Parker and Latin’s fall homecomings have passed with many moments to remember. The girls varsity Volleyball team took a 2-0 win against Lake Forest High School, bringing joy to the fans in the Big Gym. On Latin’s Homecoming, varsity Field Hockey won in a double overtime penalty shootout against the Romans. Members of the boys varsity Soccer team rushed onto the field after the winning shot to celebrate the incredible win with the girls.
Many of the great moments were captured on camera by junior JP Lazar. “There is nothing better than seeing an athlete happy with the work you did for them,” said Lazar. Leading up to Homecoming, Lazar prepared endlessly to make his project the best he could to represent all of the athletes’ hard work and dedication. On the days of the homecomings, he would set up his Fujifilm camera, capturing all of the key moments from the games. In the process afterwards, he would gather the clips that appeared most appealing for the reflection video made after the game.
Lazar prepared extensively, gathering the equipment that would help him capture the best footage possible. “I’ve got to make sure all my batteries are charged before, especially for a day like Homecoming. There’s a lot of stress that day and a lot of stuff that’s going on which means I need to capture a lot of stuff, so I’m charging two batteries for one of my cameras.”
Lazar has a coordinated process for every segment of the games on the Parker field. “When they’re all for the beginning of the games where players are just on the sidelines really close to me, I’m shooting with a 35-millimeter lens,” Lazar said. “In the game, I slap a larger lens of 300 [millimeters] on so I can see across the entire field. That’s where I get most of my photos from. Then I also set it up on a tripod that really stabilizes everything and allows me to get the footage that I need for the school.”
Josh Ijiwola, a senior and a member of the boys varsity soccer team, was featured in Lazar’s work. Lazar made two soccer videos with Ijiwola featured in both of them. “JP is a great guy,” Ijiwola said. “His video skills are amazing. He does an amazing job, and it feels great to be featured in his work.”
Senior Quentin Stauber was also featured in Lazar’s work. “I have been playing sports for almost my whole life, and it is really cool when I get to see myself play, especially on social media,” Stauber said. “It’s amazing that JP can do that for us.”
With Homecoming, soccer, Field Hockey, Volleyball, Cross Country, and girls Tennis seasons now in the rearview mirror, Parker’s winter sports begin. The boys and girls basketball teams will begin preseason on Monday, November, 6. JP will play an extensive role using his videography passion and dedication to showcase Parker student-athletes.
