The Small, (relatively) Unknown World of Competitive Roller Skating

I spent much of my late 70’s childhood in roller skating rinks. The musty, rubbery scent of the floor, the dizzying spell of the disco ball and the sounds of Rick James and Donna Summer blasting during a blur of pre-teen fun was something I never forgot.   So a few years ago I decided to have my birthday party at the Lynwood Sport Center in Lynwood, IL.   Many of my friends were like “Uh, can you drink?  What no alcohol?”  I wanted to go back and have some good old fashioned fun without booze.  Bad pizza and a cake were all that we consumed that day, but I have to say that most of my friends and family left with a new lease on life and the magical powers of a retro-roller rink.   I heard things like, “Wow, skating is so underrated” and “That’s the best party I’ve been to in a long time!”

After booking my party I couldn’t help but notice a “practice” of some sort going on.  Skaters were skating like they would on ice.  I called the owner to find out more about it and was introduced the the world of competitive roller skating.  I also got to know John Peck (the coach) and his lovely family.  They taught me all about this relatively unknown sport and allowed me into their world.  Sadly their youngest son Kyle was hit by a car and killed at the Worlds in Rome, Italy. But the Pecks have found strength in keeping their love and passion for roller skating alive. Kyle was a national champion at the age of 10.

After feeling nostalgic about my Lynwood blast, I went to book another party at my neighborhood rink – Southgate Roller Rink.  I spoke with the owners and told them about Lynwood and they were like, “You know John Peck!?”  Turns out the owner Josh Rhoades has traveled with John and is a world champion himself.

That was it I booked it.   It’s a small skating world and I felt like I was home again.  And it doesn’t hurt that they have a bar at Southgate.

Here is a multimedia piece I did on John and his rink a few years ago.

From Above and Below

The other day on a flight bound for Texas, I struck up a conversation with my neighbor just before landing for a layover in San Francisco.  He told me tales of his life as a “human lab rat”, basically making his living testing drugs for other humans in labs around the country.  As the pilot announced our upcoming landing, I told him about a college internship I had at Point Reyes National Seashore just north of San Francisco.  I was lucky enough to be sent by the Student Conservation Association to Point Reyes for the summer to work with the biologist, assist guests in the visitor’s center, teach kids at the summer camp, lead earthquake walks along the San Andreas fault, and pull non native plants (uh for HOURS).  The best part, they gave me a house to live in right on the beach and I basically shared the entire shore with 3 other people – all park rangers.   I even met the great Huey Lewis,(click the link for great fun)  in of all places, the middle of the woods (which competes for the best part).

Just as I was telling my seat-mate that he had to go one day, I looked over his shoulder and out the window and there it was!  We were flying right over Limantour Beach (the beach where I lived for 3 months) and we had a perfect aerial view of almost the entire park.  I was yelling “Oh my God, there is!  There it is!”  The entire plane went silent and I shrunk back into my seat and I stared with my mouth hanging open – a photographer so entranced she was unable to think about even pulling out a camera. (Luckily I found this photo on the internet that is the exact same view).

I’ll never forget my favorite college biology professor, the late Dr. Daryl Karns tell me, “Suzanne I’ve been all over the world and you are going to one of the most beautiful places on earth.”  He was right.  And I try to make a journey back as often as possible.  As soon as I get there I suck in the air so I can smell the bay leaves, eucalyptus, and salt water and I instantly go back to the summer of 1990.

I took these photos from the ground during one of my visits.

The park is often over – looked and many people have never heard of it.  So if you are ever near San Francisco, drive about 4o minutes north and you won’t regret it.  You can walk sandy beaches, camp by the ocean, and commune with elk as you hike a ridge overlooking the sea.

Uh, but not today, it’s closed, thanks to a handful of House of Representative crazies.

A Pal – o- mino

I photographed my friend Claire and horse Griffen this summer. After looking at the photos I thought she looked angelic. And you know what? She and her family (husband Jake, kids Wyatt and Scarlett) really are. She knows why. It’s not easy moving to a new city, but if I could sing to her Elton John’s “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” to her without cracking up, I would.
– I must note they also have enough devil in them to make them interesting. Best kind of angels in my opinion. Thanks for everything Clairey and clan. I thank the Lord there are people out there like you.

Brilliantly Simple

This isn’t still photography, but it speaks to me like still photography.   I like this song, but I’ve come to like it even more because of this simple, powerful video that cuts through all of the BS and just shows the emotion and tells the story.  I heard “Brilliant Disguise” on the radio today and it’s not my favorite Bruce song, but listening to it and remembering this video makes it for me and makes me want to be a better photographer.   It tells a truth without a lot of fanfare.

On a lighter note, let’s face it, looking at this as a woman (at least for me) must be what it’s like for guys when they look at – you know – certain magazines.

My First Subject

About 14 years ago when I was just falling in love with taking pictures, I followed my childhood friend’s son, Hollis, around with my camera.  I followed him to soccer games, I stalked him at his 2nd birthday party, I made him climb trees and roll around in the grass for my folly.   Recently, my friend Julie ( his mother) asked me to fly out to Faribault, MN to shoot his graduation from Shattuck-St Mary’s and it was an absolute honor.  He is like he was as a young boy: patient, kind, smart, witty, and conscientious.   The boy who helped train me is going to Cornell University on a soccer scholarship.   Congratulations Hollis!

THEN

NOW


Who Wants to get Laid…?

Off?  No one!  I’ve been there and it was horrible – but it became a good thing as it got me on the track to being a photographer.  But now, because of idiot moves by The Sun Times Media Group, photojournalism is dying.  Please take a moment to read and support a fellow photojournalist and good friend who was one of the many photographers who dedicated years of his life to journalism.  And how is he repaid?  By losing his  job with an entire staff of talented visual storytellers at The Sun Times Media Group.  http://laidofffromthesuntimes.tumblr.com/

C’mon people – he’s got a baby!

Thank you Mr. Colbert

So I planned to go on and on about how outraged I am after hearing the recent news of my friends and colleagues (Andy LaValley, Rob Hart, Michelle LaVaigne, Buzz Orr, Jeff Nichols… among others) who were just laid off off from my former employer,  The Sun Times Media Group.  .  Yes, I was going to talk about how my former brilliant boss ( a behaviorist) gave me a definition of intelligence: “The ability to accurately discriminate on multiple, more complex levels.”   ( in a very basic sense – you can tell a pop can from a car, to…a pop can from a milk carton, to…  a Pepsi can from a Coke can)     I wanted to go on about how many years it took me to learn how to properly use a camera and how my photojournalist mentors (Scott Olsen, Ted Warren, Rob Hart, JOe Cyganowski, Charles Cherney, Jon Langham, Andy LaValley and Frank Polich) gave me the gift of their knowledge in judging a great photo from a bad photo (not to mention choosing and properly editing a photo that was worthy of being selected).    I was also going to ask the question,  “What would our own Roger Ebert think of films such as ‘Casablanca’  or  ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ if qualified cinematographers were not part of the film crew?”  And I was also going to ask,  “Does the constant play and gore of the Zapruder film and  the written stories of the Kennedy assassination stay in your mind as his final moment and legacy – or does this?”

Well thank you Mr. Colbert for brilliantly doing all of that  that for me.

You know I used to get up at the crack of dawn every day to roll and deliver The Chicago Tribune throughout my neighborhood as a teen and adolescent.  Like choosing between the White Sox and the Cubs,  we were a Chicago Tribune family, loyal to the core.   I remember cursing those early mornings as I rolled each paper in the feezing cold, but I would often stop to look at the beautiful photos that graced its pages.  That and the fact that it helped me pay the board for my horse kept me going.  I thank the Sun Times for the opportunities it gave me, but after this slap in the face to my colleagues and the intelligence of its readers,  perhaps I should have never crossed over.