It’s a breezy November afternoon, and a crowd of Western Washington University men’s soccer supporters at Robert S. Harrington Field watch closely as their Vikings take on Saint Martin’s University. Their eyes skim right over the few individuals stalking the sidelines of the pitch, bundled up against the autumn chill with cameras in hand.
The members of Viking Creatives, Western Athletics’ sports media team, are not there to contribute to the spectacle but to document it.
Storm Hedman, a videographer and third-year marketing student, sits cross-legged near the right side of Saint Martin’s penalty box, staring intently down at the viewfinder on his camera. While he will traverse the length of the field throughout the match, this area consistently produces some of his best shots.
“I love this spot right here,” Hedman said, “I’ve got a good angle of the goal and also any corner kicks that might happen.”
This is Hedman’s second full year shooting games with Viking Creatives. However, his passion for videography goes back to making vlogs and LEGO stop-motion videos as a kid.
“I’ve been doing freelance videography for well over five years now… this creative outlet of mine I’ve been doing since I was in fourth grade,” Hedman said. “Now I’ve kind of found where I want to be, and it’s been great.”
On the other side of the goal, photographers Micah Potash and Ubayy Elnogoumi sit together, raising their cameras whenever the onfield action comes their way. Potash is on-duty shooting the game for Western Athletics, while Elnogoumi is off-duty, shooting video for his personal portfolio.
Like Hedman, Potash likes to stake out Western’s attacking side during the early minutes of the match. He said that capturing a great photo today will require as much luck as it will skill.
“In photography, if you’re out of focus right as someone scores, you just have to throw the whole photo away,” Potash said. “It’s very much either you get the shot or you don’t.”
Potash has been shooting for Viking Creatives his entire four years at Western, so he knows firsthand the challenges this job can pose.
“It’s happened at some really bad moments. When our women’s soccer team won the national championship, I was taking a photo of Claire Potter, who scored [the game-winning goal and] my camera lost focus,” Potash said. “She was completely blurry – it focused on someone running on the side. I still have the photo.”
Despite the difficulty of their task, the content Viking Creatives produce every game is an “amazing” addition to the Western Athletic Department, said Jeff Evans, assistant athletic director for athletic communications.
“They show who we are as an athletic department. Through photo, video, energy, everything, they’re key. They’re really cool,” Evans said.
In an era where sports media is increasingly digitally driven, having a team like Viking Creatives is paramount for any athletic department.
“Everything today is consumed online in some capacity, and if you want to recruit or show off the program you’re turning to those graphics,” said Josh Williams, assistant director of athletic communications at Western. “They’re really driving the bus on a lot of that.”
There’s no set roster for Viking Creatives, and the number of contributors at any given time varies between 10 and 15 people. The team is paid an hourly wage, but they are motivated primarily by the members’ desire to better their skills and portfolios.
Many hope to continue photography and videography as their careers after graduating. The program has produced professional content creators in the past, including multiple currently working with the Seattle Seahawks, said Evans.
Back at the match, Western’s Lucas Hakamada scores off a spectacular diving header in the 75th minute, putting the Vikings up 1-0. Potash and Hedman are there to capture the moment, and Hedman keeps the camera rolling while Hakamada runs to the sideline, tears off his jersey and leaps triumphantly into the air.
“I’ve seen a lot of people make awesome videos, but it’s lacking that emotion and feeling,” Hedman said. “I think capturing the emotion of the athletes betters the experience for the viewer and makes it feel like you’re there.”
Members of Viking Creatives document a Western Washington University women’s soccer game on Oct. 17., 2024. Photographers and videographers position themselves along the goal line to get a perfect shot of the ball going into the goal. // Photo by Ben Harrington
Viking Creatives photographs and films the Western Washington University women’s soccer team in their Oct. 24 matchup against Northwest Nazarene University. Western Athletics tries to staff every game with a photographer and a videographer. // Photo by Jonah Bloom
Jonah Billings (he/him) is a Sports and Recreation reporter for The Front. He is a second-year Western student and is majoring in journalism with a minor in history. In addition, he is a member of Western’s varsity cross-country and track and field teams. He enjoys running, reading and spending time with friends. You can reach him at jonahbillings.thefront@gmail.com.
