- August 1, 2024
Track & Field Alum Offers New Perspective to U.S. Olympic Trials
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – It was always a dream for Aviana Goode to earn a trip to Hayward Field, the world-class track & field facility in Eugene, Oregon also known as TrackTown USA.
Track & field has long held a central role in Goode’s life. Originally from Bay Shore, New York, she won three state championships and collected silver and bronze medals at state meets while starring for Bay Shore High School.
Goode went on to compete at Syracuse, where she was the 2019 Atlantic Coast Conference indoor high jump bronze medalist and 2019 ACC outdoor bronze medalist in high jump. After completing undergrad at Syracuse in 2020, she joined The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s (UTRGV) track & field program as a graduate transfer.
At the 2021 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Outdoor Championships, she won gold in the 100-meter hurdles, was the runner-up in high jump and took bronze in long jump. Goode was the silver medalist in long jump at the 2022 WAC Indoor Championships. She left UTRGV as the indoor program record holder in the 60 hurdles and the outdoor record holder in the 100 hurdles and heptathlon. Goode remains ranked in the top-five in program history in high jump both indoors (2nd) and outdoors (3rd) and in indoor long jump (T-3rd).
Goode recently added to her long list of track & field-related accomplishments, but in a way she never quite expected.
She was one of four photographers selected to cover the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Team Trials at Hayward Field as part of the Black Women Photographers and TrackTown USA creative team.
“It was surreal,” Goode said. “My goal in life, in track & field specifically, was always to make it to Hayward Field. It was supposed to be as an athlete, but I guess God had different plans for me. I ended up there with a whole new lens, literally and figuratively, and having that perspective of watching the athletes and knowing what it means made the experience feel that much more special.”
The Olympic Trials ran from June 21-30. Goode spent 12 days in Eugene, arriving the day before Trials began to get a feel for the venue, learn the zones designated for photographers, and figure out her angles.
She covered the afternoon sessions, typically shooting from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. After the meet, Goode and her BWP teammates – Ashé Davis, Erica Calhoun and Taylor Sims – spent hours editing their work. Goode was assigned to triple jump, long jump and hurdles, but had the opportunity to photograph almost all of the events and floated all over the venue.
Goode said she took around 1,400 to 1,800 photos daily and edited 200 to 400 images per day. The team had card runners who would take the SD cards from the photographer to the editor and back again for quick editing and posting of images between events.
She switched between two cameras – her personal camera, a Sony A7III with a FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS lens, and a Canon EOS -1D X Mark II with a EF 70-200mm F2.8L IS II USM lens belonging to Howard Lao, an experienced photographer with TrackTown USA and a significant guide for Goode personally. She shot from the infield, the various designated media zones, the stands and anywhere else she felt she could get a unique photo.
“Taking the pictures was so fun because it’s like the whole culture in Eugene is track & field and I think that’s where the magic really comes from. The most draining part was editing, honestly,” Goode said. “I was mainly going for a clean look, clear shots, realistic. I wanted people to be looking at the photo but thinking they were actually there.
“I noticed people gravitated toward certain spots, and I didn’t want the same shot as everyone else, so I decided to work in the stands. It was crowded in those designated areas, and a few shots happened there, but I found my comfortable spots and I just went for it,” Goode explained. “I did get some time in the infield and that was terrifying because everybody can see you. It’s a huge facility so I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, all eyes are on me.’ I can just imagine how the athletes feel!”
Goode studied communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse and earned a Master of Arts, Communication at UTRGV. She currently works at an indoor track & field center in New York City and got started with sports photography less than two years ago by shooting events hosted at work. Goode turned to YouTube to learn about the craft and soaked up any advice given to her as she developed her skills.
“I’ve always had a passion for sports. Getting into photography was different for me because I didn’t know I even had the skill. I just picked it up one day at my job and from there I got pretty good at it, I guess,” Goode laughed. “I’ve improved my skill level because we have so many track meets so I’m able to adapt to the fast environment and I’ve learned how to shoot action shots.”
Wanting to network and learn all she could about photography led Goode to get involved with Black Women Photographers when she discovered the organization on Instagram. BWP was established in July 2020 by Polly Irungu and is a global collective that strives to help Black women and non-binary identifying photographers get hired and receive recognition. The organization provides financial grants to Black creatives, offers free webinars, workshops, trainings, socials, portfolio reviews and more.
In February, it was announced that, for the third consecutive year, BWP and TrackTown USA would come together to provide paid opportunities for Black women and non-binary creatives to cover summer track & field events at Hayward Field, including the Olympic Trials. Goode sent in her portfolio and applied.
“I had shot literally only one outdoor track meet when I applied, so I was extremely nervous,” Goode admitted. “I wasn’t sure if I made the cut, but in April they emailed saying that I was selected. I FaceTimed my mom and my sister and told them what happened. My family is big track fans, mainly my mother, so I knew this was going to be a win for everybody. I spoke with Polly, she said, ‘I saw your pictures and I thought they were beautiful. They were super clear and to the point and I loved your style.'”
Goode photographed the 2024 USA Track & Field NYC Grand Prix in early June to practice for Olympic Trials, then went to Hayward Field with her fearless determination. Her raw skills and genuine love for the sport were an asset.
“As an organization, we aim to provide opportunities for photographers at all levels of personal and professional development,” said Beth Wairimu Irungu, the executive director of BWP. “For many photographers like Aviana, there has never been a lack of talent or skill – just a lack of opportunity. This is a difficult industry to break into. Through our open-call application process, we selected and provided Aviana and other photographers with a unique opportunity to develop and showcase their skills at an elite level on one of the brightest stages in sports. Aviana became an official BWP member this year and we can’t wait to see what she does next!”
Goode didn’t only find confidence in her photography skills at Olympic Trials, she found community. She knew that women and minorities would make up a small part of the creatives at Trials and it meant a lot to her to be representing, connecting and pushing things forward.
“Track & field is mostly made up of African Americans, if we’re being real, so we need to be represented in covering the sport,” Goode said. “Besides our team, there were probably like five other creatives that were also Black women. After we would finish our editing we would go have dinner together and have, like, heart-to-heart conversations, talking about how grateful we were and how we all got there and it was a great time, just being with them in that space.”
Goode felt the athletes understood the mission of the BWP creative team and made it a point to give those photographers the time they needed. Whether it was stopping to pose for a photo when they saw her behind the camera, or giving a follow or shoutout on social media, she said it was special how relationships naturally formed.
Supporting the notion of community was an impromptu photoshoot for Brandon Hicklin, who competed in the 100- and 200-meter dash. He chose Goode to help him announce a sponsorship change from Adidas to Nike in the middle of Trials.
“I had about 40 minutes to prepare, to create the vision, take the pictures, everything. It was right after the track meet. I was losing light outside. I didn’t have a flash. We did it in the Nike store. It was closed, but the Nike people were really nice and gave us time while the store was being cleaned. I found some spikes and sneakers for props and we made it work. That was definitely a special moment,” Goode said.
Other highlights for Goode were getting to photograph Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who she is a longtime fan of, and the big stars like Noah Lyles and Tara Davis-Woodhall. She also got to photograph a former Syracuse teammate, Freddie Crittenden III. The legendary Allyson Felix stopped by the BWP portrait booth and gave Goode’s creative team a shoutout on Instagram.
Capturing Olympic Trials from start to finish taught Goode countless lessons, grew her portfolio and network, and showed her that she can excel off the track, too. She hopes her experience and the mission of Black Women Photographers can inspire young women of color to push themselves and find their place in the creative space.
“This opportunity gave me the chance to be shown in a new light and for people to know my name and know what I can do,” Goode said. “Being a photographer allows me to go out there and still feel like an athlete. I can feel the emotion. I’m capturing everything to remember the moment and to show the love and passion for the sport that I think is the hardest sport in the world.
“None of this happened on my own. God really had a plan for me and I’m grateful I was able to do this,” she continued. “Who knows what’s next. I’m honestly not going to be surprised by anything that pops up. Now it seems like anything is possible.”