Attending my second FFA meeting on October 14 brought even more highlights than the first, both from the meeting and the carving of pumpkins in all kinds of styles. It might sound sudden to call a group a “second family” when I’m still learning everyone's names, but the environment is so genuinely welcoming that it’s impossible to feel like an outsider.

What started as regular FFA meetings quickly turned into an energetic workshop. Call to order, officer reports, and a quick vote before packing up, then slowly the room emptied to the workshop for a fun-filled activity of carving pumpkins into scary, goofy, creative and FFA-themed orange globes.  No two pumpkins ended up looking remotely alike, reflecting the crazy different personalities together around the table. Gracin Gonzalez and Jesus Alverez used a glowing screen to project the meme they told themselves they would put straight onto the pumpkin using delicate tools to lightly graze away the outer skin rather than cutting deep holes… but they ended up just making lines. Across from them, Baylon Norris and his friend looked like they were poking holes in the pumpkin hoping for the best. Between them, at the end of the table was where my best friend Jordyn Hutchinson and I stood, playing around, making conversation, and carving our goofy pumpkin with ears, a tongue and eyebrows, so different from everyone else's. We thought we would definitely win. 

Once the pumpkin carving wrapped up, we piled back into Mr. Neuge’s classroom and awaited the final results. The FFA officer team had the tough task of judging all our hard work and selecting a winner for each category: scariest, goofiest, most creative, and the best one that showed our FFA spirit. Cheers and playful groans erupted from the crowded room while everyone was ready to find out who would get the prizes.

Once everyone stopped clapping and the winners were announced (it wasn’t ours, so I stopped paying attention), we went to the workshop and carefully picked up our glowing creations and carried them out into the cold Fall air. We arranged the entire collection along the front steps of the school, a vibrant lineup of terrifying monsters, funny faces, beautiful creativity and intricately carved FFA emblems. Lit from within, the jack-o'-lanterns showed a sense of warmth, flickering orange glow against the concrete, giving the school entrance an unforgettable Halloween look. All of my friends and I weren't going to get picked up till 7:30, and it was only 7:15, so we took pictures on the steps where we all just put our glowing pumpkins. First I took pictures of Allison Garcia and Ebony Alverez next to their pumpkins. Then I asked Savannah Welch, Jordyn Hutchinson, Reed Knoch, Carder Howard, Ebony Alverez, Gracin, Jesus, Amy Miller and so many more people I didn’t even know to take a picture together. I wanted everyone to feel included.

As the camera lights faded and the headlights of arriving cars began to fill the parking lot, I felt so much joy, leaving with far more memories than I had arrived with. I looked back one last time at everyone's creations lined up on the school steps. We didn't win a trophy for our goofy orange globe, but standing in front of the school laughing with friends, some new and some old, reminded me just how important connection and friends are. That night, FFA didn't just feel like a club; it felt like a second family, and I can't wait to see what the next meeting brings!

Did you know that the Intermountain Youth Sports is a cooperation for sports such as softball, soccer, basketball and baseball? I didn't know that until a couple years ago when my brother joined the IMYS soccer team. Since then he's played on that soccer team with almost the same kids every day. I've gone to most of the games that they've had this season, and the team won just about every time they've played. The first match was a double header, which means they had a game back to back, and they had pictures in between. I remember that game because during the pictures my uncle and his brother brought food and a bunch of drinks and chips. Two games of soccer and a picnic blanket loaded with chips and drinks that vanished in exactly six minutes flat. That was my introduction to the frenzy of Intermountain Youth Sports.

The kids on this soccer team have grown in their love for soccer together and have come to build friendships around that love: “ It took convincing from my aunt and cousin, but the way my cousin described it, I thought it would be fun to try,”  said Manny Cardenas. “In my future I don't see soccer, not because I don't love it but because I don't think I'm capable of playing soccer professionally.” Their team is full of laughter and playing around, and they win, but they also make mistakes, but they always learn from those mistakes. “My soccer team is full of friends. One thing I like about my team is that we all work together, help each other, and pass the ball. My very favorite funny memory happened during one of my practices. My friend Jesus Alverez was doing push-ups differently than everyone else, so we all had to do more pushups. Jesus was basically laying on the floor and getting back up. My favorite game so far this season was the game that I was put in on the Burney team [Burney was short on players] because I actually felt challenged, because I wasn't put in as my actual position defender. I was put in mid field, which was more active. Every team we play against is always super easy to win, because my team is so good.” 

Looking at this team from the sidelines, it’s clear that Intermountain Youth Sports is building something much bigger than just a winning streak. For Manny, soccer isn't about chasing a professional contract or keeping a perfect record; it’s about the pure, noisy joy of growing up together on the field. Whether it's groaning around while doing pushups to eating a whole lot of chorizo burritos, chips, and drinking a bunch of drinks, all in under six minutes flat, the real win on the IMYS soccer team isn't tracked on the score board. It is held in the laughs and shared in the love for the games that will stay with them long after the last whistle blows.

On September 30, 2026, I went to an FFA meeting called the Rookie Olympics. That was one of the most fun times I've had after school at FRHS. I got to the high school about twenty minutes early, so I had really nobody to talk to at first, but then I walked into the building, and I suddenly wasn't scared to be there anymore. First, I saw Mr. Neugebauer, and he gave me a playful punch on the shoulder, and when I talked to Tayte Watkins about my position in opening and closing, I felt like I was welcome… not as if I was at home, but like I had friends and I belonged. 

Then I saw my friend Amy Miller. I got out of my seat and ran so fast I could have been in the Olympics. After I met her, she said she was waiting for our other friend, Savannah Welch, so I stayed with Amy waiting for Savannah and we all went in together. There were so many people in the room, but when I walked in, even though it was loud and talkative, I felt a sense of calm, happiness, and friends. Finally the meeting started. They did their speeches, then they talked about floral, the pageant queens and princesses, gave an award to Macy Gonzalez, and they took a picture. Everyone stood up and did the Pledge of Allegiance. After we finished the meeting, everyone signed his or her name on a piece of paper, and we went outside to play some games.

 At first I said that I wasn't going to be in any of the games, but after knowing and understanding that all of the people there were really all nice and were there for a good time, I felt fine after all. The first game was a partner game, one person pulling the wheel barrow and the second person getting hauled around a bunch of cones without falling out. 

The second game I was in! It was also a partner game, and we had to run halfway across the grass in the front of the school, pick up a paper bag, and then finish running across the grass to get a watermelon. In each of the bags there were different items, and we were only allowed to grab three bags. My partner, Ranger Holcomb, and I got a box of Kleenex, a paint bottle, and an apple peeler. At first I was trying to open the watermelon with the apple peeler, but then Ranger took the watermelon and started hitting it with the paint bottle. He got it open, and we just started eating it. I ate so much it felt like I couldn't breathe, and Ranger ate even more; he didn’t even look like he was breathing. Next was a three-person egg transport game followed by the branding game: Two boys had to put on an all-white body suit covering everything but the face and feet. Two girls had to put a color of paint on their hands and had to try to brand the cows (the boys) who had to run on all fours and the girls had to try and catch the boys to brand them. My friend Ranger and another boy won a full bag of Sour Patch Kids. More diabetes rewards for everyone, but it works! When it was all over, I felt happy but also sad, not because it wasn't fun but because it was over. FFA meetings are a lot of fun, and I'm definitely going to go to all of the meetings that are to come.

Part 2: Boardwalk and Beauties

For the last three years, I have gone to the Intermountain Fair. You know the scene: funnel cakes, corn dogs, and milkshakes; friends on The Zipper and the 2,000’s. And it’s great! But in July, I saw the Fair on steroids when I went to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

First I saw all of these people, and I got a bit overwhelmed. A girl (she had dark curly hair and beautiful blue eyes) told me my shoe was untied. I thought all the people there couldn't be that bad, right? Then I decided to start speaking up and talking to anyone and everyone there. I saw this girl dressed like a boy, and I said, “That girl over there, she's top-notch beautiful!” She turned around and smiled right at me. I got so many butterflies! Now, I know I'll never meet that girl again, but I should have got her number. 

After walking around for a bit, my cousins and I all took a picture together. It was kind of awkward. I don't know why, but my cousin Jakoby was acting off, maybe he was just eager to go to the beach. We made it to The Boardwalk and went to get our wrist bands. It was 74 bucks for a day pass! We thought that was insane! So, we waited till 4:00 p.m. because then the bracelets were only 27 bucks each. It was only 3:00 p.m. so we didn't have to wait very long. First, we went to the beach, but we didn't get in the water because we didn't want to get wet and sandy, just in case we met someone cute. Our grandma went and got us a mango smoothie, and that is probably one of the only times I'll say that a mango is good. After I got a brain freeze from drinking the mango drink so fast, I realized that I must have been eating mangos all wrong because this was delicious! Kira, William, Regina, and I went to walk around The Boardwalk, but first, I really had to go to the bathroom. My cousin Kira and I went to the bathroom, and that bathroom was so big, there were like 20 stalls on each side, and there were only like 5 sinks. There was a screaming, crying baby in the bathroom and the mom was nowhere to be seen. I started to talk to the baby and right away it stopped crying. I was so proud of myself for making that baby stop crying, but what am I supposed to do? I couldn’t adopt it, so we took off. Mom had to have been there. 

Anyways, at 4:00 p.m. we went to get our bracelets. My cousin Regina bought a card, but we couldn't buy anything unless we had a Boardwalk card.  I know that because once we got our bracelets, I tried buying an ice cream, and they said they don't take cash or other cards. What a bummer. Finally we went on some rides. The first one I thought was going to die. It was like a drop that went up slowly up then down really fast, but it went up and down like 8 times before it went all the way down. I definitely thought my shoes were tied tight enough, but then one almost flew off my foot, and I had to hold it with my toes. If the shoe fell off my foot, then it would have hit someone in the head or in the face. I wasn't risking that. Next was a circle ride, and it spun up to the left, then to the right, really high. Going up, that moment I thought it was going to be my last. One of the ladies told me to close my eyes, so I did. I got bold and took a look but almost threw up everywhere. The lady saw me and told me to turn around because if I threw up we were going to have problems. So, I turned around and closed my eyes because there was no way I was going to throw up all over. I would have seemed weak, and that top-notch beautiful girl was still around. If I would have thrown up on her, I would have just died. It’s hard to ask for digits when you’re looking at your old lunch.