The Iron Hill Twilight Crit is where I got into photography. It all started with a point and shoot. The pictures were okay, but I wanted more. The next year, I was back with a Canon Rebel T2i, and it continued on from there. It was also the race that got me connected with Colavita.
It also happens to be one of the closest pro races to home, so it is always great to see all my friends, teammates, and local pros come out for some great racing in downtown West Chester, PA.
In the women’s race, it was local favorite Laura Van Gilder taking the win at the line for Mellow Mushroom and Amy Cutler of the Fearless Femmes just behind her by a tire. Tiffany Pezzulo (DNA Cycling pb K4) led the race as the laps ticked down, but as she came to the line for the final time, she celebrated prematurely and Van Gilder and Cutler took advantage of the opportunity fully by stealing the top two steps of the podium from her.
The men’s race was a different story though. Event with local pros like Jake Sitler (Astellas), Ryan DeWald and David Dawson (Skyline), and Mike Chauner (Atomic), they were no match for National Crit Champion, Dan Holloway (Altovelo-SeaSucker). A group of six riders, including Holloway, went up the road and lapped the field. Coming into the final straight, his teammate Aldo Illesic brought Holloway to the line to take the win.
About a week ago, runners from all over southeastern Pennsylvania came together to run the Chesco Half Marathon and 5K in scenic West Caln Township. Beyond testing themselves on a tough rolling course, the event helped to raise money for the Jacinda Miller Memorial Fund. Miller was tragically killed outside of the YMCA she worked as a fitness instructor, leaving behind two young boys.
The morning started with an emotional tribute to Miller to inspire the runners, many of who were dressed in purple. Representative Harry Lewis started the half marathon runners, and 5k runners of all ages began their race shortly after.
The energy of the event was incredible, with volunteers lining the course to cheer on the runners, and provide water and oranges for thirsty riders. So many volunteers wanted to be a part of the event, that many created their own unofficial aid stations, which may or may not have had beer. The Coatesville High School football team was out on the course, along with many of Miller’s formal students from the YMCA.
Personally, it was a special event for Scott Kingsley Photography, as we were celebrating Vee’s bachelorette party, as I had held mine the day before at the Wilmington Grand Prix the previous day. About 24 hours after the race, we said I do, and became Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley. To celebrate the bachelorette party, Vee had a Lululemon tank top that she ironed on BRIDE on, and wrote “Getting married tomorrow” on it. For me, I had a similar sign on my back letting everyone know that I was the groom and was getting married on Monday. Everyone loved it, and congratulated us all along the course.
Coming into the finish was incredible. I can’t even imagine how the runners felt after completing 13.1 challenging miles. The energy that the volunteers, friends, family, and other runners created as you ran the final 20 yards was bigger any other event I’ve attended. For a first year event, it was incredibly well run, with a great course, and a great location. I overheard one of the organizers mention that parking was getting full. While it might have been a little bit of an inconvenience for the runners, it showed how well attended the event was. Congrats to everyone involved.
With the 2015 road season starting soon, I thought it would be fun to look back at some of the races from the past few years. I wanted to start with the 2013 Rock Lititz Tour Criterium, since they recently announced they would be back for 2015. Instead of a two day event with a road race and time trial on Saturday, and a criterium on Sunday, the event will only be the criterium races on Sunday. Racing will start on April 26th at 11 AM with the Cat 5’s, and the last race of the day will be the Pro 1/2 men starting at 4:40 PM. Head over to Bikereg.com to check the event schedule and to register for the event.
The 2013 race closed with the 1/2/3 men’s field taking to the course. The rain that was expected had so far held off. The race saw multiple riders try to breakaway, like Joe Hydrick riding for Thru-It-All Cycling at the time. None of the breaks were successful, but a group of five riders did get off the front when a a crash in turn three split the field. The group built their lead and had plenty of time on the field when the bell rang for the last lap. During the final sprint, there was some controversy on whether the eventual winner, David Fuentes (SEAVS/Haymarket) had neglected to hold his line and clipped the front wheel of Ryan Shebelsky (Team Alliance Environmental). His teammate, Patrick Koos was able to hold off Barry Miller (Firefighters Cyclinc Association) at the line, with a second teammate, Eric Workowski, coming in next. Shebelsky was able to collect his bike and make it to the line to take fifth.
I do have to confess, I shot most of the race with my white balance incorrectly set. At the time, I didn’t think I was going to be able to process the pictures well enough to post. While I think they would have turned out better, I think I was able to salvage them pretty well, without having to resort to going black and white. You’ll be able to notice when I fixed the white balance very late in the day.
Once a year, the Berks Arts Council holds an event called Get JazzED. A select number of local middle and high school jazz bands are invited to the Citadel in Reading, PA, to work with some legendary names in the jazz world. For 2015, the headlining artist was Dave Liebman, a Brooklyn born saxophonist and flutist with over 50 years in the industry. Liebman has played all over the world, and got his big break when legendary trumpeter Miles Davis hired him to play in his band. From 1970-74, Liebman toured and recorded music with Davis’ ensemble which went on to help define a new sound in jazz and funk. Since then, he has continued playing with a number of artists from around the world.
Many would recognize the work of another great artist in attendance, Bob Dorough. Think back to when you were a kid and listening to Schoolhouse Rock on a Saturday morning. Whether it was Grammar, Multiplication, Science, America, Money, or Earth Rock, Dorough had a hand in writing and performing many of the songs. “Zero, My Hero”, “Three Is A Magic Number”, “Conjunction Junction”, and “Electricity, Electricity” are just a few of his hits. You’re singing them now, aren’t you? That is why these songs were so important. What started as a way to teach kids their multiplication tables through music, started a cultural phenomenon that lives on today. There is more to Dorough than Schoolhouse Rock though. The 91 year old singer, songwriter, composer, producer, arranger, and pianist is still traveling the world performing, and has worked with many greats along with way, including Miles Davis, Mel Torme, and Spanky and Our Gang.
Students also had the opportunity to work with Drummer Marko Marcinko, Bassist Tony Marino, bassist Bennie Sims, keyboardist Cliff Starkey, Dan Pearce, and East Stroudsburg University’s Professor of Music, Pat Dorian. The clinics were held all throughout the Citadel, and culminated with a performance by Liebman, Dorough, Marino, and Marcinko.
Many of these artists will be back in the Reading area for the 25th annual Berks Jazz Fest, so don’t miss your chance to catch many of the great performances during the festival.
It’s not the first time I’ve provided pictures for Cyclocross Magazine‘s online coverage of an event, and I don’t think it will be the last. These guys do a great job covering everything in cyclocross and do it in a way that just seems right for the sport. Cycling caps (caps not hats) off to them, and continue to do the great work.
It was a blast covering Bilenky Junkyard Cross, and something I’m looking forward to in the future. Who knows, maybe next year I might actually race it too. We’ll see.
After what has become a break out year for me personally as a photographer, I am happy to announce I’ll be working with the Colavita professional women’s cycling team at select events during the 2015 season.
Colavita will look to start strong to build off of an impressive 2014 season. The Tricolore jerseys of the Colavita-Fine Cooking team featured prominently in many of the NRC, NCC, and USA Crits races this season. The team brought home the overall team and individual titles in the NCC, and finishing 2nd overall in the team classification of the USA Crits series. More details to come on the team and roster before the end of the year.
Keep an eye on the Upcoming Events section on my page for the 2015 races and events I’ll be covering.
Over time, I’ll be going back through shoots I’ve done over the past few years, and add them to the galleries.
By the time the amateurs finished up, the Heckle Pit was already starting to fill up. The Lone Wolf Cycling crew had signs, tape, and a rowdy group ready to cheer on and heckle their favorite riders. Lea Davison (Specialized) and Georgia Gould (Luna) were battling it out from the first lap. Evelyn Dong (Backcountry.com) was not too far away, but was never close enough through the Heckle Pit to really contend.
Over time, I’ll be going back through shoots I’ve done over the past few years, and add them to the galleries.
The 2014 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Championships was my first mountain bike event I have shot. It definitely was a massively fun event. Besides having to walk up and down the ski slopes at Bear Creek Mountain Resort and Conference Center, it was so much fun hanging out with friends from the cycling world, meeting new ones, and catching these great athletes battling through the rocks and trees for their chance to claim the stars and stripes for themselves.
This gallery is from the morning of Saturday, July 19th, 2014, and includes Cross Country Cat 1 Male 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-48, 50-54, Female 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, and men’s and women’s single speed.
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