November 6, 2015

The Art of Rugby: AIC Student-Athlete Kayla Hunkin-Clark


One of my students at American International College, Kayla Hunkin-Clark, asked me to photograph her rugby team in action.  It was my first time photographing the sport and I loved it.

Unlike the similarly rough sport of football, neither helmets nor facemasks obscure facial expressions:

Domo Hammock makes a tackle.
There were new-to-me types of plays to capture:

Fair Patton and Oriana Johnson lift Domo Hammock in a line-out.
And with 15 players on each team, the action was sometimes confusing:

Anne Harvey places the ball while in a ruck.
American International College dominated Sacred Heart University, 147 - 7.

Anne-Laurence Harvey makes steps and strides.
In my Visual and Digital Arts courses, Kayla works hard. 


At a full sprint, Kayla breaks through all defenders.

She consistently and creatively applies the knowledge she gains.


Assisted by Hilaria Lymas, Kayla makes a tackle.

I enjoy learning about my students' non-academic interests, to learn what makes them tick, to see them pursuing their passions.


Studying art and history, Kayla (second from left) and classmates, act out the roles of people in a painting. 
One day Kayla came into my office, proudly pointing out the stitches in her head, nochalantly saying something like, "I think I got cleated."

Badge of Honor - Ice Pack on Injury
A big thanks to Kayla for helping me write the photo captions, for teaching me rugby terminology.

Team
About this photo Kayla wrote:  A team to be proud of that shows respect, takes responsibility, has dedication and accountability, and is trustworthy.  We could not be the team we are today without our coach Dimitri Efthimiou.

Artist, educator and photojournalist John Nordell, Assistant Professor of Communication at American International College in Springfield, Mass., blogs about the creative process at CreateLookEnjoy.com

3 comments :

Unknown said...

Aww..I'M SO VERY PROUD OF YOU KAYLA..YOU'VE DONE OUR FAMILY ESPECIALLY YOUR PARENTS AND SIBLINGS PROUD KEEP REACHING FOR THE STARS WE LOVE YOU DEARLY..

Unknown said...

Aww..I'M SO VERY PROUD OF YOU KAYLA..YOU'VE DONE OUR FAMILY ESPECIALLY YOUR PARENTS AND SIBLINGS PROUD KEEP REACHING FOR THE STARS WE LOVE YOU DEARLY..

Mary Ellen said...

John, what a wonderful tribute to this dedicated team...your photographs capture the moments, and your captions bring them to life. Thank you for sharing this!