GREG’s WORLD CUP PHOTO GALLERY
While working with racers and conducting coaching seminars I often use video and photo materials. Over the years I have found that thoughtful analyses of photo sequences or separate frame by frame shots of best ski racers can be more productive in terms of understanding technique than just watching the video footage of the World Cup races. Therefore, I would recommend to coaches and developing athletes to use photo sequences in learning process in addition to videos. My technical articles have been published in several countries in different languages. I doubt that even one article could have been useful or even understandable without carefully selected photo sequences used to support the explanations. Speaking of quality and educational aspect of the photo sequences, I would like to stress that I always select the photo sequences very carefully so that each sequence demonstrates various aspects of good technique, rather than just a series of shots of a racer in compromising positions. Photo sequences, just depicting a racer captured in a particular section of the course where he or she executes all kinds of movements while being out of balance or simply in a survival mode, are of a very little educational value in my opinion. A number of sequences of this kind can be found on other websites. Therefore, here I want to share with the visitors of “coach’s corner” only the selected photo sequences that can be useful for education. These sequences are hard to come by and I have collected them over a number of years working with my photographer friends who used all imaginable and unimaginable means to get on the World Cup courses in Europe and North America. Prior to the race, we watched videos, discussed lighting and possible course set. Then we made a decision as to where we want to stand to get the best angles. After the photo shots were made, we reviewed them for hours, discarded most of them, had long discussions over the phone and endless emails across the world and … only then the photo sequences were born. These photo sequences always made me feel like a kid in a candy store. I view each sequence as yet another new tool for explaining the technique. I am genuinely happy to see a racer exhibiting excellent technique and have it captured in a picture forever.
I really appreciate a hard work and enthusiasm of my friends that went into this collection of pictures. I am also glad that I can share these unique photo sequences with everybody. Great racers like Frederik Niberg, Janica Kostelic, Alois Vogl and others have already left the competitive sport. Yet the photo sequences demonstrating their wonderful technique are left with us for a long time to marvel over. Racers like Cuche, Maier, Grandy, Pallander and others may soon retire from the sport, but photo sequences of their skiing can also be used by racers and coaches for years to come. Some new ski racing stars will rise and I hope this gallery will be filled with their pictures as well.
For now I just want to express my deepest gratitude to my friends, photographers Stan Petrash and Lev Akhsanov http://levakhsanov.net. I also would like to thank Galina Akhsanov, Alex Revkuts and Alexander Popov for many hours spent putting the montages together.
Feel free to copy the photo sequences for personal use and discussions in the web forums. Copying the sequences for commercial use, print publication or publishing on other websites is prohibited without special permission from the authors. Copyright © Lev Akhsanov Photography, http://levakhsanov.net and © Stan Petrash. Publication rights or acquiring the images in print resolution can be negotiated.
