A Spring Football Game at Sterling College

Road Trip!

As you may know, Jaylin signed to play football at Sterling College beginning this fall. Due to COVID-19, the team played some spring games this year. One of the games was a home game, and they invited all of their new signees to attend. So we loaded up the car for a quick weekend trip to Kansas!

As a future player, Jaylin got a pass to be on the field for the game. He was pretty excited about that, although his mask hides his excited face. And yes, his jacket was more than just a fashion accessory…

As parents, Laura and I did not get a field pass, but that was okay. We just sat in the stands and tried to stay warm. Isn’t it funny how quickly we get used to warmer temperatures? And isn’t it funny how cold a breezy day can feel when you aren’t used to it? We proudly wore our Sterling gear, along with our Minnie Mouse and Avengers masks, too.

It was Senior Day, so the whole Sterling College football team made a tunnel, and the seniors and their parents would walk through the tunnel to the field. The whole time, the team was cheering for their teammates as they walked past. It was really cool and fun, and it showed the family spirit that the team obviously possesses.

Here is a panoramic view from our spot in the bleachers. Can you see Jaylin down on the field in this photo? Me either. But he was there.

Maybe you can find Jaylin a little easier in this photo. Hint: he is wearing a white cap and light colored jeans. It was good to see the future players talking to each other and having a good time being there. That way, Jaylin should already know at least a few people when he gets there later on this year.

The game was fun and exciting, made even more so by the fact that Sterling won. Games are always more fun when your team wins. Sorry, other team.

After the Game

Once the game ended, there was still a little bit of daylight left. Because Laura had not been there yet, we decided to take our own quick tour of the campus. We did not try to go into any buildings, both because most of them were closed for the evening and because of COVID, but we did enjoy walking around outside.

Cooper Hall was the original building of Sterling College (originally named Cooper College), and it was built in 1887. I thought it looked cool on our previous visit, but I never did get to take a photo of it. I remedied that on this visit, however. The light was great due to the setting sun, too.

Cooper Hall also made a good photo backdrop, as you can see in this photo of Laura and Jaylin. Maybe that won’t be the last photo we take there, too.

And here is one more, just of Jaylin this time. I noticed after I took a couple of photos that he was not looking at the camera, but instead, he was looking over it. I took another one of him and Laura (that you see above) with both of them looking at the camera. But I decided that I like this photo of Jaylin looking over the camera, too. It sort of seems like a Mary Tyler Moore moment to me, although Jaylin has no idea of who that is. Lots of optimism here, and rightfully so.

Our trip was a quick trip, but a fun trip. And maybe a taste of things to come!

Bible Verse

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. - Proverbs 3:6-7

About the Photos

Instead of my usual camera photos, these were actually all taken with my iPhone. I had taken my camera bag on the trip with us, of course. But for the football game, I had decided to leave my camera in the car. I figured my phone would do fine if I wanted to take any photos, and I was not wrong. Once we started walking, I wished that I had grabbed my camera for our personal campus tour, but the iPhone photos were just fine for that, too.

Also, I did not even do any processing on any of these photos. That was exactly how the iPhone took them. I just ran my batch resizing and logo adding script, and that was all. Perfect for what I needed.

Photo: Each photo is just a quick snap with my iPhone. No processing involved. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: iPhone XR
Date: April 10, 2021
Location: Sterling, Kansas