Tank Daniels Youth Football Camp

Last week Tank Daniels of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants was in town doing the first Tank Daniels Football Camp on the Harding University Campus. I was able to go out and shoot photos on the first day and the last day of the afternoon camp. I appreciated the opportunity to be there for Tank's first camp. I have known Tank for about 5 years now...and you couldn't find a nicer guy or better person. I also know he has plans to someday coach football on the youth level, and I knew he would have fun with the camp...probably more fun the kids in the camp.  :-)

Tank was able to recruit a couple of other NY Giant's players, including Na'Shawn Goddard, who also seemed to really enjoy interacting and teaching the kids. There were also a couple of Tank's old teammates from the Harding University Bisons to help out.

Each day Tank would work with the kids about the fundamentals and skills of playing football and they would end the day with a short and fun scrimmage followed by a question and answer session. Listening in on the question and answer session, I was just as excited as the kids that asked the questions...and each one was handled by Tank or one of his helpers. Na'Shawn answered a question about attitude (very good question and answer), another asked Tank about his proudest moment in the NFL so far, to which Tank responded the day they gave him the game ball for a game which the NY Giants won because Tank forced a fumble....funny story (but you had to be there).

On the last day he handed out awards, t-shirts and signed autographs. He also let the kids, as well as some parents (and me too) hold his Super Bowl ring. WOW is all I can say...first it is big and it is HEAVY. Secondly, it is personalized with all kinds of details on the ring (see above). That is something NO BODY can take away. What a beautiful piece of jewelry.

I hope Tank will have this camp every year...My guess is that next year it will be much bigger. I sensed the kids not only enjoyed the camp, but also just being around a famous athlete that just happens to have a Super Bowl Ring.  And parents and spectators, I suggest that if Tank does this again next you go out and watch them train, learn and play, and if you do I think you'll see that someday Tank is gonna make a great coach!

And finally, last week was a very difficult week for Arkansas fans with the arrest of Matt Jones for drugs. You might ask what does that have to do with Tank....well a lot. Most of us thought of Matt Jones as a local hero, but he's not. He fell and he fell hard. I do believe he has had a problem for a long time, and although I am suprised he was arrested for drugs, I am not so surprised he has let his Razorback fans down. What a shame.

So in this day and age when you see many of the elite professional athletes acting like spoiled brats, it is refreshing to see a REAL role model step up to help the youth of today. There aren't many of them out there, but I can assure you that Tank is one them. Each day when he gathered up the kids for question and answers, at some point during the session he would stress the importance of working hard, commitment to God, Family and being a good person.

I know this little article isn't written well, but the bottom line is that Searcy is lucky to have a such a humble and giving person like Tank Daniels. Thanks Tank!

Link to Gallery:  http://wallyjarratt.com/website/index.php?action=gallery;cat=89
Link to Final Day Gallery:  http://wallyjarratt.com/website/index.php?action=gallery;cat=90

2008 Special Olympics March During Opening Ceremonies

I was part of the Motorcycle Ride-In to honor the Special Olympics Participants and thought I would shoot a few pics of the athletes marching into the stadium. What a great event!  Ironically, over all the years I was shooting professionally, I was never asked to do this event...and those that knew me knew I did a lot of charitable stuff. Too bad, I would have loved to have been a part of this... Anyway, here are some of the pictures I shot on Friday.

Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies

2008 Bison Invitational Track Meet

The photos from the 2008 Bison Invitational Track Meet at First Security Field and the Ted Lloyd Track Complex are now loaded up.

http://wallyjarratt.com/website/index.php?action=gallery;cat=83

Arkansas Junior Miss Program  (please see note)

The pictures from the program should be posted by tonight (Sunday) sometime. You can view the pictures here...or you can view FULL SIZED pictures at my other site: Natural State of Photography.  So you can view all the pictures at either location. MORE TO COME on the Program tonight.

However, I also noticed that the web address to my site was incorrect in the Arkansas Junior Miss Program. I ask that if you find my site (and the pictures of course), please, PLEASE let ANYONE else that might be interested in the photos know the correct address:  http://www.wallyjarratt.com  . Please email them or call them.

Again, I am not selling pictures. You are free to download and/or print them to your hearts content! I only ask that if you use them on a website or webpage...just kinda let them know where you got them from. Thanks.

Here is a direct link to the photos on here:   2008 Arkansas Junior Miss Program

Harding University vs Southern Arkansas
I've got something in my eye...

BIson Fans got a chance to see their favorite players in the final HOME game of the season last night. The Senior )players from both women's and men's team were honored by the school, the fans, their coaches and their teammates at the end of each respective game.

The Lady Bison's made quick work of the SAU Lady Muleriders but outscoring them HEAVILY in the first half and coasted on to an easy victory throughout the 2nd half of the game. At the conclusion of the game the Lady Bison Basketball Seniors were honored and given a plaque. The Lady Bison Seniors are Kristen Donnell, Jacque Frendenhall, and Kinsey Tucker.

The Men's game was anything but easy. The SAU Muleriders came in to Rhodes Fieldhouse with all intentions of spoiling the Bison's Senior Night. The entire game was closely contested with both teams leading multiple times. And it couldn't been written better in a fairy tale when the Seniors stepped up and took control of the game. Cris Dixon, Jesse Bynum, Jacob Thies , and Matt Hall WON the game for themselves and their last hurrah in Rhodes Fieldhouse.

At the completion of the game, Coach Morgan made an emotional introduction of each player beginning with Chris Dixon, Jacob Thies, Jesse Bynum and finally Matt Hall. He detailed the accomplishments and contributions to the team. Each player was given a photo while the fans showed their appreciation with a standing ovation.

The final award was presented by Butch Gardner. His jersey was the only Bison Jersey to hang in the trophy case at Rhodes Fieldhouse...at least until last night. As Coach Morgan announced that Matt Hall's #30 was being retired I looked around and saw very few dry eyes in the building. It was a wonderfully emotional tribute to a great player for the Bisons. And if anyone was looking at me...I actually had some "dust in my eyes", yeah, that's it, I had dust in my eye!  :-)

About Matt Hall...Although I very seldom talked with Matt during his career as a Bison, I did have the opportunity to watch him play (and work) for 4 years. What I saw was a player that was respectful of his teammates, his opponent's, the officials and the fans. You can tell he loved what he did and every night he gave 100% effort. This is the type of role model the younger players need to watch. He didn't command respect for his skills, he earned it.

Many of you will remember the night that Rhodes Fieldhouse fell silent. Matt went up for a jumpshot and blew his knee out. He collapsed on the floor writhing in agony against the background of silence by the fans. We knew we had lost our key player and play maker and he was gone for the year. By the next game Matt was on the bench ON CRUTCHES supporting his team and fellow players. Luckily inside every dark cloud you can find a silver lining...and the Bison's silver lining was that Matt was able to get a medical redshirt and get the year back to play again. With lots of hard work and REMARKABLY fast rehabilitation, Matt came back and proceeded to put "BUTTS" in the seats. Thank You Matt!!

Images are NOW POSTED HERE

Back from Yellowstone

Hello again folks. Well, after 10 days in weather that was EXTREME at best, I am home again. I had a blast (cold blast) in Yellowstone National Park. Some of the days were met with temperatures of -17 degrees BELOW ZERO (this is NOT a windchill, but actual temperatue), however dressing appropriately made things much more bearable. We encountered wolves EVERYDAY...albeit from a distance in most cases. I also saw plenty of bull elk, bison, BIRDS galore, eagles (bald and goldens), mountain sheep, bobcats, bears, coyotes, wolves, and even red foxes (not the comedian). :-)

 I took over 5000+ pictures of just about any imaginable subject you can think of including some sunrises and sunsets. Yellowstone is truly a MAGICAL and wonderful place. If you have never been...you should go...if you haven't taken your kids...you MUST! The experience of Yellowstone teaches YOUNG and OLD the beauty of our world and shows how the balance of nature works. In Yellowstone you can the Survival of the Fittest in it's purest form...you see the beauty of how it works and also the brutality. At times I found myself feeling sorry for elk kills or the bison kills by the wolves, however without those kills (of the weaker or sick animals), the other animals would die. When an animal is killed in Yellowstone, first the predator gets his fill of food, then come the coyotes, magpies, foxes, ravens and the food chain is shared among all of these animals...the is absolutely nothing left and nothing is wasted.

It will take me a week or so to go through the photos...and then I hope to have some of the better ones posted, so look for them in the coming week.

Well Friends, Yellowstone Here I come!!

I will be headed out to Yellowstone this week and will be enjoying this wonderful park with it's winter blanket of snow. I hope to see and photograph lots of Bisons (Go Bisons), and also Elk, Eagles, Moose and hopefully some upclose and personal wolves. The last time I went there in the winter, I shot over 4000 pictures and I was only there for a week, this time I will be at Yellowstone for 10 full days.

Luckily if I shoot 5000+ pictures you won't have to go through that many to see the best. I usually pick only the best 5-10% of the pictures to post (150-400 pictures.

Yes, I will miss the next two Bison Games (and I really will MISS them), but will be back for the final home game this season and hope to see the Bisons with still ONLY 1 loss in the conference. Now wouldn't that be great.

So I bid you goodbye for a little while, but I won't be far away (I will even listen to the Bison game on Thursday night) since I will have FULL internet access while in Yellowstone. I will post some of the better images on here as soon as I get the time to post them after getting in from the park.

Wally