Kregel’s photography, bonds with athletes bring joy to Bearden sports
Tammy Kregel’s personality, as well as her photography, are leaving a significant impact on the Bearden community.
Only one thing is certain at any Bearden sporting event – not the score, not the outcome of the game, nor even the fans in the student section.
It’s Tammy Kregel.
The Bearden athletics mainstay manages to pull off the roles of the working mom, the friend, the fan, the family member, and – perhaps most notably to the Bearden community – the photographer.
Bearden athletes and fans can often find Kregel making a joke to the players and team on the sidelines, creating continuous laughter. She could also be chatting with students, parents, and teachers, all of whom she somehow knows.
And she manages to do all of this while snapping a seemingly inexhaustible supply of pictures of the game and the players.
“I think Tammy is really one of the rocks of Bearden athletics,” sophomore football player Braden Buchanan. “She brings lots of laughter to the football team and to all sports in general.”
Added sophomore cheerleader Reagan Wells: “Tammy is one of our biggest supporters on the sidelines. She’s truly everyone’s cheerleader.”
Kregel started becoming a consistent attendant and photographer of many Bearden athletic events in 2013, when her daughter started high school as a BHS cheerleader.
Wanting to capture the cheer team and their moments together, Kregel began regularly photographing the events, particularly football and basketball games. She continued to photograph events as her children progressed through high school and moved on to college.
Her attendance shifted from just football and basketball games to a whole range of sporting events.
“I really love taking pictures at all sporting events,” Kregel said. “There is something special about each sport I have photographed over the years.
“I definitely understand some more than others, but they are all exciting to attend.”
Even with her kids in college, she is able to balance her career working in registration at the ER and her family life with her photography at Bearden.
“My husband sees how much being involved at Bearden means to me,” Kregel said.
Kregel has grown to appreciate sports and the joy that they bring to all involved with them. She has developed bonds and “cherished memories” with Bearden athletes of all ages and backgrounds.
“I love getting to know [the] kids,” Kregel said. “[They] all bring me such joy and happiness especially since my kids are now in college.”
Kregel’s photography varies from action shots of the game, to postgame candid shots, to shots of friendships and teammates.
“Everyone on the team views her as not only a huge supporter, but also a source of emotional comfort,” senior soccer player Abby Stone said. “We feel as though we can talk to her about anything, and she can always make us laugh or smile, no matter what our mood is.”
The wide variety of pictures posted on Facebook albums gives athletes and parents a wide variety of moments to view.
“I take lots of pictures with the hope of getting one that will make someone smile,” Kregel said. “I’m always hopeful that my pictures will bring happiness to someone, that my pictures will capture a moment that will one day be a cherished memory.
“And when that picture is looked upon years later, it will cause happiness.”