I admit, I have known this for sometime, but decided only to tell a few people to start off.  I wanted to wait for the basketball banquets to officially make the announcement.  I missed the girls banquet (no one told me when it was), but at tonights Boy’s Basketball Banquet at Eagle River, it became official.

Eagle River High School opened its doors in 2005.  Two years after I moved here.  I contacted Principal Barnett, well before the school opened about doing photos for the sports teams, but she never got back to me, so I went the team route.  I knew the first basketball coach from living next door to my sister and he use to go to my church.  Basketball was the first major sport Eagle River had that was a varsity program.  So, I went to a booster club meeting, and shooting boys and girls basketball after one season, and boys American Legion for part of that season, I started shooting more.  Football, flag football, wrestling, volleyball, baseball, track and field and ROTC comps.  That grew into Senior Photos for many of the athletes who had gone through ERHS.  Even some family photo gigs came up and some corporate work.  But next year there will be something missing from the ERHS sidelines.  Me.

In May of this year, my sister and her family will be moving to Denver due to her husbands job.  In Early July, my mom, who many of you know I am the primary caregiver for, and I will be following them to Denver, and within the next year, I expect my  brother to move from Fairbanks to the Denver area.  This was an unexpected change.  I had big ideas for the 12/13 football and basketball seasons.  I really was excited about the new coaching staff for football, and after this last basketball season, well it just wet my appetite for next season.  I did have senior photos lined up for this summer, that I have had to cancel.

I do not have anything lined up for a regular day to day job at this time.  Right now I am focusing on finding a home in the Denver area.  I have some shooting gigs lined up for later this summer.  The one main thing I am looking forward to is being able to shoot more high profile sports.  There are 8 professional teams in and around the Denver area, so between the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, Pro Lacrosse, MLS, and two Pro women’s soccer teams, plus Pac-12 sports with the University of Colorado and Division 1 hockey and downhill skiing, not to mention Winter X-Games, and the fact that MaxPreps holds the contract for the high schools in Colorado, I will be busy shooting a lot.  I just hope the money starts flowing quickly.  A drawback is, I will not be shooting for one, single school.  I will shoot mainly NW Denver schools.  It could be one school one night, another the next.  I will not be doing senior posters like I was for Eagle River, and I will not have the one on one connections I have made with the boosters, parents, and kids like I have over the last 7 years.

I am also excited about getting out and about the Denver area.  Red Rocks sounds like a pretty interesting place to shoot, and with the Denver Zoo, and 300 days of sunlight, besides sports, I will have many various opportunities to get some great shots.

The weather will also be a good thing for my mom’s health.  She should be able to get out in the sun more without having to worry about a bear or moose in our driveway, and with 6+ months of winter and less than 6 months of road construction in Alaska, it will be a nice change.  Plus I will be able to get my Fiat out year round instead of just pulling it out after all the snow and ice is gone.

I know with my leaving, that leaves a hole in ERHS sports for the posters, action photos, and all the little extras I have done over the years.  At this time, I do not know who will fill my roll.  I have some ideas, but they may not pan out.  I had the luxury of knowing many of the parents that came through Eagle River High School through my work previously with Knik Little League and the Alaska Quakes baseball programs.  I will let some of the local photographers whom I know that I think would be a good fit know, and we will see what we can come up with.

I may have graduated 2 decades ago from a Seattle high school, but for the last 7 years I have been all Eagle River Wolves.  I will continue to be root for the blue and silver and I expect to hear from the players, parents, and coaches on how the teams are doing.