An Open letter to Manitoba Bison Athletes and Faculty by Jeff Miller I am extremely excited to join the University of Manitoba as the Bisons Sports Photographer effective January 16th, 2015. I wish the opportunity came about under better circumstances but unfortunately that isnt the case, I suffer together with the Bison family in the loss of our friend and colleague Shawn Coates. I only met Shawn at the beginning of the 2012 Winnipeg Goldeyes season but was immediately welcomed by Shawn like I was a VIP. At the time Shawn was the Goldeyes photographer and I had always wanted to come out and try building my skills for enjoyment as a sports photographer after expressing my interest to the Goldeyes I received accreditation and off to the park I went. When I arrived Shawn immediately introduced himself and helped me get settled in, he asked me about my experience shooting sports and I told him I had non professionally instead of been arrogant or just letting me do my own thing, Shawn took time to explain the game, what to watch for and how not to interfere with the game. Since it was a summer full of rain delays I got to learn about Shawn real fast and like a lot of people couldnt get enough of his sense of humor and his kindness to help others or just a friendly hello. Been a huge football fan I was always eager to hear about Shawns adventures during his time with the Bombers and the CFL but equally if not more important was Shawns passion for photographing amateur sports. When the opportunity arose Shawn arranged for me to join him and photograph Bison Football and Bisons Hockey without anymore encouragement I was immediately hooked. The atmosphere and the appreciation shown by the athletes and faculty was second to none, I was immediately accepted and respected because Shawn would always start his conversation with anyone by introducing his friends first not just letting you stand there awkwardly it was just how thoughtful Shawn was. Shawns legacy will never be forgotten, and I am honoured to be given the opportunity to continue creating lasting memories for you to share with your families long after your days as an athlete or coach have passed. There always has and always will be sidelines and arenas full of photographers taking pictures at professional sporting events but less then a handful at amateur sporting events, my goal is to capture those real moments for you so you can look back and say I remember those days. I wish all the athletes continued success in their studies and in their sports this year. I maybe a little to myself for the first while until I get my bearings but I look forward to getting to know as many of you as possible and sharing plenty of laughs and high fives. I would greatly appreciate if you have time to come by an introduce yourself and if you see me wandering the halls kindly point me in the right direction. I will be the guy with the Nikon Camera around his neck with a huge smile on my face. I can’t wait to officially get started and please add me on Facebook as I hope to be adding galleries of photos when time permits. Let’s go forward and celebrate loud and proud just how Coatsey would want it. All the best Jeff Miller #GoHerd
Posted on: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:55:45 +0000
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