Go I.U.!

My college years at Indiana University were idyllic. They truly were. I think back on them and only remember the golden memories of the four years I spent in Bloomington, Indiana, doing a minimum amount of classroom studies and a maximum amount of maturing. With a few bad choices mixed in for good measure.



I was amazed when I heard that my alma mater was going to be in the Rose Bowl this year. During my tenure at I.U., the football team was a joke. The school had high hopes when they hired Lee Corso as the football coach in 1973, but his record was spotty. The modifed poster in my dorm room with the blacked out tooth and zombie eyes says it all (no, that's not me standing next to it). For my freshman year (Corso’s final year), his record was 5-6.



Having been in my high school’s marching band, I decided to audition for the one at I.U., known as The Marching Hundred. In 1927, the band marched in a 10x10 block during the pregame show for the match against Harvard. And there you have it. Below is a shot of the bus trip to the one and only away game (Michigan in Ann Arbor) the band could afford to accompany the football team on.



Posing for the family that kindly hosted us in Michigan during our stint there. We lost, 10-24.



Even back in college, my camera went everywhere with me. I took these shots during a home game. Yes, it was cold.



Below are band directors Wilbur England and Ray Cramer (also his final year as director):



England took over when Cramer left and lasted until 1985. I can still hear the teashing chants of “Wilbuuuuuuuuur” not-so-silently from my fellow band members.



I only did one year in the Marching Hundred. The practices and games really killed my social life and prevented me from making many friends outside of the band until the football season was over. I still went to a few football games afterwards. Some shots of the band from the 1983 season:









In 1985, it was one of those Haley’s Comet moments when I was with my two brothers AND my dad  (the occasion was the IU Homecoming game). Being on the Indiana Memorial Union Board of Directors, we were treated to a tailgate picnic feast before the game.



The last shot I took of the Marching Hundred during my college career appropriately shows them in “I” formation, circa 1985:



While I never marched in the Rose Parade while at I.U., I DID have that honor as a high school student back in 1980.

I’m the alto in the middle.

Not only did I.U. play in the Rose Bowl game this year, they had their best season in program history with a College Football Playoff national championship after a 27-21 victory over Miami on January 19. To quote our Indiana University fight song, “GO! IU! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! Indiana, we're all for you!"

See more Indiana University photos at my main website.

Breaking Away: 35th Anniversary

Today marks the 35th Anniversary of one of my very favorite films, "Breaking Away." Filmed entirely in Bloomington where I attended Indiana University, it perfectly captured the quirky small-town community that just happened to have over 40,000 students. I say "captured" because Bloomington has changed a lot in the last 35 years!

Dennis Christopher plays Dave, a high school student who struggles to figure out his future. Here he is posing in downtown Bloomington astride his bike:



Here's how the same Courthouse Square looks today:



The struggle between "Town and Gown" (community residents vs. the college students) comes to a head in an epic brawl that takes place at the University Student Union:



The Indiana Memorial Union Cafeteria today:



One of the local quarries plays a major role in the film. Limestone from this quarry was used in the Empire State Building, The Pentagon, and Washington National Cathedral, just to name a few iconic structures. Here Dave sunbathes with his high school friends, played by Dennis Quaid (diving into the quarry) and Daniel Stern.



During my college days, I used to go swimming in the very same quarry, aka Rooftop Quarry. Today, you couldn't pay me enough money to jump into this stagnant cesspool!



One of the most touching scenes in the film is between Dave and his somewhat detached father (played by Paul Dooley), who used to work in one of the quarries. They stroll through the campus near the library, discussing Dave's future after high school.

Father: You guys still go swimmin' in the quarries?
Dave: Sure.
Father: So, the only thing you got to show for my 20 years of work is the holes we left behind?

He goes on, in an awkward attempt to encourage his son to be something that he never was:

I was proud of my work. And the buildings went up. When they were finished the damnedest thing happened. It was like the buildings were too good for us. Nobody told us that. It just felt uncomfortable, that's all.



The very same limestone library today:



The final bike race is breathtaking and emotionally charged; I still get excited watching it, even though I know what the result will be.



All that's left of the original stadium where the race was filmed are the corner limestone pillars:



The film's box office started out extremely slow, thanks to a trailer that does a very poor job of promoting the film.



Happy Anniversary, "Breaking Away"!

See more "Breaking Away" photos on my main website.

Fear becomes Fit

Growing up, sports were just not my thing. I always panicked before gym class, knowing I'd be the last one picked, and that once we started the activity, I would be revealed for the uncoordinated goober that I was. And pudgy to boot, which became even more embarrassing when we had to be split into shirts or skins; invariably, I was put on the skins team. When my mom used to get angry about me staying inside all day (drawing, reading, playing music, and making stuff out of construction paper), I'd go outside...and read a book.

I dreaded the annual President's Fitness Test; couldn't do a push-up, couldn't do a pull-up, and running invariably meant I would see the backsides of my classmates as I struggled to keep up with them, let alone finish. I loved swimming, but unfortunately that was not part of gym.

By the time I got to college, I decided it was time to change. The collegiate years are a great time to reinvent yourself. I discovered the HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) Building, which had a crowded weightroom down in the basement area.



Determined to change my body (and my health), I went religiously, voraciously reading fitness books by Bob Paris (pictured below), Tom Platz, and (of course) Arnold to help me build a better physique. Although I didn't look like any of those guys, at least I could now do push-ups, pull-ups, and my new favorite...dips!



Besides the outside of my body, I also became interested in maintaining the inside. Thinking more about the foods that I ate combined with a previously non-existent cardio regime helped give me more energy and made me feel better about myself. By June of 2003, I completed my first race, the infamous Camp Pendleton Mud Run. My shirt started out white, but by the end of the race, it had permanently been stained brown. It was a great experience, but I had no desire to do that one again!



That was my last race for a while; I dropped out of running for the most part until I discovered Disney Running, which had events that ran through both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Of course I had to do both.



Even though I have done it for years, I still can't say I really enjoy the act of running. The pounding of the pavement, the soreness afterwards, the sweat from the heat...not really a lot of fun. However, the opportunity to run early in the morning, clear my head, and plan out my day while taking a look at my surroundings (no headphones or music for me) can be exhilarating. The races are also intoxicating for my competitive nature, while giving a great excuse to visit cities outside of the one I live in. Besides, who doesn't like the bling that goes along with it?



The last few years, I have found that the marriage of photography and athletic events can be a fun and lucrative way to combine two hobbies. From Mud Runs:



to CrossFit:



Athletics aren't just about the physicality of what you are doing; they also include the emotion of a personal achievement:



or two people working together to achieve a common goal, like these two sisters:



While you are reading this today, I will be running the San Diego Half Marathon, hoping for a Personal Record. With the varying elements of how my body feels, the temperatures, and so many other factors, it can often be difficult to know what my final time will be. Naturally, this adds to the excitement. Once I am done, I'll be racing over to the CrossFit619 facility to do a photo shoot there.



As the saying goes, no rest for the weary!



See more Daveland photography on my main website.

Back Home Again In Indiana: I.U., Pt. 2

Although most of my life education was experienced outside of the classroom, I also have many fond memories of the classes and the campus itself. My three very favorite professors at I.U. were: Barbara Klinger (who opened my senses to previously unknown subtexts in classic films with her in-depth analysis), Dr. Susan Eastman (tough but fair and challenging Telecommunications teacher), and Philip Burton (former J.Walter Thompson ad exec who knew how to write the best ad copy around!).

The first photo here shows the Sample Gates, famous entryway into the University itself. Next up are a few of the more memorable (and photogenic) buildings at I.U.:



Maxwell Hall, home to the University Division advisors:



This little gargoyle on top of the building is like something out of the Haunted Mansion!



The School of Journalism:



My dorm, Wright Quad:







The Birth of Venus sculpture fountain with the I.U. Auditorium behind it:





The I.U. Art Museum (the skateboarder was an unexpectedly happy accident of my photo shoot!):



The library:



The gates that once led into the original stadium, which was eventually torn down and is now used as a park area:





One of the last events to occur in the original stadium was the filming of the Little 500 race for the movie "Breaking Away" in 1978 (released in 1979):





Inside the original gym, simply known as the H.P.E.R. (Health, Physical Education and Recreation), there is plenty of cool vintage tile:



Before being bastardized by the Nazi party, the swastika was an Indian symbol of good health, thus its use inside of the entryway to the gym:



Besides interesting tile, the limestone has plenty of carved details that require a closer view:





Despite the high temps, humidity, and drought conditions, the campus is still a lovely place to walk through all of the tree-lined paths and foot bridges.









I encountered this adorable little bunny along the way:



The Gables has long been a campus hangout, and where Hoagy Carmichael wrote the song "Stardust" while playing the piano here when it was The Book Nook:



There was also (and apparently still) a large presence for Greek Housing on campus. Here is the Tri-Delt Sorority:





This was the house featured in "Breaking Away," where David (Dennis Christopher) wooed Katherine (Robyn Douglass) with his singing serenade:



It sure was good to be back.

See more vintage and current Indiana University photos on my Bloomington, Indiana web page.