I was able to shoot the level 7-10 double-mini on Saturday. You can check out the photos online by following one of the team links below.
You'll notice a few of the shots on the disk are a bit soft. The only shooting challenge I had all afternoon was avoiding gymnasts using the other double-mini. The result: occasionally a head or a body appear in what is an otherwise gorgeous photo (if I do say so myself). Sometimes the person would pass by quick enough to avoid appearing in the frame, but not so quick to avoid confusing the camera's autofocus system.
The only editing I did was to remove badly out-of-focus shots, so you'll see diamonds and the rough.
The other small issue was that space requirements put the judges' table on the opposite side of where I needed to sit to shoot DM with a relatively clean background, so I could not shoot the ending salutes. I did shoot a few from behind but should probably just delete them.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I enjoyed the gymnasts' performances. A CD or DVD with all the photos from the meet can be had from Cathie Richardson for $20. The photos on the disk are rendered large enough to make 4x6" or 5x7" prints without resampling. Many will up-sample to 12x18" without losing quality. I recommend printing at the Kirkland Costco, or any other Costco with a Noritsu photo printer.
Thanks to Patti and the folks at NWA for hosting the event, and investing in such great lighting, and thanks to Cathie Richardson for distributing photos!
Congratulations to all who competed. It was amazing to see the growth and improvements since last year!
-David