MY AUNT COMMENTED ON A FACEBOOK STATUS REGARDING MY EMPLOYMENT CHANGE WITH THIS SIMPLE SAYING, “ONWARD AND UPWARDS.”
Fitting, considering in my professional career I have not moved since graduating the SAIT Photojournalism program in 2008. I have been a member of the Airdrie media clan since then, and while there are ups and downs in every job I have loved it.
I have accepted the content manager position with Motorsport.com, the internet’s premiere motorsports news website. I consider them the ESPN of the racing world.
My feelings regarding the switch make me feel bi-polar, as one minute I am super excited to move on to something new, and something I am incredibly passionate about, but then I get thinking about the amazing friendships, experiences and photographs I have attained in my six years of working in my hometown and it bums me out.
I started out at the ‘other’ paper straight out of SAIT. Having grown up in Airdrie I thought it was a perfect fit. Less than two years later, I found myself working at the Airdrie City View. The fit was perfect. There are great people here and a real urge to cover everything Airdrie.
Being a professional photographer by trade, my memories are commonly attributed to photos.
Way back when Towerlane Mall was an indoor mall, with a quaint little food court, I got my first cover page while on internship in early 2008. The shot was of dozens of Kubs and Scouts watching their Kub Cars race down the track.
I remember my first couple Airdrie Pro Rodeos. I watched guys I went to high school with play on the Airdrie Thunder Junior B Hockey Club, now to guys born in the ‘90s. Some big hits, big goals, and big emotion have been captured by my camera at the Airdrie Twin, errrr … Ron Ebbesen Arena.
For me the sadness comes knowing that I will have less time to cover fundraisers for incredible organizations like the Airdrie Food Bank, a cause very close to my heart. The Boys and Girls Club, Community Links, Airdrie Lioness Club, Stephen’s Backpacks Society have all had a great impact on my world.
The community allowed me to share their stories in photos, and sometimes asked me to not publish something.
I have had arguments with police officers, and I have had lunch with those same individuals later. I have been told to leave the scenes of fires and have slept in Airdrie Fire Department quarters.
Watching this city grow, especially its volunteer community expand has inspired me to become more active with different organizations here in town.
I was a young kid with baggy pants and a backwards hat who just wanted to get the shot and go home. Now I find myself hanging around fundraisers and giving much of my time to organizations like the Boys and Girls Club and the Airdrie Rodeo Ranch Association. Spend a little time at volunteer-driven events and you can’t help but want to pitch it.
There are so many people I would love to thank for making my time here incredibly enjoyable, but there are too many to name, and only so much space in the paper. Many of you know who you are. You are the people I have had conversations with at head shaves, fundraisers and hockey games. You are the people who called me on my cell phone to make sure I know of an event going on.
Lastly, the team at the Airdrie City View. We have some pretty fun people here, and I look forward to seeing the paper grow.
Funny thing is, I am not actually going anywhere. I will be based out of Airdrie. This is my home. I can’t get away from volunteering, but making the move out of a job that has dictated my social life for so long is tough.
The opportunity to grow the Motorsport.com brand is something I have to try. Motorsports and Rodeo are my passions. The chance to guide a website of the calibre of Motorpsort.com is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
I hope to continue some freelance work in Airdrie, as my police scanner still has batteries, and I can’t let my cameras get too dusty. I will be chasing the racing circuits as much as I can, but Airdrie is my home and always will me.
So for now Airdrie, I am signing off.
