"Best"? Who am I kidding? I don't
believe there's any way to determine what the best sports photographs
of the year are. Photography is simply too subjective. Almost every
professional photographer has stories about winning awards for mediocre
pictures while his or her best work goes unrecognized. A contest is
only as relevant as the judges making the choices, and the same contest
with different judges would produce very different winners. So perhaps
I should call these photographs my favorites, because that's what they
are. They reflect my personal tastes and biases, which regular readers
of this blog will recognize: an attraction to the obscure, a passion
for the absurd, and a love of that intersection between sport and
culture. Pictures full of humor, beauty, and moments both subtle and
decisive draw me in. Part one of the
100 Best Sports Photographs of 2009 covers the months of January,
February, and March. I'll post the rest on successive Thursdays this
month. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much I do.
1.Swimmers
prepare for the opening ceremony of the UK Cold Water Swimming
Championships at Tooting Bec Lido in London January 24.
2.Competitors
in the Dutch Ice Skating Championship Marathon race on the
Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve in Lelystad, Netherlands January 8.
The event took place on natural ice for the first time in thirteen
years.
3.Spectators
line the track during the Wiessmann Luge World Cup February 21 at the
Whistler Sliding Center in Whistler, Canada
4.A
competitor takes part in an official training session of the World Cup
Ski Jumping competition January 30 as the lights of the city of Sapporo
twinkle in the background.
5.Snow
kiter Marco Koeppel surfs the snowy mountains of the region of the
Bernina Pass, Canton of Grisons, in south-eastern Switzerland February
19.
6.Members
of Scandinavian wing walkers The Skycats perform during the Al-Ain
International Aerobatics Show at the Gulf Emirate's Airport in the
United Arab Emirates January 28.
7.Ray
Ferguson misjudges a turn and leaves the course during the Jetsprint
World Championship at Meremere Sprint Bowl January 4 in Auckland.
8.The
crew of a women's surfboat reacts as they paddle out through large surf
while competing at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships at
Perth's Scarborough Beach March 18.
9.The
Boston Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis falls into the crowd while trying
to keep the ball in bounds during an NBA basketball game against the
New Jersey Nets in Boston January 14.
10.Tapio
Luusua crashes in the finals of the moguls competition during the FIS
Freestyle Grand Prix February 7 at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver,
Canada.
11.Evgeniya
Kanaeva of Russia performs with the ball during the qualifying round of
the Hungarian Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup in Budapest March 7.
12.A
participant performs during the Kila Raipur sports festival on the
outskirts of Ludhiana, India February 13. The festival, also known as
the 'Rural Olympics', is held annually in the northern city and the
competition attracts athletes from all over India.
13.A
competitor runs through fire during the Tough Guy Challenge at South
Perton Farm February 1 in Wolverhampton, England.
14.An Egyptian boy sand-boards on the Al Katania dunes southwest of Cairo March
27.
15.Racers
compete in the men's point race 40km during the UCI Track World
Championships March 25 at the BGZ Arena in Pruszkow, Poland.
16.France's
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is reflected in a window returning a ball during a
practice session for the Davis Cup match against the Czech Republic in
Ostrava, Czech Republic March 5.
17.Two
bikers ride a dune during the sixth stage of the Dakar rally between
San Rafael and Mendoza in Argentina January 8.
18.A
competitor makes his way up the course during the New Zealand National
Club Rowing Championships at Lake Ruatanihwa February 19 in Twizel, New
Zealand.
19.The
Chicago White Sox' Scott Linebrink delivers a pitch against the Chicago
Cubs during a spring training baseball game in Las Vegas March 5.
20.Gael
Monfils pauses during his match against Gilles Simon at the Australian
Open tennis championship in Melbourne January 26.
21.The
"Cameron Crazies" heckle Jason Clark of the Georgetown Hoyas during an
NCAA college basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils January 17 at
Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C.
22.Juventus'
David Trezeguet celebrates after scoring against Palermo during their
Serie A football match at Barbera Stadium February 21.
23.The
USC Trojans head coach Pete Carroll reacts as water is poured on him
during his team's victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the 95th
Rose Bowl Game in Pasadena January 1.
24.Wing
Bowl competitor Douglas "Obi Wing" Petock holds back a mouthful during
the 17th annual chicken wing eating contest in Philadelphia January 30.
25.Danny
Bonaduce warms up for a celebrity boxing match against Jose Canseco in
Aston, Pa. January 24.
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