Welcome to STRIPES ON THE GO! I’m Gracie O’Neill. STRIPES ON THE GO is the merging of two of my greatest passions - photography and sports.

I am a senior at Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where I am a three-sport Varsity athlete competing in crew, cross country, and swimming. I’m a Captain of the Crew and Cross Country teams and in addition to school sports, I also enjoy competing in triathlons. I’m not just an athlete, though. I am also an artist whose favorite medium is visual arts,  including landscape and sports photography.

My love for sports photography lies in its authenticity. Sports photography allows me to capture and freeze in time moments of pure athleticism, raw emotion, and heart-pounding action. The camera lens captures the truth. Whether that is a moment of triumph from a football win in the Thunderdome, sheer determination in a field hockey swing, or grinding perseverance in a cross-country stride, there is beauty in unscripted action. I have also tried to capture the essence of our school community's unparalleled camaraderie and spirit. 

STRIPES ON THE GO, therefore, is more than just my attempt to fuse the artistry of photography with the unscripted exhilaration of sports. Through these images, I also want to convey the heart of our community. At Episcopal Academy, we talk a lot about “the Stripes.” The Stripes are the physical stripes that we wear on our uniform sweaters as middle school students, and they symbolically represent the values that all EA students aspire to live by -  in the classroom, in competition during our sports, and in the community. Self-Control. Faith. Honesty. Courtesy. Kindness. Generosity. Gratitude. Courage. Respect. Sportsmanship. My hope is that these images showcase the values that EA students exhibit on the fields, courts, and pools. The Stripes like sportsmanship, courage, and respect being lived out loud. The Stripes in action. Stripes on the Go.  

Thank you to all the student-athletes and spectators who appear in these images. Thank you to the Captains for the time you spent being interviewed. Lastly, a heartfelt thank you and my deepest gratitude to Ms. Ellen Erickson, my Honors Photography and Lilley Independent Study teacher, for her insightful instruction, expert guidance, and unwavering support of me on this project. 

Gracie O’Neill (GO)