You may not know it but I'm half of the
PrepSports.us braintrust. The site is dedicated to Alabama High School sports photography, with an emphasis on football (cause its Alabama after all).
This is the story of how it all got started.As my dad so eloquently put it on the prepsports site...prepsports was an accident. My wife called me on the way home one Friday and let me know that Cullman was playing Pell City in the playoffs. She asked if I wanted to go. I thought the game was in Cullman and didn't feel like driving that far, but once I found out it was in Pell City I said sure. I was a little upset at my Dad and my brother-in-law for not letting me know about the game earlier but we got there in time to wait in a nice long line. We only missed a few minutes of the first quarter and got seat next to Beau, Lynda and Robbie (my brother and sister-in-law and favorite nephew). During the second quarter I wandered over to where my Dad was shooting pictures and managed to get his attention. I sarcastically told him thanks for telling me about the game and then suggested that with the ties that we had between the two teams, that we put the images from the game up on our respective websites to drive some traffic our way and possible get some more hosting/develepment gigs going. He like the idea but I had no idea at the time how much.
The score got a little out of hand and so did the officiating, so Lisa and I decided pack up our boys and head home around the middle of the fourth quarter.
Come Monday I received an E-mail from my Dad saying he loved my idea and had registered prepfootball.us and prepsports.us. I misguidedly responded that that was not my idea at all, I just suggested putting some pictures up on the existing websites, not a whole new website. That particular E-mail prevents me from taking complete credit for this whole thing. Anyway, I managed to whip up a database and some code to display the Cullman vs Pell City game in a day or so. That Thursday we announced in the St. Clair News and on al.com that the pictures from the game were up and away things went.
The following week saw a Subura full of us visit the Brightstar for dinner (much to my wife's dismay, she didn't get to go, by the way thanks again Alan for dinner), and then off to the Pell City vs Pleasant Grove game. We shot lots of photos and about two hours worth of video. Stan Griffin and Alan Atchison both wrote articles for the site and we posted the stories, photos and a half dozen video clips. In two very quick weeks we had a pretty slick little website.
Several things came out of that weekend. The first of which is that my Dad and I spent approximately a day and a half either watching or talking football together. Not unusual for me but a little out of the ordinary for Dad. Everyone was looking forward to covering Pell City at the Super 6, but their loss prevented that. What happened was a decision to cover the Super 6 anyway.
Two weeks later I was walking the sideline at Legion Field with video camera in tow. I managed to capture one of the more breathtaking punt returns that I've ever seen. Zeke Knight will make Alabama fans very happy. I root for Auburn but I will enjoy getting so see him play again in the near future. Soon after that punt return I had the worst hamburger I've ever had in my life and then enjoyed the second half of the Randolph/Luverne game from the press box while listening intently to a very amusing Ron Ingram. Never in my wildest dreams did I think that a quick little suggestion to my Dad would land me, him and Stan Griffen and Alan Atchison where it did in so short a time.
I sincerely hope that the ride continues. I love sports and I especially enjoy watching talented young people enjoy sports in what I consider to be a wonderful time in a persons life...high school. It is that last opportunity for our kids to truly be kids, and I hope we continue with our adventure sprung inadvertently from confusion and capture these moments well for all to enjoy.
The BigGeek!
P.S. That was over 4 MILLION hits ago.
