Respect all, fear none, this is the motto the Payson track team lives by. They know the importance of having respect not only for their teammates but for the other team as well. We have all heard the saying that respect is earned, not given. You have to prove that you are worthy of someone’s respect, they are not going to just hand it out like candy on Halloween. These incredible athletes have worked hard to earn the respect of their coaches, their team and also the opposing teams.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to win a contest at BYU? Marely Lee knows how that feels. Marely is a student here at Payson High, and she won the video portion of the BYU contest: Getting Ready. I was able to ask Marely a few questions about the contest to find out more information.

Q: What was the video about?

A: “It was about the Gettysburg Address. It was just supposed to show how we feel about the Gettysburg Address, and how it can help other people see how blessed we are to have the rights that we do.”

Lion's Roar writers, Ciera Lundberg, Maris Mortensen, and Mako Watkins recieve writing awards at the Utah Valley University / Deseret News Journalism Conference February 13.

Baseball, Just a word too many of us, but life for a few. Twenty nine driven and dedicated boys are on the Payson High team this year and they are consistently putting in the hours of practice it takes to win a state championship. When talking to one of the senior captains, Seth Sorensen, about this season, he explained what the team is doing to make sure they succeed

The lady lion’s softball team is making their way to the top this year to accomplish one goal: win a region championship. The girls have only had one game of region play so far, but they have been very successful. With a win against Richfield and a score of 19-4, the team is feeling very confident about their abilities. Shaylee Larsen, the starting pitcher of the winning game, is feeling very positive for the upcoming season.

                “This season is going to be fantastic,” Larsen said.

Ready, set, gunfire.  You take off out of the blocks as fast and as hard as you can manage.  Your arms pump hard, you breathe steadily and try not to notice the quick movement in the opposing lanes.  You zone in on the finish line, you have to reach the finish line.  By now you're in a dead sprint to the finish, giving everything that you’ve got.  You cross the line, feeling like death it’s self.  Forget walking off the track, you can’t even stand anymore.  You hurt and ache, and love every second of it.

Friday February 7, the 2014 Sweetheart's candidates participated in the FFA/Sweetheart Cake Auction.

Our Payson High basketball team has been doing well this year.  With quality wins over teams including Cedar City, Maple Mountain and Provo the quest for a State Title is in reach.   This month I decided to spotlight the senior leaders of the basketball team and get to know them better.

If you could play any sport professionally, besides basketball, what would it be?

                Brycen: Football              

There is a question no one’s been willing to correctly define, well, until now.  The question:  is cheer a sport?  This topic has been a heated debate ever since cheerleading began.  Reporters before me who have tried to answer the question have been afraid to offend the cheerleaders and risk the torture of being thrown up into the air and be the butt of demeaning unified cheers.  Critics say cheer isn’t a sport because there is no true competition, while supporters believe that cheer is more than just saying chants and waving pom-poms. 

Thirty Payson High School students had the opportunity to attend the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, January 24. PHS attended as part of the Sundance Student Screenings Program, a new offering from the festival committee. Students attended the film The Last Days in Vietnam, followed by a question and asnwer session with the film director.