GEorgia’s 2021 Natty Win
a UGAAA Sports Photographer’s Experience
If you had told me a year ago that I would be photographing my alma mater win the National Championship for the first time in 41 years… I would have told you, “You’re crazy.” But alas, it’s true! After only 10 months as a sports photographer, I got to cover the biggest game of the 2021 football season. I still can’t believe it.
Now what you all want to hear about: UGA’s 2021 football season! My coworker, Tony Walsh and I have covered the football team all season. Starting with summer practices, since COVID-19 protocol were still in place, only the football creative and sports communications departments were allowed to photograph football practices. My coworker and I are the only sports communication photographers, and our job of supplying the media with photos permitted us to attend the football practices. We covered football press conferences every Monday, which featured Coach Kirby Smart and select players available to talk to the media. Lastly, we covered every home and away football game this season; however, we weren't necessarily both present for away games, though one of us was always there! Devastatingly, I was not able to go to the Orange Bowl on Dec. 31 because there were simply not enough credentials given to UGA. I thought that might be the case for the National Championship, but my bosses worked hard and were able to get me a credential last minute.
Due to covering some at home events before I could leave for Indy, I didn’t get started on the 9 hour roadtrip until 7 pm the night before the game. Arriving at 4 am Monday morning; I got 6 hours of sleep and drank lots of coffee. The game was hosted at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy, I arrived a little over 4 hours before the game started so that I would have plenty of time to prepare. I photographed the dawgs walk into the stadium, charged all my camera batteries, transferred images to my hard drive, formatted my SD cards, etc. I was SO nervous for the game! Even though it was the most important game of the season, I knew that it was my job to keep a level head and photograph it like any other game.
Nothing major happened in the first half, so my nerves were still at bay. During halftime, I went to the media workroom to edit and upload photos. The game continued into the third quarter, and we were neck and neck with Alabama. I honestly thought it was anyone’s game at that point. Fourth quarter is where things got good! As our points kept going up and we gained a good lead over Alabama, my nerves were in overdrive. I was trying to keep calm! At 3 minutes left in the game, my boss comes over to me to remind me to stay calm if we win. Next thing I know, Kelee Ringo (5) gets a pick six and runs towards the endzone for the touchdown that sealed our win. Everyone knew in that moment that we had won. The crowd was going crazy! Stetson Bennet was crying. Josh Brooks, our Athletic Director, was crying. EVERYONE was crying. When the clock ran out, it was a blur of activity. Everyone ran out onto the field and celebrated with the team as confetti rained down on them. It hadn’t hit me yet! Moreover, I had a job to do. I photographed the celebrations and trophy presentation with a permanent smile plastered across my face.
The reality is that I had had a headache all day, my body felt weak, and my arms were tired from holding my cameras. But no amount of pain could’ve diminished the overwhelming feeling of joy and love that I felt for my Georgia Bulldogs. We had finally beaten our long-standing rival, Alabama, and won the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! When a majority of the players and important people had gone back to the locker room and when I knew that my job had been done, I let myself have a moment to take it all in so that I would remember that night for my whole life. I cried on the field as I took in the sight in front of me. Confetti littered the ground, and I grabbed some to take home as a souvenir. Most of our fans were still in the stands, and they were crying with me. I cried in the media room as I waited for my cards to transfer to my laptop. While waiting, I called my mom and dad. I didn’t even have anything of substance to say to them, I knew they had watched the game, and I just wanted to hear their voices. All I could do was cry. My dad laughed at me, but I could hear the joy and how proud he was of me in his voice. He was talking through a huge smile.
It probably took about 30 minutes to finally calm myself down. I edited for 2 hours and didn’t leave until 3 am--12 full hours after my arrival. Our table in the media room was filled with people from the football creative department and sports communication department… we were the last ones to leave. When I got back to where I was staying that night, I was still on an adrenaline high and couldn’t fall asleep for the life of me. I think I finally drifted off around 4:30 am. Waking up the next morning was brutal knowing that I had to ride in the car for another 9 hours, which actually turned into 12 hours with traffic and multiple stops.
It was one heck of an adventure and an experience that I will never forget. I am eternally grateful to my bosses for getting me a credential and trusting me to cover the game.
