![]() By Dency McClure I arrived in Perrin and found the school parking lot packed. Not only was this their first scrimmage, it also was meet the Pirates. Argh! By the way, they have an octopus flag in the pressbox with an eye patch. I only saw it from a distance but it looked really cool. What a fun mascot to have. Their mascot uniform is also amazing. Once I got to the field, I started searching for Tammy Reynolds. She sends us fantastic photos of the kids to post on our Instagram. She is a great photographer and gets amazing volleyball photos. If you shoot sports, you know volleyball is one of the hardest to get good action photos of, and she nails it. I did find her! She is very down to earth and has a warm personality. I liked her instantly. We visited a bit and then got to work doing what we do... take pictures. The festivities kicked off with a beautiful memorial tribute to Jo Brumfield. The class of 1984 presented a gorgeous wooden rocker with an engraving on the back to be placed in the school library in memory of her. I could quickly tell she had been a blessing to many students over the years and dearly loved. The evening proceeded with the introduction of all the sports teams, players, coaches etc. It’s always nice to see everyone mentioned and honored as a new school year kicks off. It's a great time for the community to reunite and visit. I heard many conversations of people catching up on each other’s lives. With the spring break vacation blended into the summer one, many people hadn’t seen each other for months. It was good to see and hear the reunions. While the festivities were finishing up I made my way over to the Forestburg coaches. I told them my photos from the evening would be on Texas 1A Fan Facebook page. I did not forget to talk up Gold-Burg to them for Coach Helms. In true form, I told them about his 20 big fast players. They responded that I needed to let Coach Helms know they had 21. We all laughed. As I walked away, I realized I had not formally introduced myself… Sometimes I just start talking and forget to do that. After sizing their team up, I’m not sure they had 21, but they couldn’t be out bragged. Gold-Burg definitely doesn’t have 20, but they will do just fine with their Swiss Army Seven. There were so many referees in brand new stripes, it got a bit crazy. I sent a phone photo to some friends and asked them what do you call a cluster of seven or more referees? They responded with a herd. I was hoping for something a bit funnier but a herd it definitely was. It’s pretty normal to see lots of new refs at scrimmages. They have to get their training games in somehow. Just like the coaches and players are practicing at a scrimmage, so are the referees. The experienced ones are getting back in the swing of things and training the new ones. I myself am doing the same. Getting back in the photography mode and back on track for catching the best shots. Both teams were doing well and looking very good for the first and only scrimmage of the season. The quarterback from Forestburg did catch my attention, though. I think I’d have to not even been there to have missed him. He definitely looks to be a player in Six-man that you would want on the line for your defense. So, I was a bit surprised to see him in the backfield throwing some sweet, steady passes almost as long as the field itself. The plus side to all that controlled power was that they had some boys that could receive those sweet passes. I got a nice surprise visit from a young lady that used to play high school Six-Man football. She walked up to me and asked if I remembered her. I did and I called her by name. We chatted for a few minutes. I took lots of pictures of her when she played. There is one of her that I still treasure. I caught it before she got her helmet on. It showed her beauty and her strength. She is still a beautiful, strong young lady. Proud of her and glad that she took the time to greet me. The sun got low enough I was able to get a few photos of the Forestburg sidelines before things wrapped up. I spied a photographer on their side as well. Schools with their own photographers are blessed. There are so many that just don’t have people capturing those moments for them. I’ve noticed over the years many come and go from the sidelines as their kids graduate and they move on to other things. If you have one for even a short time, be thankful and let them know they are appreciated. You will cherish the memories they captured for you for years to come. See you on the sidelines!
1 Comment
Irenee Shubert
8/21/2020 08:39:46 pm
Thank you for the nice remarks about my hometown.
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