circleofstars.org

Venue: Held at the RCA Dome/Indianapolis Convention Center, it is an easy venue to get around with multiple competition areas running at the same time in different rooms. The meet was run very smoothly like always. The organizers continued with the elimination of admission fees again this year. This is still the only meet we've ever been to that we didn't have to pay to get in.
Awards: The awards stages were similar to previous years and nicely decorated, as always.

Seating: Seating is plentiful with seatback seating instead of bleachers which is a nice departure from the norm. The events at the back are far away in some of the rooms. You may want to bring binoculars for viewing. Some spaces were better than others depending on the room and the equipment layout. Photography tip: Get down to the floor for photographs. The bleachers shake every time someone walks up the stairs, making it difficult to stay focused, at best and causing blur, at worst.
Concessions: The selection of vendors seemed weaker than in previous years and with less variety. As in previous years, the convention center's food court provided some expensive but good quality options for coffee and food like sandwiches, chicken fingers and pizza. Portions are large and reasonable for the venue. I paid $8.00 for a meal.

THE HOTEL

This year, we stayed in the Marriott connected to the convention center. It is a beautiful hotel with a Starbucks in the lobby. Great place to get oatmeal for breakfast but the line gets long. The pool was reasonably sized and fairly well ventilated. There is also a hot tub. Breakfast is not included. Parking is in the structure across the street. There is a walkway but you need to try to park near it and it's still a long walk even once you get into the hotel itself. Then you have to go down a floor to get to the lobby.. The hotel is connected to the RCA Dome and the Circle shopping mall through covered walkways which is great in the winter.

DINING

Previously, we've eaten at the Alcatraz Brewery and Buffalo Wings and Rings but not this year. This time, due to competition times, we only stayed one night and ate dinner at the convention center food court.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon 7D
Lenses: 200mm F 2.8 Telephoto, 50mm F 1.8 prime (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 3200 using an F-stop of 2.8 on the 200mm lens and shutter speed of 800
White Balance: Auto
Settings: Manual mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo
Lighting was low but my lens was fast enough to avoid blur at a shutter speed of 800.

Flash: Speedlight 580EX II Monopod: Velbon Neopod 6 (carbon fiber) Monopod head: Manfrotto 3229 (locking swivel tilt with quick release) Camera Backpack: LowePro Rover AW II

Lighting is very good, however, because you may be quite far from the events, the longer focal length negates the better lighting with many lenses. You will probably use a telephoto or zoom lens for all shots, even floor and beam which were right in front of the bleachers for us. This is mostly because you will get better shots by getting out of the bleachers and standing on the floor to the left or right of the bleachers to get your shot. I found that standing out of the way usually leads to using a telephoto or zoom lens. I was able to take some excellent shots of floor from the corner this way though.

Book review: Enchantment by Guy Kawasaki

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 01:00:00 +0000

For those of you who check back here from time to time, you will be surprised to find this book review on this site. Because my blog is listed on Alltop.com, of which Guy Kawasaki is a co-founder, I was offered the unique opportunity to review his latest book. I follow Guy on Twitter and his blog via RSS feed because he is an interesting person and he has valuable points of view on a wide range of business and technology topics. (He also shares a lot of great links) This latest book of his in a string of 10 is available for sale starting March 8th. You can find it on Amazon here.

Guy has subtitled his book "The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions". While it's tempting to think of this as a guidebook for small businesses, I think the subtitle subtly points out that it's not just about business: Yes, I found it to be an excellent read for a small business owner, particularly since I am in the throes of starting one myself, however, I also see its broad applicability to a very large corporation or what I refer to as my "day job". I think that it's also important not to miss the ways these same lessons can be applied in one's personal life. I know I have gone away from this book with some new views on both my personal and professional relationships.

I should mention that I listen to more books than I read these days. Lately, I have found that I enjoy a good business book mixed in and that I prefer to read those than listen to them so that I can re-read sections. I found Enchantment to be an easy read although not simplistic. I have never read one of Guy's previous books so I have no comparison but I will certainly be searching out some of his other books after reading this one. Guy has a way of breaking the topics into easily digestible components. This makes them easier to remember but, maybe more importantly, it keeps the reader from having to digest large concepts and means that you can put the book down at any point or time and easily pick it back up and start again. Probably my biggest pet peeve about conceptually large theories in books is that I no longer have the time to read in long stretches. This makes it difficult if not impossible to absorb large, convoluted topics.

As I read through Enchantment, I took notes to refer back to for this review. To my surprise, I also found myself writing notes about how I could apply these topics to The Community Tutors, a company I just launched. As Charlie "Curve" Wollborg would say, it's a form of "altruistic capitalism" or, in short, a tutoring firm that uses some profits to provide free services to poor children. Despite the lofty goal, I know full well that it's not enough by itself and Guy confirms that fact. Enchantment has given me some thoughts about using stories, checklists and images to enchant visitors, as well as a list of things that can be done utilizing Facebook in order to maximize its impact. I was happy to discover that I was already doing some enchanting things but also pleased to find more that I can do.

A few things that I found surprising or refreshing in Enchantment I thought I'd note here. There are many more and their interest to you will vary depending on your specific circumstances but you're certain to enjoy the stories of enchantment scattered throughout the book. One of the enchanting things about his book is how broad a range of experiences it actually covers. In one section, Guy discusses how to enchant through the judicious use of swearing; how it can make an impact and how it can work in your favor. In another section he discusses his concept of "baking a bigger pie". The idea is that there are two kids of people/organizations in the world: eaters and bakers. The baker is the one that wants to make a bigger pie because that way, everyone can win where the eater thinks that someone else has to lose for him to win. Bakers are more enchanting for reasons that Guy details but you'll have to read the book yourself. Maybe the most interesting theory to me was conducting a "premortem" when launching a project. As an MBA finance teacher, I discuss scenario analysis with my students all the time. A "premortem" is similar in concept but designed for more than just a capital budgeting project. The idea is that you use the launch team to imagine that your project has failed and list the reasons for its failure. Once you've identified the reasons, you go about determining how to prevent them from happening. Scenario analysis is one of my favorite finance tools and one that I think is often overlooked in favor of ease. I enjoyed seeing a similar form of thinking brought to the forefront in Enchantment.

The long and the short of it is that I enjoyed Enchantment quite a bit and found a lot of useful knowledge within, most of which there is no space to discuss here. Pick the book up yourself at the link above and drop a comment here to let me know how you liked it. If you'd like to take the Enchantment test on Facebook, click here to find out how enchanting you are already.

FOLLOW GUY

Facebook: Enchantment fan page
http://www.facebook.com/enchantment
Twitter: @guykawasaki
http://twitter.com/#!/GuyKawasaki
Blog: American Express Open Forum
http://www.openforum.com/connectodex/how-to-change-the-world

THE DETAILS

Name: Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions
Page count: 224
Suggested retail price: $US 26.95
2011
ISBN: 9781591843795

Review: Battle of Champions 2011 (Toledo, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 23:48:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.battleofchamps.com/
This was our second time attending this meet. It was held at the SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo. It was easy enough to locate and attached by walkway to a parking garage It wasn't deserted like it was last year. Still not a lot of activity but some, at least.

Awards: The award decorations were better than last year by a small margin. They were held in the lobby area of the convention center with a TV in the background with a game on, which was distracting. The windows were behind them but didn't seem to cause flash bounceback but it may have been because we were off at an angle. The ceiling is low in one area and high in another so you cannot bounce the flash off the ceiling easily. Award stands were used for the gymnasts but they were still low to the floor. It's also very dark in that areas with respect to taking pictures. I used an external flash but it was probably a mistake this time. With my new equipment, I could have gone without flash which would have produced better pictures.

Concessions: One group selling meet t-shirts and the convention center coffee bar was available again. This year, there was another concession stand around the corner which was good. There isn't anything easily accessible immediately around the center.

Seating: Bleacher seating was plentiful, however, the meet was held in one side of a convention hall with the dividing wall behind closed behind the gym. We entered in the middle of the hall with the gym ahead and built-in bleachers to the left and right. While the elevation was good for visibility, it meant that to see vault and bars from a reasonable distance, you had to be sitting on the left side and to see floor, you had to be sitting on the right. This, of course, let to people getting up and moving around quite a bit which was annoying. There was no change in this for 2011.

THE HOTEL

This was a driving meet for us so no hotel was involved.

DINING

This year we finished early enough to head to dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse www.meatballs.com. They didn't take reservations but it was late enough that they fit us in quickly and easily, despite having around 26 people. Service was good considering our party size and most food came out close together and hot. The quality of food is acceptable. It's not the best Italian food I've ever had but it was reasonably good. Prices were reasonable and in line with the quality, in my opinion.

ACTIVITIES

While we were not there for any length of time, The only activities I am aware of in Toledo are summer ones. The science center is now gone which is a shame. The zoo is excellent and probably open in the winter if you're so inclined. Feel free to add anything in the comments if you know of any activities.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon 7D
Lenses: 200mm F 2.8 Telephoto, 50mm F 1.8 prime (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 6400 using an F-stop of 2.8 on the 200mm lens and shutter speed of 800
White Balance: Auto
Settings: Manual mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo
Lighting was a low but my lens was fast enough to avoid blur at a shutter speed of 800.

Review: The Cup 2010 (Cincinnati, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:23:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

The meet is still part of the Cincinnati Winter Sportsfest. There were a couple of other things happening like cheerleading but it isn't much of a "fest". I am glad to say that the gymnastics meet was back closer to its original size. It has shrunken down so far in the past few years that it was scary. The meet was better-run than last year although still not as well as in some previous years

Venue: The Duke Energy Center which is right off the freeway in the center of downtown. The center, itself is a convention center and, as such, is fairly spartan. This year, there were significantly more vendors than last year and they were back to three competition floors.

Concessions: Much better this year. A number of leotard vendors and Maui Wowi and a pizza vendor along with Skyline Chile. There is a Starbucks stand in the commons area but it is expensive.

Seating: Fairly well-placed for visibility on all events but far away from beam , as in previous years. This layout has not changed in all the years they've held it at the Duke Energy Center

Awards: The awards ceremony was well-run and scores were available quickly. This year, awards were held on the floor again. The result is that visibility is poor if you're not sitting in the right spot. No gifts were awarded this year, that I could tell, either. This year, the girls received sweatshirts.

THE HOTEL

We stayed at the Hyatt again this year which is connected to the Duke Energy Center by an outdoor walkway. It and the Millennium hotel (not recommended) are the closest. The hotel is nice and relatively up to date. It is part of the walkway that connects multiple hotels, restaurants, the mall and the Duke Energy Center, as is the Hilton Netherland and the Westin.

Rooms: The room and bathroom were a decent size this year and there were no noise issues. The hallways, however, were unbearably hot for some reason.
Breakfast: As you would expect, no breakfast was included in the stay but the hotel restaurant opens early enough for the kids heading to the first session. The Hilton Netherland adjoins a mall and on the street level underneath the hotel, you can go through and there is a restaurant called Hathaway's Coffee House that serves a nice breakfast. Be aware that it is closed on Sunday and doesn't open until 8:00 on Saturday. If you go there though, it is good and inexpensive. This year, we ordered room service, just for our competing daughter, which is something we never do. We left the card on the door at night but still had to call and follow up. My guess is that nobody told the kitchen that all these gymnasts were coming and they were swamped with room service orders. In the end, the food arrived around 20 minutes late but was hot and fresh. My recommendation is to ask for a delivery time 15 minutes early so that if it is delayed, it doesn't make you late getting over to the competition.
Pool: Indoor, next to the fitness center on the fifth floor. The pool is a good size and, despite being noisy, as an enclosed pool will be, it was not the least bit humid and was extremely comfortable to sit and watch the kids. They enjoyed the hot tub as well as the pool.

DINING

Although downtown Cincinnati has a lot of dining options, it is very difficult to get in anywhere without an extensive wait, especially if you are trying to dine with other families. We ate Champ's in the hotel lobby for lunch prior to my other daughter's competition. We ended up with around 22 of us which they handled well and efficiently. Service was good as was the food and the prices were reasonable. It was certainly one of the better experiences I've had in a hotel restaurant.

Quality: Very good with a lot of menu choices and food that the kids were interested in.
Service: Great and fast considering the size of our party. The waitress and manager were friendly and efficient.

ACTIVITIES

Since we were in town on Saturday again this year, we didn't do much. We arrived Friday evening and had competitions early Saturday morning and, again Saturday evening. Check out http://www.cincinnatiusa.com/ for more activities and information.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon 7D
Lenses: 200mm F 2.8 Telephoto, 50mm F 1.8 prime (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 6400 using an F-stop of 3.2 on the 200mm lens and shutter speed of 1000
White Balance: Auto
Settings: Manual mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting at the Duke Energy Center is not fantastic but good enough. As is usual for this type of venue, they are sodium vapor lights, very high up. Motion blur was not a problem this year with my new equipment, however, would likely be a problem for others. I used my telephoto lens for all shots, even floor which was right in front of the bleachers for us.

Also check out our related site for school tutors at www.thecommunitytutors.com

Education Reform

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 15:02:00 +0000

I know this is a bit far from the normal topics here but if you're reading my blog, I assume you have school-aged children. I posted the following in response to a Wall Street Journal article you can find here http://on.wsj.com/aHAfCR The article discusses the expert panel that recommends an overhaul to teacher eduction, including emphasizing classroom training and making admission to education programs more rigorous and well as raising graduation requirements. I think both are sensible proposals, however, I question the reality.

My text follows:

I agree with some of the article's components and particularly the comment items about the poor parenting factor. I have three concerns, primarily.

My first is that while more rigor in coursework and standards is an excellent idea, the compensation needs to be commensurate. I can only speak about my state (Michigan) but most teachers can only hope to make a maximum of $70k -$80k per year in their career if they have a Master's degree. Continuing education credits are required in addition, at personal expense and time. Nobody would bat an eye at a business school graduate with a Master's degree earning $150k-$200k per year without any continuing education requirements and without taking grief from a large number of their clients (parents and students alike, for teachers). The health insurance is equivalent to private industry for many districts here now and since the pension contributions were raised and, of course, based on lower salaries in the first place, that is a non-issue as well. People who complain about teachers not working a whole year don't have a clue about how good teaching really works (my wife is a teacher). What does happen is that a whole year of work is compressed into 10 months with two months of de-stressing time. People abuse it sometimes, just like every other industry. Given all of this, how many teachers could we, as a society, produce? The attrition rate is already horrendous despite all the supposed "cushy" aspects of teaching. There are certainly some "giving" people who will take it on but if class sizes are 100 students, you have an entirely different problem.

My second concern is in the testing of both students and teachers. In the U.S., the variations in socio-economic backgrounds, parenting quality/involvement, surroundings, poverty, absenteeism, learning disabilities and foreign language speakers make it nearly impossible to test with any accuracy. Add to it the inability of the school districts to enforce behavior rules (tort reform anyone?) even by the principal or superintendent and all these factors make it equally difficult to test teacher effectiveness. In other, more educationally successful countries, many of the variations we experience here do not exist. The only reasonably effective method is observation but that is subject to bias and I don't think any state can afford to send a team of impartial observers out to check on teachers constantly.

My last concern is the unions. As a finance practitioner, I generally think that unions have outlived their need. They were created to protect workers, most of which is now done via the legal system. Yes, the teacher unions are protectionist but in recent years, they haven't been very effective at it either. Due to the nature of school boards, at least here, the teachers often do need to be protected. The boards are made up of community members, some without higher education, some with an axe to grind against education or the school district and others with biased or uninformed opinions about how teachers work or don't work. I have seen first-hand some of the damage wreaked by these problems.

Reform certainly needs to occur, however, it needs to begin with parenting and families which the government is unable to cure. Reform for the institution of education is next but many things need to change entirely and the knee-jerk reaction of many commenters here and elsewhere is usually incorrect and uninformed. I don't have all the answers but I do know that enforceable discipline is one answer and pay levels and summer off are not part of the problem with the exception of the possible value of a 3month on-1 month off school year but the travel industry lobby will ensure that doesn't happen.

Shout out to GymNiceTic

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:38:00 +0000

Thanks to the GymNiceTic blog for including me in their list of gymnastics blogs. Read the full list here. http://gymnicetic.wordpress.com/2009/12/29/gymnastic-blogs/

Tamrac camera backpack

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 20:50:00 +0000

If you've read my posts, you probably know that I use a camera backpack. It is a LowePro which I like quite a bit but it has a waist belt which is hard to keep out of the way and it's difficult to get in and out of. This new pack from Tamrac looks even better than some of the new slingback styles I've looked at from LowePro. Thanks to the Phoblographer for pointing this one out. http://thephoblographer.com/2010/10/05/field-review-tamrac-evolve-8/

Photographing Kids' Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 19:58:00 +0000

This is a very nice, simply written discussion on how best to shoot youth sports. For thos of us with gymnasts, section 3 covers indoor sports quite well. I definitely recommend using a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a sec. but 1/800 of a sec. at a minimum. I employ items 8 and 10 as well and highly recommend them both.
http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=3227&fromTips=1&WT.mc_id=EM1009EO13004

Color in photographs

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:07:00 +0000

This article is not specifically about photography technique as much as it is about creativity in photos and post-processing. If you are interested in taking portrait photographs of your gymnast or meet photos that can be hung and are pleasing to view, these tips for use of color can be a valuable tool.

http://lifehacker.com/5620138/how-to-get-the-best-color-out-of-your-photos

Photographing Sports

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 18:15:00 +0000

The following article from a website I follow is extremely helpful. It discusses outdoor sports photography mostly but some indoor and many of the same principles apply except that indoors, you don't need to worry about changing the exposure level normally. There are a few shortcomings in the article itself so I highly recommend reading the comments for additional tips and clarification .

http://digital-photography-school.com/8-tips-on-how-to-photograph-sports

Visa Championships

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:53:00 +0000

If you want to follow the Visa Championships online or watch the competition on the Universal Sports Network, follow the links below.

http://www.usagym.org/pages/events/2010/vc/index.html

http://www.universalsports.com/news/article/newsid=485979.html#2010+u+s+championships

Review: MEGA (Novi, MI)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:41:00 +0000

THE MEET

This was the first time we've been to this meet. It was held in MEGA's gym. The facility is a bit cramped and narrow. The seating was folding chairs on the floor. Since it was a small meet, that wasn't a significant problem. The biggest problem was that bars was in the back of the gym and obstructed by a pole and the other events. We couldn't tell whether the score for floor or bars was being flashed at any given time. Lighting is dim as you would expect.

AWARDS

The awards were done very quickly and accurately. We were just on the floor to the side of the events. What few decorations there were for the met was all there was for the awards since it was on the competition floor. There wasn't a curtain or backdrop behind them either. Seating was acceptable.

THE HOTEL

This was a commuter trip for us. The location in not especially easy to access from the freeways but there are a few hotels in the area that are reasonably close if you happen to need one. This meet doesn't appear to attract teams from any distance, however.

DINING

You can head toward Novi, Northville, Plymouth or Livonia for dining and there are plenty of choices, regardless of which direction you take.

ACTIVITIES

N/A

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
Canon Speedlite
White Balance: Auto
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting was somewhat dime with some blur during fast movement. Photos without blur are well balanced and exposed though.

Review: Wolverine Classic 2010 (Saline, MI)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:03:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.wolverineclassic.com/

Venue: For thethird year, it was held at the Saline Middle School. It's a good venue for gymnastics, with enough room for one floor with two sets of equipment and another single set floor.
Awards: The awards are held in different rooms based on the floor you competed on. One was in the school cafeteria while the other was in the auditorium. Because everyone is sitting at the same level in the cafeteria, it's hard to see the kids up front very well but natural light through the windows makes for nice pictures. The auditorium, on the other hand, was dim as you would expect but had tiered, theater seating which made for great visibility. Speed and accuracy was good, as were decorations.
Seating: Seating in the bleachers is good and extra bleachers are brought in for either end of the built-in gymnasium bleachers. Distance from all events is good for spectators but, as mentioned in the photography section below, lighting is very poor for that purpose.
Concessions: The food choices and prices were good and Maui Wowi was there and there was popcorn this year but there were fewer non-food vendors, than in previous years although the bead vendor was very busy. Meet leotards were for sale at the event rather than through pre-order as in years past. It worked much better with plenty of stock on hand and the rhinestone design applied at the time of purchase.

THE HOTEL

N/A for us, however, the host hotel this year was the Hampton Inn, near the I-94 and State Street interchange.

DINING
None of my recommendations have changed from last year but Pizza House sponsored the meet again this year. They are a great restaurant in the Ann Arbor area serving Chicago-style deep-dish and stuffed pizza. There is plenty of other variety on their menu as well if you prefer something different. Their salads are also outstanding. They have plenty of seating and can accommodate a full team of girls in their upstairs banquet room although you should phone in advance with a large group. (http://www.pizzahouse.com/). This restaurant is a short drive from the host hotel area.

ACTIVITIES
Also no changes from previous reviews.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
White Balance: Custom
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Flash: Speedlight 580EX II Monopod: Velbon Neopod 6 (carbon fiber) Monopod head: Manfrotto 3229 (locking swivel tilt with quick release) Camera Backpack: LowePro Rover AW II

Lighting is very poor, as I have noted before. Even with good camera equipment, you may want to look a the professional photographer on site. Even with the event right in front of me, using my short lens at ISO 1600, any movement created blur, I was left with very few usable photographs. The oddity is that the lighting seems fine when you're sitting there. It may be the color of the walls and bleachers that just soaks up the light instead of reflecting it.

Review: Circle of Stars 2010 (Indianapolis, IN)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:48:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.circleofstars.org

Venue: Held at the RCA Dome/Indianapolis Convention Center, it is an easy venue to get around with multiple competition areas running at the same time in different rooms. The meet was run very smoothly like always. The organizers continued with the elimination of admission fees again this year. This is still the only meet we've ever been to that we didn't have to pay to get in.
Awards: The awards stages were similar to previous years and nicely decorated, as always.

Seating: Seating is plentiful with seatback seating instead of bleachers which is a nice departure from the norm. The events at the back are far away in some of the rooms. You may want to bring binoculars for viewing. Some spaces were better than others depending on the room and the equipment layout.
Concessions: There was an outstanding selection of vendors and the convention center's food court provided some expensive but good quality options for coffee and food like sandwiches, chicken fingers and pizza. Portions are large and reasonable for the venue. I paid $7.50 for a meal.

THE HOTEL

This year, we stayed in downtown Indianapolis at the Staybridge Suites. It is a very nice hotel and even has a theater room for guests. The pool was small and stuffy but not uncomfortable and the kids really enjoyed it and the hot tub. There was also a sauna. The breakfasts at Staybridge are well done with a lot of full breakfast choices and this one was no exception. They have their own parking lot in back and a nearby parking structure that is included if the surface lot is full. The hotel is within reasonable walking distance of the RCA Dome and the Circle shopping mall, even in winter, as long as the weather's not bad and you're dressed appropriately.

DINING

Previously, we've eaten at the Alcatraz Brewery but not this year. We ate one meal with some other team members at a Chili's on the outskirts of town and lunch at the food court in the Circle mall. The one dinner we had was at Buffalo Wings and Rings one block North of the convention center. The wings were quite good and we tried deep fried pickles for the first time. Interesting and strange, yet enjoyable. It's a sports bar atmosphere so it's very comfortable.

Quality: The food was very good.
Service: Service was great and quick.
Atmosphere: A sports bar setting with multiple screens. Quite noisy which can be good or bad depending on your mood and how noisy your kids are.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600 (800 can work for closer events but not floor due to its speed)
White Balance: Custom
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Flash: Speedlight 580EX II Monopod: Velbon Neopod 6 (carbon fiber) Monopod head: Manfrotto 3229 (locking swivel tilt with quick release) Camera Backpack: LowePro Rover AW II

Lighting is very good, however, because you may be quite far from the events, the longer focal length negates the better lighting. You will probably use a telephoto lens for all shots, even floor and beam which were right in front of the bleachers for us. This is mostly because you will get better shots by getting out of the bleachers and standing on the floor to the left or right of the bleachers to get your shot. I found that standing out of the way usually leads to using a telephoto lens. I was able to take some excellent shots of floor from the corner this way though.

Gymnastics spot gone wrong

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:36:00 +0000

This video might be the best gymnastics blooper I've seen. Enjoy!

http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/2010/07/worst-gymnastics-spot-ever/

Review: Integrity 2010 (Columbus, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:55:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

This was the first time we've been to this meet. It was held in Integrity's facility. They ran significantly late for our session, which was on Superbowl Sunday. It also meant we had to drive back home very late. Aside from that glitch, the facility is great for a gym but from a meet perspective, it was far too dark. Much of the seating was up in a large balcony or in chairs, flat on the floor. The result was a very difficult photography situation, not to mention just the general viewing situation. I recommend studying a map thoroughly before arriving as it is in a suburban, almost countryside, corporate park. It also is not near anyplace to eat. Even the nearest McDonalds is miles away. Although my title says Columbus, this meet is actually well North in the suburbs.

AWARDS

The awards were done very quickly and accurately. We were just on the floor to the side of the events. There were no real decorations aside from balloons which was the same for the meet itself. There wasn't a curtain or backdrop behind the award stands either. Seating was acceptable.

THE HOTEL

Due to competition times, we commuted the trip. Since the meet was Sunday evening, there was no point in staying Saturday night despite the 3-1/2 hour drive and with school the next day, we couldn't spend the night on Sunday either but the I have reviewed Columbus hotels in previous posts if you are inclined to drive a bit further South.

DINING

Since we left so late that we arrived home around Midnight, we did not stop for a sit-down dinner. I have reviewed restaurants in Columbus in previous posts as well if you're interested.

ACTIVITIES

Once again, due to competition times, we did not look for any activities. I have found very little to do in Columbus in the wintertime anyway.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
Canon Speedlite
White Balance:Custom
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting was extremely poor with a large amount of blur.

Review: Cereal City 2010 (Kalamazoo, MI)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 22:37:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

This year, for the first time, the meet was held in the recreation center on Western Michigan University's campus in Kalamazoo. This was a welcome change from its previous location which I never cared for. The change wasn't without its downsides, however. The meet itself was well run and on time and the lighting and seating were much better. Unfortunately, we had a poor experience at the admission table when one of our injured gymnasts who had come along to cheer was required to pay to get in. We had always understood that a USAG card got you free admission but were told no. It's something we will have to check on but the result was an upset and embarrassed girl who was short cash for dinner because of it.

AWARDS

Although the room was nothing to get excited over, the awards were done very quickly and accurately. We were just in some sort of small side gym and there were no real decorations which was the same for the meet itself. There wasn't a curtain or backdrop behind the award stands either. The upside was that there was plenty of room for everyone, unlike the old location.

THE HOTEL

Due to competition times, we commuted the trip rather than stay in a hotel. My daughters competed on different days and it didn't make sense to stay in a hotel since there was time to drive the rather long round-trip but the I have reviewed Kalamazoo hotels in previous posts.

DINING

Our team decided to meet at the Red Robin off I-94 on Westnedge Drive. We have been there before although it had been a while. We called ahead and they were very accommodating about timing and a group our size which was around 20 of us. Aside from confusing a few dishes, which was to be expected, all of the food came out close together, the bills were split up correctly and the service from all of the waiters and waitresses that helped us was excellent.

Quality: Good. The usual you would expect from Red Robin
Service: Quick and good.

ACTIVITIES

Once again, due to competition times, we did not look for any activities. I have also had previous posts that covered the nearby mall.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
Canon Speedlite
White Balance: Fluorescent
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting was better than in previous years due to the venue change.

Review: Battle of Champions 2010 (Toledo, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:34:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.battleofchamps.com/
This was our first year attending this meet. It was held at the SeaGate Convention Centre in downtown Toledo. It was easy enough to locate and attached by walkway to a parking garage but for our Saturday evening session, the area was almost deserted.Gymnasts each received a black backsack with the Battle of Champions logo on it.

Awards: The award decorations were almost nonexistent. They were held in the lobby area of the convention center with a TV or two in the background, which was distracting. The windows were behind them but didn't seem to cause flash bounceback but it may have been because we were off at an angle. The ceiling is low in one area and high in another so you cannot bounce the flash off the ceiling easily. Award stands were used for the gymnasts but they were still low to the floor. It's also very dark in that areas with respect to taking pictures. I used an external flash to get decent photos.

Concessions: One group selling meet t-shirts and the convention center coffee bar was all that was available. There didn't appear to be anything immediately around the center either.

Seating: Bleacher seating was plentiful, however, the meet was held in one side of a convention hall with the dividing wall behind closed behind the gym. We entered in the middle of the hall with the gym ahead and built-in bleachers to the left and right. While the elevation was good for visibility, it meant that to see vault and bars from a reasonable distance, you had to be sitting on the left side and to see floor, you had to be sitting on the right. This, of course, let to people getting up and moving around quite a bit which was annoying.

THE HOTEL

This was a driving meet for us so no hotel was involved.

DINING

None. We got out quite late and didn't have dinner anywhere

ACTIVITIES

While we were not there for any length of time, The only activities I am aware of in Toledo are summer ones. The science center is now gone which is a shame. Feel free to add anything in the comments if you know of any activities.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
Canon Speedlite- Needed a flash for awardsbut a built-in would do
White Balance: Fluorescent
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting was a bit low and blur resulted, especially on floor, even at 1600 ISO

Review: Twistars 2010 (Lansing, MI)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:11:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

http://www.twistarsusa.com/
This year the meet ran smoothly once again. The goodie this year was an aluminum water bottle with the Twistars logo. The theme this year was rock and roll.

Awards: The award decorations were better this year and, for the most part, they are well organized. They are done on the second floor of the center. Seating is chronically short. Award stands are used for the gymnasts so visibility of them is decent but it's very dark in some areas of that floor with respect to taking pictures. I use an external flash to get decent photos.

Concessions: Nothing to write home about and the selection of non-food vendors is very limited although Maui Wowi was there, as always.

Seating: Bleacher seating is good and spread across the floors and around one end. Last year I mentioned that one of the gyms we were not in had larger bleachers brought in. This year, I believe they had them all around and they were much higher which was much nicer and better for photographs.

THE HOTEL

This year, only our younger daughter competed and it was midday so we did not need a hotel since the round trip is manageable.

DINING

There wasn't anything special this time, we just went to the Panera off I-94 in Jackson. It was very busy but efficient and as is always the case, the food was good.

Quality: Good. The usual you would expect from Panera
Service: Quick.

ACTIVITIES

These comments are different than the other meets. We have never stayed long enough to look for things to do in Lansing. Since it's the state capital and the home of Michigan State University, there are bound to be activities if you are staying longer. I will mention a few things about the Summit which is where the meet is held There is a large area where you enter the building that is constructed like an atrium. On the first floor is a fairly good selection of arcade games. If your gymnast has siblings, you may spend a fair amount of time and money at these machines. Along with that, the other half of the building is made up of ice rinks. Normally, there are a lot of teams practicing or playing hockey games. These can be interesting to watch if you're so inclined.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600
Canon Speedlite- Need a flash for awards, if you have one that will go the distance to the stage
White Balance: Fluorescent
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting at the Summit is average but appeared to be a bit better this year than in previous years. There still may be some blur if you're further away from an event so I recommend getting up and moving closer. It's no longer possible to go behind the bleachers so it's a bit more difficult to move around and find somewhere to stand. Sitting in the front row puts you too low and will put the barrier chains in the way of floor photographs so if you don't want to sit at the top, sit on the end of a row. Since the ends of the bleachers are unsupported though, you will experience more movement as people get up and down which may spoil a few shots.

Has your gymnast ever hit a plateau?

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 10:16:00 +0000

Interesting post from a blog I follow. http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/2010/01/when-a-gymnast-plateaus/

Review: The Cup 2009 (Cincinnati, OH)

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Bookmark this post on Delicious

THE MEET

The meet itself is part of the Cincinnati Winter Sportsfest. There used to be many other sports besides the gymnastics meet happening at the same time, however, attendance has plummeted and the only sports I could discern were cheerleading and weight lifting and I don't think either one ran for the whole weekend. I can only guess but I hope it is due to the economic downturn and doesn't mean the end of the Winter Sports Fest. The meet was fairly well-run although not as well as in previous years. This year, the gymnasts spent a fair amount of time standing around while nothing was going on except for one event. This is an issue with rotation scheduling not the operation of the meet itself but, nevertheless, it was very inefficient.

Venue: The Duke Energy Center which is right off the freeway in the center of downtown. The center, itself is a convention center and, as such, is fairly spartan. This year, there were even fewer sports and vendors than last year, in fact, there was only one competition floor for gymnastics, down from three a couple of years ago.

Concessions: Nothing to write home about and despite a good selection up through 2007, there was an anemic selection of vendors and concessions. There is a Starbucks stand in the commons area but it is expensive.

Seating: Fairly well-placed for visibility on all events but far away from beam , as in previous years

Awards: The awards ceremony was well-run and scores were available quickly. This year, however, they were not held in an upstairs conference room but right on the floor which we had experienced for one session last year. The result is tha visibility is poor if you're not sitting in the right spot. No gifts were awarded this year, that I could tell, either. This year, the girls received sweatshirts instead of GK jackets just like last year. The sizes were limited by the time our Sunday midday session rolled around.

Rooms: The room and bathroom were a decent size this year and there were no noise issues.
Breakfast: As you would expect, no breakfast was included in the stay but the hotel restaurant opens early enough for the kids heading to the first session. The Hilton Netherland adjoins a mall and on the street level underneath the hotel, you can go through and there is a restaurant called Hathaway's Coffee House that serves a nice breakfast. Be aware that it is closed on Sunday and doesn't open until 8:00 on Saturday. If you go there though, it is good and inexpensive.
Pool: Indoor, next to the fitness center on the fifth floor. The pool is a good size and, despite being noisy, as an enclosed pool will be, it was not the least bit humid and was extremely comfortable to sit and watch the kids. They enjoyed the hot tub as well as the pool.

DINING

Although downtown Cincinnati has a lot of dining options, it is very difficult to get in anywhere without an extensive wait, especially if you are trying to dine with other families. We ate at Campanello's Italian restaurant http://www.campanellos.com/. There were around 40 of us which was very difficult for this very small restaurant but they did a good job, thanks to the waitstaff. We had made arrangements in advance, otherwise, a group our size would probably have been impossible. The food was hot and good and the prices were reasonable. They were willing to do lunch portions for the kids which made a big difference. Since it is right around the corner from the Duke Energy Center and a short walk from the Hyatt, it's particularly convenient. It's also away from the crowds at the center of town.

Quality: The food was Good. It's in an old house and has that "hole-in-the-wall" feel that can either feel charming or unpleasant depending on your point of view. As is often the case with restaurants like this, the food is what makes the place.
Service: Great and fast considering the size of our party and the fact that we were on the second floor. Both the waiters were great and very accomodating.

ACTIVITIES

Since we were in town on Saturday againthis year, we didn't do much. We arrived mid-afternoon and just hung out until dinner. Afterward, a search for dessert turned up nothing because everything was closed early. I was surprised since it was close to Christmas and the mall's always been open along with Macy's. We ended up at Starbucks a block East, buying Frappucinos for dessert instead. Check out http://www.cincinnatiusa.com/ for more activities and information.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel XT
Lenses: 18-55mm F 3.5-5.6 Zoom, 75-300mm F 4.0-5.6 telephoto (neither is image stabilized)
ISO: 1600 (800 could work for floor this year, with a short lens)
White Balance: Custom/Incandescent
Settings: AV mode, center focus point only, autofocus=AI Servo

Lighting at the Duke Energy Center is not fantastic but good enough. As is usual for this type of venue, they are sodium vapor lights, very high up. Motion blur is pronounced at longer focal lengths but without motion, ISO 800 works. I used my telephoto lens for all shots, even floor which was right in front of the bleachers for us.

Photos from the World Championships

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:29:00 +0000

This is a great photoblog regardless of the topic but there are some particularly great photos of gymnastics in this post.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/artistic_gymnastics_world_cham.html

2009-2010 Meets Now Posted

noreply@blogger.com (Marcel Santiz) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:35:00 +0000

All the meets I plan to review for the 2009/2010 meet season for Region 5 are updated on the right side of the page now. Please be sure to check back for those reviews as well as additional posts throughout the season.