EMU

#BrittenStrong /  by Londen Wheeler

On February 27, 2017, my coach, my best friend, my brother was hit and severely injured by an erratic driver.  This accident has left him paralyzed from the chest down and may never walk again.  Hearing about the news of the accident was not easy to digest but with many prayers and positive thoughts, I know healing is declared in Jesus' name.

I remember the first time we met back in 2012 at my district track meet at Nelson County High School in Virginia.  He walked up to me as cool as a cucumber and dapped me up like he had known me for years.  From that moment, it was like everything else fell into place.  I could feel God living through him, I could feel that genuine spirit, I could feel the friendship that was about to transpire.  Coach O was without a doubt a light for me and everyone he came in contact with.

Again, words can't describe how thankful I am for Coach O and there isn't enough time in the day to tell you all of our crazy stories.  I know that I don't have much to give but I hope to use my photography web site and resources that I have to make sure Coach receives all of the support he needs as he begins his journey.

If you have Facebook, I encourage you to take a few seconds to head over and like his support page (see links below).  There, you can view updates on his progress, read stories about how he has touched people's lives, and see countless photos!  If you have some cash to spare, please consider donating to help Coach and his family as well.

Please continue to pray and send positive thoughts to the Olinger family!  We're in this together.  #FaithFocusFinish #BrittenStrong

Undergrad... (Check) /  by Londen Wheeler

Well...I am proud to say that I have graduated from Eastern Mennonite University!  What a wild ride it has been for sure.  Honestly, I didn't think that I would make it this far but with God's grace, support from family and friends, and a little hard work thrown in the mix, I can finally say that "I made it."

EMU's class of 2016 voted for me to be one of two undergraduate commencement speakers.  As soon as I found out that I was selected to be a speaker, I complained about it and thought of it as being something else to have looming over my head.  After about 48 hours of thoughts and complaints, I thought to myself, "hey. You've made it this far.  Go out with a bang!"  I spoke about my experience as an undergraduate student and charged the institution to work on hiring more diverse faculty and staff.  If you'd like, you can listen to my speech here or on EMU's Podcast (my speech starts around the 11:46 mark)!

Every year, EMU awards 10 seniors with the Cords of Distinction.  These cords are awarded to seniors who have made outstanding contributions to the university, community or society.  I've had my eyes on the Cords of Distinction since my freshman year of college.  I wanted to get involved and make sure I got one.  Besides graduating, receiving the Cords of Distinction was one of my biggest goals.

One thing is for sure.  I'm going to miss the heck out of my friends, my teammates, my coach, and my professors.  Not going to miss the work but I'll definitely miss those who made my experience as a college student easier to bear.  It's going to be weird knowing that I'll be on "summer break" and not go back to campus to see everyone.  What's really going to be weird is knowing that I don't have to train to run track anymore.  That was a big part of my college experience.  Even though I hated the workouts 95% of the time, being on the track team allowed me to mature, meet some great people, and allowed me to have some extraordinary friends.

Right now, I am laying my hat in Texas.  It has already been a nice change of scenery and I can already tell that it will be another hot summer (if you have allergies, stay away from Texas).  I can't wait to do some connecting and shooting with some of the local photographers as well.  If any of my friends want to fly out and do some exploring and shooting with me, definitely let me know!  There's plenty to do around these parts!

Annnnd...Another cool thing about graduating is finally getting a chance to get photographs taken by someone other than myself!  Special thanks to Ashley Link for these photos before the Commencement Ceremony.

Faith Bass'd Film Premiere Today! /  by Londen Wheeler

After a semester of working on this film, I can finally say that all of this hard work can come to an end today.  Faith Bass'd is a short documentary on my good friend Michael Allen who is a superb bass player but also a spiritually grounded man who walks by faith and not by sight.

Click here to watch the promo video!

Today at 4pm in the Eastern Mennonite University Mainstage Theater, my film, along with five of my colleagues will be the last group to show our work until the next school year.

I encourage everyone to come out tonight to see our films!!  For those who cannot make it, I will be putting it up online and will be reposting this blog post so that everyone can see it!

Overcome! /  by Londen Wheeler

3x Olympian Lolo Jones

3x Olympian Lolo Jones

Olympians...  That is the only word to describe this year's JDL FastTrack Camel City Elite meet.  I got to meet Lolo Jones for the second time, Matthew Centrowitz, Jason Richardson, and Breanna Rollins.  It was another year of amazing opportunity and great people.  I got to connect with some really cool photographers, some who have done some crazy amazing things in their careers.  Not only did I get to meet cool photographers, I got to photograph the "world's greatest athlete" and 2012 Olympic champion Ashton Eaton.  Eaton was in the same preliminary section as one of my teammates in the 60 meter dash.  The next day, he competed against my roommate in the shot put and only beat him by a few inches.

I ran the 200 meter dash and didn't run the time that I had hoped but it's all good.  It is early in the season and there's a lot of room for improvement.  Only a few more weeks until our conference track meet.  Can't believe that this is my last indoor college track meet.  Wow... Where has the time gone? On top of that, I only have three more months until I graduate.  Like what?!  

I must say, 2016 has been pretty eventful and I can't wait to see what else comes along during the year.  Alright, guys, I'm signing off!

Ending a semester with JMU Athletics! /  by Londen Wheeler

JMU students pose for a photo in front of the ESPN College GameDay bus.

JMU students pose for a photo in front of the ESPN College GameDay bus.

Well, it has been one heck of a semester with JMU athletics and it was definitely one to remember.  It was great to get to know the athletes across town from EMU.  It was a great season for all of the fall programs.  First off, the football team had an outstanding year!  They had seven consecutive wins, beat SMU (an FBS school), had ESPN College GameDay come to campus and competed in the NCAA tournament!  I'd say that they had a pretty successful season and is looking to have another successful season next fall.

Janey Goodman celebrating after JMU receives a point against the College of Charleston.

Janey Goodman celebrating after JMU receives a point against the College of Charleston.

Women's soccer won the CAA conference title this year and competed in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  Field hockey placed second in the CAA conference after an amazing game against the University of Delaware.  One of my favorite sports to photograph was the women's volleyball team.  Their celebrations were always really intense and super fun to capture!  Photographing cross country was fun too.  It was great seeing the ladies run but there was one meet where it poured down raining the ENTIRE time that they were running.  I was out in New Market with a super huge umbrella strapped between my back and my camera bag so that I was able to use both hands while shooting.  It was miserable for me with my umbrella, I could only imagine what it felt like to be running in that pouring rain the entire time they were running.

Men's soccer was great.  Those guys really know how to play some soccer.  Reminds me of the days when I was young and playing soccer myself.  The fellas came up short in their race to the CAA championship game as they were defending CAA champions.

Right now, we are photographing winter sports, which include men and women's basketball, and track & field.  So far that has been great!  Right before we went on Thanksgiving break, EMU and JMU played for the first time since 1975.  EMU lost but it was definitely a great game to watch, especially when it's the first time that both teams have met in 40 years. 

I will be continuing to shoot for JMU next semester as I finish up my final semester of undergrad.  Can't wait for softball and baseball to roll around!  This past spring, the softball team did really well and hosted the NCAA Regionals.  If all goes well, they could possibly host it again, so fingers crossed!

Be on the lookout for more blog posts as I will be posting more as time goes on!