A game of football

I stopped at Torvalla Sportcenter in Handen today and watched a bit of the football match between Västerhaninge IF and Qaran IFK. In the end Västerhaninge, (the home team), won the match 1-0 after a header from Ibbe on a corner kick. That is him in the top photo scoring that goal. A few more photos from the game in the slideshow. VIF plays in Division 4, the season is yet to start so this was a preseason game.

Velothon Stockholm

The first Velothon race in Stockholm (and Sweden), took place on Sunday. Good weather conditions. A bluish sky and maybe 15C, not much wind and the rain stayed away. Three thousand cyclists took part in three different races. One 80 km race and one 160 km race, both open for everyone. And then of course one race for the elite. I had a window of maybe ten seconds to get a few snaps of the elite (with the Swedish National team among them), as they passed me by at Fors in Västerhaninge. A little later I took the bike to another place, many kilometers later for the then tired riders, where there's a short climb and I knew that I could get a few good panning shots from there. Many roads in Haninge and neighboring municipalities were closed off because of the race, and that caused a few problems. One motorist assaulted a race organizer in Tungelsta! Further south in Nynäshamn one bystander was hit by a car. In the end the race was won by Marko Kump from the Adria Mobil team in just over 4 hours. If you are interested you can see the full result list here.

An Action Packed Drama

Who will win the crazy golf championship this year? That question will be answered at Eriksbergsparken in Brandbergen over the next six days. The 2010 Swedish Championships in miniature golf, as the pro's like to call the sport, got under way in Handen on Sunday with the opening ceremony (you can watch a video of that here). There was also a lot of practising. I took a stroll around the course as some of the participants were busy practising. If you would like to play here the fee is 50 SEK per person. But for a family with two kids it's only 100 SEK.

Airborne BMX Rider

If I ever tried a wall ride, or a bunny hop with my bike I would end up at the emergency room with a few broken bones. Not so for Jesper and Jocke. Two seasoned BMX riders from Stockholm. I met them near a supermarket in Handen earlier this week. They were out shooting some scenes for an upcoming DVD called Toasted II. Apparently the first Toasted DVD has sold out. The guys have been into BMX for nearly 25 years, so they know what they are doing. But even a pro misses sometimes and I noticed one painful crash. It's a growing sport and the shop where they buy their bikes sold around 300 BMX bikes last year. They have uploaded some videos to Vimeo, but I haven't been able to find them yet.

Skywatch Friday.

Sporting Emotions

One of the reasons that people enjoy sports has to be all the different emotions and feelings they arouse. During the 25manna race last weekend I noticed quite a few. Joy. Anticipation. Nervousness. Anger. Sadness. Disappointment. And pain. Here are a few of those emotions.

Top photo shows the joy from the best placed Swedish team, Södertälje Nykvarn Orientering. They finished in third place and were all smiles in the finishing area, posing for the photographers. At least for a while. Because a little later the team was disqualified. The reason was that their runner on the last leg had used another team members SportIdent-stick. That's a device that electronically records the results of all competitors in this type of event. On the second photo you can see a female runner that was completely exhausted after finishing her leg. And on the third and last photo, a young girl that looks both tired and a bit surprised as she is looking at what must have been a painful cut on her arm.

The Smiling Accountant

I spotted a pretty girl out jogging in Jordbro a while back, so I decided to interrupt her exercise for a quick portrait and a few questions. And as you can see, that worked out just as I hoped. This is Lisa. She is an accountant. Working for a big company, although she didn't want to specify which one. She lives at Telefonplan in Stockholm. Lisa jogs to stay fit (and it looks like it is working), and she is also a frequent visitor to the gym. And she's got a great smile!

In Flight

Paragliding is a popular sport in Sweden and in Haninge, and I often see and hear them on warm summer evenings. There are a few different types of gliders. This is a powered paraglider. One of four gliders that I spotted hovering over the old tree in Tungelsta on Thursday evening. As I shot this photo I figured it could be Johan, who enjoys this somewhat dangerous sport, or perhaps his daughter Malin. But on Friday, visiting my barber, another paragliding enthusiast, Mikael told me that it was a few friends of him that were out flying.

André & Felicia

It was a warm and sunny summer day, and when I spotted this couple coming towards me on their inline skates in Handen, I knew I had to take their picture. This is André Leckremo and his fiancée Felicia. They live in Handen. Felicia used to be one of the many girls out here who was into horseback riding, but has now given up that hobby. She works at the nearby Quality Winn Hotel. André works as a klottersanerare (try google that) and is a very good ice hockey player. He is a defenceman and plays for Haninge HC. And he visits the gym every now and then. I figured this would be a perfect summer portrait and I'm quite happy with the photo.

The Rollerblading Couple

I was on the bike in Handen when this couple came charging towards me on their inline skates so as I always do when I see someone interesting I waved them down for a portrait. This is Mika and Johan. They live together in Jordbro and there might be a wedding approaching. Mika enjoys making necklaces and other such accessories. And according to Johan they do take up a lot of space in their home! Johan is a drummer. He plays in a band called White Dwarf. They often perform at Gula Villan in Handen. A music scene started by Tompa Eken ( abit of a local legend), who was one of the people that started Ultrahuset, a legendary punk scene in Handen during the 1980ths. And poppy punk is how Johan describes the band's music. Oh, and they knew my brother and some of his friends. It's been almost a year since I last photographed a couple of rollerbladers so it was about time!

The Smiling Jogger :)

We really enjoy the outdoors in this country. Jogging and running are popular ways to stay fit. On my way home the other day I met a smiling jogger at Krigslida and figured she would be up for a portrait. This is Tina. She lives in Tungelsta. She was very happy about the arrival of spring, as you can tell by her big smile. Tina works as a medical orderly at Stockholm South General Hospital. We talked a bit about spring and photography and then I snapped a few shots before Tina jogged away.

Health Tip of the Day

If you love cross-country skiing, like this man, and want to go for a run even when it's really cold, you should use a mouth worn humidity and heat exchanger. They don't cost much and they will save you from an asthma attack. Shot this today at Lake Rudan where the ski club Jordbänningarna, have six snow canons that can produce 90 cubic metre snow per hour. On a good day 200 people go skiing here on the 1,3 km track. For one day you pay 50 SEK, and for one season the price is 200 SEK.

Roller Skating Duo

These two guys came flying past me on the road today on their inline skates. I decided to catch up with them. Luckily for me they had to stop and repair the brakes on one of the roller blades. This is Thomas and Mikael. They are members of Stockholm Speedskaters. They had just been down to Tungelsta (I met them in Handen), and funnily enough taken the same route as I did on my bike! During the winter time they are often out skating on the ice in the archipelago. Mikael had done the Viking Run. It's a 80 km ride on Lake Mälaren between Uppsala and Stockholm. Thomas told me about a run from Västerås to Stockholm (100 km), that took him and his friends around eight hours. Mikael lives in Tyresö and Thomas comes from Spånga/Tensta. They met while skating, and have been friends ever since. Another fun winter ride on the ice was when Mikael took a ferry from Stavsnäs out to Harö, and from there skated out to Svenska Högarna, far out in the Stockholm archipelago. You can see some winter photos here . This is my 49th photo for the 100 Strangers project. You can see the rest of my strangers in my Set.

A Windsurfer

A windy day in Haninge, perfect for some windsurfing on the Hårsfjärden bay. Bigger photo. Visiting the beach at Årsta Havsbad, I followed this guy as he took out his board on the bay. More photos here. Or try the slideshow.