Page edited by Dimitri N.

Visit the Blazing Sun Online at: tinyurl.com/thstbs And like us on Facebook: The Blazing Sun

Torrington High School Friday, January 13, 2012 Volume 17, Issue 8

Friday the 13th. Are you

superstitious or not?

Blazer hoops celebrates

victories over Rawlins.

Religion in Schools:

the battle continues.

Opinion

Features

Sports

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

46°/2

49°/23°

57°/20°

2-3 Opinion

4 Sports

5-7 Feature

8 Senior Spotlight

Avery M. and Allison M. Columnists

January 10 not only marked an-

other win for the Torrington Lady Blazer

basketball team, but also a milestone in

Head Coach Jeff Halley‘s coaching career:

his 200th win.

After defeating the Rawlins Lady

Outlaws 67-57, the players could be seen

sporting shirts saying, ―Halley is our Home-

boy‖ on the front and ―200 and counting‖ on

the back.

―To celebrate we all had cake with

the team… oh, and t-shirts! The team also

chipped in to buy me a new fishing rod!‖

Halley smiled.

Coach Halley took time to look

back on the previous fourteen years of

coaching [8 years at Newcastle and 6 years

at Torrington].

―The biggest challenges in coaching

have been getting players to play to their

level, and a high level every day, and every

week,‖ Halley commented.

―If I could pick a ‗Dream Team‘

made up of former players, I would choose

Stacy Stanton, Joni Lunney, Melissa Chris-

tensen, Kristin Engle, [former Dogies] and

then Mandy Mullock, Nichole Swanson,

Taylor Moore, Lexie Madden, Diana Long,

Emily Madden, and Courtney Swanson

[former Blazers].‖

Senior player Hayley A. had noth-

ing but positive things to say about Coach

Halley.

―Coach Halley never forgets to add

something positive to the end of a bad

thing,‖ Hayley commented. ―My favorite

memory with him would be misunderstand-

ing his question, ‗Does this much matter?‘

my sophomore year during one of his

speeches.‖

―My favorite win was being a part

of his 200th career win, and hopefully being

a part of his 100th Blazer win,‖ Hayley

added.

Fellow seniors Mikayla B. and

Jenny R. were nothing but excited about

Halley‘s accomplishment.

―I like that he‘s calm and patient

with us,‖ Mikayla commented.

Jenny agreed. ―Halley connects

with us. He‘s not only our coach, but he

seems like a friend.‖

Jenny‘s favorite memories with

Halley are anytime he yells at the team in

front of someone new.

―He‘s so loud, and you can just see

the fear in the people‘s eyes,‖ Jenny

laughed. ―It‘s so funny because we all know

he‘s really not that mean.‖

―I have so many memories with

Halley,‖ Mikayla said. ―One that tops the

list is him coming to the back of the bus and

retrieving his stolen cookies.‖

The two seniors agreed that any-

time they beat rivals, the Douglas Bearcats

or the Wheatland Bulldogs, it becomes one

of their favorite wins.

―Anytime we beat Wheatland,‖

Jenny commented.

―My favorite win was my sopho-

more year at State against Douglas. They

had beat us during season, so we went out

during warm-ups mocking Spanky [Kassidy

S. of Douglas] with sweatbands, so we had

to win! We did,‖ Mikayla said.

With one huge milestone reached,

what‘s next for the Lady Blazer basketball

team and head coach Jeff Halley?

―My next goal is to win a state

championship, same as it always is, and to

get my 100th Blazer win which is hopefully

comin‘ up here in a couple weeks,‖ Halley

added.

Lady Blazer win marks new milestone for Halley

Korinne J. Columnist

Wrestling honors don‘t just oc-

cur with pins and points on the mat.

Different schools have established indi-

vidual awards to honor former team

members.

This is how Isidro C. was

awarded the Isaac Salas, Spirit of a Champion on December 17th.

This award is given to wres-

tlers who demonstrate courage, deter-

mination and sportsmanship.

It was created in memory of

Isaac Salas, a Cheyenne South wres-

tler who passed away this year from an

injury. Torrington Head Wrestling

Coach, Doyle Meyer said, ―Isidro exem-

plifies these qualities in all aspects of

his life; on the mat, in the classroom

and in his relationships with others.‖

Not only did he earn this

award, He placed first at the South

High Bison Bonanza. Isidro‘s record is

9-4.

Captain of Torrington High

School wrestling team, Ryan L. said,

―Isidro has worked hard and made it

through many challenges. He definitely

shows the spirit of a champion. He ex-

emplifies good qualities as a role model

and a team player on and off the floor.

Isidro said, ― It felt good be-

cause I made the team look good. I did

not expect to get the award, I had ex-

pected Ryan to get it.‖

Isidro credits Coach Meyer

with helping him earn this award.

Coach Meyer said, ―I chose

Isidro for the award based on criteria

and best fit. He has a very solid work

ethic, competitive and is very admira-

ble against his peers. This will help

him in the future and it is a positive

affirmation for this young man.‖

Along with receiving this

honor, Isidro‘s goal for the season is to

place at state.

Humble but loveable: Isidro C. won the Isaac Salas award in December. Photo by Avery M.

THS’s Isidro C. pins prestigious award

Saving lives one blood drive at a

time! Torrington High School Student

Council has been having blood drives for

a few years now, and it seems like it will

be a long-standing tradition.

The latest blood drive was De-

cember 28th, 2011, though, it had to be

cut off before all students and staff were

able to donate due to the weather. The

next blood drive at THS is planned for

April 4th, 2012.

Blood drives are a way for students and

staff members to save lives, and they

are also an activity that students can

get involved in that aren't athletics.

To be able to donate there are require-

ments. Minors have to fill out a minor

donor permit, and they also have to be

sixteen: They must be the correct

weight, and they have to have the right

iron levels in there blood, to be able to

donate. Senior Matty J. stated that, ―I

have been doing this since I was a fresh-

man cause that‘s when I couldn't do-

nate, it was a way for me to help, now I

still work because I have low iron and

this is what I get to put in.‖

Since donors have to be of the

age of sixteen, juniors and seniors are

the members of the student body that

get most involved, though members of

Student Council are able to get involved

also by working the blood drives!

―People always need blood‖ says

Student Council sponsor Lindy Ellis,

but there are other rewards in donating

other then being to save other peoples

lives. Hero Cords are given to graduat-

ing seniors who have either donated or

worked three or more blood drives, they

are then able to wear those cords at

graduation.

More recently the Spirit Stick was sup-

pose to be given to the class that had

the most student donate; due to the cut

off of the latest blood drive this was un-

able to be awarded, but will most likely

be won at the next THS blood drive.

Blood drive interrupted. Spirit stick remains unclaimed by classes.

Page edited by Blake W.

Page 2 Friday January 13, 2012 Torrington High School

Enjoy the time while

it lasts!

You got darted!

Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief

It‘s a new year and while it

definitely sounds clichéd, it is a time

for new beginnings.

I‘m not talking about the fic-

titious resolutions we‘ll all ―adhere‖

to. Or the upcoming political storms

within the Republican Party. Or

even the new features I hope to in-

corporate in this publication.

I‘m talking about the night-

mare that should be a top priority to

every high school senior.

Financial aid.

As the class of 2012 prepares

to enter post-secondary educational

institutions this fall, we must realize

our plans will only be dreams with-

out the money. However, rather than

to dig oneself into student loans, al-

ternatives are available for the tak-

ing.

Welcome to the world of

scholarships and grants.

There are thousands

of scholarships up for grabs

globally. They come in seem-

ingly limitless categories: His-

panic scholarships, first-time

scholarships, theatre scholar-

ships, athletic scholar-

ships, African-American

scholarships, political

scholarships, the list goes

on and on. For Wyoming

students, the name

Hathaway is all too famil-

iar.

The amazing thing

about a scholarship is that

the money does not have

to be repaid, unlike some

grants and college loans. How-

ever, scholarships have an Achil-

les heel: be careless with your

classes and you might lose all the

money.

Grants work in the same

way. Some programs require the

student to repay the money once

a stable job has been acquired.

Others are granted in payments.

For example, five hundred dol-

lars per semester.

But one must first receive a

scholarship or grant to run that risk

and the competition for them has

never been greater. As people be-

come more cosmopolitan—meaning a

world citizen—they are encouraged

to learn more about their world.

Which leads to an influx of foreign

students.

American schools are fa-

mously known for educational excel-

lence and are the preferred options

for outsiders. Don‘t worry. There are

plenty of scholarships.

But don‘t apply for every sin-

gle one. Not only does it limit pre-

cious time, but in several circum-

stances, a student is definitely not

the best candidate. For instance, say

a person is a destined to be a theatre

major and applies for a scholarship

for students interested in commer-

cial television acting. They are two

different fields of acting, therefore,

the student is rejected.

Make sure to read all re-

quirements of the scholarship thor-

oughly and apply it to your life and

aspirations. If there is a good match

between the two, then apply! If not,

keep looking.

Lastly, student loans should

be used as a last resort. Debt from

these loans is never pardoned and

has overwhelming potential of ruin-

ing a career. Put the scholarship/

grant and personal money into the

appropriate educational fund first.

Then use student loans to complete

what difference there is.

Nonetheless, the college ap-

plication processes should be enjoy-

able. The future is at stake and pre-

paring and applying early can be a

deciding factor. Don‘t procrastinate.

Start applying for scholarships,

grants, and other alternative finan-

cial aid programs as soon as possi-

ble. The ―gold rush‖ for educational

dollars has already begun! Don‘t get

left behind.

It’s a new year and the last high school days for the class

Chris W. Columnist

Columnist John Whitehead

recently said, ―The young people of

our nation are growing up in a world

in which GOD is the new four-letter

word.‖ While teens today often aren‘t

bothered for the music that they are

listening to during lunch and break

times, there are often lawsuits filed

about students praying in school or

talking about religion. Public schools

allow children to read novels with

graphic language, but talking about

God or religion is often sanctioned.

Why? Some believe that re-

ligion closes off the mind to a strict

set of rules and morals that aren‘t

taught in school, and that school is

supposed to leave the mind open and

ready to learn. Some believe that

being religious in school can offend

atheists, agnostics, and other reli-

gious views that don‘t correlate with

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, etc.

The last time I checked, how-

ever, praying before a meal in the

lunch room doesn‘t hurt anybody.

Neither does writing a report about

why Jesus is my hero. Everyone is

entitled to their own opinions, no

matter how absurd others think they

are. The only thing I could see being

offensive is when people try to force

something like church, conversion, or

other religious views down another‘s

throat. However, if you get offended

by something such as religion then

you might as well ban everyone from

talking about evolution, gay rights,

and legalizing marijuana as well.

The Bill of Rights guarantees

our rights to free speech. Just be-

cause someone doesn‘t like what re-

ligion another person is, and because

that religion ‗offends‘ them, they

can‘t limit the other‘s rights. This

should involve school as well. Sure,

there are times when freedom of

speech is ‗abused‘; When teens start,

for example, dropping f-bombs at

their teachers. But why is cursing at

a teacher—usually resulting in ISS

or OSS for a couple days at max—

worse than practicing your religion

at public school with things like si-

lent prayer?

Now I‘m not saying that

there needs to be a class about why

Christianity, Judaism, or Islam is

the ‗right‘ religion, but what I am

saying is that there‘s no reason that

someone can‘t pray or talk about Je-

sus, Muhammad, or the Dalai Lama

while in school. We don‘t need our

young people growing up in school

thinking that the freedom of speech

applies to everything except for

when Jesus, God, or Moses is men-

tioned.

N o

matter what

you think

about relig-

ion, it‘s al-

ways going to

be a competi-

tion between

morals and

ideals. What

was once a

country in

which the

Pledge of Al-

legiance con-

tained ‗in God

we trust‘ and

meant and

accepted it,

America has

moved on to

become a country that is ‗too good‘ to

believe and respect something like

religion. Are we putting limits on the

Bill of Rights amendments that were

created to ensure freedom and peace

in America?

Is religion becoming more popular throughout school?

Wikipedia.com

THE THS BOOSTER CLUB IS

BUYING GUNNER

A NEW COSTUME!

To help pay for it the Booster

Club is selling coonskin hats for

$10 to wear on Blackout Night!

~To order a hat,

sign up in the THS office~

Questions? Call your

THS Booster Club REPS

TAMI DERR 534-5439

KELLY MATLOCK 575-4300

Page edited by Nick P.

Torrington High School Friday, January 13, 2012 Page 3

Nick P. Opinions Editor

It seemed like just yesterday

we were watching the first week of

games on Labor Day weekend. Now

with the BCS National Champion-

ship complete, the 2011-12 college

football season has ended.

As usual, there are the plays

and moments that we will never for-

get from this season. All of the up-

sets, triumphs, heartbreaks, mis-

cues, blunders, and joys will not soon

be forgotten.

The one thing that many

people are calling this year is the

―Year of Uniforms.‖ It is no secret

that Oregon is the one we think of

immediately when we think of differ-

ent uniforms. Heck, there is a rule

at Oregon that even states that not

one uniform combination is to be

worn twice. Nike really outdid what

they did in the past, as more teams

were given ―Nike Pro-Combat‖ uni-

forms for a special big game.

Oregon (three times), Geor-

gia, Boise State, Michigan State,

LSU, Ohio State, Stanford, Army,

and Navy all sported brand-new,

custom-made jerseys for certain

games.

Nike was not the only manu-

facturer to do this. Under Armour,

which started near the campus of the

Univeristy of Maryland, surprised

everybody with new uniforms for the

Terrapins. There are thirty two pos-

sible combinations possible for the

Terrapins, and Under Armour also

gave special uniforms to other

schools sponsoring the brand, includ-

ing South Carolina.

Don‘t leave out Adidas, they

weren‘t sleeping either. When Michi-

gan and Notre Dame clashed on the

gridiron, both schools were sporting

custom jerseys as both schools are

sponsored by Adidas. Believe it or

not, Wisconsin had modifications

specific for the Rose Bowl (the rose

pattern was put on the Red W on the

helmet.)

Traditionalists hate it;

younger kids love it. Whether we like

it or not, it gets our attention. Ore-

gon‘s helmets in the Rose Bowl

seemed to be discussed more than

the game itself. Who couldn‘t notice

that? ―Black Metal‖ ,as it was de-

scribed, gave off a chrome appear-

ance that nobody could ignore.

Appearances seem to take

more of a priority in the eyes of re-

cruits. How does Oregon get the

southern California recruits away

from the traditional recruiting pow-

ers of USC, Cal, and UCLA? The uni-

forms.

How does Maryland sud-

denly make a surge in recruiting,

despite a sub-par season? The uni-

forms. Heck, when a Maryland com-

mit is asked why he chose Maryland,

the first question that seems to be

asked is ,―Did the uniforms have to

do anything with your decision?‖

It seems hard to believe at

first, but the one person on each

team who scores the most points is

the kicker: three points for a field

goal, one for an extra point, two if

they were to run or throw it into the

endzone to a receiver. Unfortunately,

this was not the year for the kickers

to remember.

We saw so many missed field

goals, so many in crucial times of the

game, just one kick can change the

entire season of college football.

Who remembers the first

meeting of Alabama vs. LSU? Ala-

bama missed FOUR field goals. The

final score was 9-6, and it could have

been 18-9 if Alabama hadn‘t missed

so many times.

Oregon‘s freshman kicker,

Alejandro Maldonado had a chance

to tie up the game when USC went

to Autzen Stadium. If Maldonado

had made the field goal, the game

would have gone into overtime, and

Oregon could have won, and the

chain reaction starts there. Oregon

won the rest of their games and

could have had a rematch with LSU

in the national title game had every-

thing gone their way.

Stanford had the Fiesta Bowl

locked up; all Stanford‘s kicker Jor-

dan Williamson had to do was kick a

field goal, and the Cardinal would

have won the game right there. Sure

enough, Williamson was ―iced‖ by

Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy.

(Note: iced means the opposing coach

calls a timeout in order to add pres-

sure to a kicker to make a field goal

to mess up his concentration and

composure. Oklahoma State went on

to win the game, courtesy of Stan-

ford‘s kicking game.

Boise State had it bad again.

Last year, we all remember Kyle

Brotzman‘s infamous two misses

that were thought to be chip shots

for him. This year, the kicking woes

arose again. Dan Goodale, the kicker

from Boise State, missed a field goal

as time expired in a 36-35 loss to the

TCU Horned Frogs. This loss de-

railed any national title hopes for

the Broncos for the second year in a

row.

The game is won with of-

fense, defense, AND special teams.

In those close games where the of-

fenses and defenses are similar and

there doesn‘t seem to be an advan-

tage, the special teams are the decid-

ing factor. This includes punt teams,

field goal teams, and kickoff teams.

The end of the BCS era

seems to be upon us now. Many peo-

ple, including me, were very disap-

pointed with the BCS national cham-

pionship. It was an overall boring

game. Heck, I nearly fell asleep three

times!

LSU and Alabama met in the

regular season, and LSU won 9-6,

but Alabama capitalized on their

opportunity for redemption. They

dominated the BCS National Cham-

pionship, coming out on top by a

score of 21-0.

The first problem with this

was that the teams are not only in

the same conference, but the same

subdivision. Both of these teams are

in the SEC West subdivision. I am a

firm believer that in order for a team

to compete for a national title, they

need to win their conference. LSU

won their conference, (good for

them), but Alabama didn‘t even

make the SEC championship! Okla-

homa State should have been in the

title game, even though they seem to

have gotten lucky in their bowl

game. I didn‘t want to see a rematch

(unless it was Oregon, yes I‘m biased

a little bit there) between two teams

that already played each other!

The second problem is that

Alabama had one loss, but so did

Oklahoma State, Stanford, and Boise

State. Alabama had their shot at

LSU, and I know they won, but

shouldn‘t somebody else have gotten

their shot at the Tigers?

The smaller playoff system

seems to be upon us, we may be

able to keep the bowls, but there

seems to be a change on the hori-

zon.

Every year, awards are

given out in countless numbers

of categories, and I‘m no differ-

ent. I have my own awards to

give out to all of these players,

teams, and coaches.

Most Valuable Offensive

Player: Andrew Luck, quarter-

back, Stanford. This is not based

on stats or performances com-

pletely, but the value of the

player to his own team. Without

Luck, how would Stanford fare?

Without Luck, could Stanford

win eleven games? I don‘t think

so. Runner up: Trent Richardson,

running back, Alabama

Most Valuable Defensive

Player: Luke Kuechley, middle

linebacker, Boston College. One

hundred and ninety one tackles?

Enough has been said right there.

Kuechley was the heart and soul of

Boston College this year; there is no

replacing him at all. Runner up: Ja-

red Crick, defensive tackle, Ne-

braska.

Best Play: Joe Adams‘ punt

return vs. Tennessee. Sportscenter

had this play as the best of the best

for some time. Speedy Arkansas

wide receiver Joe Adams seemed to

be ―untacklable.‖ He dodged tackle

after tackle after tackle, then outran

a mob of Volunteers on his way to an

improbably touchdown. Runner up:

Michigan State‘s Kirk Cousins‘ Hail

Mary pass for the win vs. Wisconsin.

Biggest Surprise Team: Kan-

sas State. Bill Snyder just seems to

know the game of football. At the

beginning of the season, who would

have thought that the Wild-

cats would make the Cotton

Bowl ? Who know who Colin

Klein was? I sure didn‘t. Kan-

sas State nearly upset the

Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Kansas State may not have

the talent as other teams do,

but boy, what a year for the

Wildcats. Never underesti-

mate Bill Snyder. Runner up:

Clemson.

Biggest Disappoint-

ment: Texas A&M. This team

had a great starting quarter-

back in Ryan Tannehill, two

running backs who could win

the Doak Walker Award if

they got enough carries, three wide

receivers who could change the game

and cause mismatches, a terrorizing

defense that only lost one major con-

tributor (though he was their best

player, Von Miller), and a great kick-

ing game. What did all of that result

in? A 6-6 record. The story of the Ag-

gies‘ season was the second-half col-

lapses. Numerous times they had a

double digit lead going into halftime,

including aganst Texas and Okla-

homa State, and they failed to close

out the game. As expected, now-

former Head Coach Mike Sherman

was fired, and a new era in College

Station is set to begin. Runner up:

Oklahoma.

Get an Ego Check Award:

Brad Wing, punter, LSU. It‘s OK to

play with confidence, but when a

punter is flagged for taunting and

tries to get into a fight with opposing

defensive linemen, as well as jawing

at other players more than anyone

else it seems like, the ego in that

person is a bit too high. Wing did all

of this, and he is only a freshman, I

can only wonder what he‘s going to

do in the future. Runner up: the rest

of the LSU defense.

It‘s definitely not going to be

the same now that college football is

over. Saturdays won‘t have the up-

sets and fireworks anymore. Once it

hits spring football, college football

will be missed even more. I only ask

one more thing; is it September yet?

The 2011-12 college football season comes to an end: a look back

Sawyer Warren & Buchanan

Edward A. Buchanan & Nathaniel S. Hibben

Attorneys at Law

2210 East A Street P.O. Box 850

Torrington, WY 82240

www.swblegal.com

Phone 307-532-2322 nhib-

ben@swblegal.com

RG3!! Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III took home the Heisman Trophy in 2011.

Wikipedia Commons

The end of a season

of controversy will

not stop the de-

bates.

Page edited by Frank S.

Page 4 Friday January 13, 2012 Torrington High School

Throw it into

the blender!!

Mark M. Sports Editor

The Blazer wrestlers went to Douglas for

the Shane Shatto Memorial. It was a twenty

person tournament, that involved wins,

losses, and ejections.

“I didn’t do good this weekend,”

junior Isidro C. said. “I can improve with

practice.”

“My biggest challenge coming up

is regional's,” Isidro also said. “My personal

goal is to place at state.”

“I got third this weekend,” senior

Ryan L. said. “I need to wrestle the match

all the way through and not have any bad

matches.”

No one from Torrington won this

tournament, but Ryan L. got third, Benja-

min L. got fourth, and Jake H. and Justin P.

placed fifth.

“This weekend we are going to

Green River and have some tough matches

with schools from Colorado, Utah, and

Wyoming,” Ryan added.

“My personal goal is to take state.

I have been staying after practice and get-

ting extra work in to make myself better,”

Ryan also commented.

Justin and Ryan avenged their

losses and came back and beat the person

that beat them.

“We did not do as well as I had

hoped,” head coach Doyle Meyer said. “I

think we need to drill smarter and better. I

also think we need to get a chip on our

shoulder, and wrestle with an attitude.”

“Our biggest challenge is putting

our team together, just getting everyone

healthy and eligible, for lack of better words

putting the wheels back on the bus.”

“The personal goal for our team is

to first place top two at regional's, and then

top four a state. I'm taking a much more

active role in individual instruction of the

wrestlers, pulling them aside and instead of

coaching the whole team, I let coach Sims

run the practice then I jump in and mix it

up.”

You got to pin it to win it

Sydney H. Columnist

After a long Christmas

break, and more than two weeks out

of a game, the Lady Blazers took on

conference rivals Douglas Lady

Bearcats on January 6.

A battle throughout the

whole game, the Lady Blazers could-

n‘t pull out the win. After all five

starters fouled out, after earning a

ten point lead on the lady cats, the

girls just couldn‘t pull out the win.

After 36 minuets of play, (including a

four minute over time period) the

Lady Cats brought down the Lady

Blazers with a score of 57-61.

―We played well but got

messed up by the refs,‖ senior Jenny

R. said. ―I am excited to play them

again because I know that we can

beat the, and have better refs.‖

Leading the Blazers in points

and steals. Senior Mikayla B. had 20

points and 4 steals.

―I think the game went well,‖

Mikayla said. ―Fouling was a huge

reason for this loss. I am very excited

to play them again because we will

compete at a high level and domi-

nate!‖

Jenny added 9 points, while

junior Shai S. added 8, and sopho-

more Avery M. added 7.

―This was a hard fought bat-

tle against the #1 team in the state,‖

Coach Jeff Halley said. We started a

littler nervous and timid but played

an awesome second half. Everything

really changed in the 4th when the

five starters fouled out. But our

younger kids came in and did an out-

standing job.‖

The following day, the girls

couldn‘t hold their heads down, as

they took on another conference

team, the Rawlins Lady Outlaws.

Starting off strong, the Lady

Blazers had a 32-22 lead at half. The

momentum kept going in the blazers

favor as the soured away with the 67

-57 win.

Once again, Mikayla led the

team with 30 points and 2 blocks.

Senior Matty J. added 13 points and

10 rebounds.

―We played very well against

Rawlins,‖ Matty said. ―We played

together and as a team. Next time

we can‘t let Forney get so many easy

looks.‖

―We did a pretty good job of

keeping their good players in check,‖

Halley commented. ―Now we have to

continue to get better with each

week.‖

The Lady Blazers begin ac-

tion again home on January 14 with

varsity action starting at 2:00 p.m.

Lady Blazers bounce back from OT loss and beat Rawlins

Getting to know

The Freshman... What do you like about high school?

Garrett M.—

“The ladies.”

Jordan G.—

“Split classes.”

Elizabeth G.—

―Lots of new

classes.”

Bobbi G.— “It’s fun!”

Traeci G.—

“Teachers treat us

like pre- schoolers.”

Kylie K. Columnist

Blazer boys not only can add

one victory to their record this week-

end, but two. Both Douglas and Raw-

lins fell to the Blazer boys Friday

and Saturday night. The whole team

agrees that the Douglas game was

the better game out of the two. Head

Coach A.J. Gross feels that ―Douglas

was the better game because it was

more complete for all the players.

Assistant coach Mark Len-

hardt added ―From start to finish, we

played better in the Douglas game.

The boys worked hard all the way

through.‖

―In the Douglas game, I feel

like we played as a team and that all

of our players contributed,‖ junior

starter Blake W. said. Other Blazer

players agree that the Douglas game

was better simply because they won

by more.

The stats from the game

proved Blake‘s statement correct.

There was not just one, but eight

main scorers out of twelve. The high-

est scoring player was none other

than senior Jason M. with 23 points.

Not far behind him was Blake with

12 points. Cameron K., Garrett D.,

Nick B., Mark M., Josh R., and

Frank S. also contributed to the final

score of 60 to 39.

The final score of the Raw-

lins game was a little closer with a

score of 60 to 56. All members of the

team played in the Rawlins game.

Even though many great

things were done to accomplish those

wins, Blazers still believe there is

still room for improvement. Nick B.

said, ―We need to work more on de-

fense because it wins champion-

ships.‖

Mark Lenhardt agreed with

Nick about Blazers defense.

―Defensively, we need to do a better

job and everyone needs to know their

assignments.‖ Blake personally

wants to work on defense along with

his ball-handling skills while Frank

would like to work on rebounds. Ja-

son thinks that they all need to work

on defense as well as executing their

offense and putting points on the

board.

When looking towards the

future, the whole teams seems pretty

confident. ―The season is going about

as I expected. I think we‘re on the

track to a state championship,‖

Frank- said.

Jason M. had a very positive

response also. ―We will keep getting

better, and by regional's and state,

we will be at our best.‖

―I think we can beat all the

teams and kill Worland.‖ Brower

added.

Coach Lenhardt wasn‘t quite

as confident. ―All teams present their

own challenges, but I think we can

do great against them all.‖

Players hope that Lenhardt‘s

prediction is correct because after

the Worland game comes the Gering

game, and, according to Stellpflug,

that could be a really tough game.

The team hopes to pull out

enough wins to get them a champi-

onship title.

Blazer boys wins two more conference games

Page edited by Patrick S.

Torrington High School Friday January 10, 2010 Page 5

Who is your role model, and why?

Avery M.—

Mark M.… wink wink.

Allison M.— Lance Armstrong. Go

Lance go!

Jon M.— Mr. Fournier because

he’s the coolest

teacher and is hard

working.

Alex M.—

Jason Gilbert M.,

because he’s my

dad.

Michael M.— Frank because he’s

good at sports.

Columnist Shai S.

Law Enforcement has offered

a new alternative to end all elec-

tronic caused traffic accidents with a

new device called the Zoombak Safety Text Blocker. This device sim-

ply creates a force field that blocks

all incoming calls, texts, music, and

internet notifications on any elec-

tronic device in the car. The device is

activated when the car starts and

can notify the parents if the device is

being tampered with. The only elec-

tronic device that the Zoombak will

not interfere with is any GPS navi-

gator. This device, though very

pricey, is the best alternative to stop-

ping all distracted driving accidents.

Some car dealerships are starting to

install the device in the car to help

promote safe driving. The Zoombak

is both easy to install and remove

from any car. The device is expected

to reduce traffic accidents by more

than sixty percent in the U.S. alone.

Another application that can

be purchased is textecution. This app

disables all calls, texts and other no-

tifications when the phone travels

faster than ten miles per hour. A

perk to this app is that the account

holder (usually the parent) can text

allow to the ad-

ministrator and

the device will

stop blocking all

features. This

app is available

on all smart

p h o n e s f o r

$1.99.

THS has

some supporters

of this device.

One student

said, ― It is a good thing because

there wouldn't be as many accidents

with this device.‖

Selena Gomez said, ― The

device is a good idea because it will

help prevent accidents.‖

Ricki M. said, ― Yes, because

you could be in the car that gets hit

by the person texting and driving . It

wouldn't be fair that you get killed

cause of them.‖

Teacher Mary Perkins com-

mented, ― Yes it‘s a great idea be-

cause only Bluetooth is still avail-

able. I almost got hit by a truck–

where the driver was talking on his

phone– he almost killed me.‖

Sandy Pierce also added, ―

Yes. We have enough distractions in

our lives, this could be one less.‖

However, THS also has stu-

dents that disapprove of this device.

Jordan C. said, ― No because

the passenger might need to use

their phone. Instead, they should

make a device that lets the driver

keep both hands on the wheel.‖

Jorden S. added, ― No, be-

cause I believe people are responsi-

ble enough to know when and when

not to text.‖

Brett G. said, ― No because I

think it can maybe distract more and

I think that it will probably be ex-

pensive.‖

Jeremy G. also added, ― No

because the already have technology

in cars that allows safer driving to

cell phone use.‖

This device is expected to hit

the shelves soon in car dealerships

all over the US.

Zoombak and textecution electronic blockers; the new thing?

Jayson W.– Don’t

start a bad habit.

B-lake W.– It’s like

throwing a hot dog

down a hall way.

Jeffery W.– Manure

rolls down hill.

Getting to know the Juniors... What is your favorite quote?

John Z.– Party like a

rock star

Christopher W.–

Who’s your daddy.

One out of three

drivers text and

drive.

Page edited by Shai S.

Page 6 Friday, January 13, 2012 Torrington High School

Dear Bones Jones, Now that the holiday season

in gone, so is all of my cash! How can

I take my girlfriend on a date with-

out breaking the bank?!?!

Broke Bobby

Broke Bobby,

Although I haven‘t had a

date since I had a pulse, I think that

I can help you with your situation.

Just because you are going on a date

doesn‘t mean that you have to spend

any money at all! Try to plan some-

thing that you and your date both

like to do. The best kind of date that

you could go on is to do something

that both you and your significant

other are interested in. In most

cases, these dates can be of little to

no cost to you while still having

loads of fun.

If you are into sports, maybe

go to a park and play catch and go

swinging. If you are artistic, maybe

stay at home and draw or take pic-

tures together. Sledding on a snowy

day could be a great way to be to-

gether. If completely stumped for an

idea, simply being together can be

extremely fun. Just sit at home and

talk.

Don‘t feel as if you have to

spend money in order to keep your

significant other. If you are in a good

relationship, he or she won‘t care

about how much money you spend. If

you try to make a date special then it

will be.

Bones Jones

Dear Bones Jones, After all of the holiday food

that I ate, I have gained quite a bit

of weight. My New Years resolution

is to lose a few pounds. I‘ve tried to

lose weight before with no success.

What should I do?

Future Blobber

Future Blobber,

You picked the right person

to ask about weight loss. Most people

say that I‘m just skin and bones…

Well just bones. Any way, losing

weight is something that takes quite

a bit of commitment, but is definitely

worth it in the end.

The first thing that I recom-

mend doing is finding a diet and ex-

ercise regiment that fits your needs.

Make sure that what you are doing

is a healthy way for you to keep your

weight down. Everyone is different,

and so should be everyone‘s diet. It is

much harder to shed the pounds by

just simply dieting or exercising, so

make sure that you are doing both.

Once you find something

that works for you, get a journal that

is just for your diet/ workouts. In this

journal, record what you eat for each

meal as well as how much you

worked out in the day. At the end of

the day take a few minutes to look at

the journal and reflect on how you

did that day. This will make you re-

alize what you did that day, as well

as keep you responsible for your ac-

tions.

Losing weight takes quite a

bit of commitment. Most diets will

take weeks or maybe even months

before you see much change. In order

to keep yourself from breaking, plan

cheat meals once or twice a week. A

cheat meal is having a reasonable

amount of food that you wouldn‘t

normally eat on your diet. This does-

n‘t mean you eat a whole pizza,

rather eat a few pieces of pizza to

keep you from breaking and pigging

out. Remember that these are NOT

cheat days, and that the cheat meals

must always be planned in ad-

vanced.

Bones Jones

Bones Jones discusses dating and diets

Jeremy D. Reporter

Friday the 13th: most people view this day

as the unluckiest day of the year. It‘s not a holiday

and it can happen more than once a year; in fact,

there are going to be at least three Friday the

13th‘s this year in 2012.

According to howstuffworks.com, multiple

folk stories explain why Friday is an unlucky day.

There are many Christian events that tie into this

superstition.

Jesus was crucified on a Friday. Adam and

Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a Friday, and the

Great Flood started on a Friday.

There is also a British story of a ship

named H.M.S Friday. The owners planned their

trip on a Friday, set sail on a Friday, and had the

ship captain named James Friday. When they set

sail, the ship disappeared forever never to be seen

again.

The number thirteen also has its own

myths about why its unlucky. At The Last Sup-

per (Jesus and the twelve apostles) Judas be-

trayed Jesus, and he was the 13th member to

get to the party.

There‘s also another myth about the

gathering of twelve witches and the devil. The

pagan calendar has 13 months on it. Christians

believe that Satan was the god

of paganism.

Other myths about Fri-

day the 13th include the British

tradition of carrying out capital

punishment (hanging) on a Fri-

day and there were 13th steps to

the noose. British etiquette

also dictates that hosts should

never have a dinner party of 13

diners.

On Friday the 13th

1306, King Philippe of France

tortured the Knights Templar

and that day has been consid-

ered a day of evil ever since.

A survey of sixty THS students reveals that

sixteen people believe Friday the 13th is an

unlucky day, and forty-four students don't believe

Friday the 13th is an unlucky day. Students agreed

that bad things happen every day so it is hard to

decide if Friday the 13th is really an unlucky day.

Triscadecaphobia? Watch out for it today—all day

16

44

Friday the 13th Statistics

Yes

NO

Getting to know

The Freshman... What do you like about high school?

Stacia G.—

“Fewer classes.”

Brett G.—

“Longer classes, but

fewer per day.”

Lukas N.—

―The sports.”

Toby M.— “Friends, lunch, and

more friends like

Amy.”

Harley M.—

“My friends.”

Attention Goose Hunters! aged 12-17*

Register for the

Tom Harpstreith Memorial

Youth Hunt

January 22

Register at www.tomsyouthhunt.com for

a fully-guided hunt! 5:00 a.m. breakfast

provided at Pineapple Grill. Lunch at

Little Moon following the hunt.

Calling contest after lunch!

Call 532-5869 for

more information

*must have Hunters’ Safety

Certification

Page edited by Allison M.

Torrington High School Friday, January 13, 2012 Page 7

Captain Swag

Jordan C. Senior

Super Sandy Sandy Pierce Librarian

X –Factor

Xiyun H. Sophomore

Ramrod Brett G. Freshman

Dr. John

John Z. Junior

Super Looper Juel Afdahl Teacher

Nemo

Chase P. Sophomore

What is your superhero name?

Electro Beast Hannah P. Sophomore

Winning Going into the playoffs on a 3

game losing streak

Taking Challenging Classes Finals

Eating Cutting Weight

Snow Icy Roads

Me You

Jeans Wearing Pajamas to School

Seniors Freshmen

Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 (5 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup peanut butter

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

1. In a heavy sauce pan over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate chips. Re-

move from heat and gently stir in rice cereal until coated. Press into the bottom

and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. Chill 30 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed

milk and peanut butter until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Fold in

whipped cream. Pour into prepared crust. Drizzle chocolate topping over pie and

freeze for 4 hours or until firm. Keep in freezer until ready to serve, and return

leftovers to the freezer as well.

Prep Time:

10 Min

Cook Time:

10 Min

FROZEN PEANUT

BUTTER CHEESECAKE

Photo and recipe from allrecipes.com

* Blazing Sun

Page 8 Friday, January 13, 2012 Torrington High School

Every year, we try to feature a

bit of information about each

of our seniors: here’s the class

of 2012’s edition!

THE QUESTIONS:

1. What’s your favorite

memory?

2. Most embarrassing

moment

3. If you could change one

thing about THS, what

would it be?

4. What high school

accomplishments

are you proudest of?

5. What will you miss about

high school?

6. What are your plans after

high school?

7. Advice to under class

men?

Chelsey M. 1. Meeting my BFF (Ash)

2. Falling down the stairs in a dress.

3. Its all good to me.

4. Making honor roll.

5. Friends, everything.

6. Start at EWC then go to UW.

7. Try hard every day.

Mark M. 1. Seeing KP everyday.

2. None

3. Nothing, THS is the perfect school.

4. State champs basketball.

5. KP, Kelly, and the hat rule.

6. Become a professional hockey player.

7. Just because there is a goalie doesn't

meant you can‘t score.

Jason M. 1. Winning state basketball my

sophomore year.

2. Getting hit in the back of the head by a

golf ball.

3. We need another gym.

4. Winning state, NHS and gold honor roll.

5. Some teachers, my friends and high

school sports.

6. Go to the University of Wyoming and

play basketball.

7. Don‘t hate the player, hate the game.

Page edited by Jason M.

The Blazing Sun is the official newspaper of Torrington High School (THS). It is published bi-

monthly, fifteen times a year, expressly for the uses of

THS students. The Blazing Sun is a student forum written and composed entirely by student staff

members. It is photocopied by Goshen County School

District #1. Signed editorials represent the opinion of the author

and not necessarily that of The Blazing Sun, THS

administrators, faculty, or students. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of the staff. We

welcome letters from students to the editor; however,

they must be signed to be printed. Letters to the editor should be addressed to The Blazing Sun, THS, 2400

West C Street, Torrington, WY 82240. Letters will be

copy edited upon request. We reserve the right to refuse to print, to edit for legal concerns or for space

considerations.

The road to

success is

always under

construction.

*

David M. 1. Throwing Tollman in the snow.

2. ―Get in the car‖!

3. The size. It should be bigger with more

people.

4. Everything

5. Friends

6. Applying for Hollister Company for model-

ing and going to University of Kearney.

7. Don‘t do crack!

Erin M. 1. Having a Nerf sword fight down

the hallway last year with

Aleighica.

2. Oh gosh! Just one?

3. Bring back half-day Wednesdays.

4. Being a yearbook editor, NHS.

5. Some of the teachers.

6. Attend EWC then transfer to UW

to get my degree in elementary

education.

7. Don‘t be a follower; carve your own

path.

To win, all you need to

do is get up one more

time than you fall down.