04/06/2026
An Open Letter From Me To You:
I love capturing moments in time. When I’m behind the camera, I’m looking for more than just a goal or a win. I’m looking for the moments that define who our children are becoming: the sportsmanship, resilience, the controlled determination to try and try again, and the powerful acknowledgements of respect that they show for one another - both with team mates and opposition. I also look for the encouragers on the field and off.
As a parent, I see sport as a vital teacher. It is a safe place for kids to take risks, fail, and build the resilience they will need throughout their lives. It is where they discover their abilities, navigate and regulate their emotions and importantly, build connections.
When they grow, move out of home (or not) and find themselves in a new space or situation they will have the confidence to strike up a conversation, to connect about sport, or walk into a club knowing they are equipped with a shared passion for a game even if they know not a single person. This is what turns a feeling of loneliness into a sense of belonging. When I’m not around or when my kids feel alone, I want them to know they have something within themselves to call on. In doing this, I am preparing them for life and a way to connect and involve others.
It’s also our responsibility to grow great kids into great adults. It is character, more than ability, that will contribute to success in sport. Ability might get them in their desired team but character will keep them there. It may be as a player in the team, a super-sub/reserve player, a carrier of the waterbottles, a manager on game day, or even later as a referee or sideline supporter themselves. A team is a collective group - there may be 2, 10 or 15 players on the field or court but just as importantly, its those standing on the the fringe of the field, along the white lines that make up the squad.
When I share my photos it’s for our kids to see their own potential and the strength they possess - something more visible sometimes through the eyes of others.
And just as our kids look at the field to see how they are playing, they look to the sideline to see how we as parents are responding.
We are the mirror for their experience. When they scan the crowd, they are searching for our approval and that spark of pride in our smiles. They search for our reassurance in competitive or challenging moments and the answer is communicated in what they see us do.
As parents, let’s model the character we want to see in our children. When we show up with composure, cheer for their effort rather than just the result, and demonstrate respect to each other, our team, the other team and the refs, we are teaching them how to navigate the world.
Sometimes the biggest effort is needed off the field than on it. Let’s make the sideline a place where our kids always see how proud we are of them. Let’s showcase the qualities that grow great kids with great relationships anchored in mutual respect and integrity.
The winners on the day will be all of us.
~ Moore Purdy Photographs
