Lens Artists Photo Challenge #362 – Sports, Sporting Events and Fun Games

Everyone gets scared, and everyone falls. The key is to get back up and try again.

Shannon Miller, American gymnast, winner of 7 Olympic medals

My featured image is from the 1996 Olympic yachting events in Savannah.

According to Dictionary.com, the definition of sport is: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

This week I am challenging you to feature sports activities. Show us your favorite sports, teams, athletes, fans, sporting equipment, stadiums, or anything else related to sports.. You can also include fun games you can play with your friends such as croquet, ping pong or horseshoes.

I have many happy memories of cheering on my children and grandchildren at their sporting events

I hated every minute of training, but I said “Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion”

Muhammad Ali

Have you ever witnessed or participated in a triathlon? The following gallery shows the start of the swim portion of a triathlon in Florida and two bicyclists in the cycling portion of a triathlon in Virginia. In my mind, every one who participates in a triathlon is a champion.

Kite surfing, surfing, paddle boarding and swimming are just a few of the many types of water sports.

My motto was always to keep swinging. Whether I was in a slump or feeling badly or having trouble off the field, the only thing to do was keep swinging.

Hank Aaron, American baseball player who held the record for most home runs in a season for many years

This baseball gallery includes former Atlanta Braves pitcher Greg Maddux, an Atlanta Braves spring training game, and the St. Louis Cardinals’ Busch Stadium as seen from the top of the St. Louis Arch. Play Ball!

This motor sports gallery includes the start of the Daytona 500 NASCAR race and a power boat race.

Do you enjoy fun outdoor games like Croquet?

American football season is almost here. Soon high school stadiums will be filled with fans as the teams compete on Friday nights, on Saturdays college campuses will be filled with fans in town to attend the game, and on Sundays games in the professional NFL will be played all across America.

My husband and I have always been huge fans of University of Georgia Bulldogs. We had season tickets for many years and on many Saturdays we would cheer on the Dawgs from our seats in Sanford Stadium. This gallery shows the excitement of game day with fans tailgating before a big game, the team running through the band as they enter the field, the stadium filled with fans for a night game, and action on the playing field.

Today there are hundreds of different sports played around the world. Your challenge is to show images from any sports or games you choose. They can be action shots, crowds of fans dressed in their team colors, stadiums and other venues, your favorite team or athlete, sports you participate in, or anything else sports related.

I’m looking forward to seeing all of your sports images. Use your imagination and have fun! Be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists and include a link back to this post. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with.

You showed us some amazing doors last week for Sofia’s challenge Doors. We hope you will join us for Anne’s challenge on August 30 at noon Eastern Time.

For information on how to join the Len-Artists challenge please click here.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

What do you get when you combine a historic baseball stadium, dancing baseball players, a team who has sold out every home game since 2016, a team who’s motto is “We make baseball fun”, a dancing first base coach, a team owner dressed in a yellow tuxedo who also is the Master of Ceremonies at the game and who puts fans first? The Savannah Bananas!

Attending a Bananas game is like no other baseball game you’ve ever seen. The fun starts when the Banana Pep Band, the players, the Banana Nanas cheerleaders (grandmas) , the young dance team Banana Splits, and the owner Jesse Cole march between the two lines of fans waiting to enter the stadium.

There are no assigned seats and all of the tickets include free food – hot dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, chips, a cookie, and water or soft drink. Of course beer and cocktails are available for purchase.

The fun continued after the game started. The owner and players walked through the stands, the dancing first base coach break danced, and each time the teams switched sides at the bottom or top of an inning there was some kind of fun 60 second event. Most of the entertainment involved kids from the stands and dancing and singing.

Did they play real baseball? Yes, nine full innings. There were celebrations whenever the Bananas scored and when it was over the Bananas won 8-0.

The Bananas play their home games at the Historic Grayson Stadium which was built in 1926. Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, and Jackie Robinson are some of the baseball legends who have played ball here.