He has no photographs of himself playing sports as a kid.
That’s one reason why Canyon Country resident Anthony Marrow might go to about 10 games a week — basketball games, football games, tennis games and more — and take pictures of youth athletes, which he then uploads to his Instagram page and website for the kids and their families to see.
“I’m trying to give them (youth athletes) some memories that I didn’t have,” Marrow said during a recent telephone interview. “And it wasn’t because my family didn’t want them. I’m from a small, country, poor town. My mom had to work. She didn’t have time to be taking pictures and following me around.”
Marrow, 52, was born in Henderson, North Carolina. As a kid, he played basketball and wrestled.
In 1991, after graduating high school, he joined the United States Navy. While in the service, he coached basketball. During that time, he also got married, and he and his wife had three kids.
In 2011, Marrow retired from the Navy. He eventually went to work for the U.S. Department of Defense as a civilian.
Marrow and his family moved from Seattle, Washington, to Santa Clarita in 2012. Right out of the gate, he was taking pictures of his kids at their sporting events. He was also coaching in the city of Santa Clarita’s youth sports program, shooting the games for the athletes and their families. Marrow found that people really appreciated it.
As a result, he started what he called Gird Up Photography, which is his website and Instagram page, where he posts his pictures for youth athletes and their families.
One day, a parent approached Marrow and thanked him for his pictures. She said she worked long hours as a nurse and missed many of her kid’s games. At the end of her workday, however, she’d get see those games through Marrow’s photographs.
“That’s when I realized this is a real calling,” Marrow said. “I knew I needed to do more.”
Over the years, Marrow has coached basketball, flag football, volleyball, soccer and softball, and he’s also refereed basketball and soccer. He said he’s coached close to 1,000 kids in the Santa Clarita Valley.
According to Canyon Country resident Tina Listro, about three years ago, when her youngest son, Ryne, was playing Santa Clarita Youth Sports basketball, Marrow was coaching the opposing team and had spotted the family in the stands wearing Navy Seabees attire. Listro’s older son was in the Navy, and the family was showing out for him.
“He (Marrow) is retired Navy, and he noticed us,” Listro said. “He said, ‘Hey, who’s the Seabee?’ I said, ‘My son is.’ He asked if he was stationed in Port Hueneme, and he wasn’t yet, but that was the goal. Then he watched my younger son play, and he was like, ‘Wow, he’s pretty good. Is he going to move on? Does he want to play travel ball?’”
Ryne would end up doing just that. Marrow even coached him.
“He’s a great coach,” Listro said. “He’s really taught Ryne a lot about ball handling, about speed, agility, how to play both sides of the court — offense and defense.”
Marrow has also taken pictures of Ryne’s basketball games.
“One day,” Listro said, “he (Marrow) was like, ‘Hey, I took these pictures.’ And it’s like, ‘Wow, thanks.’ And he said, ‘I put them on social media if you want to see him.’ It means a lot because we parents show up with iPhones, and the pictures we take aren’t really that great.”
Marrow has followed many of his past players when they’ve moved on to high school. He’s no longer coaching them, but he’s still part of his players’ growth in sports by supporting them and rooting for them.
Asked if he ever considered coaching high school ball, Marrow said he’s been offered coaching jobs at a couple high schools, but he’s turned them down because that kind of work is a big commitment and would interfere with him shooting pictures of all the teams he covers now.
In the time Marrow has been in this valley, he’s built up quite the reputation. Often, athletes will come up to him and ask if he has any pictures of them. Chances are, he does.
According to Marrow, he picked up photography just by doing it.
“I started when I was in the military, taking pictures as I went along to different countries,” he said. “Then I bought a nice camera for my kids — my kids were little when I retired. They were 1, 3 and 5. So, when my kids were able to play sports, I already had a nice camera.”
At one point, Marrow felt he needed to improve his craft. That’s what inspired him to go to the Art Institute of California in Hollywood.
And while so many people appreciate his work and skill behind the camera, Marrow has also received special recognition for his work and skill behind the clipboard.
According to Carrie Lujan, city of Santa Clarita Communications Division manager, Marrow was awarded the President’s Volunteer Service Award for coaching over 100 hours of youth sports basketball in 2023.
“He received an award package consisting of a certificate, pin, medal and congratulatory letter from the president of the United States,” Lujan wrote in an email.
To say that Marrow is passionate about sports is an understatement.
“Everybody loves some form of sports in the world,” he said. “That’s what we produce in America. It’s our No. 1 chief product in America.”
Asked if he sees sports as more than just games, Marrow said, “Believe it or not, that’s all I see it as. Some people say, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ Yes, it is fun. But trust me, this is life building.”
He spoke about how playing sports builds camaraderie, fosters teamwork and teaches leadership.
“You need all of that,” he said. “That’s what you need to function in this world.”
According to Justin Santos, recreation coordinator for the city of Santa Clarita and a youth sports basketball coach who’s coached against one of Marrow’s teams, Marrow has a knack for connecting with kids, getting them invested in the sport they’re playing and pushing them to thrive.
“He’s not really motivated by wins and losses,” Santos said. “He’s always been one that just wanted to make people better. Sometimes it kind of showed when he drafted a team, because they wouldn’t be that good talent-wise. But that’s not why he picked kids. He picked kids based off seeing that they wanted to learn and get better. A lot of what I saw from him was kind of cultivating and creating a passion for the sport with the kids.”
Santos became good friends with Marrow since their first meeting on the court. He was inspired by how Marrow was able to get youth athletes so excited about a sport.
Desmond Carter, who’s currently an assistant coach for the West Ranch High School varsity basketball team, was a referee for the city’s youth sports league when he met Marrow about eight years ago. He spoke similarly about Marrow.
“I just saw him bring a lot of energy,” Carter said. “He interacted well with the parents and with the kids. You could tell he had a passion for coaching and helping the kids.”
Carter added that Marrow’s sports photography is another way to shine a light on the young athletes.
Along with his coaching, Marrow keeps a busy calendar, going from game to game, so that he can continue to support the kids in the community in any way he can. Even when these kids are not playing on his team, he feels it’s still his duty to play a part in their lives, working with them on those life-building skills he talked about, helping them become leaders, team players and successful in all aspects of life.
“He brings recognition to kids,” Carter said. “And there are some kids that might not necessarily be star players, but when they see his pictures posted, when they see him writing comments that are positive, I think it inspires the kids. That’s just a testament of who he (Marrow) is, as far as putting the community first.”
Know any unsung heroes or people in the SCV with an interesting life story to tell? Email [email protected].
