University of Minnesota Athletics
Capturing the Moment: Senior Hannah Garry
2/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By now, the story of Garry, a former walk-on who answered a newspaper advertisement for a tryout, is well known around Gold Country. What some may not know is Hannah’s love for a hobby she just picked up in college - photography. Her digital camera has become a necessary road trip accessory. Her reward… a documented collegiate experience as a Golden Gopher women’s basketball player and thousands upon thousands of cherished memories.
“I picked up photography during my college career after I got my digital camera as a freshman, “ said Garry, who began her playing career as a sophomore. “I have brought that camera on basically every road trip just in case something happens.”
And wow, did something happen. Garry’s first season with the Gophers was the magical ride to the Final Four. We were just getting to know the scrappy walk-on that season who was always smiling, laughing and having a grand old time. All one had to do was watch her stand tall, or as tall as her 5-5 frame would allow, surrounded by her teammates during the playing of the National Anthem to see how very proud No. 31 was just to be wearing the maroon and gold of the University of Minnesota. Behind the scenes, in the airports, the lockerrooms, the hotels, anywhere outside of the 94-feet of hardwood, it was likely that Garry would have her digital camera in tow, ready to capture the moment.
In the two seasons since, Garry has done her fair share of capturing the moments, both photographically and in life in general. She earned a scholarship midway through her junior season and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology this spring. On the court, Garry may be the last one off the bench, seeing only a few precious minutes of playing time when the game’s outcome has already been decided, but her experience as a Golden Gopher has been better than she could have ever expected.
Some may refer to those minutes as garbage time but Garry and her boisterous following of fans behind the Gopher bench have deemed it, HGT – Hannah Garry Time. The hours and hours of hard work in practice are worth the moments of HGT. Garry understands her role on the team and the Golden Gophers are better for her presence.
“I’m absolutely fine with my role,” said Garry. “I love playing the role of being the motivator and providing inspiration. I have the grit to work hard and do whatever in practice I can to make this team better. I’ve been thankful for this whole experience.
“I absolutely love having the crowd behind me. When the last few minutes of a game come around and they’re yelling to put Hannah in, it’s fun and makes the whole atmosphere better.”
Garry has to rely on Athletic Department photographers to capture her images on game days. The action shots serve to fill in the gaps of Garry’s portfolio of her basketball career. As her senior year passes, her photo project is nearing completion.
Three years of memories, of road trips, of team outings, of life in Wilkins Hall, of anything at all associated with being a Golden Gopher. After her first year on the team, she prepared a slide show for her teammates. Now, she displays her work on a website.
“I’ve only had three years,” laments Garry. “It’s not over yet, but it sure has gone fast.”
Garry jokes that perhaps someday she will gather her work and put it on display, similar to the recent Minnesota Historical Society exhibit, The Pulitzer Prize Photographs: Capture the Moment, that she and her boyfriend Zach went to see earlier this month in St. Paul. The exhibit contains the award-winning images from 1942, the first year the Pulitzer Prize was awarded for photography, to the present. Each photo has its own story.
“The Capture the Moment exhibit was very inspirational,” said Garry. “Maybe someday I could be a winner.”
That may be a long shot, but Garry just may pull it off. She’s beaten the odds before. Who would have ever thought a walk-on from Stewartville would make such an impact on an elite program such as Minnesota? And, she has the pictures to prove it.
“Being able to document my seasons so I can look back on them and remember is important to me,” Garry adds. “Right now, when I look back at family events and things like that, they bring back great memories.”
Jokingly she adds, “Well, that and I don’t have a very good memory. It helps to have some pictures.”
Considering she has forgotten her shoes on one occasion and socks on another, maybe she wasn’t joking about her weak memory. What she didn’t forget to pack, however, was her camera. Whether it be a tournament trip to the Virgin Islands or a bus trip to Iowa, there were memories to capture.
It’s all about capturing the moment…a lesson Hannah Garry shares with us all. There’s an old adage that states, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” Hannah Garry takes the liberty to change that adage slightly and make it her own. A picture, for Garry, is worth a thousand memories.
By now, the story of Garry, a former walk-on who answered a newspaper advertisement for a tryout, is well known around Gold Country. What some may not know is Hannah’s love for a hobby she just picked up in college - photography. Her digital camera has become a necessary road trip accessory. Her reward… a documented collegiate experience as a Golden Gopher women’s basketball player and thousands upon thousands of cherished memories.
“I picked up photography during my college career after I got my digital camera as a freshman, “ said Garry, who began her playing career as a sophomore. “I have brought that camera on basically every road trip just in case something happens.”
And wow, did something happen. Garry’s first season with the Gophers was the magical ride to the Final Four. We were just getting to know the scrappy walk-on that season who was always smiling, laughing and having a grand old time. All one had to do was watch her stand tall, or as tall as her 5-5 frame would allow, surrounded by her teammates during the playing of the National Anthem to see how very proud No. 31 was just to be wearing the maroon and gold of the University of Minnesota. Behind the scenes, in the airports, the lockerrooms, the hotels, anywhere outside of the 94-feet of hardwood, it was likely that Garry would have her digital camera in tow, ready to capture the moment.
In the two seasons since, Garry has done her fair share of capturing the moments, both photographically and in life in general. She earned a scholarship midway through her junior season and will graduate with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology this spring. On the court, Garry may be the last one off the bench, seeing only a few precious minutes of playing time when the game’s outcome has already been decided, but her experience as a Golden Gopher has been better than she could have ever expected.
Some may refer to those minutes as garbage time but Garry and her boisterous following of fans behind the Gopher bench have deemed it, HGT – Hannah Garry Time. The hours and hours of hard work in practice are worth the moments of HGT. Garry understands her role on the team and the Golden Gophers are better for her presence.
“I’m absolutely fine with my role,” said Garry. “I love playing the role of being the motivator and providing inspiration. I have the grit to work hard and do whatever in practice I can to make this team better. I’ve been thankful for this whole experience.
“I absolutely love having the crowd behind me. When the last few minutes of a game come around and they’re yelling to put Hannah in, it’s fun and makes the whole atmosphere better.”
Garry has to rely on Athletic Department photographers to capture her images on game days. The action shots serve to fill in the gaps of Garry’s portfolio of her basketball career. As her senior year passes, her photo project is nearing completion.
Three years of memories, of road trips, of team outings, of life in Wilkins Hall, of anything at all associated with being a Golden Gopher. After her first year on the team, she prepared a slide show for her teammates. Now, she displays her work on a website.
“I’ve only had three years,” laments Garry. “It’s not over yet, but it sure has gone fast.”
Garry jokes that perhaps someday she will gather her work and put it on display, similar to the recent Minnesota Historical Society exhibit, The Pulitzer Prize Photographs: Capture the Moment, that she and her boyfriend Zach went to see earlier this month in St. Paul. The exhibit contains the award-winning images from 1942, the first year the Pulitzer Prize was awarded for photography, to the present. Each photo has its own story.
“The Capture the Moment exhibit was very inspirational,” said Garry. “Maybe someday I could be a winner.”
That may be a long shot, but Garry just may pull it off. She’s beaten the odds before. Who would have ever thought a walk-on from Stewartville would make such an impact on an elite program such as Minnesota? And, she has the pictures to prove it.
“Being able to document my seasons so I can look back on them and remember is important to me,” Garry adds. “Right now, when I look back at family events and things like that, they bring back great memories.”
Jokingly she adds, “Well, that and I don’t have a very good memory. It helps to have some pictures.”
Considering she has forgotten her shoes on one occasion and socks on another, maybe she wasn’t joking about her weak memory. What she didn’t forget to pack, however, was her camera. Whether it be a tournament trip to the Virgin Islands or a bus trip to Iowa, there were memories to capture.
It’s all about capturing the moment…a lesson Hannah Garry shares with us all.
