The Lander Valley High School Dance Team had a special guest dancer at their Homecoming game with Riverton.
School Resource Officer Jacob Conilogue, a 15-year veteran of the Lander Police Department who has served as the SRO at the high school and middle school in Lander for 12 years joined the girls in a halftime show.
Conilogue, a 2002 graduate of Wind River High School and a 2007 University of Wyoming graduate was escorted onto the field, given a pair of pom poms, and performed with the girls.
“It’s all about creating relationships with the kids,” Conilogue said. “The dance team asked me and I said sure.”
For a couple of weeks before the game Conilogue practiced with the squad.
“I practiced with the dance team five or six times,” he said.
Conilogue is a very active SRO, working as a 7th-grade girl’s basketball coach and a middle school track coach in addition to his resource officer duties.
Conilogue practiced without his vest and utility belt, but as an active SRO, providing security at the Homecoming game he was in full gear.
“My straddle jump had a little restriction on my movement, I did better in practice without my utility belt,” Conilogue said. “Without the belt, I had a little more movement. I thought about a cartwheel summersault, but my gear would have fallen out of my belt.”
Instead of the cartwheel he chose a dance his son Bridger does all the time around the house.
“I did the gritty and the girls said stick with it,” Conilogue said.