Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Cisco College Entry Title: Ranch day Entry Credit: Alyssa Balboa Judge Comment: This is an excellent photo. The technical aspects all come together well, while the action is very exciting and captured at its peak. Its a very atypical photo and gives us something unexpected. The crowd reactions in the back aid in the storytelling.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Northeast Texas Commmunity College Entry Title: NTCC team ropers... Entry Credit: Emily Hamlin Judge Comment: This is a great action photo. The action is close and clean, while the composition really aids to our ability to read the image and takes our eye on a journey around the frame. The gesture of the calf and wrangler is exciting and feels like peak action, and the story of teamwork is well told.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Northeast Texas Commmunity College Entry Title: A Panola bronc rider .... Entry Credit: Emily Hamlin Judge Comment: This is a nice action shot. The action is at its peak in a very challenging sport to get a good photo of and the photo is technically well done. The gesture of the bronc is very engaging and exciting. The background is busy, which is beyond the photographers control but does detract from the readability of the image just a bit. Overall, a very nice photo.
Place Name: Honorable Mention Contestant Name: Dallas College - North Lake Entry Title: Lady Blazers crush the Lions Entry Credit: Spandan Shah Judge Comment: Volleyball is a very challenging sport to photograph and this photographer did a great job at getting a moment of peak action- the hand so close to the ball, the whole gesture in the frame and the athlete's face visible through the net. Well done. I would have liked to see the image n color.
Competition Comment: Overall this was a very well done category with a lot of great entries. The rodeo action got top marks- these photos are all very engaging and display excellent technical capability. This category had some great action from many sports, but the rodeo images truly captured pivotal, peak moments.
