lg action sports world championships

[will pattison]

well, i have now officially been "on assignment." our fearless leader sent me in the right direction to get press credentials for the 2006 lg action sports world championships here in dallas. lots of big name skaters and bmx'ers, but the real reason i wanted to go was for the mx freestyle. well...that part was a bust because it was only a demo with three riders and some challenging shooting conditions for a squid like me. i was also trying flash for the first time - i literally took my new sigma ef500 out of the box, skimmed the manual for a few minutes, then drove to reunion arena and went at it. it's a wonder i got anything, but truthfully, i got a lot of sweet skate and bmx stuff. seeing these guys float the ramps from just feet away was amazing! here's a few pix....

oh - i also shot some without a flash, and those came out surprisingly well, but i give all the credit to my sigma 70-200 f2.8. great lens!


andy mcdonald, going all intense and stuff....

bob burnquist, just floating...

and the man, the legend...tony hawk!

and, for a little sports photojournalism, i snagged this one. this poor girl got nailed in the face with a skateboard that came off the top of the ramp! it came out of the sky like a cruise missle and just nailed her, but she's gonna be fine. definitely shook up, but what a story to tell on monday!

wp.

 

[will pattison]

and, some bmx. i used to ride these things as a teenager, and we had a few ramps, but what these guys are doing has no relation to our feeble attempts at style. this is truly amazing athleticism.

jimmie walker, 35 years-old and smooth...

koji kraft just sailing...

how about a little flair?

or a nice tailwhip?

and...what i actually came for. jimmy maguire hucking a nice cordova high above the night skies of dallas.

wp.

 

[biglou]

Nice work, Will. :cool:

 

[Chili]

Good job!

 

[Squid31]

Nice shots bro. Looks like a really fun event to shoot.

 

[Okiewan]

Good stuff!

 

[will pattison]

thank you, sirs! :) :) :)

it was VERY cool, and it's also VERY cool to get props from guys that know whattup with their cameras. i just want to shoot like you!

wp.