I really try to keep this column upbeat and a bit snarky if I can. But there have been some pretty tough moments in the past months and I feel like if I want to talk about one of them, I should at least mention all of them.

The Star Valley sports family is pretty amazing. I’m continually amazed at the support and energy that is always out there. So many go above and beyond expectations and even work assignments to add a little more. That’s kind of why I feel like I need to talk about three people this week.

The first was Kim Choma, or just Choma to the guys and gals of SVHS. Kim was a bright beacon of a human being and has been rightfully recognized by multiple sports teams in the state including Star Valley and the University of Wyoming. We will miss Kim and I even found myself looking at the sidelines of the UW game this past week as the Cowboys beat colorado state and thought, man, she would be having a blast tonight.

Another person the Star Valley sports family lost recently was Todd Welker. I got to know Todd pretty well when he was working for LCSD No. 2 as the facilities guy and we would talk before, during and after games and matches and such. Todd was absolutely a man who gave more than he needed to. One time in particular, the PA and sound system cratered at Braves Field with Homecoming coming up. Nobody knew how to fix it other than just not have sound. Well, as a musician and a great human being, Todd brought his entire sound system and strapped it to the top of the box. It might have been the best sounding homecoming ever, no offense to our current setup. But that was all on his own extra effort. He didn’t have to do that. It was on top of his normal responsibilities. I enjoyed talking with Todd who was so proud of his son Brendon, who was a track star and one of at least two 99-yard plays in SVHS football history. I will miss Todd too.

Finally, this past week, Blair Hillstead passed away at the age of 83. Blair wasn’t just my P.E. teacher in junior high, he was a personal friend who was friends with my dad and there just aren’t many of those guys left. As part of being involved with many sports-related coaching and bus-driving duties over the years, Blair was the head coach of the 1971 SVHS state track and field title, the first for the school. The odd-shaped trophy and his vintage wide tie on the front page of that week’s paper are both things that make me smile. I’ll miss Blair a lot too.

I bring up this trio as a bit of recognition, but also to remind us all that there are folks out there doing amazing things above and beyond what they are required to do for no other reason than to be a little better and represent our community as best they can. If you are one of these folks, thank you. I can’t wait to keep making memories as we move forward, but I wanted to at least mention three people who made me stop and pause in reflection in the last few weeks.

Now on to some journal observations. This past Friday in Green River, a long-time radio guru told me of a really great experience he had last season with the Wolves as they came to Afton for a football game. “I knew we were going to hate it,” he said. With the cowbells and the likely outcome. But then he remarked how nice and kind and welcoming and friendly everyone was and felt like he needed to tell me. That kind of stuff makes me proud. I hope it does for you too.

Another thing that stood out to me this past week? The crowd for senior night at Lady Braves volleyball against Evanston. Wow. With respect, I don’t know that the Devils ever got comfortable, but they certainly didn’t in the first set which was all Star Valley behind a great student section and great effort from Mr. Sand and the band. I love it when teams are intimidated by coming to play in Star Valley for good reasons. Those are very good reasons.

Finally, the cross-country team is amazing. They ran in events as far west as Tillamook, Oregon and as far east as Cheyenne this season. In case you were wondering, that’s 1,232 miles. I started covering this program when it was pretty new and at that time, there were 17 kids total. Not bad really, but it wasn’t the juggernaut it is now. Since then they have won a total of 13 team championships combined between the boys and girls squads. This past Saturday, Colton Cranney won the 4A boys title which was the fourth straight time a Brave has won the championship race. It was the 9th time in the last ten years for the boys program. On top of that, there are guys and gals running their guts out whether they go to state or not. Look outside on any random day and you’ll likely see them running regardless of weather and conditions. Just something else to be proud of.