Athleta / 9

"Athleta Magazine Issue 9" is a celebration of the sports muse and its narrative power, intertwining it with contemporary photography. This edition features two different covers by photographers Nils Ericson and Rich Wade. The publication explores the traditions and rituals of American high school football as well as the intense world of deathmatch wrestling. It takes readers inside the Eastern New York Correctional Facility, showcasing an unusual bodybuilding contest among inmates captured by Joseph Rodriguez's lens. The theme of sacrifice, redemption, and resilience extends to Iranian wrestling in 'Zurkhaneh, the House of Strength' by Konstantin Novakovic. 'Mastering Time' pays homage to the heroes of World Masters Athletics, while 'Fairway Tertulia' by Joseph Fox focuses on golfing greens in Madrid. Lucia Elen Ayari's 'Young, Noble Art' discusses boxing as a tool for empowerment in the suburbs of Catania, Sicily. The publication also explores the sport of ice sailing in Wisconsin and delves into underground Milanese culture, rounding off with Tommy Biagetti's photographic narrative in 'Back in the Days'. This ninth issue is the first to feature dual covers.

 

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Athleta is about telling this story in photos. It is the essence of strength and the absence of failure. That’s something that just doesn’t exist, when you know that you’ve given your all. The desire to try when there is no money to be won, but with simply the idea of being the best. These are pages to be looked at, explored and understood. They are images that have soul and touch the soul. They are details to discover. They are journeys to make.