I received an interesting letter last week about a photograph that appeared in the newspaper a couple weeks ago having to do with overcrowding at the local animal shelter.

The author of the letter was concerned that we would publish this photograph because it hurt her to look at it. “How could you put such a picture in the paper? I cried for all those wonderful dogs who only want love and through no fault of their own are there in the shelter.”

As a journalist, I continually hope that what I show in my photographs helps people to understand what is happening around them. I think it would be wrong for me to paint a rosy picture of our community all of the time - giving our readers the incorrect preseption that there aren’t problems out there that need to be addressed.

I hope the author’s feelings will prompt her and others like her to take action, whatever that may be.

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Okay, I know I said I was done shooting basketball but Eastmont played last night and it happened to be my night to work. Seems having a couple days off from the sport helped revitalize me and I’m happy with what I came back with. It was a physical contest which makes for some great moments.

I decided to run this photograph as the dominant picture in today’s paper. It shows the nature of the game and plays to the determination of both teams to get to the next game in the tournament.

And then a secondary photo of Travis Yesiki hugging Eastmont coach Mike Waters after the game.

Check out Kathryn Steven’s images of Chelan girls and Brewster boys at the state 1A championships from Yakima on www.wenworld.com soon after the conclusions of the matches today.

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Wenatchee junior Austin Bryan was named to the 4A regional boys All-Tournament team by a panel of coaches and sportswriters covering the event. Bryan had a team-high 17 points in Wenatchee’s one game at the Toyota Center, a 50-48 loss to Richland in the consolation semifinals. Ferris’ Jared Karstetter was named the MVP of the tournament on the boys side. For the girls, Lewis & Clark senior Brittany Kennedy received the MVP nod.

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The Cashmere School Board voted unanimously on Monday to add boys’ soccer as a varsity sport starting in March of 2009. Athletic director Scott Brown said that he had been getting weekly requests from the student body pleading for him to add soccer to the Bulldogs’ program, and the four-person school board voted in favor of it on Monday. We’ll have more on this in the paper on Thursday.

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One day.That’s the amount of time off that Ryan Reese, Kam Douglass and any Wenatchee basketball players had before jumping into spring sports practice, which started Monday for the Panthers.Douglass and Reese are both expected to be integral parts of Ed Knaggs’ Wenatchee baseball team this spring, and several other Panthers will be participating in track and field. Wenatchee’s season on the hardwood ended Saturday with a 50-48 loss to Richland in the regional tournament’s consolation semifinal. The Panthers were 18-7 on the season.  

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rings.jpgIn the 2004 movie version of H.G. Bissinger’s classic football book Friday Night Lights, the Holy Grail for the members of the Permian Panthers football team is a state championship ring. In the film, a favorite of the Wenatchee Panthers, Tim McGraw’s character taunts his nephew by constantly reminding him of how he (McGraw) has a ring. The Wenatchee Panthers now have rings of their own. Instead of spending nearly twice as much in some cases on senior class rings, a few members of the 2007 Wenatchee football team spent $180 on sterling silver CBL league championship rings, complete with their names on the side and sparkling purple stones.

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Renado Parker, a 6-foot-5 senior forward at Kentridge High School, was named to the Seattle Time’s 30th annual All-Area basketball team Monday. Parker and the state-bound Chargers defeated Wenatchee in Kent on Dec. 29 by the score of 69-59. Parker had 16 points against the Panthers. For the season, he averaged 21.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The Chargers lost to Ferris in the 4A state championship game last season and begin their quest to get back this weekend.

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I think I need a rest from basketball. From Wednesday to Saturday, I shot nine games; eight in the Sundome in Yakima and my last one at West Valley High School in Yakima. Check out the galleries at http://wenatcheeworld.com/section/PHOTO

They are exciting games - playoff games where the action can be intense - but my body starts to ache and my eyes become weary following the movement of the ball. After the first couple of days, I begin to look for different angles to shoot from and end up for half of each game in the stands shooting with a 300mm 2.8 lens. It’s actually a nice break from the low angles that are still my first vantage choice.

I’m handing the baton off to staff photographer Kathryn Stevens who heads to Yakima for the 1A tournament starting this Wednesday. Have a great time Kathryn!

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I wanted to do a video on the first day of basketball tournaments in Wenatchee and kept my eyes - and ears - open to find a suitable subject to focus on. Jade had walked by while I was getting ready to shoot the first Entiat game and I noticed her shoes, thinking that might be an interesting photograph so at halftime I looked for her in the stands and to my surprise there she was, the most vocal person in the crowd. I wired her with a remote microphone and spent the first half of the boys game telling her story in video.

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Entiat reader and Tiger basketball mom Karin Whitehall brought some interesting nuggets about the Tiger boys and girls basketball teams, which start district play tonight at Wenatchee High School, to my attention.Shawnee Ledbeter, who is the co-captain of the girls’ team that finished the regular season at 18-2 overall and 9-1 in league play, is the daughter of Derold Ledbeter, who held the same leadership role with the 1980 Entiat boys squad that also won the league championship. The elder Ledbeter now coaches his daughter on the Tigers’ softball team. The other co-captain on that 1980 Tiger boys team was Randy Whitehall, who’s son Tomas is now a captain of the 2008 Entiat boys squad. Tomas is averaging nearly 10 points per game for Entiat, who went through their NCW 1B division slate unbeaten at 8-0.One more connection between Tiger basketball then and now: current Entiat mayor Keith Vradenburg was the head coach of the 1980 Entiat boys team. Seems like the Tigers have friends in high places. 

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