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Transcript of The Blazing Sun- Oct. 27th
Page edited by Dimitri N.
Torrington High School Thursday, October 27, 2011 Volume 17, Issue 4
Spider Cupcakes just in
time for Halloween!
Page 8
Madison B.wins Hallow-
een writing
contest! Page 11
Prize-Winning Fiction
Chillers
Ryan L. Reporter
Torrington High
School Choirs started off the
year with their fall concert
The Torr ing ton
choirs had their first per-
formance of the year. ―It
went really well! It was a
great start to our concert
year,‖ Choir Director Kris
Tolman commented on the
performance. Lasting only
45 minutes, the concert con-
sisted of three songs from
each of the three choir
classes: Concert Choir,
Women's Choir, and Show
Choir.
The concert was
started with ―O Sifuni
Mungu‖ arranged by Roger
Emerson with solos by jun-
iors Trent T. and Selena D.,
freshmen Virginia A., and
sophomore Amy A.. Educa-
tion Aide Ginny Hall com-
mented, ― Trent T. did very
well. He was a stand out in
my mind.‖ The Concert
Choir continued with sing-
ing ―Double Trouble‖ ar-
ranged by Teena Chinn and
―Inscription of Hope‖ by
Randall Stroope, introduced
by junior Jordin C.
The THS Women‘s Choir
had a solo by senior Emily
Cortez during their first
song: ―Wishing You Were
Somehow Here Again‖ ar-
ranged by Mac Huff. This
was followed by ―Boogie
Woogie Bugle Boy‖ arranged
by Grank Metis. The last
song during the Women‘s
Choir concert was ―Dream A
Dream‖ arranged by Roger
Emmerson with a duet by
junior Brookee M. and sen-
ior Tanya H.
Leading with a cover
of Earth, Wind, and Fire‘s
popular song ―September,‖
the Show Choir had a quick
start to their performance
year. After that the Show
Choir preformed Michael
Jackson‘s ―Man in the Mir-
ror.‖ Freshman Kayla F.
said, ―‘Man in the Mirror‘
was really good. It had a lot
of solo‘s that sounded awe-
some.‖ The song had solos by
junior James O, senior Cait-
lyn Cummings, junior Trae
T., sophomore Kyle N., and
senior Chelsae Carr.
The last song of the concert
was a dance song ―Trickle
Trickle.‖ ―I liked ‗Trickle
Trickle‘ best because we had
such good choreography by
Lisa Fluckiger. It was a
great end to the concert,‖
said Tolman when asked
about the song. The song
was headlined with solos by
seniors Ryan L. and Ross B..
―Ross‘s solo was my
favorite. He had really good
tone and projected his voice
very well,‖ senior choir
member Grace F. said.
THS choir will hit
the stage again December
20th. ― The next concert will
consist of more holiday
songs as its during the holi-
day seasons,‖ Tolman con-
cluded.
Kolter E. Reporter
The new couple is
making their mark on THS
one two-step at a time. First
-year teachers Jennica and
Charles Fournier have be-
gun a swing dance club/
class that meets every Mon-
day from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at
the old middle school gym-
nasium.
It started in Septem-
ber, but everyone is still in-
vited to come and join. The
two are teaching dances like
the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop,
and Collegiate Shag. Every-
one who has attended the
new dance class says that it
is a great time.
Mckennen L. said
that they are just getting
done learning the basics of
the Charleston. ―It‘s helping
me with show choir, and I‘m
getting to meet new people,‖
added. He also said that the
class is an everyone dances
with everyone type of class.
McKennen then jokingly
said, ―All the guys aren't
very good, including me.‖
Josie J. said, ―I‘m
becoming very
skilled and having
a lot of fun doing
it. It‘s even great
for a cripple like
me.‖ She said so far
she has learned
different varia-
tions of the
Charleston and a
cool flip that Mr.
and Mrs. Fournier
can do. The only
thing she didn't
like she said was
―dancing with the detest.‖
The dance floor is
also known for its smiles
and laughter by the stu-
dents participating.
Xiyun T. said, ―It‘s
fun, we laugh a lot and
dance a lot.‖ She also said
that the class is
easy.
K a t -
lynn S. and
Breenna H.
c o m m e n t e d ,
―[Mr. and
M r s .
F o u r n i e r ]
make the
dancing fun
and are al-
ways cracking
jokes.‖ They
also said that
since it is an
―everyone dance with every-
one type of class,‖ you don't
need to bring a partner, you
can just come by yourself.
―It‘s okay to have
two left feet! We will teach
you everything you need to
know,‖ Mrs. Fournier said.
This is not her first rodeo,
either. The couple has
taught dance lessons from
the University of Wyoming‘s
Swing Dance Club, to ele-
mentary student, senior citi-
zens, and even for various
fund raisers.
The class is cur-
rently looking to expand and
find a new location that is
―to be announced.‖ ―It‘s a
great class and we have
quite a few people showing
up. It‘s a lot of fun.‖ Mr.
Fournier said.
Why it’s okay to have ‘two left feet’ Fourniers begin dancing
club at THS
We’re singing to the man in the mirror! ♫♪♫♪
Visit the Blazing Sun Online at: http://theblazingsun.jimdo.com ● www.tinyurl.com/3sngze9
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
55°/30°
61°/35°
60°/29°
MacKenzy P. Reporter
All the THS wood-
crafters reveled in the brand
-new shop that was created
over the summer. True, the
new space is somewhat
smaller than the older facil-
ity, and no new equipment
was purchased, but the
greatly enhanced safety sys-
tems.
For example, a
$100,000 dust collector—the
most expensive part of the
project—provides a method
of removing all saw dust
from the air, rendering it
much cleaner and less haz-
ardous to health.
Getting this project
underway has taken several
years. ―We had an old wood
shop directly across from the
sale barn. The electrically
was bad, floorings were bad,
and it‘s not a safe environ-
ment. We needed to move
students out of that,‖ said
Goshen County superinten-
dent Ray Schulte when in-
terviewed on KGOS KERM
radio earlier this year.
The new wood shop was
located in the former THS
Auto Shop, vacating its old
home in the building for-
merly housing Tri-State
Auto Repair.
Shop instructor Mark
Estes encourages all commu-
nity members and students
to stop in and view the new
remodel.
How much wood can a wood shop chop?
Page edited
Page edited by Blake W.
Torrington High School Thursday, October 27, 2010 Page 2
Nick P.
Opinions Editor
Sunday night: the night dur-
ing which all of the weekend home-
work is crammed into a five-hour
stretch.
On this particular Sunday,
October 16, 2011, it was no different
for me. I finished my work, fresh-
ened up, and was ready to sleep. I
was close to falling asleep when my
television caught my attention.
Sportscenter had just started a new
live session, and the first thing spo-
ken was some tragic news.
Dan Wheldon, an Indy Car
driver, had died in a fatal crash dur-
ing a race that day in Las Vegas.
OK— I‘m probably one of, if
not the only people, who know about
Dan Wheldon. I‘ve known who he is
for a little while, but I could not
write a biography on him.
Anytime a person dies in s
sport, it is very shocking and terrible
to hear. Even though I do not con-
sider NASCAR a sport, let alone
Indy Car racing I‘ve always thought
that professional racing was incredi-
bly dangerous.
The one thing most people do
not know is just how dangerous pro-
fessional competitive racing really is.
In my mind, Indy Car is much more
dangerous than NASCAR.
A person must watch a race
to completely understand just how
dangerous it is being behind the
wheel of these featherweight rockets
on wheels. An Indy Car can reach
speeds in excess of two hundred
thirty miles per hour! Plus, the
power of the cars is so outstanding
that it seems as if they go from zero
to sixty NOW!
The control of the car is an-
other issue. As light as these things
are, it almost seems as if they can
float on water. The handling for the
cars is very good, until too much
steering is given. One slight turn of
the wheel results in a massive turn
in the snap of a finger.
People who have seen an
Indy Car, also know that drivers‘
heads are only covered by a helmet.
There is no roof above the driver.
That small helmet can‘t protect
against large debris and other ob-
jects coming at the driver very
well.
Take a look at the tracks,
as well, for these drivers. Only a
select few of the races are at tradi-
tional ―super speedway‖ tracks, the
ovals that we think of right of the
top of our heads. Tracks called
―road courses‖ are much more com-
plex and technical.
Both types of tracks have
their dangers. Oval tracks are eas-
ier to turn on, but speeds climb
incredibly high! Road courses are
slower, but there are more opportu-
nities for crashes.
Despite these conditions
that seem to create fatality after
fatality, there have only been four
fatalities in the history of Indy Car
racing; Dan Wheldon was the first
one since 2006.
Maybe it is time to focus
more on the driver than the car.
Ever since everything started, the
goal has always been to make the
fastest car. The faster the better,
the more money, more wins, more
fame, and everything in between.
Two years ago, I remember
watching a crash that gave me chills.
Carl Edwards‘ car went airborne into
the catch fence, the only thing sepa-
rating these metal death traps and
the fans. Eight fans were injured
though Edwards came out un-
harmed. I remember the reactions
from Sportscenter; many of them
expressed safety concerns.
Many decided to be Captain
Obvious and say that the cars are
―really fast,‖ but also said that they
may be too fast now: so fast, that the
cars were putting the drivers in a
potentially very dangerous situation.
It seems as if regulations toward
cars were tightened up, and most
importantly, the speeds dropped a
little bit. Despite all this, I still be-
lieve that it is still going on today.
Indy Car needs a major
check. The conditions the drivers are
put through just to earn money are
something one may think comes
from a maniac. Something at least
needs to be above the driver‘s heads,
and regulations on speed could be
tightened to hopefully put more con-
trol into the hands of the drivers.
I‘ll admit, I am by no means
a junkie for professional auto racing.
In fact, I really do not like it at all.
Even though I do not get too in-
volved, I hope for the sake of the
drivers in NASCAR, Indy Car, For-
mula 1, sport bike racing, or
whatever it
may be, that
something is
done to pre-
vent future
fatalities. I
know that
these can‘t be
entirely pre-
vented, but
there can
never be
enough pre-
caution for
an event as
devastating
as Wheldon‘s
death or any
other fatality. Remember, this guy
had a wife and two sons that he did
not plan to leave behind so suddenly.
Crash emphasizes need to better protect drivers
Thursday, October 27 State Volleyball
@Casper
Friday, October 28 State Volleyball
@Casper
No School
Saturday, October 29 State Volleyball
@Casper
Monday, November 7 WASC - StuCo
Getting to know the What do you like about high school?
Tirrell C.– More
people.
Kara C.– Closer to
being out of school
forever.
Vanesa C.– Less
classes every day. Blanca C.– Not as
much classes.
Alex C.– Longer
classes.
Gone too soon. Could Dan Wheldon‘s death have been prevented with a better-built car, a more substantial helmet, different steering mechanisms, and different chassis designs? Photo from Wikipedia Commons
What’s coming up for Blazers . . . .
Page edited by Nick P.
The Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 3
Nick P. Opinions Editor
I didn‘t have a major prob-
lem with this until recently.
The University of Alabama
football program under head coach
Nick Saban has been one of the elite
day in and day out, week in and
week out, year in and year out.
Personally, I am starting to
enjoy the way they play with their
physical, smash-mouth approach,
dominating defense, and physical
running game.
There is one problem,
though.
Not many people around this
area are unaware of the crude, pro-
vocative chant that occurs after
every Alabama win, which seems to
occur every week. Whether it would
be a victory by one or one hundred,
the fans of the Crimson Tide all en-
gage in the ―Rammer Jammer Yel-
low Hammer‖ chant.
―Hey [opponents name!] Hey
[opponents name!] Hey [opponents
name!] We just beat the hell outta
you! Rammer jammer yellow ham-
mer give ‗em hell Alabama!‖
Now like I said, I did not
have a problem with it, until the
arch-rival had to get involved.
I have wrote about the ―Iron
Bowl‖ before, but as a refresher, the
―Iron Bowl‖ is the always heated,
intense rivalry between the Alabama
Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers.
Regarded as a sure top-five rivalry in
all of college sports, there have been
more than a fair share of pranks,
stunts, and everything in between.
We all know of last year‘s
result: Auburn came out on top by a
score of 28-27. No Rammer Jammer
chant for the Alabama fans!
Wait a second, the Auburn
band is breaking into the tune of
Rock and Roll Part 2 (The Hey
Song) by Gary Glitter.
―Hey Alabama! Hey Ala-
bama! Hey Alabama! We just
beat the hell outta you! Rammer
jammer yellow bammer go to hell
Alabama!‖
How cruel, yet needed for
the payback of the Alabama fans.
But this has gone on long
enough.
Whoever started this
needs to learn to be a good win-
ner. A good winner will win with
humility. That winner will shake
his or her opponent‘s hand, and,
overall, be a good sport.
Who wants a bunch of
drunken, crazed football fans to
shout out to the opponent that
they just got the hell beaten out of
them?
Plus the ―WE just beat the
hell outta you,‖ part is undeserv-
ing. While the players are laying
their bodies, futures, and much more
on the line, these sore winners are in
the stands drinking, being pugna-
cious, and shouting derogatory
things to players.
Telling someone to go to hell,
even if it is meant as a joke, should
NEVER be uttered.
It pains me to say this, but
the fans of the Nebraska Cornhusk-
ers model appropriate behavior
toward opponents. Win or lose,
the fans give a standing ovation
to the opposing team. I have
seen this in person multiple
times, and they have even
given a standing ovation in the
bitterest of losses (Texas 2010.)
Alabama fans have
called out Auburn fans for the
chant, saying that they are out
of line and stealing tradition.
Well, guess what? If they want
to chant stuff like that, they
better expect it back, and NOT
whine about it.
I am not saying that the
Alabama and Auburn fans are
the worst and rudest, that title
may belong to the fans of the Colo-
rado Buffaloes or West Virginia
Mountaineers, but the chants have
got to go. It will possibly end some of
the bad tension between the two.
The chant should not have been cre-
ated in the first place. Now that it
has boiled over, it is time to change.
No more ―we just beat the hell outta
you‘s‖ or ―go to hell‘s.‖
Nick P. Opinions Editor
The never-ending debate be-
tween the NFL and NCAA for our
preference surfaces before, during,
and after the football season: it
never stops!
The NFL side states that
they are the best of the best of the
NCAA, the NCAA side fires back
with the statement ―one hundred
twenty teams!‖
In the case of the NFL vs.
the NCAA, the NCAA wins, by a
huge margin.
The NCAA has teams in
Madison, Wisconsin; Eugene, Ore-
gon; Gainesville, Florida; Lincoln,
Nebraska; and Ann Arbor, Michigan
just to name a few. The NFL has not
one, but two teams in East Ruther-
ford, New Jersey.
Players from the NCAA will
always bleed their school‘s colors. A
player will graduate from Florida,
and wear his blue and orange for the
rest of his life. That same player will
be drafted by the Jaguars, wear teal
and black for four years, then sign a
big contract with the Raiders. In the
NCAA, they are unable to easily change teams (transfer; can‘t play for
one year, usually to a smaller
school). They can‘t pull a Lebron
James. The players bleed their
school colors and wear their current team colors.
Money provides another con-
trast.
In college, players are not
allowed to earn any money for any
sort of athletic performance. They
are not allowed any benefits or gains
in return for the player himself. The
player may not
be paid to play
under no cir-
cumstances.
O n c e
players enter
the NFL, it is
a l l a b o u t
money. Who-
ever is able to
offer the big-
gest paycheck
gets the star
player. One in
every three
players is a
greedy pig. He
will hold out of
camp until he
gets millions of
dollars which
will later make
him go bank-
rupt due to irresponsible spending.
They only seem to care about money.
The passion goes along with
money. Many NFL players don‘t
really care about winning. The team
can go 2-14, but if the quarterback is
making his fifteen million every
year, life is good.
Look at the college players.
Watch how they play their hardest
play in and play out.
Those players are not play-
ing for their paycheck: they are play-
ing for their fans, teammates, school,
students, fans, and the biggest moti-
vation of all, to win! Instead of a
bunch of green paper, these players
would rather hoist the crystal foot-
ball at the end of the year.
Games matter
even more in the NCAA.
A team can‘t take a week
off if they are in the hunt
for the national title; one
loss ends it all. In the
NFL, games do not seem
to matter as much. Look
at last year in the NFL,
the Green Bay Packers, a
sixth seed, won the Super
Bowl! They were one of
the last teams to even
make the playoffs! This is
why big games in college
football are much more
important, and paid at-
tention to.
The overall pag-
eantry of college football
is miles ahead of the
NFL. Watch the games in
November, especially the
ones on Thanksgiving
weekend. The Iron Bowl,
Ohio State-Michigan,
Lone Star Showdown, and Bedlam,
all of the biggest rivalry games
packed into one weekend!
Take a walk down ―The
Grove‖ at Ole Miss; watch the dot-
ting of the ―I‖ in the Ohio State
Marching band; practice yelling at
Texas A&M; walk by Bevo at Texas;
watch Chief Osceola throw his flam-
ing spear into the field. Need I say
more?
Watching NFL games is just
dull to me. The fans just seem so
much less enthusiastic. The atmos-
phere at an NFL game is just sort of,
boring to be honest! The best games
of football do not occur on Sundays
during the fall, they occur on Satur-
days.
Rammer Jammer Yellowhammer, learn some manners!
Watching the college kids is better than the pros
Both of these articles
were cut off in an
earlier issue; we are
reprinting them here.
Enjoy the full version!
Page edited by Nick P.
Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2011 Page 4 Blazer football season comes to a close
Torrington Buffalo
Fo
otb
all
8 52 Torrington Douglas
Vo
lle
yb
all Torrington
Torrington
Mark M. Sports Editor
The Torrington
Trailblazers had a rough
last two weeks of the sea-
son, making their overall
record 1-7, but the sen-
iors don't regret it at all.
―Dear Mr. Len-
hardt, thanks for the sea-
son, I‘m glad I came out,
love Ryan.‖
―My best memory
of this year was when
coach told Will to go
home and play Madden
with his dad, and on sen-
ior night, walking out
with the team,‖ senior
Ryan L. said. ―I will miss
the good times with the
team and all of the
things that Lenny said.‖
Ryan‘s message
to his teammates was
―Don‘t stop the progress
and never give up.‖
Two weeks ago,
the Torrington lost to
Buffalo, 53-6, with Frank
S. scoring the lone touch-
down for the Blazers.
―My favor i te
memory this year was
running an 80 yard
touchdown this year
against Lander. And for
the team, my favorite
memory was beating the
Outlaws,‖ senior Frank
S. said. ―On senior night,
my favorite memory was
walking out with the par-
ents.‖
―If you can touch
it you can catch it,‖ was
Frank‘s message to his
teammates. ―I will miss
you guys.‖
―My best
memory was watching
how much our team im-
proved from spring drills
all the way up to the
Riverton game. They
went from not being able
to catch a ball to gaining
300+ yards of offense,‖
Coach Lenhardt said.
We lost some
guys along the way. We
had injuries and some
players were dismissed,
but if we had all our
players committed, we
could have been better,‖
Lenhardt said. ―Things
may have turned out bet-
ter, but for the future of
the program, it was best
to play our young kids.‖
―The sen iors
knew the situation was
difficult, they showed up
and worked hard every-
day. These are 5 of my
most favorite kids I‘ve
coached at all levels,‖
coach Lenhardt said
about his seniors.
―Although our record
doesn't show it, use this
season as a lesson to
work hard when things
get tough.‖
6 56
2 3
Douglas
Shai S. Columnist
The Blazers end their regu-
lar season off in a W—something
that seemed to get the Blazers ex-
cited rolling into Regionals.
The Blazers finished on top
by winning their match against Raw-
lins in 3. They won with a score of 29
-27, 28-26, and 25-20. The girls
fought hard and it paid off in the
end.
―In the second game we were
down 22-16 and fought back to win
28-26!‖ Head Coach Lori Byrd said.
―The kids played like a team and
never gave up!‖
―They played amazing!‖ team
manager Korinne J. said. ― They cov-
ered really well and hit the ball in-
stead of having weenie arms!‖
Sophomore Avery M. said,‖ It
was a huge win, and was a really
close game. We hit and played de-
fense really well which helped us win
the game.‖
The Blazers will first meet
the Rawlins Outlaws in the number
4 and 5th seed game. This will take
place Friday at 2:00 P.M. If they win,
they will play the top-seeded Doug-
las Bearcats at 6:30 later that night.
The Blazers did it! They are
state bound for the second consecu-
tive year.
For their first game they defeated
the Rawlins Outlaws in five with a
score of 29-27, 19-25, 17-25, 25-20,
32-30. Their final game was only
supposed to go to 15, but the teams
both showed incredible drive to ad-
vance into the semi-final round.
Coach Byrd added, ― A his-
tory-making match 32-30 in the fifth
game that was only supposed to go to
15! The kids never gave up and fi-
nally won!‖
Matty J. said,‖ Oh man! It
was intense! We went in knowing it
was gonna‘ be a fight and we played
well and played together. We win!‖
This advanced the Blazers
into the semi-final round against
the number one seeded Douglas
Bearcats. THS lost in five with a
score of 25-20, 13-25, 25-23, 25-16,
and 7-15.
― I thought once we hit the
fifth set, we all knew that it was ex-
tremely exciting!‖ said Murphy H. ―
We are the only team in our confer-
ence that has beaten Douglas, let
alone took them to five sets. It was
pretty intense for all of us!‖
3 0
3 2
Rawlins
Torrington Rawlins Blazer volleyball: ready to take State
Player Set Assists Kills Digs Blocks Aces
Christian B. 85 7 60 4 2
Sydney H. 59 0 47 0 2
Jenny R. 3 0 0 0 0
Tarah W. 49
Avery M. 49 61 2 5
Shai S. 1 57 60 11 2
Taylor F. 1 17 44 1 4
Matty J. 28 14 9 2
Murphy H. 3
Raele R.
Kayla F. 3
Cassandra B.
Regional Stats
Who is your role model? Why? Getting to know the sophomores...
Caden C.— Shai S.
because she is B-E-A–
utiful!
Brittany D.— I don't
know (=
Sean D.— My mom be-
cause she is awesome.
Terren D.— Mr. Zig-
weed because he makes
class fun.
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 [email protected]
Fax 307-532-7221 [email protected]
Fall sports season, along
with the weather, is cool-
ing down.
Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 5
Nick P. Opinions Editor
Winning the Heisman Memo-
rial Trophy in college football is the
highest honor an individual can
achieve. The trophy goes to the most
outstanding player in all of college
football.
Unfortunately, this is not
always the case.
The trophy, even more re-
cently, seems not to go to the ―most
outstanding player‖ in college foot-
ball. Unwritten requirements seem
to be placed on the trophy now.
The first of these unspoken
requirements is to be an offensive
player. The only player to have ever
won this trophy while being a pri-
mary defensive player is the Univer-
sity of Michigan‘s Charles Woodson
in 1997. However, he was also a punt
returner, and occasionally, a wide
receiver. The highest finish for a
player that solely played defense and
nothing else was the University of
Pittsburgh‘s Hugh Green, who fin-
ished second in the voting.
The second of the unspoken
requirements is to be on a winning
team. Paul Hornung of the Univer-
sity of Notre Dame is the only player
to have ever won the award playing
on a team with a losing record. When
a team loses a game or doesn‘t win
the expected number of games, play-
ers seem to drop right out of the He-
isman race, even if they put up
gaudy numbers.
The third and final of the
requirements is to be in a BCS-
automatic qualifying conference. The
smaller schools in lesser conferences
such as the WAC, C-USA, Sun Belt,
Mountain West, and MAC don‘t re-
ceive much love from the Heisman
voters. Who has heard of Case
Keenum? This guy puts up numbers
I could not achieve in video games,
so why does he not get any votes?
The belief is that he is playing in
lesser conferences. While I agree
with this belief slightly, that does
not mean that they get to be com-pletely ignored.
Summed up, the winner of
the Heisman Trophy goes to the best
offensive player on the best team.
One year, I would like to
point out, is a prime example of this,
and it was not too long ago.
After putting up over 1,500
rushing yards and eighteen touch-
downs, Mark Ingram was voted the
winner of the 2009 Heisman Trophy.
Now who remembers Ndamukong
Suh that year? The defensive tackle
from Nebraska should have won the
award in my opinion, which is really
tough for me (the Husker hater) to
say. He single-handedly led the
Cornhuskers that year on defense,
and offensive coordinators would
have many sleepless nights trying to
game plan around him. To me, he
was the most outstanding player on
that team. Heck, Mark Ingram was-
n‘t even the most outstanding run-
ning back that year either! Toby
Gerhart of Stanford ran for more
yardage and many more touchdowns
(no, go away SEC gomers, I don‘t
care that Mark Ingram did it in the
SEC, which may be a little tougher,
but not miles away. I‘m pretty sure
Gerhart could have done it in the
SEC also.) Alabama won the na-
tional title that year, and they were
ranked number-one all year, hence,
the best offensive player on the best
team.
This year, I‘m afraid we may
be going down the same path.
Right now, the unspoken
leader of the Heisman race is An-
drew Luck. He has put up great
numbers, I‘ll give him that, but I be-
lieve that he is getting most of the
attention due to his status as a pro
prospect on an undefeated team.
There are a number of quarterbacks
ahead of him in yards, touchdowns,
or sometimes both. Most notably two
small school prospects, Boise State‘s
Kellen Moore and Houston‘s Case
Keenum, players not on top teams,
Keith Price of Washington, Nick
Foles of Arizona, Brandon Weeden of
Oklahoma State, and Tajh Boyd of
Clemson.
Of the top ten projected win-
ners of the Heisman, Robert Griffin
III, is the only one on a team not in
the top twenty-five. Griffin for a
large part of the beginning of the
year had more touchdowns than in-
complete passes. Unless he suffers a
major drop-off, he will receive my
vote for the Heisman.
Tyrann Mathieu of LSU
would get some attention from me
also. For those who do not know who
Mathieu is, turn on an LSU game
from this year, particularly the Ore-
gon or West Virginia game. Nick-
named ―The Honey Badger,‖ this guy
is a terror for offenses. He is the
most impactful player on defense
since Ndamukong Suh. Even though
he was suspended for a game, he
should still get at least some atten-
tion. Unfortunately, Mathieu will
probably not even get looked at for
the Heisman, as it is an unspoken
rule that defensive players are not
allowed to win the award.
There have been many legiti-
mate winners who were really the
most outstanding players in their
time. Unspoken requirements and
rules seem to make people forget the
winner of the Heisman Trophy goes
to the most outstanding player in
college football!
The Heisman Trophy usually doesn’t go to its real winner
Ryan L. and Avery M. Reporters
The Torrington cross-country
team runs this town… literally. They
spend hours and hours pounding the
pavement throughout the county dur-
ing every season.
After running many miles in
many meets, the cross-country team
took their talent to the Absaraka Con-
ference meet in Glenrock on October
14. The team was pleased with the
results.
The girls‘ team ended with an
all-time high, placing of 3rd behind
Pine Bluffs and Douglas. Junior Kay-
lie H. led the girls‘ team, scoring 11th
place with a time of 23:15.
―I think I did pretty well,‖
Kaylie said. ―I think it was better
than Cheyenne.‖ What‘s her goal for
state? ―To get in the top 15.‖
Junior Mikayla M. described
the meet as ―one of her better races.‖
She finished 14th overall with a time
of 23:48:51. Mikayla, who was in-
jured for the meet the previous week,
said her goal at state was to get in the
top 25.
―My performance at confer-
ence was not one of my best. I tried to
stay with Mikayla most of the way,
but I got sick with a stomachache and
let people pass me,‖ said sophomore
Allison M. ―I did better the week be-
fore in Cheyenne, and was more com-
petitive there. This meet our team did
really well and got third. My goals for
state are to place in the top half.‖
Freshman Alex C. earned
19th place with a time of 24:15.72,
while Melissa B. got 24:49.76 which
earned her 24th. Freshman Dakota
M. also ran and got 34th with a time
of 26:29.81, and sophomore Whitney
W. ran a time of 27:18.36 for 40th.
The Torrington Blazer boys
finished 5th overall, with Garrett D.
placing 6th in the race.
―Well, I think I did all right. I
ran my fastest time at that course,‖
said Garrett. ―I improved my time by
30 seconds.‖ Garrett ran a time of
17:41.46. His goals for state are to
place top ten and receive All-State
honors.
Other runners included Hank
J., Matty R., Carlos A. and Reo R.
Hank ran a time of 18:56.65 earning
him an 18th place finish while Matty
received 24th with a time of 19:45.05.
Carlos finished with 21:12.19 for 39th,
and Reo ended up 23:15.34 for 46th.
―I think I did pretty
good for myself,‖ said Reo. ―I went
down by thirty seconds, but it was a
harder course. My goal for state is to
get below 22 minutes.‖
X-Country State The following week, the Tor-
rington Cross Country Runners ran
their way to state in Douglas to finish
9th and 11th. Unfortunately, they fell
short of many of their goals .
The Blazers improved much
over the year, resulting in many per-
sonal records. Junior Garret D. fin-
ished 24th with a time of 18:33.48.
Lingle junior, member of the Torring-
ton cross country team, Hank J. ran a
time of 19:51.84 to place 47th. Fresh-
man Matty R. came in right after
Hank with a time of 19:54.16. Placing
67th, senior Carlos A. ran 21:03.18,
while freshman Reo R. ran 23:39.13
and got 83rd to round up the Blazer
Boys. ― We improved a bunch. I cut my
time by about half a minute from last
time,‖ said Reo.
Freshmen Alex C. said, ― I im-
proved a lot this week; my time went
down by five seconds.‖ Alex finished
40th with a time of 24:18.10. Leading
the Blazer girls, junior Kaylie H. fin-
ished 25th with a time of 23:35.27.
―Kaylie
didn‘t give up and ran her own race,‖
sophomore Allison M. commented. Alli-
son finished 41st with a time of
24:18.64, out-sprinting two competitors
at the finish line. Mikayla M. ran
25:08.21 to finish 53rd. Finishing 64th
and 65th were junior Mellisa B. and
freshmen Dakota M.
―I did very will
this week. It was the best the team and
I had done. It was a great end to the
season,‖ Dakota said. ― I
think next year we will be just as good,
if not better,‖ said Allison. ―We are only
losing one senior, [Carlos A.] and he will
be missed.‖
Page edited by Nick Prusia
Cross Country runners finish the season on a strong note
Jason M. Seniors Editor
Take me out to the ball
game . . . as the World Series comes
to an end, the St. Louis Cardinals
take on the Texas Rangers in a cru-
cial Game Six where the Cardinals
have to win to stay alive.
As the Cardinals crawled
their way into the playoffs—having
to win their last regular season
game— they are the underdogs in
this World Series.
But after having a 2-1 lead
after three games they have lost the
last two and are now trailing 3
games to 2. With a win from the
Rangers in Game Six the Texas
Rangers will have their first World
Series win in franchise history.
―I think the Cardinals are
going to win because they have Al-
bert Pujols along with a great offense
and a better pitching staff. They
have the edge because they also have
home field advantage,‖ Josh R. said.
―The Cardinals are going to
win because they have a better pitch-
ing staff and the better offense—just
the better team overall,‖ Allison M.
said.
―I hope the Cardinals win
because the Rangers beat Detroit
and Detroit is my favorite team. The
Cardinals have the better infield and
some great hitters,‖ Wyatt W. said.
― The Cardinals are going to
win because they have home field
advantage. Also, I don't like the
Rangers and I‘m more of a National
League kind of guy,‖ said Jeff Hal-
ley.
― The Cardinals are going to
win because they are my favorite
animal—and my favorite color,‖ Tay-
lor F. said. [NOTE: We were unable to
alter this story to account for the re-
sult‘s of Wednesday night‘s game.]
World Series fans go to bat for their teams
Page edited
Page edited by Dylan S.
Torrington High School Friday October 27, 2011 Page 6
Sydney H. Columnist
FFA this… FFA that, is exactly how this
month‘s Blazer of the Month feels. Blake (B.W.)
O., son of Blake and Chrissy O,, is all about FFA.
Born and raised in Torrington, Wyoming, he has
been around cattle and his family farm his whole
life. O. has one sister, Katie, who graduated from
THS in 2010 as the salutatorian. She was also the
September BOTM, and she is now attending Cas-
per College where she is livestock judging.
―There is no one else who could
have been a better candidate for the first Blazer of
the Month at our school,‖ classmate,
Mark McKee said.
Blake is a very busy high school student
as he is involved in, FFA, tennis, FCA, Student
Council, 4-H and Youth Group. He also played in
the THS band his freshman and sophomore years
at THS.
―During my sophomore and junior years, I
missed nearly a month of school each year due to
just FFA and National Judging Trips,‖ BW said.
His freshman year he went to the Okla-
homa Panhandle State University for FFA. He
scored second high in FFA Livestock Judging, In-
dividual, and Champion Team. He also was in-
volved in the Speech and Debate team, where his
partner was his sister, Katie.
During his sophomore year, he began to
play tennis which he just loved. He went to three
National Judging contests, (FFA livestock, 4-H
livestock, and 4-H meats) and was a part of the
THS FFA for his second year.
Junior year rolled around, and BW sure
did keep himself busy once again. He went to two
national judging contests, (FFA and 4-H meats,)
where he placed third individual in the Nation for
FFA, tied for National Champion Individual and
was on the National Champion Team for 4-H.
Blake was elected the Torrington/Lingle FFA
President for his senior year, and two weeks be-
fore prom, he broke his nose while working cattle,
causing a distinctive black eye.
―B.W. needs to make sure he doesn't run
into any more fences,‖ senior Ryan L. said about
Blake‘s broken nose incident.
Aside from the many activities he does
involving the school, Blake loves just being with
his family and working on the family ranch. He
hopes to continue working on the ranch because it
is a tradition and he really enjoys being around
the cattle. He enjoys watching his favorite movies,
Dumb and Dumber, and Year One. The Office, Tosh. O, and Sports Center are his favorite TV
shows. BW also likes to read the books in
Harry Potter series.
―I will miss my friends, FFA, ten-
nis, and watching the sports games here,‖ Blake
said. ―But I will not miss homeroom, riding the
bus, and all the math homework!‖
Although BW seems to be a pretty laid-
back guy, he does have one very embarrassing mo-
ment, ―When I got my shorts pulled down to my
shoes in weights while I was hanging onto the bas-
ketball rim, definitely would have to be my most
embarrassing moment!‖
His advice to underclassmen is simple:
―You have to work hard and actually try in order
to be successful in your life.‖
In the future, Blake plans to attend Cas-
per College on a livestock judging scholarship, and
then go to a university to either livestock judge or
meats judge. He would like to get a degree in Ag
Business/Animal Science.
―In the future, I see B.W. owning his own
million-dollar ranch with lots and lots of cows,‖
senior Matty J. said. ―Or maybe an Ag teacher.‖
―I definitely see him either pulling a calf,
or genetically engineering them,‖ Ryan L. said.
Mark M. thinks that he will be working
with his dad on their family ranch.
Blake‘s favorite high school memory so far
is both of his trips to Nation FFA Convention and
getting third in the Nation in FFA Meats. His fa-
vorite teacher here at THS is Jason Groene be-
cause Groene is the FFA advisor and has taught
him so much.
―B.W. is a fine upstanding young man who
works hard and is very driven to accomplish his
goals,‖ Groene said. Groene had a lot of favorite
memories with BW, ―After we checked into DIA,
heading to the National FFA Livestock Evaluation
contest in Indianapolis, my wife was warning the
kids [As we stood under the "Carrying a fire-
arm on a plane is a felony sign" and I think it also
said something about ‗you are on video and audio
surveillance‘] that they better be on their best be-
havior because; "if she left her babies, to get on a
plane with them, then this better be a good
trip." I was freaking out about getting to the
plane on time [we were almost 2 hours early] and
B.W., out of nowhere says, "Hey Kelly, do you
mean I should have left my gun at home?" He was
just trying to lighten the mood and after Kelly's
blood pressure came back down and her heart and
pulse rates returned to normal, we all laughed—
sort of,‖ Groene laughed. ―But my favorite of all
time was seeing his face beam with humble pride
as he was announced as the 3rd high individual in
the nation [by four points] during the National
FFA Meats Evaluation and Technology Con-
test. Then the next week he turns around and
wins the National 4-H Meats Contest.‖
―B.W.? It is just a simple fact that it
has been my privilege to be his teacher and teach
him a few things during his time at THS. I mean,
honestly, how many times can you say you have
taught the best in the nation?‖ Groene concluded.
Tennis Coach Mary Perkins also enjoyed
working with Blake. ―What a kid,‖ she said. ―I will
miss the heck out of him. He is a class act, and no
one possesses the work ethic of the rare and elu-
sive B.W. He is a clone of the words, work ethic.
Kids want to hang around him and be seen with
him. He reeks professionalism, yet communicates
on any level. Watching him play tennis and ad-
vance through the high school has been so much
fun.‖
When asked what their favorite memory
with Blake was, many people gave different re-
sponses.
―Oh, my gosh!‖ Matty screamed. ―When he
finally let me drive his Caddy, those were the best
massage seats ever!‖
―Every day in Calc with B.W. is fun,‖ Mark
M. said. ―But my favorite memory with his was
ending his winning streak in football with my
team!‖
―Band with his sister,‖ Ryan L. laughed.
―But on a serious note, B.W. is a good guy, he will
go far in life. He has some mad calc skills, and I
absolutely love his sister.‖
Say cheese. . . . Oh, wait. That means something entirely ironic when addressing a Hereford! B.W. O. has shown cattle for years, enhancing his FFA resume. Courtesy photo
What do the acronyms FFA and BW have in common?
They both stand for our Blazer of the Month!
Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief
The girl‘s everywhere. Is
there anything September Blazer of
the Month Mikayla B. can‘t do?
It appears not.
Born in Longmont, Colorado,
but raised here in Torrington by
grandparents Joe and Marlise with
twin brother Nicholas, Mikayla has
accomplished much more than the
average high school student.
With awards in several areas
of secondary education and its attrib-
utes, Mikayla has, once again,
achieved another milestone: Blazer
of the Month.
However, Mikayla‘s most
notable achievement is athletic.
She‘s the first Blazer ever to earn All
-State honors in four different sports:
cross country, tennis, soccer, and
twice in basketball.
In a previous article, Mi-
kayla said about the feat: ―It‘s an
honor, and there were a lot of people
who helped me get here. I am grate-
ful to everyone who has helped me
get here.‖
―Mikayla is the pinnacle of
what it means to be a stud,‖ one stu-
dent said, ―She is extremely dedi-
cated in not only sports, but in her
academics. Most of all, she‘s a loyal
friend to everyone. She respects all
people and makes the best out of the
worst situations. Not everyone can
do that, but Mikayla? She‘s got that
down.‖
High school has certainly
treated Mikayla well. Her favorite
high school memory was ―getting all-
state freshman year in cross coun-
try,‖ she said.
―She is a hard worker,‖ her
cross country coach Mark Sims said.
―She‘s a 100% kind of young lady
trying her best. She is also a great
student and a true competitor.‖
Embarrassing moments?
―Too many to list :)‖
But those memories were few
among her overall high school ex-
periences.
―My freshman year was high-
lighted by basketball. I learned a lot
from the older groups of girls that
year,‖ Mikayla said, ―There were no
lowlights.‖
Her sophomore year resulted
in Mikayla taking more of a leader-
ship role in her basketball team,
which won the consolation champi-
onship at state.
However, ―I did
not do so well at
the state cross
country meet.‖
she said.
―In my
junior year, my
team won the
c o n s o l a t i o n
championship
at state again,‖
Mikayla contin-
ued, ―and I
joined soccer, in
which I had a
winning year.
No lowlights.‖
J e f f
Halley also re-
marked about
Mikayla‘s lead-
ership in bas-
ketball: ―She
controls our
team offen-
sively. She‘s our
leading scorer
and the leader
of our group.‖
So far,
Mikayla‘s senior
year has been
rewarding: ―I
received all-
state in tennis—
m y f o u r t h
sport!‖ she said.
―She [Mikayla] is dedicated;
she will work outside of practice; she
will work on all sports during the
offseason,‖ her tennis and soccer
coach Mary Perkins exclaimed
Outside of school life, Mi-
kayla enjoys watching The Office. Her favorite movie is the hilarious
Bridesmaids and her favorite book
is—surprise!— the dictionary! ―Just
joking :)‖
Her favorite teacher was
―Mr. Mills. He made science so much
fun and made become more inter-
ested in it.‖
Because of Mills‘ influence,
Mikayla‘s interest has landed her in
a career path. ―I am going to go to
college for Secondary Education in
Science. I want to be a high school
science teacher because I enjoy sci-
ence,‖ Mikayla explained.
Although several of her ac-
complishments were in high school,
Mikayla undoubtedly has things she
will and will not miss about student
life. ―I will not miss the ‗no snack‘
rule. But I will miss all my friends.‖
she said.
Mikayla‘s friends had noth-
ing short of compliments for the sen-
ior.
Matty J. said ―She is a stud
at anything she does. She is funny
and an amazing friend. In the future
I see her playing basketball in col-
lege or going to a top-notch school.
There are too many favorite memo-
ries I have with her. Mikayla has
been one of my best friends since we
were little, and without her I would
be sad!‖
Fellow senior Caitlyn Cum-
mings agreed, ―Mikayla is funny,
nice, and a stud! She‘s going to be a
very successful person in anything
she does. My favorite memory of her
is us quoting Bridesmaids all the
time. Heck, yes, she‘s deserving of
being Blazer of the Month.‖
As for her anonymous friend?
―Mikayla was nice to me from the
first day I met her. She will always
be number one. Always. Her dedica-
tion and determination in all her
tasks is amazing and infectious. I
know that I‘ve been lucky to have
met her.‖
Mikayla ends the school year
with advice for underclassmen: ―It
doesn‘t matter what you do or how
well you do it, as long as you look
good doing it.‖
Blazing Sun Thursday, October 27, 2011 Page 7
Anthonie C.— You
got to train like a
champion to be a
champion
Jordin C.— Legit Isidro C.— Diet
food is for fat peo-
ple.
Getting to know the Juniors... What is your favorite quote?
Jeremy D.— To lose is
to gain and to gain is
to loose.
Brandon D.— Be all
you can be.
Winner winner has an ―I‖. Mikayla has a ―i‖ in her name. (Top right) Brower shows friends are her top priority as she enjoys Homecoming 2010 with Matty and graduate Emily M. (Right) Her dedication, friendship, and well rounded-ness paid off once Mikayla was voted into Homecoming 2010 royalty. Staff Photos
You know you’re looking at a winner! September BOTM makes history as scholar, athlete, and best friend.
Page edited by Dimitri N.
Spider Cupcakes
(24 Cupcakes)
You will need:
Ingredients to make your favorite chocolate cup-
cakes.
1 pound of shoestring black licorice.
16 ounces of your favorite white or chocolate
frosting.
48 pieces of candy corn.
48 cinnamon red hot candies, or any other red
candy.
1/4 cup of orange decorator sugar.
Directions:
1. Prepare your cupcakes any way you would normally.
Let them cool completely.
2. Cut licorice into three inch sections.
(Work on only one or two cupcakes at a time so that the frosting does set before
decorating.)
3. Frost the cupcake you are working on with the white/ chocolate frosting.
4. Insert licorice pieces into the outer
edges of the cupcake so that the licorice is in
the frosting. Put three legs (licorice slices) on
each side of the cupcake.
5. Place two pieced of candy corn on
the front of the cupcake to look like fangs.
6. Use two red hots (or what ever red
candy you have) as eyes.
7. Sprinkle with decorator sugar and
repeat steps three through seven for the re-
maining cupcakes.
Page edited
page edited by Korinne J.
Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2010 Page 8
Favorite Candy to Receive on Halloween
35%
18%
17%
9%
21%
Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Snickers Twix Butterfinger Kit Kat
Black Halloween Punch (Serves 32 people)
You will need:
1 (.13 ounce) envelope of unsweetened
grape soft drink mix (Kool-Aid or another similar
product)
1 (.13 ounce) envelope of unsweetened or-
ange soft drink mix
2 cups of white sugar
3 quarts of cold water
1 liter of ginger ale
As much dry ice as you would like
Directions:
1. Stir together grape soft drink mix orange
soft drink mix, sugar and water until solids are dis-
solved.
2. Combine with chilled ginger ale and
dried ice just before serving
Halloween Brain Dip (Serves 12 people)
You will need:
2 avocados
1/2 cup of prepared salsa
1 head of cauliflower
6 thin slices of red and blue fruit leather
Directions:
1. Slice the avocados in half. Remove the
seeds. Scoop the avocado out of the skin into a bowl.
Mash with a fork or whisk and then stir into salsa.
Set aside.
2. Remove all of the leaves from the cauli-
flower and remove the stem leaving a nice hollow area
with the outer part of the head intact. (Use toothpicks
to hold it together if it starts to fall apart.
3. Place the cauliflower into a small bowl so that the hollow is facing upwards and most of
the cauliflower is up out of the bowl.
4. Fill the cauliflower with the avocado dip.
5. Decorate the white ―brain‖ (the cauliflower) by
weaving thin strand of red and blue fruit leather between
the creases to make veins and arteries.
Kylie K. Columnist
One peren-
n i a l f a v o r i t e
Goshen County
Halloween event is
the Haunted House
hosted by the local
Elks Lodge. Elks
Lodge located on
120 E 20th Avenue,
Torrington, WY
82240. It will take
place for three
nights; October
29th, 30th, and 31st.
An admission of $3.00 per person will be charged and
all age groups are welcome.
Students who have experienced the ―House‖
have differing opinions. Bre H. found the house to be
extremely scary. ―Duh it was scary!‖ she said. ―I‘ve
gone for about three years, and last year I was so
scared I threw candy at the people working there. I AM
going back again next year!‖
Sophomore Raele R. also seemed to enjoy the
haunted house. ―My favorite part was the haunted
house, but it wasn‘t scary—if that makes sense,‖ she
laughed. She definitely wants to go back again this
year.
Shai S. was more than thrilled about it. ―I‘ve
gone for two years. My favorite part was that they had
floating masks in the air and some were people and
some weren‘t. Oh, and they had real dead animal skins
there, too!‖ Shai found it ―sort of scary.‖ Will she be
there this year? ―YES!‖
Sarah E., though, is not a big fan of the
haunted house. ―It was okay. I went last year. There
was nothing really scary about it.‖ Unlike Shai,
―probably not‖ was her reply if she was going again this
year.
Students often help scare rather than being
scared. Nikki B. participated in the haunted house last
year and ―It was way fun. I worked it for two years.
Hopefully, my mom will let me do it again this year.‖
Anyone looking for something to do this week-
end might want to check out the Elks‘ Haunted House
for a scare that‘s may well leave you lying awake at
night. Admission is $3.00 and all groups are welcome.
The Elks Lodge can be found right next to the Wyo-
ming Theatre at 120 East 20th Street.
Get ready to fear
the haunted house
Halloween munchies rock the party
All recipes and photos courtesy of www.allrecipes.com
Page edited
Page edited by Shai S.
Torrington High School Thursday October 27, 2011 Page 9
By: Kolter E. Columnist
Step1 - Choose a pumpkin Pick a
pumpkin that is going to be easy to
work with; blemish free with a nice
smooth side to work on. It‘s ok if one
side of the pumpkin looks bad because
that side can be turned to the wall.
Step 2 - Get out your tools! Simple
pumpkin carving kits can be found in
almost any store this time of year.
You only need the basic carving kit to
carve out a great pumpkin, and if you
don't have the kit it will only be
around two to four dollars. These kits
usually come with stencils for great
designs so don't carve some boring
smiley face.
Step 3 - Stab your Pumpkin in the
Head! —with the knife from your kit
that is.
Start about 3 inches from the stem
and work your way around. This is
good practice to get the feel for your
pumpkin and a taste of what lies
ahead.
Step 4 - Rip your pumpkin's lid off!
This may be quite the task because of
the stringy ―brains‖ t hat will be con-
nected to the lid.
Step 5 - Plunge your hand in
and pull out the pumpkin brains! Try
not to think of this as pulling out
pumpkin brains: I don't want to make
you sick. Just try to get as much of
these ―brains‖ out as you can with
your hand.
Step 6 - Scrape the inside walls There
should be a scoop in your kit, but if
the kit fails to provide one try using
an
ice cream scoop or a metal measuring
cup. Make the inside of the pumpkin
as clean as you can. Get the front wall
of your pumpkin, where you will
carve, the cleanest. This will help out
a lot later on.
Step 7 - Cut the loose glop off from the
pumpkin lid You don't need directions
for this do you?
Step 8 - Attach the carving kit's de-
sign template Choose your paper de-
sign from the carving kit. Yes you
have to do this because we do not
want to see pumpkins with two
square eyes and a rectangle mouth.
Once that has been chosen attach it to
the front of the pumpkin. Make sure
it is actually attached because you do
not want it coming off when you are
working.
Step 9 - Mark the
design Use the
plastic poker
from your kit to
punch holes through the paper and
onto your pumpkin. Make sure you
fallow the gray side of each shape.
Holes the are around 1/8th of an inch
apart seem to make for a clear design.
Step 10 - Remove the design paper Do
not throw that away! It makes for a
reference while you are carving out
your pumpkin. Step 11 - Cut out along
the dotted lines. The template can be
used to figure out where each shape
starts and stops. When you get done,
your hard work may not seem like it
paid off, but wait. Place a light inside
your pumpkin and place it in the
Creepy, crawly, carving=Jack O’Lantern
Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief
There is one statistic wan-
dering the world that says ―90 per-
cent of people will experience some-
thing paranormal.‖ Fact. During our
lifetimes, something will happen
that we can‘t quite explain. It‘ll be
something weird, abnormal, eerie.
Halloween is on Monday but
that doesn‘t contain the paranormal
into a certain time of the year. My
encounters with the unexplained are
shared by some of my best friends,
experienced within the walls of this
school.
There is only one room in
THS that I truly believe is haunted.
Cliché it may sound, but welcome to
the library.
In my sophomore year, I at-
tended the Future Business Leaders
of America (FBLA) lock-in in March
of 2010. Like most lock-ins, a full
exploration of the school at night is a
must. To fully experience a lock-in,
one must explore.
Obviously, I wanted to go
into the library and my friend Dylan
S. accompanied me. We turned on
one set of lights and wandered into
the back of the library, where the
non-fiction section is surrounded by
dated fiction novels. We were read-
ing titles along the bookshelf nearest
to the windows (the farthest to the
left if you were to come into the li-
brary) and suddenly a book just fell.
Almost immediately, we accused
each other of pushing it. But, truth
is, neither of us dropped that book. It
just fell. A year passed by and once
again, I found myself in a dark
school for the 2011 FBLA lock-in.
This time, exploring turned into in-
vestigation. Armed with iPod
Touches with camera‘s and many
more witnesses, Dylan and I ap-
proached the library. Little did we
know, it was going to be an eventful
night.
Instead of turning on a light,
we kept it completely dark. We made
a video (which is still available if you
want to see it) and recorded every-
thing. With our backs to the main
desk, we scanned the back part of
the library, and nothing happened
until a pencil flew out of nowhere
and smacked against a computer.
Although it may seem like a
coincidence, we had been waiting
forever, and while making our video,
witness Caitlyn C. reportedly said ―I
just wish something would happen
so I could know [if the library was
haunted or not]‖
We turned on a set of lights
and searched for a pencil, which we
didn‘t find for ten minutes. This
ghost had aim.
Eventually, Dylan and I ven-
tured out to where the book had
fallen the previous year: the last
bookshelf. Again, we read the titles
of the books and this time… a book
fell again. On the other side of the bookshelf. After the pencil and a book
falling of a shelf, we all ran out of
the library leaving the lights on. But
after consideration, we decided that
we should go back and look at the
book. While Caitlyn and Dylan went
back to check, I took a different route
to examine the side door to the li-
brary. When I saw that it was
locked, I returned to the front doors
where Caitlyn and Dylan were…
waiting.
They claimed the library
door was locked. So, naturally, I
tried my hand on it, and it opened. We entered and looked at the book; it
was a book about WWII. What was
more interesting about the book was
that, when it fell, it landed opened to
page one, on the shelf.
Once we had enough, we
shut off the lights, and checked the
door to the library again. Locked.
In short, these were the inex-
plicable things that happened: The
door to the library was supposedly
locked when Caitlyn and Dylan tried
it, but it opened for me just two min-
utes afterwards. A pencil was
thrown in the library that couldn‘t be
found for ten minutes and only im-
mediately after Caitlyn asked for a
sign. The book fell off the same shelf
it did the previous year landed open-
faced back on the shelf. How does a
book land back on a shelf?!
What‘s more unsettling is
that, according to Caitlyn, the soccer
lock-in of 2010, held two weeks after
the FBLA one witnessed a book fal-
ling off the last shelf. In fact. It was
the same book that fell in the two
lock-ins: a book named Hannibal. Haunted or not?
The evidence for: the book
Hannibal fell two separate times in
the same year. A book has fallen two
years consecutively. A pencil was
thrown after specific comments were
made and was only found after ask-
ing for supernatural help. The door
locks and unlocks itself.
The evidence against: no
books have been found on the ground
in the library at any other times of
the school year is the most crucial
piece of evidence.
Something haunts the THS library. . . maybe
Photos used with permis-sion from www. Pumpkin-patchesandmore.org
Page edited
Page edited by Patrick Schnell
It's you! You did this to me! -Cecil
Princess from The Princess and the Frog Christian B. Junior
Captain Underpants
Andrew J. Junior
Mark Lenhardt Austin R. Junior
Justin Beiber
Hunter O. Freshman
Buddha Garret D. Junior
African
Isaac B. Junior
The last of the Mohicans Reggie S. Senior
Dimitri N. Editor-in-Chief
The release of Paranormal Activity 3 could not have come at a more impeccable
time. Halloween is in four days and, like
every year, it is time for all of us to get scared
out of our wits. To be horrified. To be
shocked. To be frightened.
To fully experience Halloween—for
the older population, that is— horror movies
are a definite must. They‘re even better with
laugh-out-loud pranks during them. How-
ever, a movie is an enjoyable experience.
Here are the top five horror movies of all
time. Sleep well…
1) Psycho (1960)- universally considered to be
the mother of all horror movies, Psycho is not
only a great story, it‘s ending is very open
ended, like many movies, and examines the
psychology of a human mind. Watch the older
version, the new one doesn‘t nearly capture
the terror. There aren‘t very many special
effects but the music will definitely be famil-
iar. Arguably, Psycho has the most memora-
ble scene of all time: the notorious shower
scene. You will instantly recognize it. But
please, once you see this classic movie, do
take a shower. Spare us.
2) The Exorcist (1973)– the highly rated film
is unique in one very special way: the ele-
ment of the color green. Scenes have a green
tint, the characters are a sickening green
color, the lights even look green. And it all
works well for The Exorcist. Set in Washing-
ton D.C., where, ironically, several posses-
sions seem to take place politically, the movie
is in a perpetual battle for first against Psy-cho. However, with a remake also out, either
version will work perfectly. For more of a
thrill, watch the newer one. The special ef-
fects are insane! And the creepiest scene will
leave you sleeping on the couch.
3) The Evil Dead (1981)- Also a movie about
demons possessing others, The Evil Dead
goes pretty far to gross you out. There‘s de-
capitation, dismemberment, and blood. Lots
of it. Essentially, this movie is mostly about
survival in a very dangerous setting. I mean,
how can you crack a joke to your possessed
relative when they‘re eating their arm? Al-
though it may not as scary as some films,
The Evil Dead is absolutely disgusting.
Sometimes that‘s enough.
4) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)-
This movie absolutely terrifies me. I hate it
so much I love it. We are all familiar with the
certain family member who wears the hockey
mask and has a certain way with the chain-
saw. Yeah, you know what I‘m talking about.
From the beginning, when we hear of the
grave robberies and the decomposed corpses,
we know: we‘re in for a ride, and it‘s gross.
With a slightly less glamorous sequel of the
same name, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the pinnacle of being chased. Better keep
an eye on those family members…
5) The Saw Franchise– Jigsaw has a whole
new meaning to these movies. You will know
why if you watch them. Unique doesn‘t begin
to describe Saw. Instead of murders, victims
are put through experiments to test their will
and to see if they will live through physical
and psychological torture. Those who survive,
will be stronger people. Those who do not,
well, I think we all know what happens. The
series officially reached its end with Saw 3D, but series creators say that it is still open to
more films. After seeing these films, you will
definitely have a new way of looking at your
stuffed animal. That is, if you still have
one… :)
Oh, the horror! The horror! Get ready for the big day with
The absolute best horror flix
Trick-or-treating Stealing little kids’ candy
Candy Corn Real corn
Dressing up in a costume Staying at home in your sweats
Getting candy from doors Getting candy
from vans
Corn mazes Calling 9-1-1 when you are stuck
in a corn maze
Carving pumpkins Plastic jack-o-lanterns
Page 10 Friday, October 14 , 2011 Torrington High School
Page edited
Page edited by Dylan S.
Torrington High School Friday October 27, 2011 Page 11 Congratulations Madison B! You won the scary story contest!
Jeremy D. reporter
―Brothers to the End‖ is the
famous quote from Epic Games‘ lat-
e s t b l o c k b u s t e r g a m e
Gears of War 3. Gears of War 3 takes place
eighteen months after Gears of War 2. The Lambent, a race of infected
creatures propelled by the miracle
fuel of imulsion, is running wild
through the planet Sera. Marcus,
Dom, and other characters are now
fighting for their very survival
against the Lambet infection. ―Gears of War 3 has a better storyline and
great graphics.‖ Chris Will, fellow
student and Gears of War fan said.
Gears of War 3 is similar to
its predecessors with new features
added to make the game play fun
and exciting for old and new fans of
the Gears of War saga.
The story of Gears of War 3 begins with Marcus receiving a mes-
sage from his father (whom Marcus
thought was dead), saying that he is
still alive and has the cure for the
Lambet infection. The campaign is
now four player co-op instead of two player co-op, over Xbox live or via a
system link. The campaign can be
played in the cinematic version or an
arcade version where players can com-
pete for high scores, by killing more
enemies and earning multipliers for
more points.
There is also now the updated
version of Horde from Gears of War 2 called Horde 2.0 in Gears of War 3. In
the old version of Horde, players
fought for survival against waves and
waves of the locust horde; in Horde 2.0 players can build their own bases and
build fortifications such as barriers,
turrets, sentries, and, my personal
favorite, the Silver Back Mech suit.
Players can also complete mid-
wave objectives for cash which is used
to buy fortifications to make their
bases bigger and better. Earning cash
is as simple as killing the enemy: each
kill is worth cash that can be used to
upgrade bases. But beware as every
10th wave ( 10, 20, etc.) is a ―boss
wave‖ in which Queen Myrrah will
unleash the full might of the locust
horde. Horde can be player by yourself
or with up to four friends.
Horde 2.0 now has a counter-
part called Beast mode. In Beast mode
players take control of the locust horde
and the locust creatures. In Beast,
players must kill all the humans which
are A.I. controlled in order to advance
to the next wave of humans—who are
dug in a certain spot each wave. As
players kill more humans, they can
unlock the next set of beasts for play-
ers to control. When players have
killed enough humans, they can unlock
the most beastly of beasts of them all
for the players to control. Players will
have to be fast and swift because each
wave is timed, and if the players don't
finish in time, they have to start over
from the current wave they are on.
This can also be played with up to four
friends.
Last is Versus or multiplayer
mode. In Versus it is player versus
player in skill-based competitive
matches with Gears of War 3‘s, new,
dedicated multiplayer servers that
make the game have less lag when
playing Versus to make it fair for all
players. Gears of War 3 ‗s versus is
much more action-packed and full of
excitement compared to the previous
Gears of War games.
There are new executions and
finishing moves to put the hurt on the
players‘ enemies like curb-stomping or
using enemies as meat shields for pro-
tection. Gears of War 3‘s new ―Team
Death Match Mode‖ has been im-
proved with respawning, and if you‘re
more of the classic Gears of War fan
there is also still the classic Warzone
and execution game modes with no
respawning. Other new game modes
have been added like capture the
leader and weekend events to spice up
the action.
―In general I think it‘s a great
game,‖ Aaron Williams said. ―Gears of War 3 has great game mechanics and
story with a lot of variety and replay
value.‖
The final word of this game is
that it is a great buy for anyone who
likes shooting things and having tons
of fun ripping apart enemies (or
friends). There are many new weapons
to play around with and to dismantle
enemies and other secrets just waiting
to be unlocked.
Gears of War 3: New modes, enhanced multiplayer, and a compelling storyline
Madison B. Contest Winner
Through time, our story is one of the
many that has been lost. However, for
the few of us involved, it is a lingering
reminder that the darkness is not a
safe place and the bump in the night
isn‘t always the wind.
It all started with a simple dare. We
were 16 and on top of the world.
Nothing and no one could bring us
down.
We were all planning our weekends
when Zach decided it would be fun to
sneak into the old Stilder Manor
house on Willow Hill. The old place
had been abandoned for over 20
years, ever since old man Stilder went
crazy and hung his wife from the an-
cient willow out front before jumping
from a third-story window. All in all,
a creepy place in the daylight, but
down right terrifying at night. Zach said it wouldn‘t be that bad, just
something to get us in the mood for Hal-
loween.
―I‘ve heard stories about that place,‖
Sarah spoke up. ―My Granddad helped
move out the bodies back in the ‗80s. He
said it was like nothing he had ever
seen. The wife‘s body was slashed up,
but the only blood found on the old man
was his own.‖
―It‘s like there was another person
there,‖ Johnathan mused aloud while
staring into his ever-present Pepsi can.
Libby squealed from the back. ―Do you
think it was murder?‖
―I don‘t care what it was,‖ Zach said
waving away our protests. ―I am going!
Any of you yellow-bellied chickens who
want to come can be there at ten o‘clock
Friday night.‖ With that, he stood and
walked away.
* * * * * * * * * * *
The rest of the week passed in a haze
of homework, dread, and muttered ex-
cuses.
All too soon, it was Friday. Zack said
that if we came, no parents could know,
so I told mine I was staying at Lynn‘s
house. At 7:00, I left with everything I
thought I needed.
Lynn was ready when I got there. We
decided that we would go just to see
Zach run out screaming. Her parents
were okay with us leaving as long as we
were home by midnight. We drove her
car.
It takes ten minutes to get to Willow
Hill, but it seemed so much longer.
When we got there, most of the group
was already there: Sarah, Libby, Johna-
than, Thomas, and Zach all gathered
around Thomas‘s gas camp stove.
―Well,‖ said Zach, clapping his hands,
―let‘s get this started.‖ Reading into his
old Army duffel bag, he pulled out a
plastic flashlight.
―Anyone coming?‖ he asked with a
smirk. A few mumbled responses and
shuffled feet were the only reactions.
After a long, uncomfortable moment,
Thomas raised his hand.
―I‘ll go,‖ was all he said.
After that, it was easy for the rest of us
to follow his lead. Only Sarah opted to
stay outside.
Nodding and distributing flashlights,
Zach told us his ―plan.‖
―I want to see the old man‘s room with
the wondow that faces the tree,‖ he said.
―After that, we can do whatever.‖
―OK, let‘s get this over with!‖ Johna-
than exclaimed.
We all gathered our coats around our
ladies and headed for the house.
Just before we reached the porch,
Sarah called out, ―Just don‘t take any-
thing!‖
Zach ascended the stairs first, the gray
wood groaning and creaking. He waited
for the rest of us to join him before whis-
pering one last warning.
―OK, so don‘t wander off and try to
save as much of your battery as you can.
I don‘t have extras. Let the fun begin!‖
he intoned eerily, backing toward the
door. Nervous giggles and half-hearted
chuckles answered.
The door to the house was easy to
unlock. Zach pushed it open and a spine-
tingling wail was emitted from the
hinges.
―Creepy,‖ Libby whispered as she
switched on her flashlight.
The living room was covered in dust an
inch thick. Our feet left half-formed
prints in the moldy carpet.
In the beams of our flashlights, the
room had a skeletal look; it didn‘t help
that there was a snowstorm of dust in
the air.
―I think that stairs are over there,‖
Zach said, pointing. ―Let‘s go check.‖
Soon as we left the living room, Jona-
than‘s light went out.
―Hey! I thought you said they were
good!‖ he hissed at Zach.
―I guess I forgot that one. Sorry.‖
―Whatever. Libby, I‘m going with you.‖
So saying, he and Libby headed down
the hall.
Shrugging, Zach and the rest of use
followed.
The hall was narrow and dark. Old
pictures stared after us as we walked
past and the carpet muffled our steps.
The staircase was standard-issue
creepy. Steps disappearing to nowhere,
we climbed without a word.
At the top, Zach turned to use. ―OK, I
am going to the room. Y‘all can come or
explore on your own.‖ Everyone except
Johnathan and Libby followed Zach.
The room was like every other one we
had seen, but something felt wrong. The
window had never been replaced after
the old man jumped, so leaves were
strewn about, along with the dust.
The view through the window showed
the tree. Directly below us was the
branch, its bark still scarred from the
rope.
―Wow,‖ Zach whispered in awe.‖I didn‘t
thinkyou could still see it.‖
―It is really creepy,‖ I began, only to be
cut off by a chilling scream.
―I think that was Libby!‖ someone said.
Lights flashed randomly down the
hall as we moved toward the room we
thought they were in. Preparing for the
worst, we went in.
What we saw was not expected. John
was laying on the floor, laughing his
head off while Libby stood over him,
glaring and kicking.
―You idiot! What were you thinking?‖
she yelled. John was helpless to his
laughter.
Zach turned around in disgust. ―This
is lame. Let‘s get out of here.‖ He turned
and walked away, leaving John. Libby
walked away with the rest of us.
The trip down was uneventful but
creepy. Zach was just reaching for the
door when something crashed behind us.
We all spun around, but nothing was
there.
―It might be John, trying to scare us,‖
Thomas said. Nodding, we headed for
the door. As Zach touched the knob, a
scream ripped through the air.
We all dropped to the ground in pain,
with hands over ears. The shrieking did-
n‘t stop for long minutes. When it was
over, my bones still echoed with the pri-
mal cry. Libby started to sob.
―Get out,‖ was all Zach said, his voice
even, all fear banished.
No one hesitated. We all stood and
bolted for the door. As we cleared the
door frame, the night air rushed around
us.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, for the third time that night, we
heard a scream.
It was Libby. She was standing with
her back to us, facing the willow. I fol-
lowed her eyes, and saw the rope. At the
end, her face blue, was Sarah.
A scream escaped my lips as I stared
at my friend. Through a haze of tears, I
saw the horizon tilt, then blackness.
* * * * * * * * * * *
When I woke up, I was in a hospital
bed. Mu mom sat beside me, crying qui-
etly. I touched her hand, and she looked
up. All she did was hand me a newspa-
per. On the front was Sarah‘s picture
under the headline: ―Girl killed in freak
accident at Stilder Manor.‖ None of our
lives would ever be the same.
* * * * * * * * * * *
It took almost a year for everything to
calm down. Still everything was differ-
ent.
All of us who wee there were inter-
viewed and put in counseling.
We never went to the Stilder Manor
again. We couldn‘t even look at the road.
People say ―Time heals all wounds,‖
but that is a lie. Time just gives you a
chance to forget.The one thing I will
never forget is that night and the fact
that we still don‘t know why Sarah was
in that tree.
If at first you don't
succeed then try, try again.
Then quit. There's no use
being a fool about it!
Page 12 Friday, October 14 , 2011 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 accomplish-
ments are you proudest of?
5) What will you miss about high
school?
6) What are your plans after high
school?
7) Advice to underclassmen?
Courtney W. 1. Being with friends and meeting new
people.
2. Falling down the stairs.
3. The rules!
4. Speech
5. Micah C. and Stormy B. and others.
6. Uhm...College!
7. Have fun and enjoy!
Sam S. 1. Hanging out with my fiancée and my best
friend Barbara.
2. Watching football and walking down the
bleathers and falling down them.
3. No hat rule/ Cell phones/ Ipods.
4. Making it to senior year.
5. Picking on the underclassmen.
6. Gatting married and going into the army.
7. Keep your head held high.
Elizabeth T. 1. Reaching my senior year.
2. I cause them, I don't have them.
3. The cell phone rule
4. Graduation
5. Mrs. Hamer– Smith
6. Not sure
7. Stay in school it isn't as bad as you
think!
Frank S. 1. To many
2. None
3. Hat and phone rule
4. I have never been sent to the office.
5. All the lovely people
6. College
7. Run faster, Jump higher.
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.
Famous last words:
Put your seatbelts on
guys. I wanna’ try
something.
*
* Blazing Sun
Dylan S. 1. Paula Deen the Butterqueen ya‘ll!
2. Lime green shirt gross.
3. Less strict. Like the last three years.
4. ???????????
5. The people
6. Go to college for journalism
7. Don‘t procrastinate