Ice & Fire: The Sydney Kosa Session
Sydney Kosa: Focused, fierce, and ready for the 2025 season.
Sydney Kosa – The Leader and the Star.
Being at the top is tough. Everyone wants to get there, but it’s not all fun and games. Once you arrive, you have to meet an expectation, and sometimes, you find yourself alone on an island.
I’ve been around Sydney for a couple of years now, and if you threw out the numbers, the stat sheets, and the rankings, you would assume she is just another kid on the team. But the numbers don't lie: Kosa will enter the 2025 Outdoor Track Season as the top returning 4A 800m runner. While she favors the 1600m, I am excited to see how her season shakes out in the 800.
I have athletes that dominate my memory cards, and she is one of them. Whether it’s a pre-race smile, a wave, or a gutsy finish, she is always aware of her surroundings. Because of that awareness, I have been able to capture some special moments over the years.
Being a photographer is a far more intimate role than one might assume. The reality is that when I'm looking down the barrel of a 300mm lens, I can see everything. After capturing a runner time and time again, you start to run the race with them. I can feel their pain by looking at their face. I can see by lap two of the 1600m that "today might not be the day"—and you know it. The weight of the moment is what I live for, and whether it’s a high or a low, the story is valid. It's all part of the journey.
Next season, Sydney will be at the University of Portland, where I am certain she is going to make herself seen as soon as she steps on campus.
I have wanted to do a photoshoot for just her for a long time. I wanted to capture her friendly side as well as the side of her that toes the line at State. I wanted to create amazing shots that she would be proud of.
35 Degrees and Flying: Sydney didn't let the freezing temps slow her down.
We got together at Olympia High School on Saturday. It was a cold 35 degrees, but the sun was out, and for that, I was feeling it. Poor Sydney was going to have to survive the freezing temps while I sorted out lighting and settings. In between shots she threw on her coat, but as I edited the photos later, I noticed every single chill bump on her skin. I think that is a testament to how tough she is. She didn’t miss a beat—doing jumping jacks and bouncing around to keep the blood moving.
By the end of the day, I knew we had captured something special.
