Happy New Year to all of our wonderful readers out there! With a lull in sports over the holidays, I enjoyed some great family time and covered several fun Christmas events around the county.

This week’s photo update includes:

Bandera County Chamber of Commerce Mixer at Medina River Ranch Resorts – Dec. 11, 2008

Bandera Business Association Christmas Party – Dec. 12, 2008

Medina Bobcats JV vs. Utopia Buffaloes JV – Dec. 16, 2008

Medina Lady Cats vs. Utopia Lady Buffs – Dec. 16, 2008

Medina Bobcats vs. Utopia Buffaloes – Dec. 16, 2008

You can find all of these photos at the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

And one more gallery, hosted here at Bandera.net, for my musical mates:

Pipe Creek Rock Concert at the Pipe Creek Community Center – Jan. 2, 2009

Thanks for rocking the New Year with The Outlaw!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Just a reminder, you can find the latest athletic schedules available from Bandera ISD, Medina ISD, and Utopia ISD at each district’s respective web site.

Direct links to sports schedules are as follows:

Bandera ISD: http://www.banderaisd.net/Calendar_and_Events/Extra-Curricular_Activities/Extra-Curricular_Schedule_Downloads.htm

Medina ISD: http://www.medinaisd.org/athletic/athletic.html

Utopia ISD: http://www.utopia.k12.tx.us/Sports.htm

Who’s ready for some Bulldogs football playoffs next week, and our upcoming fall sports?

The Medina Lady Cats continued their playoff run this week, and the Bandera Bulldogs secured a 5-0 district record to guarantee their district championship.

The following photo galleries have been posted over on the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account:

Bandera Bulldogs vs. Hondo Owls – Oct. 31, 2008

Bandera County Chamber of Commerce Hunter’s Barbecue – Oct. 31, 2008

Medina Bobcats vs. Center Point Pirates – Oct. 31, 2008

Medina Homecoming Ceremony – Oct. 31, 2008

Medina Lady Cats vs. Center Point Lady Pirates – Nov. 1, 2008

Medina Lady Cats vs. D’Hanis Cowgirls – Nov. 4, 2008

Enjoy!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Congratulations to the Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball squad for a commanding win over the D’Hanis Cowgirls tonight in Utopia! This marks the first of what we hope to be many playoff wins this post-season for the Lady Cats!

Landed some good photos! Keep an eye out for a photo update this week.

On the national news scene, Senator Barack Obama has defeated Senator John McCain in the race for the U.S. Presidency. Read the latest election coverage from the Associated Press here and from CNN here.

The Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball squad will enter post-season play against D’Hanis tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 4) at Utopia, 7 p.m. game time! Congratulations to the Lady Cats for their big win over the Center Point Lady Pirates on Saturday at Schreiner U. I’m looking forward to a deep playoff run! Photos from Saturday’s game to go up this week.

I’ll be out and about shooting the game as the votes are tallied for local and national elections! Don’t forget to get out tomorrow and rock the vote if you haven’t already. My family will pay a visit to the Old Tarpley Schoolhouse to cast our votes, as we’ve done since I was born. My own kiddos, Canon, 1, and McCayla, 4, will join my wife Jacklen and I, so they can begin learning early the importance and value of participating in the democratic process!

It was a good Halloween night for Bandera County football!

The Bandera Bulldogs beat the Hondo Owls 47-23! They travel to Lytle on Friday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m., for their final game of the regular season.

The Medina Bobcats broke their losing streak with a homecoming win over the Center Point Pirates 40-32. Thanks to Leianna Rich for the score report! The Bobcats will play at D’Hanis on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Congratulations to Jake Dabney and Courteney Morris for being named Homecoming King and Queen for Medina! Don’t forget about all of the Medina homecoming activities tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 1), starting with the homecoming parade at 10 a.m., the homecoming carnival after the parade, the 1:30 class reunion program, and the evening dance at Hill Country RV. Washer toss at 3:30 p.m., BBQ meal at 4 p.m., live auction at 6 p.m., and dance at 8 p.m.!

Miss Rich also tells me that the Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball squad is in the playoffs and will play at Schreiner in Kerrville at 7 p.m.

Photos to go online this weekend!

Just posted a fresh set of images from Wednesday’s Bandera Invitational Cross Country Meet, Oct. 22, 2008, featuring runners from Bandera, Medina, and Utopia, and Friday’s Medina Bobcats vs. Leakey Eagles varsity football game of Oct. 24, 2008.

You can view both albums on the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Despite the threatening clouds of a cold front blowing in, the Bandera Cross Country Meet at the Bandera City Park was a great success and a lot of fun to photograph.

Being a photographer at a cross country meet is a pretty simple procedure: photograph runners getting ready to run, photograph the starting jump, photograph runners as they round the final bend, then catch them as they cross the finish line. The challenge comes in trying to catch all of the hometown runners (Bandera, Medina, and Utopia within my jurisdiction) in at least one photo each. Many of the teams wear similar jerseys, have the same school colors, and sometimes even the same school mascot. And despite the length of the course, they still go by fast, even on that final curve.

Photos will go online within a few days!

The park, often cited as one of Bandera’s hidden jewels, was a beautiful location for the meet. There was plenty of parking and great scenery for visitors and runners alike to enjoy.

Thanks to Bandera ISD’s eNewsletter, I was kept up to date on the times for each of the sets of runners, from 7th grade to varsity.

Bandera ISD, thanks to a great new media and tech team headed up by Communications Director Brad Domitrovich, has a community-leading digital presence in the lives of the parents, students, and educators it serves. This level of digital presence and connectivity is one which many local businesses and organizations would be well rewarded for imitating. As I have long preached to my marketing clients, there is no medium for reaching customers with a better return on investment than the web.

Through Bandera.net and my involvement with the Bandera Business Association, look to see more of me talking business development around Bandera County!

For now, I’m going to finish up this post (written and published entirely from Dairy Queen via my iPhone!) and head to Leakey for the Medina Bobcats varsity football game! See you guys there!

What a week to be a sports photographer in Bandera County! I enjoyed covering a variety of games, including all three school districts, Bandera ISD, Medina ISD, and Utopia ISD. Photo galleries posted include:

Bandera Lady Bulldogs freshmen, JV, and varsity teams vs. the Devine Arabians – Sept. 23, 2008

Bandera Middle School Bulldogs 7th Grade B-team vs. Carrizo Springs Wildcats – Sept. 25, 2008 (I had to run to City Council, so I only have a few images from the game)

Bandera Bulldogs varsity football squad vs. Carrizo Springs Wildcats – Sept. 26, 2008

Bandera Youth Soccer Organization (BYSO) opening day games – Sept. 27, 2008 (because of Medina volleyball, I was only able to grab a few photos)

Bandera County Youth Flag Football Association (BCYFFA) opening day games – Sept. 27, 2008 (Same with BYSO: because of Medina volleyball, I was only able to grab a few photos)

Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball vs. Junction Lady Eagles – Sept. 27, 2008

Utopia Lady Buffs JV and varsity volleyball vs. Leakey Lady Eagles – Sept. 30, 2008

What a week! You can find all of the above photo galleries in the Bandera Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com account.

Thank you for supporting the Outlaw! I’m off to photograph some Medina Bobcats football!

(Please note: I do not handle any of the fulfillment for print orders placed through the Bulletin’s DotPhoto.com galleries, so I do not claim any responsibility for the quality of prints or service they provide. We use a completely different lab for printing here at Outlaw, and I cannot vouch for DotPhoto.com’s quality. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.)

Heck of a game between the Bandera Lady Bulldogs varsity volleyball squad and the Devine Arabians tonight! Congrats to the Lady Dogs on their huge come-from-behind win. My ears are still ringing from all the fans cheering their hearts out. You guys rocked the gym tonight!

And I even landed a good photo or two! I’ll have the pics processed and posted online within a day or two.

In the mean time, feel free to check out my game stories from last week over at the Bandera Bulletin’s web site. We have Bandera rocks Wimberley in 26-14 win from the Bandera Bulldogs varsity football game against the Wimberley Texans, and duPerier named to All Tournament team in Comfort from the Medina Lady Cats varsity volleyball trip to Comfort. There are also other game stories from coaches Gretchen Sowell, Mike Lenz, and Brooke Ashcraft in the Bulletin’s Sports Section, which I just so happen to be editor of! Many thanks to everyone who submitted stats and stories this week!

And thank you, as always, for supporting the Outlaw!