NEED HELP: Friday Night Lights

[Lonewolf]

I shot my first Friday Night football game under artificial lights this week.

I was using a Canon 1D Mk II N and a Canon 70-200 mm f/2.8 L.

I'd hoped to keep a minimum shutter speed of 1/500th but found myself at ISO 3200 and shutter speeds below 1/500th by the end of the game.

Any advice on how best to shoot under these conditions is greatly appreciated.

Thanks - Wayne.

[Photorebel]

I'm far from the best to give advice, but I can tell you what I used.
I also use a Mark IIn.
This is advice...I've been given...
Set the Camera to TV (or aperture priority) f/2.8
ISO to 800
Flash (580EX to TTL) at -1 or -2 exp compensation, keeping shutter
at 1/250th
Use a monopod, and mount flash below camera.

Except for the monopod (no clamp for mounting flash), this is what I used a few weeks ago, and got the best photos (for me) I'd gotten..in this, my second year shooting football.

I was out for a couple of weeks, then there was an open date, so this past Friday, I'd forgotten the settings. And I shot in manual, then Flash set
to manual, forgot to adjust flash exposure, still used MarkIIn and 200 f/2.8.
I was consistently getting underexposed readings (probably because I didn't have the flash set to TTL...but I resisted moving the ISO past 1000
and I got a lot of overexposed (flash) photos when the action was close. I got a few keepers, but not nearly what I got a few weeks ago.
You can see my stuff at my pbase gallery, last section (FB 2007). This isn't perfect, or as good as many others post here, but I think it's improved from last year. Last year I was shooting at 3200, getting way too much noise and still underexposed. This year I shoot at lower shutter speed, wide open, and wait for the action to come closer.
I'm sure you'll get more helpful responses but I was awake early the AM, and just wanted to jump in.:)