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By Ted Ryan

Throughout his high school and college days, Shane Bufano was often the target of sports photographers. Now he's the one behind the lens instead of in front of it. The Shelburne native has gone from helping Champlain Valley Union High School win state championships, in two sports, and reaping honors with Green Mountain College to capturing images of many of Vermont's finest athletes.

"I just really like the action and for me it's a way to stay connected in sports now that I'm not playing because I've been slowed down by injuries," said Bufano, who suffered season-ending knee injuries in high school and college.

"It makes me feel like part of (sports), especially when I follow the teams, like UVM basketball, or high school sports and Legion baseball," said Bufano, whose photographic talents are on display at ShaneBufano.com.

After a successful youth sports career, Bufano became a dangerous scorer for the CVU soccer team, which won the state Division I championships his junior and senior years. However, an anterior collateral ligament (ACL) injury relegated him to the sidelines as a senior, when he enjoyed his first taste of coaching as an assistant for Dan Shepardson.

Bufano also was an outfielder for the 2002 CVU baseball team that won the school's only state title in the sport. At Green Mountain in Poultney, Bufano was the league's runner-up for the rookie of the year award after scoring 16 goals. He was all-conference in 2005-06 and a GMC scholar-athlete award winner for soccer and tennis; Green Mountain didn't have a baseball program, so Bufano served as the tennis team captain for three years. A torn medial collateral ligament (MCL) cut short his soccer career.

Bufano's interest in photography took root at Green Mountain as the result of a yet-to-be-fulfilled quest to visit every major league baseball park. He wanted to document his trips - he's visited five stadiums, including Fenway and the old Yankee Stadium - so he purchased a digital camera. His photos attracted the attention of friends and he began shooting more sports events, posting the photos on his website. When he sold one photo, he began considering turning his hobby into a profession.

Now, he is often seen on the sidelines, whether at a high school game, the Vermont Lake Monsters or at the University of Vermont, which provided the highlight of his fledgling career: covering the Catamounts in the NCAA men's basketball tournament. "Just the atmosphere," he said of the most memorable aspect of attending the NCAA regional tourney in an official capacity. "It's something I wouldn't experience in Vermont."

As yet, photography is not a full-time job. He's a para-educator in the Williston School District, working with kids who have special needs, and this fall he will serve as the coach of the South Burlington High School boys' junior varsity soccer team.

He married Jamie Parot this summer and he's quick to point out that Jamie has been supportive and understanding that shooting photos, especially in sports, means he has an erratic work schedule, including evenings and weekends. "I go to school, get done at three and then head straight to the field, whether it be for St. Michael's, UVM, or a high school," he said. "Then I come home and work on the photos." And weekends are jammed with sports events.
He's been picking up other photo assignments as well, adding senior portraits and weddings to his repertoire, and he's hoping to revive VermontScoreboard.com with a friend, a site centered on high school sports. There, in addition to photography, Bufano is honing his writing skills.
All his activities and his new marital status have delayed his quest to visit every major league ballpark, but he'd settle right now for one dream assignment: Shooting a World Series game at Fenway Park.

If you know of a Shelburne student-athlete competing in college or of any Shelburne athlete, past or present, who is still involved in sports, contact me at TedRyanVT@aol.com.