SOPIK...The Utah Jazz Dancers Edition

For those of you who don't know, SOPIK stands for Some Old Photos I've Kept. The next bundle of photos I looked through chronicled the time I worked for the Utah Jazz Dancers.

Yes. I really did.

It was 1992 and I had just graduated with my first degree in H.R.  My friend was given the assignment of putting together a jazz dance troupe for the newly constructed Delta Center and I asked her if she would like some help with H.R. She agreed and for two years I went to all the home games as a part of the Utah Jazz Dancers.

Now, for the record, I didn't have a lot to do and that was fine since it wasn't a paid gig, but I did get to see all the games on the floor with my access pass (sorry the pictures I took were not the greatest quality...). I watched some great battles, even one where Michael Jordan almost single-handedly beat the Jazz after being down double digits in the fourth quarter--if I'm remembering things correctly.

Since it was the first year for both the Delta Center and the Jazz Dancers, everything was new. They tried putting together a televised aerobics class to play on KJZZ TV. It never got off the ground. They also held a Jazz Dancer Clinic at Bountiful High School. A lot of little kids (who are now fully grown adults now...) participated and several were chosen to dance at a Utah Jazz game.

It was hard to keep the job, mostly because it didn't pay, and because I ended up getting a position working graves. It's too bad because it was a lot of fun.

Pioneer Village's Wild West Shootout...My First SOPIK

Last week one of my blog posts stood out from the others. It was the one with my friend from college who passed away almost twenty years ago. For me, it was a special post--I didn't realize until after I posted it that it touched others as well.

Back in ancient times (before digital photography...), when you took a picture you had to wait to until the photos were developed to see exactly what transferred on film. One upside to using film is that once the pictures are developed, you have something you can hold in your hand. 

When I wrote my post about Deron I had to go the basement and look through the box full of old pictures until I found the one I needed. In that box there were a lot of other pictures, some from my mission, before my mission, from different places I worked and from university choir tours. They brought back so many memories, memories I want to share.

Several months ago I started the POLAIK blog posts. POLAIK stands fro Profiles Of Local Authors/Artists I Know. And, since I write every day, writing about such talented authors and artists helped fill the daily requirement and a way to let others know about how amazing those people are.

Today I'm going to start a new blog thread called SOPIK, which stands for Some Old Photos I've Kept. And I'm starting with one of the best jobs I've ever had: A Stuntman in the Wild West Shootout at Lagoon.

I don't have a lot of pictures of the years I  did that job with great friends. These were all from the same season, though I don't remember which one. And they could have all been taken on the same day. We rotated half a dozen different shows--not high drama you understand, but the patrons didn't expect impeccable acting or ultra-realistic fights. They came to have a good time and watch guys falls off rooftops and towers.

And that's what they got. And I got memories I hope to keep with me forever. I was part of the last stuntman team to perform at Pioneer Village. It's been more than twenty years since anyone's strapped on 22s, cowboy hats and colored scarves. Maybe one day new generations of amusement park guests can watch men pretend to fight, tell corny jokes and fall from dizzying heights. I sure hope so.