The score doesn't matter in the end.


In all my years of team sports, there are very few games that I remember what the final score was. I do remember the pump-up songs that played on the stadium speakers before high school soccer games. I do remember the feeling of connection to my teammates as we waited in the athletics hallway for warmups to start and the taste of the horribly awful yet delicious post-game concession stand nachos. I do remember the feeling of dread and hope when we were down at halftime to t.u. in the state lacrosse finals my senior year and the joy that overcame the team when we went ahead the secure another state championship for the Aggies. It was never about the score. It was about our team knowing without a doubt that we were good and we worked hard to earn a place in the national tournament. And a little bit of deep-seated rivalry to play in there, too.

A young baseball player in a yellow uniform holds a bat over their shoulders while standing in a grassy field.
Baseball pitcher in gray uniform stands on mound throwing a pitch during sunset on baseball field.

I am a mediocre athlete at best. For as much as I love athletics, they do not come naturally to me. Which I am absolutely okay with. Those memories from high school soccer? They’re from the JV team because I never made varsity. The memories from college lacrosse? The only reason I could be a part of that team was because I worked my tail off the summer between sophomore and junior year to earn a spot on that team and I was nowhere near the best player out there.

Basketball player in blue jersey dribbles on wooden court against dark background during dramatic studio shoot.

I wasn’t an elite athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but the lessons that I learned in youth sports have stayed with me for a lifetime. Through playing team sports, I learned that I can work with people I like and with people I don’t like to achieve a common goal. I learned that if there is something that I want to learn, I have the tenacity and dedication to learn a new skill and use it to serve myself and a team of people. I learned that I can do hard things.

Basketball player wearing red and black uniform dribbles ball on court during intense game action.
A person performing a sequence of yoga or stretching poses on a wooden floor in dim lighting.

The lessons that I have taken from half a lifetime ago have served me well into adulthood. I’ve built this photography business out of that ability to learn new skills. I have worked with my family, who I do like most days, to grow and change and hopefully leave this world better than we’ve found it. I know I can do hard things, even if I don’t really want to, because of the lessons I’ve learned through sports.

Baseball player stands on pitcher's mound at sunset wearing light blue uniform and red cleats.

I have some basic photos of my time playing youth soccer, but nothing from the most formative years of my athletic career to celebrate all of these lessons that make me who I am. Every athlete deserves the chance to be celebrated. Everyone who works hard at something they love deserves to have memories that will help them remember what they can do.

A dramatic black and white portrait series showing a volleyball player's face partially obscured by the ball.
A young tennis player in striped pants holds a large racquet on an outdoor court in dramatic black and white.

Your child will not remember the final score of the game, I promise. They will remember the way their teammates lifted them up when they struggled, the way they worked hard to show up for their team, and that they can do hard things. So help them remember what they are capable of by scheduling a sports portrait session today.