Amherst Bates Bowdoin Culture In The 'Cac Photography Sports Williams

‘Fearless’ness Of Olympic Proportions

Jim Morrison said: “Expose yourself to your deepest fear; after that, fear has no power, and the fear of freedom shrinks and vanishes. You are free.”

Jeff Sheng spent years as a closeted athlete, his fear of being exposed so great that he would not continue with athletics in college. Although he declined to surmount that hurdle, he turns those lost years into a triumph by training his lens on athletes who are competing while out. They inspire him, and he wants them to inspire us, so he’s spent 9 years creating their singular portraits.

He’s the twist: there’s a good chance you’ve  already been inspired by these athletes–many of them are current or former NESCAC competitors. Sheng’s exhibit “Fearless” has made its rounds in the States, and debuts in Great Britain at the Olympic Games.

A video slideshow of Sheng’s work is being hosted at Pride House 2012, a safe space for LGBT Olympians and fans. He’s also made it available online. Take some time to watch the video below.

It made me proud, once again, to be a NESCAC student–and I believe that pride is a loan from those who have truly seen their fear “shrink and vanish.”

May we all be so FEARLESS.

Special thanks to @traceyminkin for pointing us towards this story

Further reading from around the web (make recommendations in the comments!):

A profile of Bowdoin’s Ben Chadwick on OutSports.com

Avery Stone’s ‘From Fearless to Afraid At Bryant University’

A substantial interview with Keelin Godsey:

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