WINNING the Best Sports Photo at the Victorian Country Press Association (VCPA) annual conference last Friday in Torquay was our own photographer, Lara Fitzpatrick, with this eye-catching image for the back page story, ‘Rodeo Round-Up’.

Lara said she remembered setting herself up in a sitting position to get a good low angle, but the event was still hard to capture.

“It was hot and dusty – I was covered in dust as usual,” she laughed.

Asked what she thought directly afterwards, she said in those situations she did sometimes think a photo would have good potential – “if it’s in focus, that’ll be cool” - but was almost always just as quickly back to work thinking about the next photo.

In the Spec office the following Monday morning, everyone from the general manager to newsroom staff thought the image definitely met those rare attributes of a ‘hero shot’, so when the VCPA entries were open back in August, the photo was the first thing we thought to send them.

No-one here was surprised early this week to find out the photo won the category; it will now progress to the Country Press Australia national awards, which will be announced at the Country Press SA conference in Adelaide on Friday, February 28, 2025.

“It’s always nice to have someone like something you’ve taken,” Lara said.