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Access Sport Showcase 2015 – A Summary

Earlier this month I traveled to Vancouver for 3 days to photograph the Access Sport Recruiting and Training Showcase2015 event.

Access Sport helps high school students plan for a sport oriented college / university experience. They coach Canadian student athletes from grades 9 to 12 through the recruiting process in both the NCAA and CIS.

The Showcase2015 event brought students from all over British Columbia and Alberta to Wright Field at UBC to showcase their field hockey skills to coaches from universities all over North America. Athletes had the opportunity to personally connect to college level coaches and recruiters in the NCAA and the CIS. They learned all about college playing schedules, how to plan to attend the school of their dreams, and how to do it all on a fully funded scholarship.

In addition to the three days of seminar and on-field training, athletes received a full year of membership to the Access Sport Recruiting Profile included in their tuition, and access to an on-field athletic trainer for the duration of the showcase.

Access Sport Showcase 2015 - Athletes2

Showcase 2015 on-field training included:

  • Fitness testing
  • Offensive Skills: (2hr training session)
  • Elimination skills
  • Shooting / goal scoring
  • Specific GK training
  • Defensive Skills: (2 hr training session)
  • Distribution Skills
  • Tackling
  • Decision Making
  • Small sided 7v7 games (each athlete will play 4 games)
  • Full games (each athlete will play 2 full games)

Access Sport - Showcase 2015 Coaches

The evening seminar included presentations from NCAA and CIS alumni speaking about:

  • Time management, travel, achieving academic balance through available support systems
  • What to expect during off-season, pre-season, in-season and everything in between
  • The Canadian experience, choosing to stay in Canada, making a team, what to expect when you play in the CIS
  • Taking care of your body, hot to be physically prepared for college, what to expect from athletic training support staff
  • What happens after college? Getting a job. How playing college field hockey can prepare you for and benefit you in the real world
  • Making a recruiting plan, recruiting regulations, timelines, scholarships and advice

Access Sport - Showcase 2015 Athletes

All sessions were recorded to give the athletes the option to post video of their skills on their Access Sport profiles with the option of ordering a highlight reel showcasing their talents. (Video is very important in the recruiting process, as the majority college coaches and recruiters rely on video due to tight recruiting travel budgets.)

For more information about Showcase and Access Sport, or to get your own online recruiting profile, talk to Jenn Beagan at access-sport.ca.

Access Sport will be hosting a fall conference later in 2015 – stay tuned to their Facebook and Twitter pages for details as they become available.

Olympic Spirit Project Shortlisted for IOC 2014 Trophy in Sport and Art

Last November I responded to the call for submissions for the IOC 2014 Trophy in Sport and Art by submitting the Olympic Spirit Project for consideration. I was so excited this past weekend when I received notification that I’ve been shortlisted for the award!

Olympic Spirit Project Book Promo

“The annual International Olympic Committee (IOC) Trophy was established in 1985 in order to promote the teaching of Olympism in various areas. For 2014 the IOC intends to reward artistic expression. With the Canadian trophy, the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) wishes to recognise artists and creators who, through their talent, have promoted Olympism and left a legacy through art.” ~ Olympic.ca

Olympism is defined by the IOC as follows:

“Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles.”

About the Olympic Spirit Project:

Photography in the ‘Olympic Spirit Project’ is created through a love of sport and the examination of human emotion. Mariska Richters creates a dramatic collection of work that captures the diverse expression of national pride and Olympic spirit.

Mariska’s work tells a powerful story through captured moments in time where lives are changed and memories are made for a lifetime. In this collection, Mariska gives us an intimate glimpse into Olympic spirit that makes the Olympic experience so memorable.

What happens next?

The next step is to send a copy of the Olympic Spirit Project to the Canadian Olympic Committee. They will be making their selection during their April 2015 Session meeting.

To view other submissions for the IOC 2014 Trophy in Sport and Art, click here.

Fingers crossed!!!

Don’t have your copy of the Olympic Spirit Project yet? Buy the eBook here!

 

Best of Instagram – November 2014

Good morning November! (Only 55 days until Christmas…) #november #fog #winter #sunrays #cowichan #trees #explorebc

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

Oh Roxidoo! 🙂 #HappyMaker #BestFriend #Dog #PuppyLove #autumn #worldoflabs #chocolate

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

How to Shoot Slo-Mo Video With Your iPhone

A little while back I started playing with the new iOS8 slo-mo feature on my iPhone camera and I have been very entertained by the results. (Demo videos in this post were shot with an iPhone 5s running iOS8.)

Of course one of my first videos had to be of my chocolate lab, Roxie. I laughed when the slo-mo recording made her sound like a vicious lion!

Slo-Mo Video Demo – Barking Dog

How to Shoot Slo-Mo Video With Your iPhone

  1. Make sure you have iOS8 installed on your iPhone. If you don’t, go ahead and do the update. (If you’ve been nervous about updating your iPhone 5s, don’t be – mine works just fine.)
  2. Slo-Mo Feature iPhone IOS8Open your iPhone’s camera. It will likely be set to ‘Photo’ mode.
  3. Swipe your finger to the right until you get to the Slo-Mo setting. You will notice that the camera hasiOS8 Slo-Mo Editing on iPhone zoomed in a bit in video mode so you may need to reposition yourself to get everything you want in the frame.
  4. Tap the red record button to begin recording and tap it again to stop recording when you’re finished capturing your video.
  5. Now it’s time to edit! Go to playback mode and select your video.
  6. You will noticed two scrubbing markers on either side of the playback bar. You can adjust these to where you want the slow motion to begin and end. To preview your edits, tap the play button.
  7. When you’re happy with your slo-mo edits, tap save.
  8. You can now upload your slo-mo video to YouTube, Facebook or your preferred sharing sites to share your video with the world!

Slo-Mo Video Demo – Walking in fallen leaves

Every fall I LOVE kicking around in the fallen leaves, so I thought this would make a fun slo-mo video demo. Compared to last year’s leaf kicking video, this one is much more fun!

Have you shot any fun slo-mo videos with the new iOS8 slo-mo feature? Please share the links in the comments.

Give Wall Art This Holiday Season

A couple of weeks ago I received a request from one of my Instagram followers for prints of a couple of my mushroom images I had posted a few weeks earlier. She said she had the perfect wall art frames and would love to see my mushroom photos in them!

These are the images she chose:

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

And this is how the final wall art turned out:


Thank you so much @LifeOfShauna for posting a pic of the final framed wall art and for your kind words! I’m so happy and excited that you like the photos and I love that they inspire memories of your favourite childhood stories!

Give Wall Art This Holiday Season!

Are you looking for a unique gift for someone close to you this holiday season? Do you know someone who loves to travel, appreciates nature and explores the outdoors?

Check out my Instagram feed and if you see something that inspires you, please contact me for pricing and I’ll get them printed and sent off you you in a flash! And don’t forget to click follow while you’re there!

View Instagram Feed

OR

Visit the Etsy Shop

Enjoy Costa Rica All Year with the 2015 Costa Rica Wall Calendar

This time last year I had just landed in Costa Rica for my first Central American adventure. I found Costa Rica to be an incredibly beautiful and friendly country and of all the places that I’ve traveled it was the first place that I felt I would be able to call home.

As I look back at my photography from my travels, I wanted to share the photos in a way that would allow others to enjoy the beauty of this amazing country as well. With this in mind, I’ve decided to celebrate the scenes of Costa Rica and the Pura Vida Lifestyle through the 2015 Costa Rica Wall Calendar featuring images from my travels.

Pre-Order Costa Rica Calendar

2015 Costa Rica Wall Calendar Preview

I’ve included a few shortlisted images below. If they inspire you I invite you to pre-order your very own 2015 Costa Rica Calendar today! Calendars ordered by November 26th will be printed and shipped (to Canada and USA) in time for Christmas. 

2015 Costa Rica Wall Calendar Details:

  • 12 month wall calendar
  • Size: 8.5×11 inches
  • Canadian and USA holidays
  • Language: English
  • First month: January 2015

CostaRica_calendar_preview-3
[Tweet “Enjoy #CostaRica all year long with the 2015 Costa Rica Wall Calendar! #PuraVida”] CostaRica_calendar_preview-2  CostaRica_calendar_preview-4CostaRica_calendar_preview-5 CostaRica_calendar_preview CostaRica_calendar_preview-6

Pre-Order Now!

 

 

OctoberGrams 2014

Fall on Vancouver Island is one of the most beautiful times of year. These OctoberGrams are a collection of some of my most popular Instagram posts from October 2014. All photos were shot and edited with an iPhone 5s.

Follow @mariskar on Instagram for more fun photos.

Lighthouse in Staley Park, #Vancouver #Canada #StanleyPark #lighthouse #redandwhite

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

An amazing walk in the woods along the Cowichan River near Skutz Falls. #cowichan #explorebc #leaves #fall #ILiveHere A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

A Victoria sunset with a tiny sliver of the moon at the blue hour. #sunset #moon #bluehour #victoria #explorebc A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

Vancouver Island Mushrooms

I went for an autumn hike up the mountain behind my house on Vancouver Island yesterday and came across tons of different kinds of mushrooms and fungi. I posted the following photos of Vancouver Island Mushrooms to Instagram and they’ve been getting a lot of attention (yay!) I’ve even had one person request prints of a couple of the images, so I thought I would share them here as well.

Do you know which mushrooms are which?

I have no idea what kind of mushrooms these are or whether they are edible or not, but they are beautiful and they have me imagining a little gnome community hiding out in the woods behind my house and that makes me smile. If you know what they are, I’d love for you to share your insight in the comments below?

Have a look and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more great daily Vancouver Island and travel photos!

I found lots of autumn shroomies on my hike with @Roxidoo today. #mushrooms #shrooms #autumn #fall #forest A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

More autumn mushrooms. #mushroom #fungi #autumn #explorebc #cowichan #fall #forest

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

More fungi! #mushrooms #fungi #vancouverisland #cowichan #autumn #forest #woods #fall #shrooms

A photo posted by Mariska Richters (@mariskar) on

[Tweet “Check out these #mushroom pics! Do you know what they are? Are they edible? #fungi #food”]

GREAT NEWS from the Olympic Spirit Project!

By now my Kickstarter project backers should have received their Olympic Spirit Project – Sochi 2014 rewards – postcards, prints, books, eBooks. If you have not received yours and you haven’t heard from me to let you know it’s on its way, it’s most likely because I’m still waiting on your mailing address. If this is the case, please shoot me a message with your mailing address and I will send it off to you.

The Olympic Spirit Project Book – Print, ePub & PDF!

Last week I announced that the Olympic Spirit Project – Sochi 2014 eBook was ready for download, YAY!! At the time, the eBook was only available in ePub format, so today I’m happy to announce that I’ve released a PDF version for those who do not have access to an ePub reader.

 

Olympic Spirit Project Book - ePub Olympic Spirit Project Book - PDF Olympic Spirit Project Book - Print

  Buy now as ePub        Buy now as PDF        Buy now in Print

Early Reviews For The Olympic Spirit Project Book:

“For someone who really wanted to be there but couldn’t, this book is the next best thing! It’s obvious once you look at it, how much love went into producing this book. The pictures tell a great story about the spirit of the Sochi Olympic Games. Thank you Mariska for taking all those awesome pics and sharing your passion.”     ~ Reese Richards

“This book really captures the spirit of the Olympics games and the inspirational message they carry. Plus, it has beautiful photos! A perfect gift or coffee table book for any athlete or Olympics fan.”   ~ Toffler N.

“The Olympic Spirit Project is a wonderful book that gives you an inside look at what it was really like to attend the Olympics in Sochi, Russia. If you are an Olympics fan, this book is for you!” ~ Hilary Curry

[Tweet “This #book is the perfect #gift for any #athlete or #Olympics fan on your list! “]

A sneak peek inside The Olympic Spirit Project Book…

Epic Canadian fans at the Men’s Gold Medal Hockey Game:

If you were glued to the television watching as Canada competed in Sochi, this book is an up close and personal encounter of being on the sidelines cheering with your fellow Canadians!

 

Olympic Spirit Project - Sample Page

The Sochi 2014 Olympic Cauldron and Olympic venues:

If you were at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games, this is the perfect souvenir to keep those memories and Olympic Spirit fresh!

Olympic Spirit Project Book Sample

Get your Christmas shopping done early!

This book is the perfect gift for any athlete or Olympics fan on your list!

 

  Buy now as ePub        Buy now as PDF         Buy now in Print

 

Olympic Spirit Project Book is HERE!!

A year ago today I made a life choice to leave the shackles of the corporate office world behind and to pursue my dreams a digital nomad.

The year that I’ve had has been incredible!

  • I launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising nearly $7500 for the Olympic Spirit Project Book
  • I traveled to Russia for 12 unforgettable days at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games
  • blogged about the whole experience – sharing the good, the bad and the photos from the Olympic Spirit Project
  • I built an online store and am selling postcards and enlarged prints and the Olympic Spirit Project Book
  • I learned all about creating and self-publishing a photo book!!!

And now I’m excited to announce that…

The 2014 Olympic Spirit Project Book is available in print and eBook format!

OSP Book Cover

Book Preview

About the Olympic Spirit Project Book

This 40-page book of photography from the ‘Olympic Spirit Project’ is created through a love of sport and the examination of human emotion. Mariska Richters creates a dramatic collection of work that captures the diverse expression of national pride and Olympic spirit from around the world.

Mariska’s work tells a powerful story through captured moments in time where lives are changed and memories of a lifetime are made. In this collection, Mariska gives us an intimate glimpse into Olympic Spirit that makes the Olympic experience so memorable.

About the Olympic Spirit Project eBook

The eBook is available through both Blurb and iBooks.  The eBook book is rich with links leading you to more detailed articles Sochi Olympic experience.

eBook Preview

About the Photographer

Mariska Richters is a freelance photographer whose collection of works can be found at mariskarichters.com and across various online social networks. Raised in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia, Canada, Mariska’s passion for capturing the human experience through images and words was born from her experience at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. She has attended three Olympics to date, and aspires to continue the Olympic Spirit Project in future. Proceeds from the Olympic Spirit Project will be put toward continuing this project in 2016 and beyond.

Postcard: The Sochi 2014 Olympic CauldronGratitude!

I’d like to, once again, send out a HUGE thank you to my Kickstarter project backers who made the Olympic Spirit Project book – with special thanks to my corporate sponsor, Brandy’s Whistler – without all of you this book would never have been possible. You will all find your names on the contributors page of the book, as promised.

I’m flooded with gratitude for the kindness and generosity from all of my family, friends and people I’ve never even met who helped make my Olympic dream a reality! Thank You all for this unforgettable experience!

Special Thanks To…

I’d like to send a special thanks out to a few people who were especially helpful to me on the ground in Sochi – Shauna, Greg, and Jordan – You guys are SUPERHEROES!!

Shauna was at my side on almost a daily basis and was an adventurous partner in crime and the exact Olympic Spirit poster girl I was hoping for when I began this project! Thank You Shauna!

Greg helped me out with Canadian Olympic Spirit swag when my luggage didn’t arrive and he provided me with much needed cold and flu medication when the Sochi Flu knocked me down. To top that off, he was my Olympic Spirit poster boy with his epic custom made Canada suit. Thank you Greg! You’re awesome, as always!

Jordan helped me when I first landed in Russia and got me into the Canada Olympic House open house where I saw President Putin. He also helped me find the giant stack of postcards that I sent off to all my Kickstarter backers. Thank you!

I’m happy to announce that I’ll be sending the eBook out to my Kickstarter backers as promised. You should be receiving it in your inbox soon. If you did not back the project, please visit the web shop to order your very own copy, or click the button below.

Buy eBook!          Buy Printed Book!

I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.