Indomitable Spirit

There have been two things that have been a constant thread in my adult life, endurance sports and photography. The 70’s were filled with swimming and bike racing. In the 80’s and 90’s I was running marathons and cross country ski racing. Since there, well I have slowed down a bit as parts wear out, but my photography has remained constant.

Since my first camera in 1971, my concentration has always been endurance sports, it’s only natural, I shoot what I know, and I know how it feels. However, it wasn’t until I began to study Tae Kwon Do that I could articulate what it took to be an endurance athlete. Indomitable spirit, one of the underlying tenets of TKD – one that you can see on the face of any serious endurance athlete.

In the send off game against New Zealand, when Natasha Kai entered the game in the 64th minute, you could see her spirit in your eyes, in her step and in every move she made. Everyone in the stadium knew that she was going to score. She knew it, her teammates knew it, the fans knew it and I am certain New Zealand knew it as well.



Every move she made had power and direction. Every pass knew where it was going and her single focus was directed at the goal. It wasn’t until the 90th minute that Abby Wambach finished off one of her shots for the final goal of the game.

Indomitable spirit, indeed.