Saturday, July 2, 2022

[PHOTOSTORY 2: MOTION] After Work Park Activities


 BY: Gloria Wilson



A group of runners practice in Park Gnocchi Arco della Pace. Their coach watches on as he times the runners and gives them tips on their performance.

The runners practice weekly gathering every Friday to run as a group. The group is mixed with intermediate and beginner runners.

The coach looks on at his team as they practice sprinting towards him. Terri (black shirt) works on her stride and her pace. 








Terri stops for a quick breath. "I come here every week to get better at my running," she says, "I have been running for many years."

Alex grinds as he finishes his sprint. Alex and Terri have been running together for almost 6 months. "Running with people is better than running alone."
A German man poses on his bike ride. He laughs as he asks me to move to the right to get his good side.
The man rides down the gravel road, kicking up dust as he flies by. He tells me how he takes bike rides for fun after his job in Milano.

Jorge rides by on his red bike. "One time I took a personality test and it said I would be best in Las Vegas. I have never been to America because they need fingerprints from all 10 fingers and I do not like that. I have no Facebook, Instagram, nothing like that. I am not comfortable with it."



A group of Italian men pose for a quick photo during their game. They grin and tell me they practice for agility and ball control. 




The men gaze at the ball falling. They volley it over the net not using their hands to practice their football skills, there is no official name for this game.
Luca leaps to make contact with the ball. He uses his foot to stop the ball and gain control.

Luca kicks the ball over the net to the other side. This kind of pickup game is common for Italians to get together and play after a long week of work.

A man reaches for the ball after it was kicked out of bounds. No hands are allowed to be used otherwise,  this allows special skills required for soccer to be practiced out of context.

Thiago stops the ball with his foot to gain control. He lobs the ball over to the other side as his teammate rushes up to him to offer support.

Thiago bounces the ball with his knee to pass to his teammate, Alex. Alex and Thiago have played this game together since they were teenagers.

Thiago braces for the impact of the ball against his leg. The hardest part of this game is keeping the ball in bounds. 

Alex catches the ball in the nook of his foot. "We play all the time," he says, "It is a fun way to spend time with my friends."

Alex stops the ball with his chest. In a survey given to Italians in 2020, 6 out of 10 Italians are interested or play soccer casually on a regular basis.
A young women walks her small dog in the park. The dog stops to sniff a metal grate and she tells me that the dog is very curious.

Camilla glances back at her friends while she walks her dog. "Her name is Bella," she tells me, "She likes to walk with me after work."





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