TORRINGTON – The Torrington Rotary Club held their weekly meeting on Monday afternoon. President Michele Ogburn called the meeting to order shortly after the noon hour. 

The meeting began traditionally with an implication.

“As we gather today in fellowship and service, let us take a moment to reflect with gratitude. This season of graduation marks a time of transition, accomplishment and new beginnings,” Ogburn said. “May we be inspired by the dedication and hope of graduating together. Their determination to learn, grow and step forward into the future. Let us be reminded of our own roles as mentors, leaders and community builders encouraging the next generation with our example and support.”

The Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotarian Four-Way Test followed thereafter. 

With no guests to introduce, Ogburn rolled on to club announcements where May birthdays were announced and celebrated. Ogburn also noted the monthly board meeting was changed to Monday, May 12 at 5 p.m. Ogburn explained the changing of the gavel ceremony would be held Monday, June 23 at the country club and there would not be a noon meeting. The Literary History Conference will be held June 12 through the 14, Ogburn stated.

The meeting moved on to Rotary humanitarian efforts while a thank you letter circulated the members for a donation to the after-prom party. Many members donated money to the Happy Basket. Some in gratitude of graduating students and successful graduations, others donated for family achievements and awards. 

Under old business, Ogburn noted the club was still in need of a president-elect nominee.

With no new business to discuss, the club moved on to the presenters for the afternoon. 

“I’m going to introduce one of them and he will introduce the rest. I’m sure you are all quite familiar with Mr. Mike Lashley, who is the athletic director of the students over at Lingle-Ft. Laramie (LFL). He is a phenomenal person and I get to talk to him probably more than I should as my son goes to school over there. But he always does such a great job with the students and he is always a great person to reach out to and [he] makes parents feel comfortable,” Ogburn said. “He connects really well with the students.”

“Thank you for having us here today,” Lashley said. “I know most of you in Goshen County. We’re a small community and we rub elbows a lot. It’s just kind of a cool thing for you guys to have us here. We had a really good year, athletically at LFL. This fall, our football team qualified for the state tournament.”

Lashley noted the team made it all the way to the state championship game but it didn’t go the way the team had wanted. Lashley noted it was a great game, regardless. 

“This winter, both of our basketball teams went to the state basketball tournament. Our boys won the state championship. Finished the season 28-0, for the first time in school history. We’ve never had an undefeated season,” Lashley explained. “Our wrestling team completed extremely well at the state tournament. I think we finished fifth as a team – had a great group of kids there.”

Lashley further noted in track and field LFL had their conference meeting this last weekend and both boys and girls won the SEWAC conference championship.

“So, when you look at the body of work in LFL athletics, it was a very successful season or successful year. The thing to remember is and I know you guys know this because a lot of you were athletes. You were parents of athletes. You supported activities in Goshen County for many years,” Lashley explained. “It’s the fact that interscholastic activities is not about winning. And we all want to win. I’ve said it many times, if you want to have the most fun in athletics, you win. You can have fun when you don’t win. I’ve had some teams that weren’t very successful and we had a lot of fun. But if you want to have the most fun, you win. But that’s not what interscholastic activities is about.”

“It’s about giving kids the opportunity to participate in activities that maybe they wouldn’t have the opportunity to do. It’s about them learning life skills, which we know. Team building, perseverance, grit, all those kinds of things,” Lashley said. “Very important. We learn through our activities. It excites me a lot that I was able to bring all three of my sports head coaches today.”

Lashley introduced the girls basketball coach, Susan Bartel, 1A Girls Basketball Coach of the Year. Lashley noted when the previous coach retired, he wasn’t sure who would fill the position. He explained Bartel had wanted to know some information about the position and eventually, after some thought, she applied for the position. 

“I am grateful that she did. Right now, in LFL, we’re in the best four year stretch of girls basketball in LFL history right now. Not only did we go to state this year, but the last two years we were in class 2A, we made it to the state championship game both years. Very successful year the year before that,” Lashley noted. 

Lashley explained he knows LFL has some good athletes but those athletes need good leadership and people to get them going in the right direction. 

“All three of these coaches have certainly done that,” Lashley said pointing to Chris Cook, 1A Boys Basketball Coach of the Year, Bradon Gifford, 1A Boys Wrestling Coach of the Year and Bartel. “And Susan [Bartel] is a part of that.”

“Also brought along coach Chris Cook, our head boys basketball coach. This is his second stint as our head coach. Back in the 2000s, he coached. In fact, he was my son’s head coach the last couple of years. He was in high school. My son, to this day, would run through a brick wall for coach Cook. He respects coach Cook that much,” Lashley said. “In fact, my son spent a few years coaching basketball himself because of the influence that coach Cook had on him.”

Next, Lashley introduced Gifford.

“He’s our head wrestling coach. He’s been at Lingle a long time. He’s my – not only is he our head football coach, [but] he’s our head wrestling coach. He’s also been my assistant track coach for 15 years, however long it’s been. Been a while. He’s like my right-hand man in the track field. I lean on him a lot for a lot of things. He’s a busy guy,” Lashley said. “He was instrumental in our move with LFL and Southeast combining our wrestling programs. If you combine programs of two schools that the community views as big rivals – honestly, the parents and grandparents see it more of a rivalry than the kids do. The kids hang out all the time together – But it takes a special type of leadership to take two programs of rival schools and put them together and make one successful program,” Lashley explained. “And coach Gifford is definitely the right act for the job.”

Lashley then turned the microphone over to each of the coaches to give a brief explanation of their season. After the conclusion of the coaches, Ogburn adjourned the meeting.