Meet Jordan Schuring. And her bruise.
Jordan’s mother and I are friends, and the two of them saw me on the street outside my house one morning, and stepped out to say hello. Jordan was wearing athletic shorts, and I had to ask about it. What happened, to create such an enormous contusion?
At the time, Jordan was pitching at the D1 level. As it turns out she was recreating her pitching motion when we’d met. Trying to work her way into the starting rotation at Boise State University.
I asked if she wanted to be photographed working on her craft, and she agreed. So off we went.
The reason for the bruise became immediately clear once she began warming up. It turns out, the motion which started this way…
…continued with self-abuse on the delivery, as her pitching arm and gloved arm swung in opposite directions. Pitch after pitch. After pitch.
She’s competitive though. She wasn’t worried about the bruise. But she’d been instructed to change her motion to improve performance and win the favor of her then-coach.
She got after it, even during a short visit home. She found a friend to catch for her, and went to work.
Before we’d begun, I’d asked her how she wanted to be photographed.
She wanted to be represented the way she feels out there, and the way she wants opponents to see her.
“Fierce.”
She’s that, for sure. And intense about working. Even in a seemingly relaxed, posed portrait, it was all business.
But there’s more than just competitiveness at play here. Her then-objective to rework her pitching motion was a matter of survival, at least on the Boise State team. She was at the mercy of her coach, who insisted this was the right path (he was wrong).
For most of that morning I saw the image that she wanted to present, i.e. a very tough exterior. In many ways she’s super tough.
But while she was working on her new methodology in response to her coach, she had real concerns about the whole process. She’d been very successful up to that point. She would give it all the effort and attention she could, but she wasn’t convinced that the new path would produce results.
Shorty before we wrapped it up, she was sitting in the dugout while I packed up some gear, and I asked her to stay for one more shot. I could see vulnerability, just for a moment.
It made me feel closer, and empathetic to the world of the collegiate athlete. A few years back, if a player was at a university that was not working for them, moving to a new school was challenging, requiring players to sit out a year when transferring. Even as young people, they were expected to make the perfect choice the first time, and live with the outcomes, regardless of the fit or capabilities of the teams and coaches who controlled them. Now, fortunately, players can move around more easily, although still not as easily as coaches (This is inappropriate and unjust; there is still work to do).
Jordan ultimately did move on, and found a lot of success in a better environment for her. She regained that success after ditching the coach’s required pitching motion, and she also gained some peace. Which, if you’ve ever been in a similar situation, is a joyous thing. I asked her to visualize triumph when we were together, and shout it out. She did, and it made us both smile.
Two years later, she was a star leading the Idaho State team to postseason victories on the way to a conference championship, as reporters wrote: “Schuring once again was dominant in the circle for the Bengals.”
As it was meant to be.
Until next time,
Limited Edition Prints for Sale
I’ll switch out this set of Limited Edition prints available for purchase soon.
Each edition consists of ten Numbered Prints and two Artists Prints, 16x24” silver halide, with certificate of authentication. As before, these are limited both by number and duration of the offer. If you’d like one or more for that special person, don’t hesitate. You wouldn't want to become he who is lost!
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So interesting to follow someone’s journey. I love the “triumph” photograph Donn!
Nice work - especially like the close up with the glove