South Sound XC — Documentary Coverage
SPSL 4A
Championships 2026
One athlete per heat · $350 flat · Booking closes Tue, Oct 20 · 1:00 PM
- Event
- SPSL 4A League Championships
- Date
- Thu, Oct 22, 2026 · 1:00 PM
- Location
- Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood WA
- Photographer
- Russell Moore
- Services
- Full-event documentary coverage — every race, every team — plus guaranteed private commissions (one athlete per heat, varsity & JV)
Notice of Operations — 2026 Season
The lens follows the race,
not the roster.
I'm on site for the full event — every race, every team, from the first gun to the last chute. But I'm done shooting volume galleries. No 2,000-frame dumps, no bib-searchable archives, no promise of a photo of every athlete who toes the line. Covering the meet as a whole is not the same as photographing every individual in it.
What I shoot now is the meet itself — editorial, free-range, for the culture. The leader committing at the hairpin. The freshman closing on tired legs. I go where the story goes, and the story doesn't check start lists.
The documentary gallery from this meet will be a curated set of selects. Your athlete might be in it. That's the honest deal — and it's exactly why the channel below exists.
- EditorialCoverage follows the narrative of the race — no roster obligations.
- CuratedA tight set of selects, not a volume archive. Every frame earns its place.
- GuaranteedThe only way to guarantee your athlete: a private commission, booked before race day.
Guaranteed Coverage — Private Commission
One athlete. A dedicated shooting plan across multiple key course locations, worked around the editorial coverage. Delivered as a private, edited gallery.
What's guaranteed: I'll shoot your athlete's race with a plan built around multiple key locations. What's not: any single location. Meet officials control access, so if an area is closed or moved, I'll cover from the best position still open.
The Compass
Race Intel
01 — Schedule & Commissions by Heat
| Gun | Race | Division | Commission |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:00 PM | Girls Varsity | SPSL 4A | Open · Claim → |
| 1:45 PM | Boys Varsity | SPSL 4A | Open · Claim → |
| 3:15 PM | Girls JVFor many seniors, the final race — book it | SPSL 4A | Open · Claim → |
| 4:00 PM | Boys JVFor many seniors, the final race — book it | SPSL 4A | Open · Claim → |
How heats work: one guaranteed athlete per heat, varsity and JV — I can only shoot one contender per race well. If your heat is already booked, email me and I'll consider extra athletes based on their season times. $350 flat per race. For many seniors, a JV race at leagues is the last time they toe the line — book it.
02 — The Road to Westside
- Who advances. The two varsity races send qualifying teams and individuals to the Westside Cross Country Classic (District 3–4 Championships, Sat Oct 31). JV races don't qualify.
- How teams score. A team's score is the total of its first five finishers, and the sixth runner breaks ties. A team with fewer than five finishers gets no score, and individual finishers don't count toward team scoring.
- Runners 8 and 9. Schools can run up to nine in the varsity race, but the 8th and 9th runners don't count toward, or displace, one of the 56 qualifying spots.
- Individual qualifiers as a team. If five or more runners from one school qualify individually, they can run as a team at Westside, and all five must finish for the school to score.
- Results. FinishLynx photo-finish timing. Live scoring, when running, is on GC TrackScoreboard and is unofficial. Complete results post about 30 minutes after each race and land on Athletic.net and GCRacingLLC.com.
The field: Curtis · Graham-Kapowsin · Rogers · Bethel · Puyallup · South Kitsap · Bonney Lake · Yelm · Emerald Ridge · Spanaway Lake · Olympia · Sumner
The Watchlist
Who to Watch
The names and matchups I'm building my shooting plan around at Fort Steilacoom. Tap a card for the storyline. Marks are season bests at 5,000 meters unless noted.
01 — Top Athletes
02 — Major Factors
03 — The Team Race
Know Where To Stand
The Course
The 5K course at Fort Steilacoom Park. Use the layers to switch between satellite and line views, and to see where spectators can stand.
North is up. Aerial imagery: USDA NAIP via USGS The National Map. It shows land cover from when it was flown and may differ on race day. Route and spectator spots are approximate.
Hot spot
Mile 1
Mile 1. This is where the bulk of people will go after the start. Follow the herd.
Fairly quiet spot
Just past mile 1
Just past mile 1. Plenty of time to get there from the start and get back to the finish.
Quiet spot
Fall colors
Really pretty this time of year, wood fenced and lined with fall colors all around.
Post-Race
The Documentary Gallery
Coverage pending — selects drop within 72h of the final race
Looking for SPSL 4A Championships 2026 photos? This page is where they land. The curated gallery from Fort Steilacoom Park publishes right here within 72 hours of the final race — free to browse, with free social-sized downloads for personal use only. Running in the 2A/3A meet on Oct 24? That gallery lives here.
Curated selects from the meet — the story as I found it. This is not a bib-searchable volume archive, and inclusion isn't guaranteed. Media and commercial use by arrangement.
Get Gallery Notifications →Gallery not live yet? Open the link, click View Gallery, and enter your email — you'll be added to the notification list and emailed the moment the selects publish.
Need certainty instead of luck? Book guaranteed coverage before race day →
Straight Answers
FAQ
Will there be photos of every athlete at this meet?
No. I cover the full event — every race, every team — but coverage is editorial and follows the story of the race, not the roster. That's documentary coverage of the meet as a whole, not a guarantee of individual photos of every athlete. Guaranteed photos of a specific athlete require a private commission booked before race day.
How do I guarantee photos of my athlete?
Book a Guaranteed Coverage Commission above. Each heat takes one guaranteed athlete — varsity and JV — for $350 flat. If your heat is already booked, email me and I'll consider extra athletes based on their season times. Commissions for this meet close Tuesday, October 20 at 1:00 PM, or when heats fill — whichever comes first.
What if the start, finish chute, or another spot is off limits?
I plan each race around several shooting positions so I capture your athlete at the moments that matter. Occasionally access changes for reasons outside my control, such as officials closing or restricting an area to keep the race and athletes safe. When that happens, I shoot from the best position still open — the athletes and the meet always come first.
Can my teammate and I both book the same race?
Often, yes — but it depends on your times. If you'll be far enough apart that I can shoot you both well, email me and I'll consider a second athlete. If you'll be racing for the same position, I can only cover one of you. Send your season-best times when you book.
What if my athlete doesn't start, or I need to cancel?
Tell me as soon as you can. I offer a partial refund, not a full one, because your slot is gone for another family by then. You can also carry the booking over to a future event at full value.
When does the documentary gallery go live?
Curated selects publish within 72 hours of the final race. The gallery button on this page activates automatically when they're up.
Can I use the photos commercially?
Every gallery includes free social-sized downloads, licensed for personal use only. Media, school, and commercial licensing is available — get in touch through the main site.
Does any of my commission fee go anywhere besides your business?
Yes. For every commission booked at $350 directly through russell-moore.com, 25% — $87.50 per booking — goes directly to the Washington State Cross Country Coaches Association (WSCCCA) Coaches Scholarship Fund. This applies across Russell's 2026 season coverage, through Leagues and Districts.
