Since joining The Post in 1985, Rich Lipski has covered practically everything, from the Olympics to Marilyn Manson to the White House to the fall of the Berlin Wall. But his self-described "competitive spirit" makes him a natural for shooting sports and politics, his two favorite beats. Much like covering the White House, Lipski says that excelling in sports photography requires more than focus and shoot. "Things happen in real time," explains Lipski, "You have to be quick enough, educated enough in photography and in human nature to be able to think, shoot and outmaneuver the person next to you." A graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Lipski started his career with an internship at the Fullerton Daily News Tribune. He later joined UPI in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., before coming to The Post in 1985. Raised in Southern California, Lipski now lives with his wife, Holly, in Clifton, Va.