My First Olympics...

New Website

fareastphotos — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:15:53 +0000

Obviously this blog is old and now outdated. The Olympics are over and I’m no longer in China – that’s the bad news. The good news is there’s a new website in town and I’m the sheriff. It’s all about Asian boxing thus it’s titled, Asian Boxing News. You can catch up on Asian boxing if you simply go to:

www.asianboxingnews.com

Enjoy it!

August 17

fareastphotos — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:27:26 +0000

It’s been a long, long day and there was one show instead of two. My wife called around 9:30 AM, I woke up moments before she called and was half asleep. By the time I got to the press center, it was 11:00. I worked on my photos for a few hours, and then toke a walk to the Super Store where i bought a couple of Olympic pins. Little did I know there would be a few thousand people lining up to get inside. Before I could change my mind, there was no way out. I was surrounded by eager Chinese, all pushing and shoving to get as far to the front as possible. There were lines to get into lines and it took me 90 minutes to get inside. Guess that’s the price you pay when you’re in a country with nearly a billion and a half people. Anyhow, I eventually worked my way inside, took all of 5 minutes to find a couple pins, then stood in line for another 30 minutes to pay,

There was a Mcdonald’s across the street so, having not eaten all day, I decided to go for the health food route; a McChicken sandwhich. There was one table open so I grabbed it. Three young kids decided to sit with me, uninvited of course, then promptly asked if I wanted a chicken McNugget. I passed.

By the time I got back to the press center, I was out of time. it was time to head out to Workers gymnasium. for the evening bouts.

Demetrius “Boo-Boo” Andrande was the first American to fight and guess what, he lost. Now I’m not going to bash the scoring but in this case, I thought he beat the Korean by a slim margin. It really saddiens me to see the Americans go down in flames like this. Andrade put in a good effort – but not good enough. Sometimes, a good effort isn’t good enough. If I were to criticize one thing about the American team it would be their mental strength. It just didn’t seem like they were there, sort of like they were just going through the motions.

When America’s last hope for a medal, Deontay Wilder, stepped in the ring, I thought to myself, just what brings the boxing down from being a great boxing power to a level where a heavyweight with mediocre to decent skills at best is the only hope for a medal. You can blame it on the coach all you want but it seems to me America’s boxing program is in sore need of an overhaul. These kids had plenty of international experience, plenty of training, and some decent to excellent skills in some cases. So what’s the reason for the failure? I don’t know there’s one answer to this question but nonetheless, I think it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

FYI – Deontay Wilder got thru to the semi-finals by the skin of his…in winning the judges decision (the score was 11-11 at the end of the fight), he got a break. A break the U.S. team could definitely use. Whether or not he has what it takes to win his next bout remains to be seen. He’ll face Clemente Russo on Friday, so he’s got some time to rest up. Russo is good though, beating my favorite of the tournament, Oleksandr Usyk, rather easily. Wilder will be lucky to win gold…

At super heavyweight, David Price of the Uk goes up against Lithuania’s Jaroslav Jaksto. Just like the U.S., Great Britain could use the win.

BTW – let me once again give thanks to DC Amateur for helping make this trip possible. Not only do they work hard at furthering amateur boxing, they also have a great collection of amateur fights on You Tube.

August 15th

fareastphotos — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 16:54:39 +0000

Mongolian and Kazakstanian fans have quickly become an annoyance for the Chinese security at the Workers Gymnasium where boxing takes place each day. Although tickets are for assigned seats, for some reason the Mongolian and Kazakstani fans seem to think they can sit wherever they like, including the sections reserved for media and photo. Now this generally wouldn’t be much of a problem but when there are a few hundred of them, all rowdy and all weighing in around 250-300 lbs, the diminutive female volunteers are understandably apprehensive about moving them. Push almost came to shove when they pulled the old, “sorry, no English” routine. The wiry, old, no-nonsense head of Chinese security asked them to leave once, then twice but they wouldn’t budge. The security guard blew his top and he began barking out orders to them in Chinese. He then grabbed one of the Mongolians by the wrist and guided him out of his chair. He then told the others, in Chinese, to follow him. They all rose one by one and thankfully, went away to where I do not know – but I was glad to see them go. The Kazakhstan lot were no better, in fact, one went so far try to peel off the media sticker from the back of the chair so he could sit in it. “No sticker, no problem,” he said. That didn’t work either though and once again the Chinese security called for reinforcements. A few minutes later, after the Khazakstani boxers lost his bout, they left…thankfully. It’s hard to tell if they really just don’t understand or if they don’t care about the rules but tomorrow night the Luis Yanez of the U.S. faces Mongolia’s Serdamba Purevdorj, and emotions for the bout are certain to be high. If you’ve ever seen Latka Sim fight, you know one thing – Mongolians are a tough bunch and Yanez is going to have to be at his best if he doesn’t want to go home. It just dawned on me; amateur boxing is about how man times you can hit your opponent cleanly and sprinting the distance. Professional boxing is about the destroying your opponent, and breaking him down until he capitulates, willingly or unwillingly. Until later…

Beijing Boxing

fareastphotos — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 21:13:02 +0000

It’s been years since I’ve watched amateur boxing. Frankly, I think it was the headgear that originally put me off, but after the Evander Holyfield debacle in the Los Angeles Olympics, amateur boxing just hasn’t been the same. With the exception of the push-button scoring, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Quite a few of the fights have been action-packed, some of the fights have been outright toe-to-toe brawls, and a small percentage have been sloppy or uninteresting.

In today’s 69 KG action, Thailand’s Non Boonjumnong saw his olympic dream end when he dropped a narrow decision (11-10) to Hosam Adbdin of Egypt. The Egyptian was extremely beatable but Boonjumnong’s pensive ring demeanor would cost him the bout. Abdin moves on to face Carlos Banteaux Suarez of Cuba. Suarez skated by Billy Joe Saunders, outboxing the Brit to win a 13-6 decision.

Boonjumnong’s older brother, Manus (64 KG), totally outclassed his Japanese foe (8-1), Masatsugu Kawachi to advance to the quarterfinals, where he’ll meet Serik Sapiyev of Kazakhstan. Sapiyev looked sharp in blowing out Johnny Sanchez 22-3, and should provide a stiff test for the Thai. “We’ve fought a few times before,” said Boonjumnong. “He’s a difficult one.”He throws many punches but his weakness is his poor defense, so I will say I have a 50/50 chance..

Using his superior hand and foot speed, U.S. fighter Demetrius Andrade improved upon his first round performance and dismantled Andrey Balanov of Russia to win a 14-3 decision.
“He’s thirty-two and it’s very difficult for him physically to fight against the young American boxin,” said Russian boxing coach Alexander Lebzyak. “It was a predictable result but Russia still has seven boxers and we’re in good shape.”

Bradley Saunders of Great Britain, the first boxer to score a knockout in the tournament, is out after losing a decision to Alexis Vastine of France. “It’s amazing what pressure does,” said British coach Terry Edwards. “Over-eagerness and the brain goes out the window.”

“It’s a big weight off my shoulders,” stated Saunders. “It’s my job, my training, boxing all the tiem. So now the weight’s off my shoulders. I just want to relax, rethink a little.” Vastine moves on to meet rugged Mongolian fighter Munkh-Erdene Sepahvandi.

In the fight of the night, Johnny Joyce of Ireland dropped a heartbreaker to Cuba’s Felix Diaz by judges decision. Trailing 7-4, Joyce came back to even the score 11-11. In the end though, the judges felt Diaz deserved the victory. “I wasn’t expecting him to be as strong (as he was),” said Joyce. “I tried to get away but he was strong. He was always in my face. He should have been given a warning.” Diaz now moves on to meet Morteza Sepahvandi of Iran.

Next up, the 54, 57, and 60 kilogram divisions.

Until later…

Six Days In

fareastphotos — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:51:14 +0000

The games are in full swing and so am I. Yesterday, the last of the first-round bouts took place and the boxing is getting better and better. Great Britain’s heavyweight, David Price, powers his way into the second round with a KO, the Saunders prepare for round two, USA heavyweight Deontay Wilder used a simple one-two combination to win his bout, Aussie Brad Pitt took a beating, and fellow Aussie Dan Beahan was stopped in just 49 seconds of the first round.

From this point on I’ll be blogging on a daily basis. To get a better idea of what I’m doing each day, read below. My schedule is hectic, and there never seems to be enough time to get it all done.

Photographing along side of Reuters, Getty, and USA Today has taught me a few things, mainly, how to manage my time more efficiently and what equipment is needed to get the job done better and faster.

The Schedule

Each day I wake up at 6:00 AM, take thirty minutes to prepare myself, and then make my way to the security check. It takes about 15 minutes to get from the hotel to security and, and then another five minutes to scan my ID card, empty my pockets, and then put my gear thru the x-ray machine before getting the green light to enter the bus. It takes thirty minutes to arrive at the press center and these thirty minutes I spend relaxing in a half-sleep.

Once at the MPC (Main Press Center), I grab some coffee and a quick bite to eat and head downstairs to the Photo Workroom. For the next five hours I review my photos, filing the good and deleting the bad. By this time it’s time for lunch. Lunch is a five minute ordeal, four minutes of it spent ordering and the other minute is spent inhaling a burger or anything else that strikes my fancy at the moment. If there’s any spare time, it’s spent running errands, like finding out who to speak to about interviews, or

Then it’s back to the photo workroom where I decide upon the lens of the day. Generally, I check-out a spare camera, and a 400MM lens, then use one or two of my own cameras, a 24-70MM and a 70-200MM lens. So I’ve got a camera, a two-foot lens and a monopod thrown over my shoulder, a backpack with batteries, two other cameras, two or three other lenses, water, towel, cell phone, energy bar for a snack, and anything else I can think of.

It takes another 30 minutes to get to Workers Gymnasium where all of the boxing takes place. Get a locker, get a laptop lock, and put what I don’t need the locker. Lock up the laptop, make sure all my lenses are clean, and get an escort to the photo stand. On some days, if I’m lucky and there’s room, I’ll get to shoot ringside for a few bouts. Before this happens though, I need to turn in my standard photo vest and get a special ringside photo vest. There are only six spots issued for ringside photographers; Getty, AP, AFP, and the IOC are normally provided priority positioning. Only if one of these agencies decides not to attend are other photographers allowed ringside.

When shooting a pro fight, even a world title fight, you normally contact the promoter or the press department, and ask for the credential. Most of the time, it’s relatively easy. The Olympics are different story however – everyone is checked, rechecked and then marched through security.

Once at the venue, the work day begins. There are between ten – fifteen four-round fights per session, most of which go the distance. The first card begins at 1:30 PM, the last ends at 11:00 PM, making for a marathon of boxing, especially since there’s two weeks of this.

It’s draining, it’s hectic, and lugging around 30 kilos of gear is hard on the body – but it’s worth it. Dragging around the gear It’s not really a big deal but it is hard on the feet. And my feet are killing me…blisters and bruises cover my dogs and remind me of the pain with every step I take.

Today begins the second round of the boxing – lots of great fights and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. My own favorite of the tournament so far: Oleksandr Usyk. He trashed his Chinese opponent and looked great in the process. He was one of the few first-round fighters who seemed to enjoy himself in the ring and although his opponent was little more than a punching bag, his technique, and confidence in throwing them make him a favorite in the competition.

Until later…

Settling In

fareastphotos — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:59:38 +0000

After a few days of running around like a chicken with his head cut off, I’ve finally got a little bit of time to take a breath. in the ring, Kenny Egan of Ireland and Matvey Korobov have been most impressive. Today the 64 KG and 69 KG sessions take place and Andrade is the bout I’m most looking forward to. I’m going thru my photos and will post more shortly. I leave for the first session of the day in about 90 minutes so hopefully I’ll have time to upload a few photos. I’ve been able to get down on the ring for a few fights and should be able to almost daily. I’m a bit pressed for time now – I need to write an article for a Thai newspaper, send out some emails, and write a few blogs but in the next 12 hours or so I should be operating a bit more smoothly.

Until later…

Off and Running

fareastphotos — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:52:14 +0000

I’ve had little time to breath since Wednesday when I arrived. I’ve been running back and forth between Canon in the Media Center, the hotel, the Main area of the press center, and then to the different venues. Last night I went to the opening ceremonies. Photos should be uploaded later tonight and I should be settling into a schedule since the boxing begins today.

The big news in boxing is the ousting of USA’s Gary Russell and Great Britain’s Frankie Gavin due to their failure to make weight. Both probably would have medaled so this is huge, and of course, extremely unfortunate for both to come so far and get so close.

On my way to the first session of boxing…until later..

Welcome to Beijing

fareastphotos — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:43:48 +0000

It’s 10:42 PM and I’m here. In Beijing that is. I’m tired and a little in awe of the magnitude of the event. It’s setting in now and all I can say is WOW. We’re a long way from Kansas, Toto. I’ll write more tomorrow but there’s alot going on and alot to write about. In a couple of days, the boxing begins.

Until later…

And I’m Off…

fareastphotos — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 02:28:49 +0000

Less than two hours until I take off to the airport. Lot’s to do and not enough time to get it done. Right now I’m packing my equipment, a feat in itself. Another hurdle is keeping my one bag under 20 kgs. I’m not going away for the weekend, I’ll be gone for three weeks, so this isn’t as easy as it seems. I’ve got clothes, papers, a bit of dried food in case I end up starving with no money for rice, and a ouple pairs of shoes. All packed in one medium size suitcase. Egypt Air allows one, 20 KG check-in bag plus the carry on and my bag is at about 19.5 KGs.

Anyhow…the next step after passing thru Thai customs and flying to Beijing – getting thru Chinese immigration with an Olympic credential that has one incorrect number. Thanks to the Chinese at the BOGC, not much I can do about now other than pray.

Gotta run, no time….until later…

The Chicken with No Head

fareastphotos — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 09:02:55 +0000

For the past two days I’ve been trying to stayt relaxed and focused. I’ve got an e-book that needs to be finished, errands to run, and little things popping up as fast as I can do them. When I received my Olympic credential, I noticed the passport number was incorrect. I emailed the USOC who gave me a visa application and the name of a Chinese official to send it to. I did however he told me not to worry about the visa. So I didn’t. I informed the USOC what he said and she informed me there wasn’t much she or I could do, which did little to alleve my worries. I then received an email yesterday afternoon from the Chinese official telling me to, “go to the Chinese embassy and start the process.” Too late…So now I’m winging it to Beijing, hoping immigration doesn’t realize the error or realizes I’m legit and just lets me throw. Perhaps the worst they’ll do is make me sign a paper or make a visa on the spot. Rather ridiculous but with all the journalists, I sort of expect this sort of thing.

To make matters worse, I don’t have my Thai contact’s phone number in Beijing, and all he’s told me is that I should go to the Beijing Conference Center. This may be a hotel as well as a conference center but the visa issue, coupled with my possible lodging dilemma, along with a tight budget is making it difficult to remain relaxed. One publication I’m writing and shooting for may or may not be sending money but I’ve yet to hear back from them and at this late hour, the extra dough would add the buffer I need to eat decently.

Anyhow, I’ll know more shortly…until later.