Always a Plainsman

Several years ago (1999 to be exact), I left Laramie and the Boomerang to work at a paper in Mount Vernon, Wash.

I was pleasantly surprised and honored to receive a plaque from Laramie High officials for my work in covering LHS athletics for 13 or so years. On the plaque, it says, "Forever a Plainsman."

As it turned out, I came back to Laramie and the Boomerang in 2001 and no, I did not give the plaque back. I'm keeping that baby.

While I'm not a Laramie native (I have lived here for over 20 years, so I do call Laramie my home), I was never an actual Plainsman. But when a sportswriter covers a high school or team for several years, you do feel like you are part of the program.

With that said, I haven't covered Laramie High sports for a couple of years now, but that doesn't mean I don't pay attention to what is going on at the LHS courts, fields, pools and whatever they compete on.

As my dog Sam says on my blog, "I'm watching you," that could also be said of my interest in LHS sports. Even though I work in Cheyenne and edit Cheyenne high school athletics for the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, I often find myself late on a Friday night wondering how Laramie did in basketball or whatever the sport season is.

This past weekend, the Lady Plainsmen swept Gillette and Sheridan, handing the Lady Broncs their first loss of the season. The Plainsmen split on the road, losing to Gillette but avenging an early-season loss to the Broncs.

There's also a little fun fact that both teams are coached by former Plainsmen -- Rod Tyson coaches the girls and Jason Mountain the boys.

I'm dating myself but I covered Tyson when he played for the Cowboys and Mountain when he played for the Plainsmen. Yes, I'm that old.

Of course, any good LHS fan knows what kind of coach Tom Hudson is with his swim program. The Plainsmen are solid favorites to win yet another boys' state title.

It's a good time to be a LHS fan, and yes, I'm still watching.