By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
You hear of the underdog stories in the movies. People overcoming barriers to succeed in sports, and in life.
Like 5-foot-nothing Rudy playing football at Notre Dame University.
Rawlins has its own story.
Every weekday morning during her college years, Denise Pfeffer awoke at 8 a.m. to head for class. She went from lecture to lecture until 3 p.m. This is when most college students would end their day, kicking back with a few video games or relaxing to some Van Halen music.
Not Pfeffer though. Her day was just starting. At 4 p.m. she would make her way to the practice facility in Golden, Colo., home of the Colorado School of Mines. Her volleyball practices would run until 6:30 p.m. and then her teammates would head for home. But again, Pfeffer stood out of the crowd. For she was a two-sport athlete, so she needed to do extra conditioning to get ready for the upcoming basketball season.
After a few extra sprints, she would wonder back home, fix some dinner, study her class notes and then hit the bad, for the next day she would do it all over again.
Sounds like she doesn’t have any free time for socializing right?
“My free time was practice,” Pfeffer said. “It took my mind off of studying.”
For four years, the now head coach of the Rawlins girls basketball team, worked hard to earn her way on the team. Playing college sports is one thing when you’re a towering six-feet tall, but Pfeffer doesn’t exactly have a height advantage. She rose above the elements, however, and made a name for herself with knowledge of the game and her scrappy play.
Pfeffer said of playing two sports and taking college courses towards a geophysics masters degree, “it was challenging, but you learn to balance your time.” At the School of Mines, Pfeffer said “everyone is in the same boat, so friends help each other out ... and you get introduced to upperclassmen earlier (in college).”
Now, the Rawlins native is in her third year coaching her high school alma mater. “I have lots of wonderful memories” being in the Rawlins High School gym, she said. And it’s pleasing for her to look into the stands and see her parents still come to every home game. “Basketball has always been a family affair,” she said.
Pfeffer got her start in coaching when she returned to Rawlins after earning her undergraduate and masters degree at the School of Mines. Raleigh Voas — the former Lady Outlaws head coach — got in contact with Pfeffer to start coaching. “(He) was very successful,” she said of her predecessor. “He taught me a lot.” Pfeffer started with one year at the junior varsity level, before taking over for Voas in 2006, but she’ll be the first to tell you a coach is only as good as its staff. Lucily for Pfeffer, she has an experienced staff.
Ken Stucki and Clairinda Weatherwax make up the Lady Outlaws staff. “I couldn’t ask for a better staff,” the head coach said of their support. Pfeffer has high expectations for her girls, and they go beyond the parquet floor.
“As a coach you try to teach the girls things about life ... in addition to the basketball skills,” Pfeffer said. So you can imagine she had good things to say about any of her team members who are interested in playing sports.
“I think it’s worth pursuing,” she said. “It opened the door for opportunities, for friendships and time management ... and especially for young women ... sports offer important leadership skills.”
The once Rawlins High graduate, turned college basketball point guard and college volleyball setter, turned Rawlins varsity girls basketball coach is enjoying life. “I got to travel on road trips (in college),” she said, “and now I get to teach the girls skills ... I don’t feel an added pressure being in Rawlins, but I hope the community enjoys the games ... because the girls really work hard.”
So 5-foot nothing Pfeffer has succeeded in sports, and in life. And she’s passing her knowledge on to other generations of young Rawlinites.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
putlaw picnic
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
People usually enjoy going to a good picnic. Rawlins high school students definitely enjoy hosting one.
And that’s just what they did Wednesday evening at the Rawlins High School parking lot. Students showed up wearing massive amounts of red, white and black to enjoy loud music, an assortment of grilled meats and to socialize with their classmates.
The event is put on every year by the Rawlins High School Athletic Booster Club. This is the ninth year of its existence and booster club president Mike Mann has been in charge of it for the last three years now.
“We just want to get the community back involved,” Mann said. The community certainly got involved on Wednesday as nearly 250 people showed up to support the Outlaws athletic teams.
Various athletes showed up wearing their respective uniforms, so it was easy to spot them in the crowd. Youngsters were also on hand running around and cutting in line to swipe a few sugary cookies when their parents weren’t watching. Besides the red, white and black school colors, a few students even showed off their homecoming week themed shirts, which were yellow and read, “Do you got it? Outlaw Spirit, catch it!” Many of the teenagers in attendance had caught it, because there were plenty of pupils who painted their faces for the event with the numbers of their favorite football player.
The meat grilling was done by the Rawlins High School Welding Club and they were the easiest to spot through the gallery because their grill was placed high above the crowd on a trailer. Members of the club wore welding gloves to keep their hands from burning and a few of them faced the task of running through the masses with trays of meat, back and forth between the grill and a second trailer containing all of the condiments.
This is the first time the event was held on a Wednesday and you can expect it to happen more in the future. “Usually we did it on Friday before the parade,” Mann said, “but it got too hectic. This was a chance for all of the athletes to come and enjoy the evening with their classmates. I am really surprised with the turnout. It is our biggest crowd ever.”
The biggest hit of the night for the biggest attendance ever was when head football coach Travis Moore and his senior captains got on the microphone and said some crowd-pleasing quotes. Senior linebacker Kody Mann, son of the booster president, said, “this week at practice we worked on a lot of form tackling.” Good thing because coach Moore explained that Friday night’s opponent, Buffalo, has some “pretty big” players. Senior defensive lineman Josh Bergquist took the microphone and added his two cents by saying, “(Buffalo) has good players, but I think we can be better.”
However, the two players who got the biggest roar from the folks on hand were quarterback Colton Hilim and runningback Dennis McCaslin. The latter of which said, “I’m gonna run over ‘em” to which Hilim one upped and said, “I’m gonna punch ‘em out, step on their mouth and keep ‘em down.” Some violent strategies, but if nothing else, the crowd was happy to hear it.
Hopefully for Outlaws fans, when the Bison roll into Rawlins on Friday night, they’ll leave with their first loss of the season and the Rawlins students can then enjoy the final homecoming event of the week, the formal.
Times sports writer
People usually enjoy going to a good picnic. Rawlins high school students definitely enjoy hosting one.
And that’s just what they did Wednesday evening at the Rawlins High School parking lot. Students showed up wearing massive amounts of red, white and black to enjoy loud music, an assortment of grilled meats and to socialize with their classmates.
The event is put on every year by the Rawlins High School Athletic Booster Club. This is the ninth year of its existence and booster club president Mike Mann has been in charge of it for the last three years now.
“We just want to get the community back involved,” Mann said. The community certainly got involved on Wednesday as nearly 250 people showed up to support the Outlaws athletic teams.
Various athletes showed up wearing their respective uniforms, so it was easy to spot them in the crowd. Youngsters were also on hand running around and cutting in line to swipe a few sugary cookies when their parents weren’t watching. Besides the red, white and black school colors, a few students even showed off their homecoming week themed shirts, which were yellow and read, “Do you got it? Outlaw Spirit, catch it!” Many of the teenagers in attendance had caught it, because there were plenty of pupils who painted their faces for the event with the numbers of their favorite football player.
The meat grilling was done by the Rawlins High School Welding Club and they were the easiest to spot through the gallery because their grill was placed high above the crowd on a trailer. Members of the club wore welding gloves to keep their hands from burning and a few of them faced the task of running through the masses with trays of meat, back and forth between the grill and a second trailer containing all of the condiments.
This is the first time the event was held on a Wednesday and you can expect it to happen more in the future. “Usually we did it on Friday before the parade,” Mann said, “but it got too hectic. This was a chance for all of the athletes to come and enjoy the evening with their classmates. I am really surprised with the turnout. It is our biggest crowd ever.”
The biggest hit of the night for the biggest attendance ever was when head football coach Travis Moore and his senior captains got on the microphone and said some crowd-pleasing quotes. Senior linebacker Kody Mann, son of the booster president, said, “this week at practice we worked on a lot of form tackling.” Good thing because coach Moore explained that Friday night’s opponent, Buffalo, has some “pretty big” players. Senior defensive lineman Josh Bergquist took the microphone and added his two cents by saying, “(Buffalo) has good players, but I think we can be better.”
However, the two players who got the biggest roar from the folks on hand were quarterback Colton Hilim and runningback Dennis McCaslin. The latter of which said, “I’m gonna run over ‘em” to which Hilim one upped and said, “I’m gonna punch ‘em out, step on their mouth and keep ‘em down.” Some violent strategies, but if nothing else, the crowd was happy to hear it.
Hopefully for Outlaws fans, when the Bison roll into Rawlins on Friday night, they’ll leave with their first loss of the season and the Rawlins students can then enjoy the final homecoming event of the week, the formal.
lrsv-toga
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It was a cross-town quarrel Friday night when Saratoga boys basketball team headed to Baggs to tip off with the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers.
And when it was all said and done, the visiting Panthers left with a 73-60 win.
LSRV head coach Paul Pestrud said his team was in the game, but speed ended up biting the Rattlers.
“We did what we wanted,” Pestrud said, “except with one kid in David Capozzoli,” who finished with 27 points. Capozzoli, who is a track star in the spring, utilized his speed to get many open looks in the lane. “(Saratoga) must have had almost 16 points on layups,” Pestrud said of the well coached Panthers. “They simply out ran us.”
The Rattlers weren’t completely out-played. Cody Foster almost matched Capozzoli’s point total as Foster netted 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Logan Adams added 16 points and 10 rebounds for LSRV.
As for the Pestrud’s focus going into Friday night, he was looking to shut down Jake Johnston, Saratoga’s main big man. The pesky Rattler defense held him in check, allowing 14 points — five fewer than his season average.
“Our defense worked pretty good,” Pestrud said. The Rattlers got defense from an unexpecting character. Irving Guzman came off the bench and forced some turnovers, while scoring eight points offensively.
Saturday should be another tough test for LSRV. They head to St. Stephen’s at 3 p.m.
“It’s a whole new show up there,” Pestrud said of their coach leaving. “We really don’t know what they’re (like) ... but the kid’s like to go there. It’s a neat atmosphere.”
Times staff writer
It was a cross-town quarrel Friday night when Saratoga boys basketball team headed to Baggs to tip off with the Little Snake River Valley Rattlers.
And when it was all said and done, the visiting Panthers left with a 73-60 win.
LSRV head coach Paul Pestrud said his team was in the game, but speed ended up biting the Rattlers.
“We did what we wanted,” Pestrud said, “except with one kid in David Capozzoli,” who finished with 27 points. Capozzoli, who is a track star in the spring, utilized his speed to get many open looks in the lane. “(Saratoga) must have had almost 16 points on layups,” Pestrud said of the well coached Panthers. “They simply out ran us.”
The Rattlers weren’t completely out-played. Cody Foster almost matched Capozzoli’s point total as Foster netted 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Logan Adams added 16 points and 10 rebounds for LSRV.
As for the Pestrud’s focus going into Friday night, he was looking to shut down Jake Johnston, Saratoga’s main big man. The pesky Rattler defense held him in check, allowing 14 points — five fewer than his season average.
“Our defense worked pretty good,” Pestrud said. The Rattlers got defense from an unexpecting character. Irving Guzman came off the bench and forced some turnovers, while scoring eight points offensively.
Saturday should be another tough test for LSRV. They head to St. Stephen’s at 3 p.m.
“It’s a whole new show up there,” Pestrud said of their coach leaving. “We really don’t know what they’re (like) ... but the kid’s like to go there. It’s a neat atmosphere.”
lsrv to state
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
The 1A west regional tournament came early on Saturday morning when the Little Snake River Valley School boys basketball team tipped off at 9:30 a.m. against the Ten Sleep Pioneers.
The two teams were faced with must-win situations in order to reach Casper and the state tournament. Fortunately for Carbon County, the Rattlers held off a late run by the Pioneers and won 49-47.
“We’ve made it where we’ve wanted to,” head Rattler coach Paul Pestrud said of his team’s first berth to the state tournament in almost five years.
The first half of the game saw the Pioneers jump to an early lead, forcing Pestrud to take a timeout. Then Logan Adams and Ty Crawford got to work. Crawford led the Rattlers with tough defensive steals and fed the ball to Adams for easy jump shots in the lane. LSRV had fought back to claim a 30-22 lead at halftime.
Both teams countered the other in the third by scoring 11 points each, making for an exciting fourth quarter of action.
Ten Sleep started to come back at times, but seemed to kill their own momentum when the Pioneers coach called a timeout after Ten Sleep scored big baskets. The timeouts allowed the Rattlers to settle down and draw up a press-breaker play.
“We had a lot of turnovers that were unforced, that should’ve hurt us,” Pestrud said of his team throwing the ball away or being called for traveling on five consecutive possessions. “Our defense had some key stops,” the head coach said of how the Rattlers were able to negate the turnovers.
The final few minutes had Cody Foster and Zach Herold combine with Adams to scrape out the win at the free throw line. With 22 seconds remaining in the game, the Rattlers led by four, but Hunter Birningham made it a one-point lead with a 3-pointer of his own. Herold was then fouled and put on the line for two charity shots and only 5 seconds left. Herold made the first, but missed the second. The ball was rebounded by the Pioneers and passed ahead to Birningham who had a good look at the basket for the win, but air-balled the final shot of his career, giving the Rattlers the thrilling win.
Herold finished the game with 14 points, including a “few big, key shots,’ Pestrud said. Adams also scored 14 points, but Foster led the team with 17 points.
The Rattlers open their state tournament run with a familiar face: fellow Carbon County foe Saratoga. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4:30 p.m. at the Casper College gym.
“Our program isn’t quite at the elite level,” Pestrud said, “but we’re coming back.”
Times staff writer
The 1A west regional tournament came early on Saturday morning when the Little Snake River Valley School boys basketball team tipped off at 9:30 a.m. against the Ten Sleep Pioneers.
The two teams were faced with must-win situations in order to reach Casper and the state tournament. Fortunately for Carbon County, the Rattlers held off a late run by the Pioneers and won 49-47.
“We’ve made it where we’ve wanted to,” head Rattler coach Paul Pestrud said of his team’s first berth to the state tournament in almost five years.
The first half of the game saw the Pioneers jump to an early lead, forcing Pestrud to take a timeout. Then Logan Adams and Ty Crawford got to work. Crawford led the Rattlers with tough defensive steals and fed the ball to Adams for easy jump shots in the lane. LSRV had fought back to claim a 30-22 lead at halftime.
Both teams countered the other in the third by scoring 11 points each, making for an exciting fourth quarter of action.
Ten Sleep started to come back at times, but seemed to kill their own momentum when the Pioneers coach called a timeout after Ten Sleep scored big baskets. The timeouts allowed the Rattlers to settle down and draw up a press-breaker play.
“We had a lot of turnovers that were unforced, that should’ve hurt us,” Pestrud said of his team throwing the ball away or being called for traveling on five consecutive possessions. “Our defense had some key stops,” the head coach said of how the Rattlers were able to negate the turnovers.
The final few minutes had Cody Foster and Zach Herold combine with Adams to scrape out the win at the free throw line. With 22 seconds remaining in the game, the Rattlers led by four, but Hunter Birningham made it a one-point lead with a 3-pointer of his own. Herold was then fouled and put on the line for two charity shots and only 5 seconds left. Herold made the first, but missed the second. The ball was rebounded by the Pioneers and passed ahead to Birningham who had a good look at the basket for the win, but air-balled the final shot of his career, giving the Rattlers the thrilling win.
Herold finished the game with 14 points, including a “few big, key shots,’ Pestrud said. Adams also scored 14 points, but Foster led the team with 17 points.
The Rattlers open their state tournament run with a familiar face: fellow Carbon County foe Saratoga. The game is scheduled to tip off at 4:30 p.m. at the Casper College gym.
“Our program isn’t quite at the elite level,” Pestrud said, “but we’re coming back.”
linzie green
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
Most high school coaches blend together.
They want to win games, win championships and for their kids to be recruited by colleges.
In Rawlins, Linzie Green sticks out from the crowd.
It helps that he’s almost 6 and a half feet tall. But beyond the physicalities, he sticks out for another reason. He has experience playing division one basketball at Nichols State University in Louisiana.
“I don’t know ... there’s a lot of schools in Wyoming,” Green said of being the only high school boys basketball coach in the Cowboy State. But as for whether it gives him an edge, he said it does a little of both.
“Yes and no. You can’t expect your players to play how you played, but you can teach them the principles and the values of working hard.” Green said when he was younger he became a basketball junkie: going to the gym early to shoot jump shots, staying in the gym late to shoot free throws, simply working to get better. Basketball is a way of life for Green.
“All I ever wanted to do was coach the game of basketball,” he said. “Most all of my coaches were like father figures.” They helped him with his shooting, with his studies and would even give him rides to and from practices.. “As a coach, you have to have a relationship with the kids, but you also have to draw the line between coach and player.” That’s now his own approach as he is in the middle of coaching his third team in Wyoming.
But Green didn’t just become a basketball coach by night. He spent many years playing the sport he loves, and is now passing along his passion to the next generation of Outlaw graduates.
“Every coach I had was different, and each one had a different impact on my life,” Green said. From little league basketball, to AAU, to high school, to college, Green learned various coaching techniques during his playing days.
So how did this passionate basketball junkie end up in the town of Rawlins? He said it was a little bit of past experience, but mostly the luck of meeting his wife.
Green played at Western Wyoming Community College from 1995-1997 before transferring to NSU. Upon graduation, Green headed to Germany for a few years to continue his hoop dreams. It lasted until 2001 when he returned to WWCC as an assistant coach at the junior college level. He spent two seasons with the Mustangs, then two seasons in Sheridan.
Eventually he met his wife Amber, a native of Rawlins, and the pieces fell together. “It was a good move for us,” Green said of his transition to central Carbon County. “It got us close to family.”
It seems like a story-book ending for a passionate basketball fan. To play in college, travel over seas, coach an alma mater, meet a life partner and settle down as a head coach at the high school level.
But for this ambitious hardwood enthusiast, he said he wouldn’t count out an eventual trip back to the university level.
“I’d love to eventually go back and coach college basketball,” Green said. “I like the idea of recruiting, I like meeting people ... I’m a people person and I want to get out and get more involved ... and if that opportunity ever came, that’d be something that I’d have to seriously think about doing.”
At the end of the day, he does fit in with the coaching landscape. He has hopes that his kids learn not only the game of basketball, but also lessons about life.
“Every coach’s dream is to have a kid be successful in life ... I’m trying to teach (my players) to understand nothing is going to be given to them,” Green said. “I tell them ... to get an education because ‘this it’s what’s going to get you a job’ ... but do they listen? Maybe a handful. You can’t reach everybody, but just reaching one kid is making a difference.”
Of course as a basketball coach “the ultimate dream is a state championship.” Green said it’d be the best case scenario for his hardwood career. “As a basketball coach, (my goal) is the to win the state championship ... especially at the high school level.” And he believes it’s not far along on the road of life. “These kids (in Rawlins) have a chance to do it, but I don’t think they realize it because of talent ... but I think it’s more about experience than talent.”
Talent can blend together, but it’s experience, which sticks out.
Times staff writer
Most high school coaches blend together.
They want to win games, win championships and for their kids to be recruited by colleges.
In Rawlins, Linzie Green sticks out from the crowd.
It helps that he’s almost 6 and a half feet tall. But beyond the physicalities, he sticks out for another reason. He has experience playing division one basketball at Nichols State University in Louisiana.
“I don’t know ... there’s a lot of schools in Wyoming,” Green said of being the only high school boys basketball coach in the Cowboy State. But as for whether it gives him an edge, he said it does a little of both.
“Yes and no. You can’t expect your players to play how you played, but you can teach them the principles and the values of working hard.” Green said when he was younger he became a basketball junkie: going to the gym early to shoot jump shots, staying in the gym late to shoot free throws, simply working to get better. Basketball is a way of life for Green.
“All I ever wanted to do was coach the game of basketball,” he said. “Most all of my coaches were like father figures.” They helped him with his shooting, with his studies and would even give him rides to and from practices.. “As a coach, you have to have a relationship with the kids, but you also have to draw the line between coach and player.” That’s now his own approach as he is in the middle of coaching his third team in Wyoming.
But Green didn’t just become a basketball coach by night. He spent many years playing the sport he loves, and is now passing along his passion to the next generation of Outlaw graduates.
“Every coach I had was different, and each one had a different impact on my life,” Green said. From little league basketball, to AAU, to high school, to college, Green learned various coaching techniques during his playing days.
So how did this passionate basketball junkie end up in the town of Rawlins? He said it was a little bit of past experience, but mostly the luck of meeting his wife.
Green played at Western Wyoming Community College from 1995-1997 before transferring to NSU. Upon graduation, Green headed to Germany for a few years to continue his hoop dreams. It lasted until 2001 when he returned to WWCC as an assistant coach at the junior college level. He spent two seasons with the Mustangs, then two seasons in Sheridan.
Eventually he met his wife Amber, a native of Rawlins, and the pieces fell together. “It was a good move for us,” Green said of his transition to central Carbon County. “It got us close to family.”
It seems like a story-book ending for a passionate basketball fan. To play in college, travel over seas, coach an alma mater, meet a life partner and settle down as a head coach at the high school level.
But for this ambitious hardwood enthusiast, he said he wouldn’t count out an eventual trip back to the university level.
“I’d love to eventually go back and coach college basketball,” Green said. “I like the idea of recruiting, I like meeting people ... I’m a people person and I want to get out and get more involved ... and if that opportunity ever came, that’d be something that I’d have to seriously think about doing.”
At the end of the day, he does fit in with the coaching landscape. He has hopes that his kids learn not only the game of basketball, but also lessons about life.
“Every coach’s dream is to have a kid be successful in life ... I’m trying to teach (my players) to understand nothing is going to be given to them,” Green said. “I tell them ... to get an education because ‘this it’s what’s going to get you a job’ ... but do they listen? Maybe a handful. You can’t reach everybody, but just reaching one kid is making a difference.”
Of course as a basketball coach “the ultimate dream is a state championship.” Green said it’d be the best case scenario for his hardwood career. “As a basketball coach, (my goal) is the to win the state championship ... especially at the high school level.” And he believes it’s not far along on the road of life. “These kids (in Rawlins) have a chance to do it, but I don’t think they realize it because of talent ... but I think it’s more about experience than talent.”
Talent can blend together, but it’s experience, which sticks out.
column 2
Did the world ever make sense?
Seriously, in today’s life, there’s no shame in being confused about facts. We’ve been taught to never eat with our fingers in public, but yet the best thing to buy at a carnival is finger food — someone invented the funnel cake for a reason.
Our mother’s harped to always buckle up in a moving vehicle, but golf carts don’t come standard with that feature.
Our father’s told us drugs were bad, as they stuffed pill after pill into our chicken poxed bodies.
And then when getting an x-ray taken at the doctor’s office, it’s always pleasing to hear the results are positive. The same can’t be said about receiving the results of a drug test.
And the craziness continues.
In sports, there’s enough confusion that Confucius wouldn’t be able to keep it square, or straight, or whatever one says to be on top of things.
The foul pole is in fair play in baseball, while a free throw can pay a toll on an individual in basketball.
A strikeout is bad in baseball as it constitutes an out, while a strikeout in bowling is great because it represents a perfect frame.
A foul means an illegality in basketball, but simply a ‘do-over’ in baseball.
Turnovers tend to be bad in all sports, save wrestling, where they’re another name for a reversal.
Tackles usually have a violent connotation, until you get into fishing, where one’s tackle leads to quiet days on the lake, waiting for a bite.
Even teams are confused as to what to call themselves.
The Chicago White Sox wear black socks. The Utah Jazz call there home Salt Lake City, a place known for its church organ music. The Los Angeles Lakers call their home a city near the ocean. I guess it’s a really large lake? Not quite.
Then there are team that make no sense. Kings in Scremento? Since when. This country is run as a democracy. And while were at it, why are Royals in Kansas City? Titans in Tennesse? Penguins in Pittsburgh?
The Big Ten conference features 11 teams, so someone must’ve done their math wrong.
Golf clubs are separated into irons and woods. Woods are made of titanium, while irons are made of steel?
At sporting events, clocks can wind down, or run up — as in soccer, but clocks are clocks, they’re sometimes wrong. But at least we can agree on one thing, the highest score is always best. Wait, scratch that. Cross country and golf use the lowest score for their winners.
So I ask again, did the world ever make sense?
I suppose not.
Seriously, in today’s life, there’s no shame in being confused about facts. We’ve been taught to never eat with our fingers in public, but yet the best thing to buy at a carnival is finger food — someone invented the funnel cake for a reason.
Our mother’s harped to always buckle up in a moving vehicle, but golf carts don’t come standard with that feature.
Our father’s told us drugs were bad, as they stuffed pill after pill into our chicken poxed bodies.
And then when getting an x-ray taken at the doctor’s office, it’s always pleasing to hear the results are positive. The same can’t be said about receiving the results of a drug test.
And the craziness continues.
In sports, there’s enough confusion that Confucius wouldn’t be able to keep it square, or straight, or whatever one says to be on top of things.
The foul pole is in fair play in baseball, while a free throw can pay a toll on an individual in basketball.
A strikeout is bad in baseball as it constitutes an out, while a strikeout in bowling is great because it represents a perfect frame.
A foul means an illegality in basketball, but simply a ‘do-over’ in baseball.
Turnovers tend to be bad in all sports, save wrestling, where they’re another name for a reversal.
Tackles usually have a violent connotation, until you get into fishing, where one’s tackle leads to quiet days on the lake, waiting for a bite.
Even teams are confused as to what to call themselves.
The Chicago White Sox wear black socks. The Utah Jazz call there home Salt Lake City, a place known for its church organ music. The Los Angeles Lakers call their home a city near the ocean. I guess it’s a really large lake? Not quite.
Then there are team that make no sense. Kings in Scremento? Since when. This country is run as a democracy. And while were at it, why are Royals in Kansas City? Titans in Tennesse? Penguins in Pittsburgh?
The Big Ten conference features 11 teams, so someone must’ve done their math wrong.
Golf clubs are separated into irons and woods. Woods are made of titanium, while irons are made of steel?
At sporting events, clocks can wind down, or run up — as in soccer, but clocks are clocks, they’re sometimes wrong. But at least we can agree on one thing, the highest score is always best. Wait, scratch that. Cross country and golf use the lowest score for their winners.
So I ask again, did the world ever make sense?
I suppose not.
It all 'ads' up
February is right around the corner.
Which means the lunar new year and Honest Abe’s birthday. Punxsatawney Phil’s appearance and the cherry tree chopper’s birthday. Cupid’s human hunt and of course, the Super Bowl.
This year — the 42nd version, or XLII — is such a mismatch that even David thinks Goliath will prevail. The beasts of Beantown versus the boys of the Big Apple, I guess I’ll be fast forwarding the TiVo through the game, to watch the commercials — I’m sure to get a few ample match ups.
Sure the two competing teams hail from cities with a common hatred of one another, but that’s only thanks to the rivalry they share on the ball diamond.
But this time around, the best action will be Lay’s versus Tostitos. What with the all new 100 percent sunflower oil from Lay’s, “I bet you can’t eat just one.”
On the gridiron, the Perfect Patriots have become the new “America’s Team,” mostly because their name is, well, patriotic. But in the ad world, Chevrolet has become “America’s Brand,” mostly because they’ve created, well, an American Revolution.
The New York “football” Giants feature a young leader at quarterback, who’s overshadowed by his father Archie and big brother Peyton. Wendy’s, too, features a young personality — albeit a redhead with pigtails — who’s overshadowed by the Arches and big brother King, yet both Eli and Wendy seem to come up with a “Biggie” size performance when they need it most.
The venue for all of the week’s festivities is the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is actually an exclusively online university without, get this, a football team. Instead, the team who calls the stadium home is actually the Arizona Cardinals, who actually have the same amount of championships as, get this, the nonexistent University of Phoenix’s football team — zero.
New England, however, has won three of the last seven Super Bowls, with Tom Brady earning the MVP twice, and yes, the FOX network will remind us more than a dozen times. Similarly, Miller Lite has earned an award in five of the last 11 World Beer Cup competitions, with four of them being gold, and yes, their ads will remind us more than a half-dozen times.
The Giants traditions date back to 1925 when they played at the Polo Grounds and first crafted their ‘NY’ helmet logo. Anheuser-Busch has traditions dating back to 1852 when they started in St. Louis and crafted their first pilsner beer.
Whether it’s deep passes and acrobatic catches, or commercial pitches and catchy advertisements that wet your palate, Super Bowl Sunday is sure to fill you up — or maybe that’s the snacks.
Either way, “hungry? Why wait?” Grab the remote and a satisfying Snickers.
Which means the lunar new year and Honest Abe’s birthday. Punxsatawney Phil’s appearance and the cherry tree chopper’s birthday. Cupid’s human hunt and of course, the Super Bowl.
This year — the 42nd version, or XLII — is such a mismatch that even David thinks Goliath will prevail. The beasts of Beantown versus the boys of the Big Apple, I guess I’ll be fast forwarding the TiVo through the game, to watch the commercials — I’m sure to get a few ample match ups.
Sure the two competing teams hail from cities with a common hatred of one another, but that’s only thanks to the rivalry they share on the ball diamond.
But this time around, the best action will be Lay’s versus Tostitos. What with the all new 100 percent sunflower oil from Lay’s, “I bet you can’t eat just one.”
On the gridiron, the Perfect Patriots have become the new “America’s Team,” mostly because their name is, well, patriotic. But in the ad world, Chevrolet has become “America’s Brand,” mostly because they’ve created, well, an American Revolution.
The New York “football” Giants feature a young leader at quarterback, who’s overshadowed by his father Archie and big brother Peyton. Wendy’s, too, features a young personality — albeit a redhead with pigtails — who’s overshadowed by the Arches and big brother King, yet both Eli and Wendy seem to come up with a “Biggie” size performance when they need it most.
The venue for all of the week’s festivities is the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is actually an exclusively online university without, get this, a football team. Instead, the team who calls the stadium home is actually the Arizona Cardinals, who actually have the same amount of championships as, get this, the nonexistent University of Phoenix’s football team — zero.
New England, however, has won three of the last seven Super Bowls, with Tom Brady earning the MVP twice, and yes, the FOX network will remind us more than a dozen times. Similarly, Miller Lite has earned an award in five of the last 11 World Beer Cup competitions, with four of them being gold, and yes, their ads will remind us more than a half-dozen times.
The Giants traditions date back to 1925 when they played at the Polo Grounds and first crafted their ‘NY’ helmet logo. Anheuser-Busch has traditions dating back to 1852 when they started in St. Louis and crafted their first pilsner beer.
Whether it’s deep passes and acrobatic catches, or commercial pitches and catchy advertisements that wet your palate, Super Bowl Sunday is sure to fill you up — or maybe that’s the snacks.
Either way, “hungry? Why wait?” Grab the remote and a satisfying Snickers.
hem v. toga
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
With five seconds to play in the game, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners’ girls basketball team led 27-26.
When the clock struck zero, the Saratoga Lady Panthers had won 28-27.
It was just the right kind of game that fans like to see on a well lit hardwood floor in the middle of winter, but this was only the first game of the season, so it could be a sign of an exciting season ahead.
“(Amanda Booth) did a very good job of ball control,” head Miners coach Jackie Jones said. But she also did a great job of scoring as well.
Booth bucketed 20 points for the Miners to lead all scorers on the night.
Going into the half, HEM led by three, and then going into the fourth quarter the Miners led 27-21. Booth scored all of the Miners’ points in the third stanza.
And as the fourth quarter winded down, Jones was pleased to see her team’s ball control work. “Our girls in the past haven’t shown a lot of patience with ball control,” she said. “(But) we actually did a very good job of that in the fourth quarter.”
While they didn’t score at all in the fourth, Booth made some good drives and Jennifer Korkow set some good screens.
Coming into the season, Jones said “some people (thought) we were going to be a team of scrubs ... but (the girls) definitely showed a lot of heart, a lot of hustle tonight.”
The next team on the schedule is Shoshoni at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, a team that scored 68 points Friday night to win by 60.
That doesn’t discourage Jones, however.
“We now what we want to do,” she said, “and right now the win-loss record isn’t as important as it will be come February and March. I truly use these (early) games as learning tools.”
Her first lesson is to have her offense “be crisper in their offensive sets.”
Times sports writer
With five seconds to play in the game, the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Miners’ girls basketball team led 27-26.
When the clock struck zero, the Saratoga Lady Panthers had won 28-27.
It was just the right kind of game that fans like to see on a well lit hardwood floor in the middle of winter, but this was only the first game of the season, so it could be a sign of an exciting season ahead.
“(Amanda Booth) did a very good job of ball control,” head Miners coach Jackie Jones said. But she also did a great job of scoring as well.
Booth bucketed 20 points for the Miners to lead all scorers on the night.
Going into the half, HEM led by three, and then going into the fourth quarter the Miners led 27-21. Booth scored all of the Miners’ points in the third stanza.
And as the fourth quarter winded down, Jones was pleased to see her team’s ball control work. “Our girls in the past haven’t shown a lot of patience with ball control,” she said. “(But) we actually did a very good job of that in the fourth quarter.”
While they didn’t score at all in the fourth, Booth made some good drives and Jennifer Korkow set some good screens.
Coming into the season, Jones said “some people (thought) we were going to be a team of scrubs ... but (the girls) definitely showed a lot of heart, a lot of hustle tonight.”
The next team on the schedule is Shoshoni at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, a team that scored 68 points Friday night to win by 60.
That doesn’t discourage Jones, however.
“We now what we want to do,” she said, “and right now the win-loss record isn’t as important as it will be come February and March. I truly use these (early) games as learning tools.”
Her first lesson is to have her offense “be crisper in their offensive sets.”
hem regional championship
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
While not too many people around the county expected the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team to be vying for a regional tournament championship Saturday in Lander, the Miners overcame the doubts and ran the floor with the Burlington Huskies.
“I think we’ve played as hard a schedule as anybody this weekend,” head Miner coach Clif Jones said. HEM played the Nos. 5, 3 and 1 teams in the state, respectively, so losing 47-33 to the Huskies wasn’t too much of a damper for Jones. “I’m happy with a second place finish here ... but we still have lots of work to do before the state tournament,” he said as the Miners prepare for Thursday’s opening round game of the 1A state tournament in Casper.
Saturday’s championship game wasn’t as bad as the score may seem. The Miners lit the scoreboard first, when Matt Larson got open in the lane for finger roll. In fact, HEM held a 2-0 lead for the first two minutes. When the Huskies did manage to fill the basket with a layup of their own, Larson was able to answer the call with a baseline drive and score. With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Larson was outscoring Burlington’s entire team 4-3, and the Miners held on for a 10-8 lead after eight minutes of play.
“The biggest question all weekend for us was, ‘Can we answer the runs,’” Jones said. HEM was able to do such against Encampment the day before, leading to the monumental upset, and the Miners continued to do such in the second quarter against the Huskies. HEM held Burlington scoreless for the final 2:42 of the quarter and led 21-14.
In the locker room at halftime is when the Huskies regained their composure.
Burlington jumped out of the gates in the third quarter scoring the first five points of the second half and blanking the Miners for the first two minutes. Midway through the third quarter, Burlington found the lead at 24-23 and Jones used a timeout to settle his team down, and to try and quiet the hundred-or-so Burlington fans in attendance. “I thought we played good basketball for two and a half quarters,” he said. “(The Huskies) have active hands ... and we couldn’t handle it.”
In the fourth quarter, the Miners trailed 33-27 due to being outscored 19-6 in the third. Then Paul Christiansen took over the game for the Huskies. Three-pointer after 3-pointer, Christiansen found ways to stretch the Husky lead to 45-31 at the mid point of the final stanza. Each team would add one more basket in the final 3:50 of the game and the Huskies celebrated another Burlington regional championship.
Larson finished with 16 points for the Miners and Matt Mayfield added 10. “He really responded well today,” Jones said after the game of Mayfield’s performance. “He had a good weekend.”
HEM is scheduled to play at 6 p.m. on Thursday against the Southeast Cyclones.
Times staff writer
While not too many people around the county expected the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow boys basketball team to be vying for a regional tournament championship Saturday in Lander, the Miners overcame the doubts and ran the floor with the Burlington Huskies.
“I think we’ve played as hard a schedule as anybody this weekend,” head Miner coach Clif Jones said. HEM played the Nos. 5, 3 and 1 teams in the state, respectively, so losing 47-33 to the Huskies wasn’t too much of a damper for Jones. “I’m happy with a second place finish here ... but we still have lots of work to do before the state tournament,” he said as the Miners prepare for Thursday’s opening round game of the 1A state tournament in Casper.
Saturday’s championship game wasn’t as bad as the score may seem. The Miners lit the scoreboard first, when Matt Larson got open in the lane for finger roll. In fact, HEM held a 2-0 lead for the first two minutes. When the Huskies did manage to fill the basket with a layup of their own, Larson was able to answer the call with a baseline drive and score. With five minutes remaining in the first quarter, Larson was outscoring Burlington’s entire team 4-3, and the Miners held on for a 10-8 lead after eight minutes of play.
“The biggest question all weekend for us was, ‘Can we answer the runs,’” Jones said. HEM was able to do such against Encampment the day before, leading to the monumental upset, and the Miners continued to do such in the second quarter against the Huskies. HEM held Burlington scoreless for the final 2:42 of the quarter and led 21-14.
In the locker room at halftime is when the Huskies regained their composure.
Burlington jumped out of the gates in the third quarter scoring the first five points of the second half and blanking the Miners for the first two minutes. Midway through the third quarter, Burlington found the lead at 24-23 and Jones used a timeout to settle his team down, and to try and quiet the hundred-or-so Burlington fans in attendance. “I thought we played good basketball for two and a half quarters,” he said. “(The Huskies) have active hands ... and we couldn’t handle it.”
In the fourth quarter, the Miners trailed 33-27 due to being outscored 19-6 in the third. Then Paul Christiansen took over the game for the Huskies. Three-pointer after 3-pointer, Christiansen found ways to stretch the Husky lead to 45-31 at the mid point of the final stanza. Each team would add one more basket in the final 3:50 of the game and the Huskies celebrated another Burlington regional championship.
Larson finished with 16 points for the Miners and Matt Mayfield added 10. “He really responded well today,” Jones said after the game of Mayfield’s performance. “He had a good weekend.”
HEM is scheduled to play at 6 p.m. on Thursday against the Southeast Cyclones.
hem track
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
A combination of 22 boys and girls have been practicing with the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow track team.
A number which is lingering around the usual number of Miner spring athletes.
Head coach Jackie Jones said eight girls have been in attendance so far, and 14 boys have expressed their interest in running for the Miners.
“We’ve been very consistent with our numbers,” Jones said. The teams have a good mix of older and younger athletes. Jones said, “We have a couple senior boys who are out for track for the first time ever. And we’re definitely not going to turn bodies away.”
Among the returning athletes, Justin Palm is in his final year as a Miner. “He should have a great season for us,” Jones said. Palm competes in the field events including both throws — shot put and discus — and long jump and triple jump. “He may even continue with the 4 x 100-yard relay team,” which he’s done in the past, Jones said.
Emmett Vallot returns as a junior and is also strong in the throws, according to the head coach.
Travis Bohanan returns as a Miner distance runner. “He came into his own at the end of the season,” Jones said, “so we’ll look for big things from him this year.”
The youth comes into play with freshmen Charlie George, Mitch Long and Raymond Hohn. “Raymond should fill some open spots in the jumps for us,” Jones said. “And he was successful in the hurdles at the junior high level. He could take some lumps early, but he’s a hard worker,” so Jones thinks he’ll be a contributor throughout the season.
As for the girls team, Jones has a few seniors to lead the way.
Amanda Booth placed in the 100-, 200- and 400-yard dashes at the state meet, so Jones said, “I’m looking for real good things from her this season. We just need to fine tune a few aspects.”
Sarah McAtee returns as a thrower for the Miners and Audrianna Cruz returns as an all-around athlete. “Last year, (Cruz) ran some distance races for us,” Jones said, “and she ended up qualifying for state. ... She is a wonderful young lady to have around.”
Sarah Ferrell is another all-around athlete for Jones and the Miners. “She runs whatever race we put her in,” the head coach said. “Hopefully this year can have her strictly at middle distances.”
Another aspect to the season Jones is keeping her fingers crossed about is the weather. “So far we’ve just had the long distance kids running outside,” Jones said of the weather helping to expand their lungs.
HEM’s first meet is Saturday, March 29 at 8:30 a.m. in Guernsey.
Times staff writer
A combination of 22 boys and girls have been practicing with the Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow track team.
A number which is lingering around the usual number of Miner spring athletes.
Head coach Jackie Jones said eight girls have been in attendance so far, and 14 boys have expressed their interest in running for the Miners.
“We’ve been very consistent with our numbers,” Jones said. The teams have a good mix of older and younger athletes. Jones said, “We have a couple senior boys who are out for track for the first time ever. And we’re definitely not going to turn bodies away.”
Among the returning athletes, Justin Palm is in his final year as a Miner. “He should have a great season for us,” Jones said. Palm competes in the field events including both throws — shot put and discus — and long jump and triple jump. “He may even continue with the 4 x 100-yard relay team,” which he’s done in the past, Jones said.
Emmett Vallot returns as a junior and is also strong in the throws, according to the head coach.
Travis Bohanan returns as a Miner distance runner. “He came into his own at the end of the season,” Jones said, “so we’ll look for big things from him this year.”
The youth comes into play with freshmen Charlie George, Mitch Long and Raymond Hohn. “Raymond should fill some open spots in the jumps for us,” Jones said. “And he was successful in the hurdles at the junior high level. He could take some lumps early, but he’s a hard worker,” so Jones thinks he’ll be a contributor throughout the season.
As for the girls team, Jones has a few seniors to lead the way.
Amanda Booth placed in the 100-, 200- and 400-yard dashes at the state meet, so Jones said, “I’m looking for real good things from her this season. We just need to fine tune a few aspects.”
Sarah McAtee returns as a thrower for the Miners and Audrianna Cruz returns as an all-around athlete. “Last year, (Cruz) ran some distance races for us,” Jones said, “and she ended up qualifying for state. ... She is a wonderful young lady to have around.”
Sarah Ferrell is another all-around athlete for Jones and the Miners. “She runs whatever race we put her in,” the head coach said. “Hopefully this year can have her strictly at middle distances.”
Another aspect to the season Jones is keeping her fingers crossed about is the weather. “So far we’ve just had the long distance kids running outside,” Jones said of the weather helping to expand their lungs.
HEM’s first meet is Saturday, March 29 at 8:30 a.m. in Guernsey.
county teams
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It’s not every year that a school from Carbon County puts themselves in contention to compete for a state championship. It’s even less often when two schools from the county make it to the state tournament.
This year, however, all four schools in division 1A from the county — which includes Saratoga as of this year — have played their way into the state tournament in Casper. The games tip off Thursday, with the Tigers playing Midwest at 10:30 a.m., Little Snake River Valley squaring off with Saratoga at 4:30 p.m. and Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow meeting Southeast at 6 p.m.
Howard Spenny, the athletic director at Encampment said, “I’ve been here for about 20 years and this is the first time I can remember” having all four teams in the state tournament at once. The balance of power within the county has been on cycles for teams, but this year was the year all the moons aligned.
Anne Wiley, athletic director for the Rattlers, said, “Isn’t it something? It’s so exciting for our county. ... And it says a lot about our conference. The 1A west conference is home to LSRV, Encampment and HEM, while the Panthers are from the 1A east conference. “Honestly look around the state, I bet we’re the only county with all its teams going,” she said.
“I can’t remember the last time this happened,” HEM athletic director Russ Wiggam said. “I think it shows we’re extremely competitive” with basketball in the county. Spenney said the competitive nature dwindles off the court. “We cheer each other on, that is when we’re not playing each other,” he said. “There are plenty of friendships outside of the schools. The parents are intact with other parents” from the other cities, “and we’re all kind of a family.”
Wiley seconded the idea of the county being a big fraternity of supporters. “They’re will be very few kids in school on Thursday,” she said. “If there’s any sort of relative on the team, the kid will be absent.” Encampment, however, is giving their entire student body the day off on Friday. “We took this day off back in the summer,” Spenny said. “We thought there might be a good opportunity that we would make it (to Casper).” Spenny does think that other Tiger students might miss school on Thursday as well. “It’s a prearranged absence, so the kids will get their work done ahead of time in order to go,” he said.
In Miner country, Wiggum said the school is offering a pep-bus to go to Casper, “which leaves right after school lets out on Thursday, but you have to be in class to ride it.” Thursday morning, the Miners are planning a send off of their team.
The same is true in Baggs, however, the Rattlers are holding the send off in conjunction with the school’s academic awards ceremony and the entire town is invited. “We get more and more people to come every year,” Wiley said. And she expects this year’s ceremony to be the biggest yet.
In Casper, the Thursday games are all being held at the Casper College gymnasium, but Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for the Casper Events Center. The championship game tips off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
Times staff writer
It’s not every year that a school from Carbon County puts themselves in contention to compete for a state championship. It’s even less often when two schools from the county make it to the state tournament.
This year, however, all four schools in division 1A from the county — which includes Saratoga as of this year — have played their way into the state tournament in Casper. The games tip off Thursday, with the Tigers playing Midwest at 10:30 a.m., Little Snake River Valley squaring off with Saratoga at 4:30 p.m. and Hanna Elk Mountain Medicine Bow meeting Southeast at 6 p.m.
Howard Spenny, the athletic director at Encampment said, “I’ve been here for about 20 years and this is the first time I can remember” having all four teams in the state tournament at once. The balance of power within the county has been on cycles for teams, but this year was the year all the moons aligned.
Anne Wiley, athletic director for the Rattlers, said, “Isn’t it something? It’s so exciting for our county. ... And it says a lot about our conference. The 1A west conference is home to LSRV, Encampment and HEM, while the Panthers are from the 1A east conference. “Honestly look around the state, I bet we’re the only county with all its teams going,” she said.
“I can’t remember the last time this happened,” HEM athletic director Russ Wiggam said. “I think it shows we’re extremely competitive” with basketball in the county. Spenney said the competitive nature dwindles off the court. “We cheer each other on, that is when we’re not playing each other,” he said. “There are plenty of friendships outside of the schools. The parents are intact with other parents” from the other cities, “and we’re all kind of a family.”
Wiley seconded the idea of the county being a big fraternity of supporters. “They’re will be very few kids in school on Thursday,” she said. “If there’s any sort of relative on the team, the kid will be absent.” Encampment, however, is giving their entire student body the day off on Friday. “We took this day off back in the summer,” Spenny said. “We thought there might be a good opportunity that we would make it (to Casper).” Spenny does think that other Tiger students might miss school on Thursday as well. “It’s a prearranged absence, so the kids will get their work done ahead of time in order to go,” he said.
In Miner country, Wiggum said the school is offering a pep-bus to go to Casper, “which leaves right after school lets out on Thursday, but you have to be in class to ride it.” Thursday morning, the Miners are planning a send off of their team.
The same is true in Baggs, however, the Rattlers are holding the send off in conjunction with the school’s academic awards ceremony and the entire town is invited. “We get more and more people to come every year,” Wiley said. And she expects this year’s ceremony to be the biggest yet.
In Casper, the Thursday games are all being held at the Casper College gymnasium, but Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for the Casper Events Center. The championship game tips off on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
enc vball
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
Encampment’s biggest rivalry is the Panthers of Saratoga.
But Saturday morning the Tigers’ volleyball team did some quarreling with the Panthers of a different name. Cokeville.
The outcome, however, was no different than the last two meeteings between Encampment and Saratoga. Cokeville set the pace from the get-go and won the match in four games 25-11, 25-11, 24-26 and 25-10.
Head coach Robin Loftice said, “I think our team played good. Cokeville is a tough team and taking them to four games was exciting.”
The loss drops Encampment to 6-14 on the season, but Loftice is more concerned with “playing as a team.
“We’ve had some players sick, so they’ve been out for a few weeks,” Loftice said. “The girls I’ve put (on the court) have played well, but we’ve talked this week about getting back as a team and playing as one.”
Encampment hosts Little Snake River Hig School on Friday Oct., 12. The two teams have split the season series at one match apiece with Encampment having won the most recent contest.
Times sports writer
Encampment’s biggest rivalry is the Panthers of Saratoga.
But Saturday morning the Tigers’ volleyball team did some quarreling with the Panthers of a different name. Cokeville.
The outcome, however, was no different than the last two meeteings between Encampment and Saratoga. Cokeville set the pace from the get-go and won the match in four games 25-11, 25-11, 24-26 and 25-10.
Head coach Robin Loftice said, “I think our team played good. Cokeville is a tough team and taking them to four games was exciting.”
The loss drops Encampment to 6-14 on the season, but Loftice is more concerned with “playing as a team.
“We’ve had some players sick, so they’ve been out for a few weeks,” Loftice said. “The girls I’ve put (on the court) have played well, but we’ve talked this week about getting back as a team and playing as one.”
Encampment hosts Little Snake River Hig School on Friday Oct., 12. The two teams have split the season series at one match apiece with Encampment having won the most recent contest.
enc boys state ticket
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
With a packed house for a prime-time game in the Encampment gym, the home town Tigers beat the Shoshoni Wranglers 44-23.
Head coach Clint Bromley wasn’t real impressed with his offensive production, but his was satisfied with the defensive shutdown.
“Holding a high school boys basketball team to 23 points is pretty good,” Bromley said.
Danial Barkhurst and Brandon Russell came together to help shut down the Wrangler’s attacks.
Offensively, Marion Marchetti netted 24 points for the Tigers and Chad McKinney pitched in eight.
Bromley tried to run the floor tonight, but with a lot of new comers on the team, they just weren’t meshing well.
“(The boys) were pretty nervousness,” Bromley said. “I think they’ve actually been nervous for about two days.”
It appeared to wear off in the second half.
As the first half came to an end, the Tigers led 17-10, but in the fourth quarter alone Encampment scored 17 points.
“I think they started to loosen up a little bit,” he said. “A couple of them have never been in a starting position before, and they were pretty nervous, and we expected it as well. But they came out and played better in the second half.”
The main thing that Bromley recognized was that his team has “a lot of newness.”
New offensive sets, new players in different positions.
“The newness is what it made it a longer night for us,” he said.
The tigers will now get some rest and tip off at 9 a.m. Saturday against Wright.
Times sports writer
With a packed house for a prime-time game in the Encampment gym, the home town Tigers beat the Shoshoni Wranglers 44-23.
Head coach Clint Bromley wasn’t real impressed with his offensive production, but his was satisfied with the defensive shutdown.
“Holding a high school boys basketball team to 23 points is pretty good,” Bromley said.
Danial Barkhurst and Brandon Russell came together to help shut down the Wrangler’s attacks.
Offensively, Marion Marchetti netted 24 points for the Tigers and Chad McKinney pitched in eight.
Bromley tried to run the floor tonight, but with a lot of new comers on the team, they just weren’t meshing well.
“(The boys) were pretty nervousness,” Bromley said. “I think they’ve actually been nervous for about two days.”
It appeared to wear off in the second half.
As the first half came to an end, the Tigers led 17-10, but in the fourth quarter alone Encampment scored 17 points.
“I think they started to loosen up a little bit,” he said. “A couple of them have never been in a starting position before, and they were pretty nervous, and we expected it as well. But they came out and played better in the second half.”
The main thing that Bromley recognized was that his team has “a lot of newness.”
New offensive sets, new players in different positions.
“The newness is what it made it a longer night for us,” he said.
The tigers will now get some rest and tip off at 9 a.m. Saturday against Wright.
enc boys hoops
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
With a packed house for a prime-time game in the Encampment gym, the home town Tigers beat the Shoshoni Wranglers 44-23.
Head coach Clint Bromley wasn’t real impressed with his offensive production, but his was satisfied with the defensive shutdown.
“Holding a high school boys basketball team to 23 points is pretty good,” Bromley said.
Danial Barkhurst and Brandon Russell came together to help shut down the Wrangler’s attacks.
Offensively, Marion Marchetti netted 24 points for the Tigers and Chad McKinney pitched in eight.
Bromley tried to run the floor tonight, but with a lot of new comers on the team, they just weren’t meshing well.
“(The boys) were pretty nervousness,” Bromley said. “I think they’ve actually been nervous for about two days.”
It appeared to wear off in the second half.
As the first half came to an end, the Tigers led 17-10, but in the fourth quarter alone Encampment scored 17 points.
“I think they started to loosen up a little bit,” he said. “A couple of them have never been in a starting position before, and they were pretty nervous, and we expected it as well. But they came out and played better in the second half.”
The main thing that Bromley recognized was that his team has “a lot of newness.”
New offensive sets, new players in different positions.
“The newness is what it made it a longer night for us,” he said.
The tigers will now get some rest and tip off at 9 a.m. Saturday against Wright.
Times sports writer
With a packed house for a prime-time game in the Encampment gym, the home town Tigers beat the Shoshoni Wranglers 44-23.
Head coach Clint Bromley wasn’t real impressed with his offensive production, but his was satisfied with the defensive shutdown.
“Holding a high school boys basketball team to 23 points is pretty good,” Bromley said.
Danial Barkhurst and Brandon Russell came together to help shut down the Wrangler’s attacks.
Offensively, Marion Marchetti netted 24 points for the Tigers and Chad McKinney pitched in eight.
Bromley tried to run the floor tonight, but with a lot of new comers on the team, they just weren’t meshing well.
“(The boys) were pretty nervousness,” Bromley said. “I think they’ve actually been nervous for about two days.”
It appeared to wear off in the second half.
As the first half came to an end, the Tigers led 17-10, but in the fourth quarter alone Encampment scored 17 points.
“I think they started to loosen up a little bit,” he said. “A couple of them have never been in a starting position before, and they were pretty nervous, and we expected it as well. But they came out and played better in the second half.”
The main thing that Bromley recognized was that his team has “a lot of newness.”
New offensive sets, new players in different positions.
“The newness is what it made it a longer night for us,” he said.
The tigers will now get some rest and tip off at 9 a.m. Saturday against Wright.
pizza hut feature
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
It was a family style gathering at the restaurant that’s famous for its red roof.
Steven Jaramillo was the waiter for this group of people who had a party of 12. Jaramillo grabbed the surrounding tables and slid them together as if he was playing a giant game of Tetrus. The customers sat down and he took their drink order. For Jaramillo, it was simple work between the football and baseball season.
For his dad, Steve, it was something new. “The first time I bussed or waited on a table was in December,” he said. “I have, oh, 35 hours of experience.” The Jaramillo family has teamed up with the Midkiff family in order to raise $4,600 for each of their graduating sons — Steven Jaramillo and Daine Midkiff.
The two soon-to-be high school graduates have been selected to travel to Australia for the 20th annual Down Under Bowl. The trip included 11 days in Australia and three days in Hawaii before leaving paradise and returning to the real world.
However, the entire time won’t be all fun and games. Steven Jaramillo said most of the practices are two-a-days. Not to worry though, the practices are on the beach.
On July 3, the two former-Outlaw players head for the land down under with their fathers — Steve Jaramillo and Glenn Midkiff. For Glenn, he said his feelings are torn. “When Daine got the letter in the mail I was so excited, at first,” he said. “Then I realized how much money we had to raise and I got a little less excited.”
Fortunately, the two families teamed up to start fundraising right away.
“We chose Pizza Hut because one of Steven’s baseball friend’s mothers suggested it to us,” Steve Jaramillo said. “And they’ve taken us in and have been a real big help.” Pizza Hut gives the two athletes almost 20 percent of the gross intake for the three hours the families help out, according to Steve Jaramillo.
In addition to receiving a cut of the day’s income, Glenn Midkiff said there is a raffle as well. He pulled a booklet of green tickets from behind the counter and sat it beside a booklet of white tickets. “The green ones are from us personally,” he said, while the white ones come from the International Sports Specialists Incorporation, or ISSI. The ISSI is the main incorporation behind the Down Under Bowl. Its raffle is for a round trip to Australia at the same time as the athletes.
“Our raffle is for either $500 off a gun from Bi-Rite Sports or $500 off riding gear at TNT Motor Sports,” he said. “The ticket book itself was donated by Jackalope Printing (Hobby & Office) Supplies.” The booklet came with 500 tickets in it, and Glenn Midkiff said about 50 remained as of Wednesday evening.
After seating a family of three in the corner, Glenn Midkiff returned to say he appreciates the entire communities support. “The way this community gets behind its kids is unreal,” he said. “And I need to thank everyone who made this happen.”
As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the two athletes were three-fourths of the way done, according to Steve Jaramillo, and Pizza Hut has offered to let them work every Wednesday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. until the money is raised.
Times staff writer
It was a family style gathering at the restaurant that’s famous for its red roof.
Steven Jaramillo was the waiter for this group of people who had a party of 12. Jaramillo grabbed the surrounding tables and slid them together as if he was playing a giant game of Tetrus. The customers sat down and he took their drink order. For Jaramillo, it was simple work between the football and baseball season.
For his dad, Steve, it was something new. “The first time I bussed or waited on a table was in December,” he said. “I have, oh, 35 hours of experience.” The Jaramillo family has teamed up with the Midkiff family in order to raise $4,600 for each of their graduating sons — Steven Jaramillo and Daine Midkiff.
The two soon-to-be high school graduates have been selected to travel to Australia for the 20th annual Down Under Bowl. The trip included 11 days in Australia and three days in Hawaii before leaving paradise and returning to the real world.
However, the entire time won’t be all fun and games. Steven Jaramillo said most of the practices are two-a-days. Not to worry though, the practices are on the beach.
On July 3, the two former-Outlaw players head for the land down under with their fathers — Steve Jaramillo and Glenn Midkiff. For Glenn, he said his feelings are torn. “When Daine got the letter in the mail I was so excited, at first,” he said. “Then I realized how much money we had to raise and I got a little less excited.”
Fortunately, the two families teamed up to start fundraising right away.
“We chose Pizza Hut because one of Steven’s baseball friend’s mothers suggested it to us,” Steve Jaramillo said. “And they’ve taken us in and have been a real big help.” Pizza Hut gives the two athletes almost 20 percent of the gross intake for the three hours the families help out, according to Steve Jaramillo.
In addition to receiving a cut of the day’s income, Glenn Midkiff said there is a raffle as well. He pulled a booklet of green tickets from behind the counter and sat it beside a booklet of white tickets. “The green ones are from us personally,” he said, while the white ones come from the International Sports Specialists Incorporation, or ISSI. The ISSI is the main incorporation behind the Down Under Bowl. Its raffle is for a round trip to Australia at the same time as the athletes.
“Our raffle is for either $500 off a gun from Bi-Rite Sports or $500 off riding gear at TNT Motor Sports,” he said. “The ticket book itself was donated by Jackalope Printing (Hobby & Office) Supplies.” The booklet came with 500 tickets in it, and Glenn Midkiff said about 50 remained as of Wednesday evening.
After seating a family of three in the corner, Glenn Midkiff returned to say he appreciates the entire communities support. “The way this community gets behind its kids is unreal,” he said. “And I need to thank everyone who made this happen.”
As of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, the two athletes were three-fourths of the way done, according to Steve Jaramillo, and Pizza Hut has offered to let them work every Wednesday between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. until the money is raised.
raw bball loss
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
Casey Tulley came up only one turn-around jumper away from winning the game for Rawlins Friday night.
Mountain View escaped with a thrilling 56-53 win.
The Outlaws came out poised to start the game, moving the ball around on offense, which enabled open shots for their shooters. But something happened. “We started getting away from what was helping us win,” head coach Linzie Green said.
After the first quarter the game was knotted at nine thanks to plenty of defensive pressure from both teams. And then the second quarter came around. Green would have liked to have skipped the second quarter entirely.
“We gave up 20 points in the second quarter alone,” he said. “Then in the second half we gave up 27 points altogether. That means we weren’t working hard.”
What Green does hope his team builds on is the final few minutes of the game.
With three minutes remaining in the game, it was all but over for the Outlaws. Down by eight, Green took a timeout to tell his team to turn up the intensity.
Tulley made a free throw and Trey Jebens stole the inbounds pass. His pass went to Willcox under the basket and Rawlins was within five in only a matter of seconds.
With one minute to play, Rawlins had climbed to within three and Tulley was at the free throw line. He made both. Then the game got crazy.
Mountain View had a turnover in their own zone, Willcox made a layup, then stole the ensuing inbounds and found fellow captain Kody Mann for a layup and suddenly the outlaws led 51-48 with 56 seconds left.
Then with six seconds left the Outlaws were again down by one. The inbounds went to Tulley under the basket, but a triple team forced an off-balance shot and the Buffalos escaped with the win.
Green said he’s not taking anything from his team because “they played with heart.”
Next up is a trip to Torrington at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Times staff writer
Casey Tulley came up only one turn-around jumper away from winning the game for Rawlins Friday night.
Mountain View escaped with a thrilling 56-53 win.
The Outlaws came out poised to start the game, moving the ball around on offense, which enabled open shots for their shooters. But something happened. “We started getting away from what was helping us win,” head coach Linzie Green said.
After the first quarter the game was knotted at nine thanks to plenty of defensive pressure from both teams. And then the second quarter came around. Green would have liked to have skipped the second quarter entirely.
“We gave up 20 points in the second quarter alone,” he said. “Then in the second half we gave up 27 points altogether. That means we weren’t working hard.”
What Green does hope his team builds on is the final few minutes of the game.
With three minutes remaining in the game, it was all but over for the Outlaws. Down by eight, Green took a timeout to tell his team to turn up the intensity.
Tulley made a free throw and Trey Jebens stole the inbounds pass. His pass went to Willcox under the basket and Rawlins was within five in only a matter of seconds.
With one minute to play, Rawlins had climbed to within three and Tulley was at the free throw line. He made both. Then the game got crazy.
Mountain View had a turnover in their own zone, Willcox made a layup, then stole the ensuing inbounds and found fellow captain Kody Mann for a layup and suddenly the outlaws led 51-48 with 56 seconds left.
Then with six seconds left the Outlaws were again down by one. The inbounds went to Tulley under the basket, but a triple team forced an off-balance shot and the Buffalos escaped with the win.
Green said he’s not taking anything from his team because “they played with heart.”
Next up is a trip to Torrington at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.
morgan retirement
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
Since 1970, many things have changed.
Bell-bottoms are no longer the fashion norm, Coke and Dr. Pepper bottles are made with plastic instead of glass and seven different presidents have been elected to office.
But a face in the crowd at Rawlins High School has remained the same.
Al Morgan started his coaching career for the Outlaws in 1970 as an assistant, and while his hair style may have changed through time, his dedication to RHS has remained the same.
But 2007 starts a new chapter in his life: retirement.
He’s taught at the junior high and the high school in Rawlins, professing numbers, slopes and theorems to his youngsters.
He’s also seen a lot from the sidelines and the coach’s booth at Outlaw Stadium: The unfortunate years in the mid to late 70’s, which resulted in the firing of the entire staff except for Morgan. The promising years under Bill Murray in the early to mid 80’s. The resurgent championship year of 2000 under John Hilim.
He was the head coach for two years in 1978 and 1979, but also served as the activities director for 13 years during the late 80’s and all of the 90’s.
“There’s never been a moment that I didn’t enjoy (football) 100 percent,” Morgan said of his football days, which started when he played organized football in the sixth grade.
That same year when he first picked up a pigskin, was the year football teams were first required to wear facemasks. And since then he has seen many other equipment changes and upgrades.
His first year of college was the first year mouth guards were required, but now facemasks and mouth guards are common attire and are still being modified to prevent injuries.
Morgan has also seen changes in play calling.
“Everyone used to run power series and I-formation,” he said, “but now teams are passing almost 70 percent of the time.”
His birth to the coaching scene came in western Kansas, but during his first year teaching he was drafted during the Vietnam War and stationed in Germany.
Now upon retiring from teaching math, Morgan can only look back over the last 37 years in Rawlins and thank all the wonderful people that have shaped his life.
“My favorite part (about teaching and coaching) is the relationship with the kids. It’s always a bonus when the kids actually want to be there,” Morgan said of his many relationships with Outlaw students and athletes.
He also has great support from his wife, Patsy, who is also retiring from teaching this year.
“My wife is an exceptional person. She attends as many (school) events as I do,” Morgan said of her support of not only Outlaw football, but of all RHS extracurricular activities.
During their retirement, the Morgans plan to travel around the country, visiting children and grandchildren along the way. They have family in Phoenix, Seattle and Cheyenne.
But don’t think they’re going to forget about the city of Rawlins and their friends at the school.
“We still plan to attend many high school events,” Morgan said, commenting on his enjoyment of Rawlins.
“Patsy and I both appreciate how the people of Rawlins have been very, very supportive,” he said. “We truly appreciate what the people have done for us.”
Times sports writer
Since 1970, many things have changed.
Bell-bottoms are no longer the fashion norm, Coke and Dr. Pepper bottles are made with plastic instead of glass and seven different presidents have been elected to office.
But a face in the crowd at Rawlins High School has remained the same.
Al Morgan started his coaching career for the Outlaws in 1970 as an assistant, and while his hair style may have changed through time, his dedication to RHS has remained the same.
But 2007 starts a new chapter in his life: retirement.
He’s taught at the junior high and the high school in Rawlins, professing numbers, slopes and theorems to his youngsters.
He’s also seen a lot from the sidelines and the coach’s booth at Outlaw Stadium: The unfortunate years in the mid to late 70’s, which resulted in the firing of the entire staff except for Morgan. The promising years under Bill Murray in the early to mid 80’s. The resurgent championship year of 2000 under John Hilim.
He was the head coach for two years in 1978 and 1979, but also served as the activities director for 13 years during the late 80’s and all of the 90’s.
“There’s never been a moment that I didn’t enjoy (football) 100 percent,” Morgan said of his football days, which started when he played organized football in the sixth grade.
That same year when he first picked up a pigskin, was the year football teams were first required to wear facemasks. And since then he has seen many other equipment changes and upgrades.
His first year of college was the first year mouth guards were required, but now facemasks and mouth guards are common attire and are still being modified to prevent injuries.
Morgan has also seen changes in play calling.
“Everyone used to run power series and I-formation,” he said, “but now teams are passing almost 70 percent of the time.”
His birth to the coaching scene came in western Kansas, but during his first year teaching he was drafted during the Vietnam War and stationed in Germany.
Now upon retiring from teaching math, Morgan can only look back over the last 37 years in Rawlins and thank all the wonderful people that have shaped his life.
“My favorite part (about teaching and coaching) is the relationship with the kids. It’s always a bonus when the kids actually want to be there,” Morgan said of his many relationships with Outlaw students and athletes.
He also has great support from his wife, Patsy, who is also retiring from teaching this year.
“My wife is an exceptional person. She attends as many (school) events as I do,” Morgan said of her support of not only Outlaw football, but of all RHS extracurricular activities.
During their retirement, the Morgans plan to travel around the country, visiting children and grandchildren along the way. They have family in Phoenix, Seattle and Cheyenne.
But don’t think they’re going to forget about the city of Rawlins and their friends at the school.
“We still plan to attend many high school events,” Morgan said, commenting on his enjoyment of Rawlins.
“Patsy and I both appreciate how the people of Rawlins have been very, very supportive,” he said. “We truly appreciate what the people have done for us.”
a&b surpluss
By Kirk Hanna
Times staff writer
Orange barrels and street barricades stand out in Rawlins with the current construction under way.
In downtown, a certain business stands out, well, blends in, with its camouflage door and awning.
A & B Surplus has been located on the corner of Third and Cedar streets since the summer of 1998. It was then that owners BJ and Archie Lloyd set up shop in Rawlins. Before the summer of 1998, the Lloyds made their business selling military surplus and camouflage clothing at gun shows around the country.
“We went everywhere in the country,” BJ Lloyd said. “Texas, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. You name it, we were there.” The Lloyds started there business in 1994, but during a few of the gun shows, customers told them south-central Wyoming badly needed a surplus store. “We bought the property in 1996, and opened it a few years later,” BJ Lloyd said.
When one walks through the camouflage-painted door, it’s not hard to realize what A & B Surplus sells. Mannequins adorned in BDUs and FRCs — battle dress uniforms and fire resistant clothing, respectively — immediately catch your eye. Unless of course, the plethora of elk, mule deer, pheasants, geese, wild turkeys and mountain lion don’t catch your pupils first. The decorations within the store go right along with the theme of sold products.
While BJ Lloyd said she and her husband have never sold a gun, “and probably never will,” a few gun cases hung in the corner. “We do sell some ammunition and some hunting knives,” she said.
The basis of the products sold, however, is clothing. Camouflaged fatigues and BDUs lined the shelves in the center of the store. Mossy Oak hunting coats hung in the shape of a circle and as one’s eye peered towards the back of the store, boots - some steel toe and others not — soon became the focal point.
As one walks towards the back of the store, they soon notice the overabundance, or surplus, if you will, of clothing. That, and the lack thereof of space. Not to worry though, BJ Lloyd said, “We carry the largest supply of girl’s and women’s camouflaged clothing. ... And that’s of any other surplus place I’ve come across.” The reason for the large volumes of female oriented clothing is because of recent fashion shows and studies of what women want. “It’s been the fashion lately,” she said.
And it’s not all greens and browns. If one is interested in hiding amongst school buses, fire engines or Mr. Magoo’s egg-plant automobile, A & B Surplus has the yellow, red and purple patterns, respectively, for you.
Beyond the outdoor wear, the surplus shop also carries a limited supply of police officer gear, sunglasses, and medical and camping equipment. Colleen Secrest - an employee the Lloyds said they couldn’t run a business without — works from noon until close on Tuesdays through Fridays, “and sometimes weekends when (the owners) can’t make it in to work.” The store is closed on Mondays.
During a typical day, Secrest said the store sees most of its action during the evening hours between 5-7 p.m. “A lot of the guys are from Sinclair and the oil fields,” Secrest said. “I even stay open an hour later on Friday’s for the guys who get off late.” BJ Lloyd said, “The FRCs are mandatory clothing for most of the oil refinery workers, so they’ve been the biggest sellers” as of late.
During the day Secrest finds time to stay busy by stacking the shelves. When asked if it can get lonely waiting for customers Secrest said, “Sometimes, but other times we get people who like to just come in and talk. ... I’ve had war veterans come in and tell me war stories, so it’s a pretty interesting place,” to say the least.
As of late, BJ Lloyd said the prices have gone up lately because the process of getting a hold of the items to sell has added steps. “It used to be, we bought the items from an auction,” she said. “Now, big conglomerates outbid all of the items and then sell to the ‘little guys’ like us. It definitely hurt us very much.”
Not to worry, Secrest said the prices are still fairly well priced when compared to places like Cabelas. “This is the only surplus store that I know of without going too far into another state,” she said.
The camping gear at A & B Surplus is a limited selection of tents, sleeping bags, back packs and canteens, but Secrest was quick to say, “We have the best fishing hats around.” At least the biggest supply as she pointed out the center aisle filled with floppy-brimmed bucket hats.
Secrest said, “We have a limited supply of some things. And a large supply of others.”
Times staff writer
Orange barrels and street barricades stand out in Rawlins with the current construction under way.
In downtown, a certain business stands out, well, blends in, with its camouflage door and awning.
A & B Surplus has been located on the corner of Third and Cedar streets since the summer of 1998. It was then that owners BJ and Archie Lloyd set up shop in Rawlins. Before the summer of 1998, the Lloyds made their business selling military surplus and camouflage clothing at gun shows around the country.
“We went everywhere in the country,” BJ Lloyd said. “Texas, California, Kansas, Oklahoma, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. You name it, we were there.” The Lloyds started there business in 1994, but during a few of the gun shows, customers told them south-central Wyoming badly needed a surplus store. “We bought the property in 1996, and opened it a few years later,” BJ Lloyd said.
When one walks through the camouflage-painted door, it’s not hard to realize what A & B Surplus sells. Mannequins adorned in BDUs and FRCs — battle dress uniforms and fire resistant clothing, respectively — immediately catch your eye. Unless of course, the plethora of elk, mule deer, pheasants, geese, wild turkeys and mountain lion don’t catch your pupils first. The decorations within the store go right along with the theme of sold products.
While BJ Lloyd said she and her husband have never sold a gun, “and probably never will,” a few gun cases hung in the corner. “We do sell some ammunition and some hunting knives,” she said.
The basis of the products sold, however, is clothing. Camouflaged fatigues and BDUs lined the shelves in the center of the store. Mossy Oak hunting coats hung in the shape of a circle and as one’s eye peered towards the back of the store, boots - some steel toe and others not — soon became the focal point.
As one walks towards the back of the store, they soon notice the overabundance, or surplus, if you will, of clothing. That, and the lack thereof of space. Not to worry though, BJ Lloyd said, “We carry the largest supply of girl’s and women’s camouflaged clothing. ... And that’s of any other surplus place I’ve come across.” The reason for the large volumes of female oriented clothing is because of recent fashion shows and studies of what women want. “It’s been the fashion lately,” she said.
And it’s not all greens and browns. If one is interested in hiding amongst school buses, fire engines or Mr. Magoo’s egg-plant automobile, A & B Surplus has the yellow, red and purple patterns, respectively, for you.
Beyond the outdoor wear, the surplus shop also carries a limited supply of police officer gear, sunglasses, and medical and camping equipment. Colleen Secrest - an employee the Lloyds said they couldn’t run a business without — works from noon until close on Tuesdays through Fridays, “and sometimes weekends when (the owners) can’t make it in to work.” The store is closed on Mondays.
During a typical day, Secrest said the store sees most of its action during the evening hours between 5-7 p.m. “A lot of the guys are from Sinclair and the oil fields,” Secrest said. “I even stay open an hour later on Friday’s for the guys who get off late.” BJ Lloyd said, “The FRCs are mandatory clothing for most of the oil refinery workers, so they’ve been the biggest sellers” as of late.
During the day Secrest finds time to stay busy by stacking the shelves. When asked if it can get lonely waiting for customers Secrest said, “Sometimes, but other times we get people who like to just come in and talk. ... I’ve had war veterans come in and tell me war stories, so it’s a pretty interesting place,” to say the least.
As of late, BJ Lloyd said the prices have gone up lately because the process of getting a hold of the items to sell has added steps. “It used to be, we bought the items from an auction,” she said. “Now, big conglomerates outbid all of the items and then sell to the ‘little guys’ like us. It definitely hurt us very much.”
Not to worry, Secrest said the prices are still fairly well priced when compared to places like Cabelas. “This is the only surplus store that I know of without going too far into another state,” she said.
The camping gear at A & B Surplus is a limited selection of tents, sleeping bags, back packs and canteens, but Secrest was quick to say, “We have the best fishing hats around.” At least the biggest supply as she pointed out the center aisle filled with floppy-brimmed bucket hats.
Secrest said, “We have a limited supply of some things. And a large supply of others.”
10-yo swimmer
By Kirk Hanna
Times sports writer
State record holders come in many shapes and sizes.
The newest state record came from 10-year-old Zach Cane.
Cane, a fifth grader at Mountain View Elementary School, is a swimmer for the USA affiliated 10-and-under swim program in Rawlins. The team competes in weekend meets between the months of October and March, but the workouts last an hour and a half, every evening in the Rawlins high school natatorium.
Sunday, Oct. 21, Cane broke the standing state record for the boys division in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:10.16. Cane also swims in the 50-yard fly.
Cane started his swimming endeavors when his family bought a pool. “My cousins got me started” with swimming, Cane said. “They would come over and we would play in the water.” Now he gets a thrill from competitive swimming because “there are new challenges each day.”
Swimming is his favorite sport, but he still has a soft spot for “playing dodgeball in gym class,” he said.
Head coach Ron DeFauw said “this is the best group of kids in the state,” falling victim to his personal bias.
DeFauw was a swimmer at the University of Wyoming, so he knows a thing or two about swim workouts.
“It’s a long season,” he said commenting on the season. “Most meets are one day on weekends, with a few bigger meets that run Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
The young swimmers get a slight break between Thanksgiving and the New Year, as there are no scheduled meets, “but the kids still have workouts during that time,” DeFauw said.
The training will be imperative for Cane, who wants to beat his own time again this year.
Times sports writer
State record holders come in many shapes and sizes.
The newest state record came from 10-year-old Zach Cane.
Cane, a fifth grader at Mountain View Elementary School, is a swimmer for the USA affiliated 10-and-under swim program in Rawlins. The team competes in weekend meets between the months of October and March, but the workouts last an hour and a half, every evening in the Rawlins high school natatorium.
Sunday, Oct. 21, Cane broke the standing state record for the boys division in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:10.16. Cane also swims in the 50-yard fly.
Cane started his swimming endeavors when his family bought a pool. “My cousins got me started” with swimming, Cane said. “They would come over and we would play in the water.” Now he gets a thrill from competitive swimming because “there are new challenges each day.”
Swimming is his favorite sport, but he still has a soft spot for “playing dodgeball in gym class,” he said.
Head coach Ron DeFauw said “this is the best group of kids in the state,” falling victim to his personal bias.
DeFauw was a swimmer at the University of Wyoming, so he knows a thing or two about swim workouts.
“It’s a long season,” he said commenting on the season. “Most meets are one day on weekends, with a few bigger meets that run Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”
The young swimmers get a slight break between Thanksgiving and the New Year, as there are no scheduled meets, “but the kids still have workouts during that time,” DeFauw said.
The training will be imperative for Cane, who wants to beat his own time again this year.
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