Memories Deserve More Than A Shoebox ^TM

Five Creative Ways to Scrapbook Sports

by Dawn Stegall

Are you a (insert sport of choice here) mom?

If so, chances are you have tons of pictures of your child(ren) just waiting to be scrapped. Or perhaps you have been faithfully attending games/events for so long that you know longer take your camera. Either way, here are a few ideas to get you scrapping those sports memories.

The first thing we tend to think of when it comes to scrapbooking sports are action shots. You want to capture the swing of the bat that caused the game-winning home run. Or the "shoot-score!" A word of caution for you new moms, the first score/shot/finish/etc. is priceless. You don't want to miss it because you were waiting behind the lens of a camera. You don't know how long you will wait, a game, a season, several seasons.

Chances are once the first one has happened; they will have a newfound confidence to spring forth many more to come! Be sure to capture other action shots along the way-dribbling, running, kicking, swimming, whatever it may be. Just capture the "essence" of the sport. There are many things that lead up to the ultimate shot/moment, so be sure to capture those things as well.

Secondly, create a layout based on the determination and practice necessary to get in the game. Oftentimes, more hours are spent in preparation and practice than actually playing the game or doing the sport. Capture these moments-doing drills, doing the same step over and over again. My niece is a cheerleader. One day she was practicing her back handsprings. Over and over with spotting from her mother, until finally she could do it and on her own! Imagine a page capturing the attempts and finally being able to do it. A lesson learned! This is powerful stuff for a child's self-esteem. You can turn back to this layout any time your child needs some reassurance that he/she can do it!

Next, capture the emotion of the sport. There are many emotions involved-happy times, low times, a time of sheer determination, frustration and a myriad of other emotions. Forget the body shot, zoom in on their face and capture their emotion. Ask them afterwards what they were thinking and feeling and include it in your journaling.

Gather inspiration from the sports page in your local newspaper. Or better yet, if their team was featured, cut it out, spray it with archival safe spray and include in your layout. Use newspaper like headlines as titles for your page. "Warriors beat out Panthers, 3-1" or "Hawks soar to new heights." Okay, these are off the top of my head, but hopefully you get the idea.

Finally, ask your child why they play the sport? Their answer might surprise you. Whatever their answer may be, play it up. If they answered, "competitiveness", then find(or take) a photo of them really fighting for the ball.

Or if they said, "style or elegance", capture a beautiful pictures. Use these single words as titles and include the definition as an embellishment.

Scrapbooking sports is more than the "official" team photos and posed shots. Get into the game, get creative! Capture some action, dedication, emotion and the whys. What are you going to capture next?