SMC Corsairs’ opening game of the season

I’d never attended a live football game. In fact, I may have only watched them on television during the Super Bowl, hardly knowing anything about how to follow a game whose goals change sides of the field multiple times an hour! Growing up I never played sports; as a musician, it was too risky for “the hands.” However, I’ve always believed that athletes and performing musicians share certain mentalities. We spend hours a day in specialized physical training and are required to wield these refined skills at set times, not to mention the heavy competition and spotlight the careers can entail. In other news, so many friends have recently spoken about their love of football that it was contagious enough to make me at the very least, curious. When the opportunity arose to photograph the Santa Monica College Corsairs play the Victor Valley College Rams for the initial publication of The Corsair newspaper, I was super excited to finally attend my first game.

Linebacker Kylan Keeler.

SMC Corsairs walk off the field during halftime.

Neeko Wagner.

That evening I needed the help of a few people to coach me through some of the basic principles of football - such as the offensive and defensive split teams, which no, I did not know about! Thankful for their assistance I came away with a true interest in the art with some great memories. The feeling of excitement and optimism at this season opening home game made it a special first experience. The teams brought it for a close ending score of 31-28, and look forward to tracking their progress this season. Congratulations to the SMC Corsairs on their win and the VVC Rams for the great plays. See you on the field again soon.