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In the coming year, we the photo staff of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle are hoping to bring about some reform.

Nothing fancy like health care — mostly a few adjustments in the way we produce and provide images for our readership.

Presently, we are working on producing more photo stories, blogs, photo columns and multimedia projects. With the advent of new technology, we are going to try and provide our readers with a more up-to-date photo department. Some ideas being kicked around include a possible Podcast  that will hopefully coincide with published photo stories.

Who knows if that will work, but everyone seems to have an iPod; so maybe it is a good idea to provide our readership with more in their iTunes libraries than Jonas Brothers jams.

Keep checking back and we will try our best to follow through with our lofty plans for reform in 2010.

Thanks for looking.

-WTE Photo Staff

On Friday, I witnessed the greatest display of wrestling I have seen to date.

No. 4 Oklahoma State came to Laramie to duel the Cowboys (who are ranked in the national top 25 in some polls) and shellacked them 31-3.

After tonight I doubt the Cowboys gained any ground in moving up in the polls.

Though it seems like a blowout looking at the final team scores, it was actually pretty close. Six of the 10 matches were decided by 4 points or less and one match that ended by a 5-point margin was actually a fluke win for OSU’s Clayton Foster.

In front of more than 2,500 fans (the largest UW wrestling crowd ever) OSU coach and wrestling legend John Smith took his former pupil and current UW head coach Mark Branch’s version of Cowboys wrestling to task.

The ferocity of the 4-6, 111-pound Smith was intimidating. Though his tie was longer than his torso, legs and ankles, he commanded a great deal of respect. And I assume if someone doesn’t offer respect, he will put his hand down their throat and take it.

As for Branch, he is young and has a pretty good road ahead.

It was a blast to see a dual of this magnitude for Wyoming. In just his second year, Branch has a group of young wrestlers squarely in position to continue their upward movement in the national rankings in the years to come. And any ranked UW sport is pretty cool just ask… well, none come to mind, but trust me, it is probably cool.

Even if the great display of wrestling on Friday was by the Stillwater-based Cowboys, it is a pretty safe bet to say that sooner rather than later, there will be a great display put on by the Laramie-based Cowboys.

Thanks for looking.

Between the muffin and pie displays, and beneath a western painting, Jack Dumas works the Perkins register with joy as he chats up the regulars.

About six years ago, Jack retired from his job as a warehouse supervisor for a chemical company.

At the time, he was in Candada. He had been transferred there from his home in Arkansas. Upon retiring, he wanted to move back south to Florida.

On the way, he got lost in Cheyenne.

Jack’s boy, who is active Air Force, was stationed in Cheyenne. He asked Jack to move here. Not long after Jack moved, his son was transferred to England.

Jack, now a long way from the beaches of Florida, was living on the beaches of Cheyenne — which to this day, he says he has yet to see.

Knowing Jack means knowing he probably cannot go long without talking. It’s not the kind of pollutant talk about oneself many spout; his is the variety of genuine interest and familiarity.

He speaks to young co-workers the same as he speaks to customers who may very well have been born during Teddy Roosevelt’s presidency.

And he has range, too.

Painting, football, grandchildren, pie and jokes (some cleaner than others).

He knows the regulars and enjoys talking with them.

They enjoy him, too.

A gentleman toting an 8×10 picture of a newborn shows it to Jack and they chat about grandchildren. A young man asks Jack about an upcoming football playoff game and Jack answers. Another young man tells a joke and they share a laugh.

While the bill is paid, Jack gives every customer one full minute of worldwide banter.

Jack Dumas isn’t just the guy behind the register.

He is as much a regular in the lives of his customers as they are regulars to him.

Last weekend, our staff was surprised when we repeated as the Wyoming Press Association’s recipient of the Robert Warner Photography Award for photographic excellence. In all, we won  12 awards in the daily division’s 7 categories.

It was a “Bad News Bears” tale. We spit, cheated, drank, caroused and were led by Walter Matthau (in spirit only — God rest his soul). Truly a good year.

It was pretty cool for us to win again since the state is pretty packed with talent (namely Gillette’s Nathan Payne). We’ll have to work pretty hard — and have a lot of luck — if we want to have this kind of success again next year.

Below is the list of winning photos:

Michael Smith: 1st Scenic Pictorial, 2nd Scenic Pictorial, 2nd Sports, 2nd Photo Story, 3rd Photo Story (shared)

AAron Ontiveroz: 1st General News, 3rd General News, 1st Spot News, 1st Photo Story, 3rd Photo Story (shared), 2nd Feature, 2nd Portrait, 3rd Portrait

Shauna Stephenson: 3rd Photo Story

Jerrett Raffety: 3rd Photo Story (shared)

Thanks for looking.

The above photo isn’t my best work of the year, but it is kind of funny when put into context.

The group above represents 50 percent of the Cheyenne South High School swimming and (not) diving team — the two older guys in shirts are the coach and principal.

Now to the explanation; the group is reacting to a dive gone wrong. It was a back or belly flop but I didn’t see as my back was turned. Sounded bad though. The fear of flopping is not the reason for South not having a diving team. Some of the kids really want to dive, but the fact is, there are only six swimmers in this, the inaugural season of Bison aquatics.

First-year head coach Jason Garman said he cannot tell the difference between his small team and a big team. Sure, he can count and see there are fewer Speedos by his end of the pool, but this is his first coaching gig. And it’s a pretty sweet deal if you ask me. He joked with principal Mike Hamel and said that his Bison broke multiple school records on the day to add to their already crazy season total of 100 percent record breakage.

That’s job security if I’ve ever seen it.

Luckily for the South High Water Buffaloes, Garman is a product of legendary Laramie High School coach Tom Hudson, who has led both his men’s and women’s programs to multiple state titles during his tenure. To say that South can duplicate Hudson’s success this season is a stretch and Garman is realistic about the prospect of his team dominating the city anytime soon.

For now, he is content with his small team putting out big effort.

And that attitude is a good way for the fledgling program to avoid taking a dive.

Thanks for looking.

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