SKATING FIGURE, HERO FIGURE

There are days in the news business when you could not show up for work and no one would notice except for your empty parking space, which they would park in and not tell anyone.

It is not that the newsroom does not want you there, but there is so much going on in the world there is nothing to shoot except for everyday life and there is not room for that in a 30 minute newscast.

Today was one such day.

Between the Presidential Impeachment Proceedings and looming cold weather, national issues were the staple of today's news. During the afternoon editorial meeting an anchor quipped, "We need something fun, how about ice skaters, it works with the weather." I volunteered to shoot ice skaters at a local indoor rink. Other than hockey players, I have never seen people ice skate before, I am from New Mexico.

I shook my head, " No, I am doing a story on kids having fun."

"Oh, I guess you can do that," the man gruffed at me and shuffled off.

Two by two the young figure skaters hand in hand with their mothers trickled into the rink. The dozen or so little girls whispered and pointed at me with wonderment. I smiled at them, hoping that would break their shyness.

One of the mothers approached me, "Do you video tape your daughter?"

I smiled, "Oh no, I don't have any kids, I am here from WRAL doing a story on kids having fun, it is a very serious day in the rest of the world."

I could tell she was relieved, "Oh that is wonderful, I thought maybe you taped your skater and then reviewed the tape at home to make her practice better. I was about to say that is very big camera for filming."

I agreed, "It is a big camera, but I plan on shooting all the skaters". Another mother joined us, "Are you here to interview Jodi?" Just as I began to approach the subject of "Who is Jodi?", my question answered itself.

A tall, thin graceful girl in a fancy blue skater outfit glided through the doors with the gruff man from earlier. She looked straight ahead, held her head high and went directly to the ice. All the little girls and mothers looked at her with pure admiration. The gruff man shot me a nasty look. The other girls then followed Jodi onto the ice only to stand there and watch her do a few warm up spins. The mothers on the edge of the ice then told their girls to go ahead and start skating. I shot about 10 minutes of tape of cute little ladies sliding around, attempting bunny hops and dancing with each other. They would speed from place to place until they came within a few feet of Jodi and then they were mesmerized by her skill. Most of the girls would stand there watching her, worshiping her.

The mother who asked me if I was taping my daughter watched me put away my tripod and camera, "How heavy is all that stuff?"

I laughed, "Heavier somedays than others, the camera is 35 pounds, the tripod around 20 and all the other little stuff is about 10." She waved to her daughter as she sped by on the ice, "It was really nice of you to come out and film the girls, it is good for their confidence. Most of us can't afford all the coaches and costumes for serious competition and the girls sometimes feel like they should give up since they can't really go to the next level, but letting them know it is okay to just have fun is really good for them."

I knew exactly what she was talking about, "You know, everything I know about TV, I leaned from people who have been doing it a long time and do it better than me, do skaters do that?" She smirked, "It is that confidence thing again, the really good skaters are so focused on making it to the next level, they really can't help the younger skaters."

I stood there watching the little girls idolize Jodi for a few more minutes. If Jodi stopped for one minute and told a younger skater to keep her leg straight as she turned or showed her where to hold her hands during a spin, that little girl would do that for the rest of her days on the ice. I marveled at the power Jodi had over the little ones, then I began to wonder if there is anywhere in my life where I have that power but I am too focused on my goals to stop for a few minutes and share my knowledge with those who would benefit from it most. I am eternally grateful to the photographers who have shared their craft with me through the years. I just feel that I still have so much to learn that maybe my knowledge is not the best to be giving out yet.

Maybe Jodi feels the same way.

Behind the Viewfinder - A Year in the Life of Photojournalism
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