Every year at this time I force myself to go back through the myriad of sports imagery that I shot during the year and select my Top 25 Sports Images of the year. I find this to be an educational exercise as it forces me to really focus (pardon the pun) on the aspects of the photo that I liked, or to pull out images that I felt were from a unique event, or captured a unique moment in time.  I was fortunate enough this year to cover a number of high profile events, including World Championships in curling and sport climbing, National Championships in climbing and university field hockey and Provincial championships in baseball and football. I also shot a range of other local sports and activities.  My Top 25 Images and the reasons I chose each image can be found in my FULL GALLERY HERE.  Thumbnails of each image are also provided below. Click on the thumbnail to go directly to the image and descriptions in my gallery.

2013 Ford World Men's Curling ChampionshipsApril 2, 2013, Victoria, BC - Teams compete in Draw 11 of the 2013 Ford Men's World Curling Championships at Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria, BC, Canada.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: They say that soccer fans are some of the most passionate in the sports world, but I dare say they are strongly challenged by crazy Canadian curling fans. These folks with their crazy costumes and their passion for what is generally a pretty passive sport, made for one of my favourite fan shots of the year!   2013 CIS Women's Field Hockey ChampionshipsOctober 31, 2013, Victoria, BC - The University of Victoria Vikes (blue) compete against the University of Guelph Gryphons (yellow) in the 2013 CIS Women's Field Hockey Championships at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: In addition to being a nice action shot of a sport that I don't get to shoot too often, to me there is a bit of a soft, dream-like quality to the image that comes from the way the turf blends into the dark background, the night lighting on the field and a faint bit of what I think is vapour hanging in the air from the player's breaths on a cool evening.   2013 World Youth Climbing ChampionshipsAugut 18, 2013, Central Saanich, BC - The USA's John Brosler celebrates his Bronze Medal win in the Junior Speed Climbing Competition at the 2013 World Youth Climbing Championships at The Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich, British Columbia.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Far too often in the world of sports, those that don't finish first are disappointed or consider themselves losers. This young man just won the BRONZE medal in his age division and his reaction was one of the most joyous of anyone at the entire competition, including those that won gold and silver. I was fortunate enough to capture it and it is one of my favourite "cheer" photos of the year.   2012-2013 Victoria Royals Hockey ClubFebruary 27, 2013, Victoria, BC - Victoria Royals forward Logan Nelson looks to the heavens after scoring against the Lethbridge Hurricanes in WHL action Wednesday night in Victoria. The Hurricanes would emerge with a 5-4 victory.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Another example of one of my favourite celebration photos of the year. Nelson is known for great celebrations after his goals and this one, with the arena spotlight gleaming off his visor, gave this one a bit of a religious feel to it...the "Light of God" shining down on him...that kind of thing.

2013 Mt. Doug Rams FootballOctober 16, 2013, Victoria, BC - The Mount Doug Rams Junior Varsity squad play host to the John Barsby Bulldogs in BC High School Football Junior Varsity action Friday at Mount Doug High School in Victoria. The Rams would cruise to a 42-0 win.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: This photo is all about symmetry in motion. I caught the ball carrier in a great running position, with great light on his eyes and face, but also the fact that all his team-mates are generally running and leaning in the same direction, with one-foot on ground and one foot up, give this image a great look.   2013 BC Senior Men's Baseball ProvincialsAugust 4, 2013 Victoria, BC - Teams compete at the 2013 BC Baseball Senior Men's Provincial Championships at Lambrick Park in Victoria, BC.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Provincial Championships, key moment in game, clutch, diving catch in right field for the third out of an inning...fielder totally horizontal and suspended in mid-air with ball in glove...need I say more?   2013 BC High School Football Provincial Championships - Subway BowlNovember 30, 2013, Vancouver, BC - The Ballenas Whalers battle the GW Graham Grizzlies in the 2013 BC High School Football AA Junior Varsity Championship at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver. The Grizzlies would emerge with a 23-20 victory over the Whalers.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Perhaps the best "Gatorade Shower" celebration photo ever, well at least in my portfolio. Not only did the coach totally embrace getting doused and allow for a direct hit to happen, with the water cascading over and around him, but the reaction of his players and coaches, particularly #50 to the right, were fantastic and it becomes a favourite of the year as a result.   2013 Victoria Eagles Baseball ClubJuly 4, 2013 Victoria, BC - Victoria Mariner pitcher Colton Wood delivers a pitch in his game against the Victoria Eagles in BC Premier League action Thursday night at Lambrick Park in Victoria. The teams would battle to a 3-3 tie through 10 innings when the game had to be suspended due to a local 10:00 pm curfew.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: It is a simple photo of a pitcher throwing a pitch, taken from behind home plate, but the way the light was shining on his arm, shows incredible detail of the strain on his muscles and tendons in the elbow and biceps area (almost mirroring the creases and folds in his jersey) and makes one appreciate why pitchers are subject to pitch limits, especially at younger ages.

2013 Ford World Men's Curling ChampionshipsApril 7, 2013, Victoria, BC - Team Denmark skip Rasmus Stjerne urges his sweepers on during the Bronze Medal match against Team Scotland at the 2013 Ford Men's World Curling Championships at Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria, BC, Canada.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: This was my first time to ever shoot curling and to do so at a World Championship was pretty neat. The game itself does not feature a lot of dramatic or fast paced action, but the passion and energy that the skips of each team put out when urging their team to sweep (or not sweep) a stone they have thrown can make for some dramatic photos. This was one such photo and shows the intensity that can be found in a seemingly passive sport.   2013-2014 Saanich Braves Junior B Hockey ClubNovember 1, 2013, Victoria, BC - Saanich Braves forward Scott Henderson evades the check of Comox Valley Glacier King Liam Shaw during their Vancouver Island Junior B Hockey action game Friday at Pearkes Arena in Saanich. The Glacier Kings would score three third period goals en route to a 5-2 win.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: This is one of my favourite hockey action photos of the year. It is a simple photo, but I like the action, the effort of the defender, the stride of the player with the puck and how this scene lends itself to a "wide-angle" crop of sorts...I think too that I like the fact that Saanich, the team I shoot regularly for, recently went to Chicago Blackhawk style jerseys (my favourite team) and that my rink ad board is in the background!   2013 CIS Women's Field Hockey ChampionshipsNovember 3, 2013, Victoria, BC - University of British Columbia player Hannah Haughn winds up for a shot during the gold medal game against the University of Victoria at the 2013 CIS Women's Field Hockey Championships at the University of Victoria in British Columbia.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: In addition to being a great action shot, this image has a few other elements that I liked, the focus of the player on the ball, with her tongue sticking out, the anticipation on the faces of the two players in the background and the subtle arc of water droplets coming off the player's stick.   2013 BC Senior Men's Baseball ProvincialsAugust 4, 2013 Victoria, BC - Kamloops' second baseman Pat Brown would pounce on this ground ball and make the play to first during a game against the Langley Blaze Sunday evening at the 2013 BC Baseball Senior Men's Provincial Championships at Lambrick Park in Victoria, BC.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: I like the anticipation and the unknown in this shot....did he get the ball? Did he miss it? (He got it)....but I also think there is a bit of a comical nature to his pose...kind of like Super Mario, or a video game character bouncing from level to level, or a cat pouncing on a mouse. His stride and the focus and determination on his face also add to the effect.

2013 World Youth Climbing ChampionshipsAugust 19, 2013, Central Saanich, BC - Founder of Climbers Against Cancer John Ellison (left-centre, light blue t-shirt) and his suporters show off their CAC T-Shirts at the 2013 World Youth Climbing Championships.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: This was my public service announcement photo of the year. John Ellison (left-centre, light blue t-shirt) is a sport climber and has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. To raise funds for cancer research he founded Climbers Against Cancer. At the 2013 World Youth Championships, CAC was selling t-shirts and all those who purchased a t-shirt came up on stage for a group photo. CAC sold over $3000 worth of t-shirts that weekend and Ellison presented a donation of $15,000 to the BC Cancer Foundation at the event. I climbed up into a lift to take the photo, perhaps one of my most emotional, and colourful of the year.   2013 GVBA Mosquito ChampionshipJune 21, 2013 Victoria, BC - Triangle Bullet baserunner Jack Hardy slides safely into second base, while Carnarvon shortstop Chris Horwood awaits the throw during action in the GVBA Mosquito Championship on Friday evening at Juan de Fuca Park in Victoria. The Bullets would score in each of their at bats to come away with a 12-8 win.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: This photo is mainly about the great early evening light and the way it highlights the short-stop's face as he awaits the throw, as well as how it highlights the individual particles of dirt kicked up by the slide. The great technical form of the player awaiting the throw and the dark, simple background also help the play and the frozen ball stand out, adding to the photo.   2013-2014 Victoria Royals Hockey ClubNovember 22, 2013, Victoria, BC - Victoria Royals goaltender Patrik Polivka makes an outstanding toe save on a shot by the Kamloops Blazer's Aspen Sterzer during their WHL game at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. The Royals would score 4 third period goals en route to a 6-1 victory.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Probably the best goalie "save" photo I captured all year. I was positioned along the side glass of the arena just about even with the face-off dot. This gave me a great vantage point for the shot. The pass came to Sterzer very quickly and I followed the action quickly in the hopes I was able to catch the great save. I initially thought I had missed the shot, but was pleased to see I did not. Polivka's body position, fully extended with the stick in the air, and the puck just visible in front of his toe, show that he made a great save, one I was fortunate enough to capture.   LIWSA SoccerJanuary 5, 2013, Victoria, BC - The Lower Women's Soccer Association holds their annual Premier Division All-Star game Saturday at Westhills Stadium. Team White would need penalty kicks to break a 1-1 draw and emerge with the win.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: When soccer players go up to head a ball, they make some of the funniest faces in the world of sport. This image is strictly here for its comedic factor. The look on her face, the pony tail and ball suspended in mid-air, against a simple blue background, I felt made for an amusing photo.

2013 IFSC World Youth Climbing ChampionshipsAugust 15, 2013, Central Saanich, BC - A member of Team Mexico cheers on his team and proudly displays his flag at the Opening Ceremonies of the 2013 IFSC World Youth Climbing Championships at the Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Quite simply, this photo shows the unbridled enthusiasm that participating in a world class sporting event can bring out. Team Mexico had one of the smaller teams at the competition (that featured close to 40 different countries) but their cheering contingent at the opening ceremonies was by far the loudest and proudest of them all. I felt that this photo captured this perfectly.   2013-2014 Victoria Royals Hockey ClubOctober 6, 2013, Victoria, BC - The Victoria Royals Luke Harrison (facing camera) and Tri-City's Justin Gutierrez duke it out during the Royals WHL game against Tri-City Americans at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre in Victoria. The Royals would score two third period goals to win 2-1.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: I liked the "helmet-popping" nature of the photo with them suspended in mid-air, the look on Harrison's face, plus his hair flying about and the look of the linesman as he waited for an opportunity to break things up.   2013 BC Senior Men's Baseball ProvincialsAugust 5, 2013 Victoria, BC - Members of the Langley Blaze celebrate their win at the 2013 BC Baseball Senior Men's Provincial Championships at Lambrick Park in Victoria, BC.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: One of my most favourite moments in any sport is when a team celebrates after winning a championship. Up to this point last summer, I had covered a few championship baseball games but had not yet captured a celebration shot worth showing, mainly because the teams did not celebrate all that vigorously upon winning. These guys did and they gave me the shot I was looking for!   2013 IFSC World Youth Climbing ChampionshipsAugust 18, 2013, Central Saanich, BC - German climber Sebastian Halenke shows the wear and tear on his hands after just two days of competition at the 2013 World Youth Climbing Chamionships at the Boulders Climbing Gym in Central Saanich.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Having only been introduced to the sport of climbing in March of 2013, I never truly appreciated the rigours of the sport and the challenges the climbers face until seeing the hand of Halenke, clearly missing some skin from his thumb and fingertips that was left up on the wall after his second climb in the competition. Despite the discomfort, Halenke went on to capture the Silver medal in his age division. The photo I hope, provides some insight into one of the many physical challenges the athletes face in competition, and one that would not be immediately obvious to the casual observer of the sport.

2013 BC High School Football Provincial Championships - Subway BowlNovember 30, 2013, Vancouver, BC - GW Graham defensive back Tristan Davis (left) would get away with this facemask against the Ballenas Whaler's Brody Seselja during the 2013 British Columbia High School Football Provincial AA Junior Varsity Championship on Saturday at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC. GW Graham would emerge with a 23-20 victory over the Whalers.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: When you are shooting with a shutter speed of 1/1000 of a second and at a rate of 8-10 frames per second, sometimes you catch things that the officials in a game, the fans and other players do not. I like this photo for that reason...only myself and the two players in question know that a flagrant foul was committed...and there was nothing that any of us could, or wanted to do about it!   2013 Victoria HarbourCats Baseball ClubJuly 29, 2013 Victoria, BC - The Victoria HarbourCats host the Corvallis Knights in West Coast League action Monday night at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria. The Knights would emerge with a 6-5 win to sweep the three game series between the two teams.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Perhaps only my fellow baseball fanatics will understand why I like this photo...In addition to it being a nicely lit portrait of these players and coaches, I think it is a great representation of all the little "behind the scenes things" that make the game, plus a great representation of all that is minor-pro, or in this case, summer collegiate baseball...players and coaches needing to sit on buckets and folding chairs because the dugouts are too small, bats and gear strewn about, line-up cards and other info posted in the dugout, a player-coach (far left) giving signals, another coach (second from left) charting pitches, another (third from left) with a pitch counter in his hand and the head coach (centre, in helmet) with a stopwatch to time pitch deliveries.   2013 Ford World Men's Curling ChampionshipsApril 5, 2013, Victoria, BC - Team Scotland Skip David Murdoch jumps and waves franticly to his sweepers as they take on Team Sweden in the 1-2 Page Playoff at the 2013 Ford Men's World Curling Championships at Save-on-Foods Memorial Arena in Victoria, BC, Canada. Team Sweden would advance to the Gold Medal game with a 6-5 win.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: Another example of the crazy emotions that come from players during the seemingly quiet sport of curling. Murdoch jumped about a foot off the ice surface and was screaming like a madman so there was a bit of a comic element here too.   2013 SMHA Atom Remembrance Day TournamentNovember 10, 2013, Saanich, BC - A young Saanich Brave Atom hockey player celebrates a goal during a game against the Juan de Fuca Grizzlies at the SMHA Atom Remembrance Day Hockey Tournament at Pearkes Arena in Saanich.

WHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: I like it when players celebrate hockey goals and I like it even better when young players do so. I remember the first time I ever played minor hockey and the thrill that came from even touching the puck, let alone scoring! This young player had a great reaction to his goal and a great smile that I was fortunate enough to capture.

Gate 6, Yankee Stadium, Harlem, New York CityWHY I CHOSE THIS PHOTO: A bit of a personal selection here as this was my first visit ever to New York City and the hallowed institution that is Yankee Stadium (even though it is the "new" stadium). I was looking for a way to capture the iconic look and architecture of the stadium's exterior and Gate 6, as one of the main entry gates in to the stadium, is iconic as it gets. I did not want any people in the shot, so I took out the wide angle lens, pointed my lens skyward and was happy with the result. I hope you are too.