I am not sure what sparked Christopher's love for soccer in second grade, or his determination to play someday, but it was an ever present dream until he entered the public school system in fourth grade and was able to join the recreational league in our town. His first coach saw his passion and love for soccer immediately and at the end of Christopher's first season, he presented him with a jersey from Milan, where he had once played. Through the years Christopher played on rec teams, school teams and traveling teams. He trained with a man who had played on the German National Team and the Cosmos of New York/New Jersey. He practiced for hours on our lawn with a make-shift goal we'd made out of an old jungle gym and soccer net and went to several soccer camps. Most of the time, his skill level and understanding of the game surpassed the people who were coaching him. In college his teammates often sought out his advice over the coach's when it came to training and technical skills whereas in high school his teammates would make fun of his dedication.
As his chauffeur, I became the quintessential soccer mom, driving him up and down the Mid Atlantic States for tournaments or all over New Jersey for games. I suffered heat stroke at one tournament after spending the day cheering him on in 102 degree weather and on another tournament weekend we weathered the outer edges of a hurricane. The two of us also witnessed a World Cup shoot out in 1994 and the Nigerian National team on their way to Olympic gold in 1996.
Through all the years of driving to and from practices, tournaments and games, I had the privilege of watching him grow from a boy into a man. Most of the time he knew more about the game than the coaches he played for, and had more passion for the game than the entire team put together. Once he even had a teacher tell him that playing soccer wasn't a real job. But it was apparent that all that adversity just made him more determined to prove them all wrong.
There couldn't be a more appropriate article to become a portrait of him than this little trinket. I wore it to every game during his middle and high school years and it brings back some great memories. But it also reminds me of the character it took for him to remain true to his dreams and pursue them no matter what. Today he is coaching on the college level. True to life, adversity still comes along every once in a while. But he faces those challenges as they come and his love for the game comes through in all he does. I couldn't be more proud of him!
Wow--what an inspiring story! Like your photo, too--nice DOF. We have a college football player--don't know if he'll go into coaching, but sports have definitely helped him develop into an admirable, disciplined young man.
Thank you Kerri!
Thank you Diane! I think sports can be a great character builder for both boys and girls. I was never athletic, but I so admired anyone who could be an athlete. And now there are so many sports related fields that someone who loves a sport and still wants to be around it but not play can go into as a career. There are a lot of options. Best wishes to your football player!
brilliant portrait to portray christopher. i enjoyed your take on this segment of the challenge, ann. it's quite the harder part, but i love seeing all the different approaches and interpretation. you make the best challenge, methinks!
@summerfield Thank you Vikki- but this part was your suggestion, so I can't take all the credit! I was just keying off of the link Dorrena posted. I actually didn't think I would be able to pull it off, but once I keyed in on doing the men in my life, it kind of came together.
Wow! Great shot and great tribute to your son! You must be extremely proud of his achievements and his pursuit of his passion. Love it! Well done, Ann! :)
Ann, thanks for sharing Christopher's story. It's very inspirational. You must be so proud of him. What an awesome mom you are to support in all the ways you did. Great tribute.
Wonderful! (Sorry, I can't think of any other suitable words - your story made me cry! You have such a wonderful way of relating events in words and pictures)
Ann you are such a proud mum and I am sure both of your boys are as proud of you as you are of them. They couldn't have asked for better parents. Thank you for sharing such lovely stories about your children.
Gorgeous shot, Anne. I, too, was soccer crazy when I was young. Made it even to the top division in Malta. Now my soccer craze is limited to watching it on tv.
Life is made up of dreams, some come into reality, others still remain within our hopes. It sounds like it was meant to be for him, and all those memories are precious.
@maggiemae Thank you Maggie! Christopher has heard words like these before. When he turned 21 I gave him a scrapbook I'd made of all his soccer accomplishments up to that point. But I think your children never get tired of hearing your praise even in adulthood. I think I'll turn this into his birthday card this year (as well as the other two). @bkbinthecity Thank you Brian! @prttblues Thank you Bev! One of the camps he went to (one of the best) was at Johnson State College. @pflaume Thank you Lisa! I have to say that if I did a good job it was because I had a great example in my own parents. I learned a lot from them. @alia_801 Thank you Alia- your comment was so touching! Some pictures are easy to write about. And sometimes I have no idea what to say! @filsie65 Thank you Phil! I tried to avoid the obvious shot- a soccer ball, a ticket, anything typical. Honestly, it took me about 10 hours to come up with this! @nicolecampbell Thank you Nicole! That is so kind of you to say! There are a lot of great parents out there- thankfully I had two of my own to demonstrate the best of parenting-even with the troubles they had. And I could say these words back to you! I see the same things in your relationship with your girls. @sangwann Thank you Dione! That's awesome!! I think every once and a while Christopher takes part in a men's league just to stay on the ball. But now with baby #2 on the way, and the fact that he loves being a husband and Dad, staying home is much more appealing. Like you, when he's not viewing games for coaching purposes, he enjoys watching it on tv too. @digitalrn Thank you Rick! I think so. I've often told him that it's rare for a person to know from a young age what they want to do and have the talent to do it. That is a gift from God and never to take it lightly. @dakotaburns Thank you Donald! @dmortega lol Dorrena! This was probably the hardest challenge I've done so far!! The only one that came easy was Jeff! Christopher's was hard because I didn't want to take a typical shot- like a picture of a soccer ball. It literally took me 10 hours to come up with this- trying to remember all the different soccer doo-dads I still had and were they a good representation of Christopher- not me! Erick's was definitely the hardest. I started thinking about that one a week ago! I'm glad we only had to do 3!! But I have to say thanks again for providing that link because it did help in getting me on the right track for doing them. Before I saw that I was planning to shoot my old teddy bear and stuff like that. So knowing what they really were, gave it a decidedly creative flare that was far more interesting for me personally.
@cimes1 Thank you Carole! @fullcircle Thank you Cindy! Credit for this part of the challenge has to go to Vikki @summerfield She was the one who suggested it be included in the challenge. I think it was a great idea- these types of "portraits" really seem to lend themselves to b/w.
@daisy Thank you Kathryn! @cocolil Thank you Tracy! @espyetta Thank you MaryBeth! The marble is from a beautiful piece my dad restored. It is one of my favorite surfaces to photograph things on for the very reason you mentioned!
Thank you Kerri!
Thank you Diane! I think sports can be a great character builder for both boys and girls. I was never athletic, but I so admired anyone who could be an athlete. And now there are so many sports related fields that someone who loves a sport and still wants to be around it but not play can go into as a career. There are a lot of options. Best wishes to your football player!
@bkbinthecity Thank you Brian!
@prttblues Thank you Bev! One of the camps he went to (one of the best) was at Johnson State College.
@pflaume Thank you Lisa! I have to say that if I did a good job it was because I had a great example in my own parents. I learned a lot from them.
@alia_801 Thank you Alia- your comment was so touching! Some pictures are easy to write about. And sometimes I have no idea what to say!
@filsie65 Thank you Phil! I tried to avoid the obvious shot- a soccer ball, a ticket, anything typical. Honestly, it took me about 10 hours to come up with this!
@nicolecampbell Thank you Nicole! That is so kind of you to say! There are a lot of great parents out there- thankfully I had two of my own to demonstrate the best of parenting-even with the troubles they had. And I could say these words back to you! I see the same things in your relationship with your girls.
@sangwann Thank you Dione! That's awesome!! I think every once and a while Christopher takes part in a men's league just to stay on the ball. But now with baby #2 on the way, and the fact that he loves being a husband and Dad, staying home is much more appealing. Like you, when he's not viewing games for coaching purposes, he enjoys watching it on tv too.
@digitalrn Thank you Rick! I think so. I've often told him that it's rare for a person to know from a young age what they want to do and have the talent to do it. That is a gift from God and never to take it lightly.
@dakotaburns Thank you Donald!
@dmortega lol Dorrena! This was probably the hardest challenge I've done so far!! The only one that came easy was Jeff! Christopher's was hard because I didn't want to take a typical shot- like a picture of a soccer ball. It literally took me 10 hours to come up with this- trying to remember all the different soccer doo-dads I still had and were they a good representation of Christopher- not me! Erick's was definitely the hardest. I started thinking about that one a week ago! I'm glad we only had to do 3!! But I have to say thanks again for providing that link because it did help in getting me on the right track for doing them. Before I saw that I was planning to shoot my old teddy bear and stuff like that. So knowing what they really were, gave it a decidedly creative flare that was far more interesting for me personally.
@cimes1 Thank you Carole!
@fullcircle Thank you Cindy! Credit for this part of the challenge has to go to Vikki @summerfield She was the one who suggested it be included in the challenge. I think it was a great idea- these types of "portraits" really seem to lend themselves to b/w.
Thank you Ruth, Laraine and Damon! I am so glad you like this one- as a mom, you know it's a soft spot for me!
@cocolil Thank you Tracy!
@espyetta Thank you MaryBeth! The marble is from a beautiful piece my dad restored. It is one of my favorite surfaces to photograph things on for the very reason you mentioned!