#GetBuckets
We started working with Dan Britten and the International Shooter Federation before anything existed visually to represent the organization or its event. It’s often the case that we send creative out into the world and then that’s it. Luckily with International Shooter we were given a shot to see it in action.I went to Saratoga with Will and Matt one chilly January day to document the first annual Saratoga Frees and Threes Competition. Here's how our day shaped up:
8:30am: Meet at office to pick up equipment and snacks.
9:10am: We arrive at Saratoga Rec Center. Walking in the gym, it looks like it was built for this event. Everyone is warming up, greeting old teammates and new rivals. Family and friends are here to lend support (and rebound, of course).
9:31am: Is this thing on?
9:40am: We’re getting some great shots of nothing but net. These competitors are for real. #GetBuckets
11:26am: Matt almost breaks his ankle (and his camera) when a basketball comes rolling at him and he tries to soccer pass it back. Some of us really belong behind the camera and off the court.
1:34pm: The range of competitors is amazing; young/old, short/tall, female/male. This event is up for grabs.
2:12pm: All three of us find ourselves wishing that we spent more time practicing our free throws. Will’s wondering how beer pong skills from his college days would translate to the hardwood.
3:39pm: It’s the finals and we are tiptoeing around with our equipment. The gymnasium is silent except for the swish of the ball hitting the net. You can feel the tension and excitement as the top two from each of the free throws and threes competition take their final turns.
4:30pm: We have winners! There’s great camaraderie between the winners, runner-ups, Dan Britten, and the rest of the event organizers. Here come the giant checks!
4:25pm: We’re packed up and ready to go grab a bite to eat and a drink at Druthers (one of the main sponsors of the event). The things we do in the name of work! A dozen wings, three burgers, and a few Winter Warmers later, we’re on our way out but not before we run into Dan again. He’s exuberant and exhausted after an event that has been years in the making. He tells us it was all worth it and he’s ready for the next tournament. We’ll be at the ready, too—cameras and snacks in hand.