November 7, 2026 Issue, Page 10 of 15

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10• SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2026 SWOSU 2026 Haunted Homecoming Court Candidates: Jenna Whitfield, Amelia Kerr, Homecoming Queen Anna Shaw, Homecoming King John Preston, and Rhyson Golightly. The Elk City News NEWS SWOSU Custodians—Third place Chamber Welcomes 5P Performance + 5P Press By Sheryl Ponce Weatherford Highschool Cheer—First place (Photo Credits: Weaver Photography, Melissa Jackson, Melissa Morgan, and Kinzie Haley) SWOSU Hispanic American Leadership Organization— Second place SWOSU Celebrates 2026 Homecoming Royalty and Parade Float Winners John Preston and Anna Shaw were crowned 2026 Homecoming King and Queen at Southwestern Oklahoma State University (SWOSU) on Saturday, Oct. 31. Students, alumni, families and community members gathered in Weatherford for “Haunted Homecoming on the Hilltop.” They celebrated with fellow Bulldogs on campus and enjoyed Halloween-themed floats and marching band performances during the downtown parade. The crowning took place at Milam Stadium during halftime of SWOSU’s football game against the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Preston, a biology major from Altus, was sponsored by the SWOSU Student Government Association. Shaw, a pharmacy major from Norman, was sponsored by Sigma Phi Lambda. Preston said, “SWOSU has helped shape me into the person I am today by creating many incredible memories and friendships here!” “Being selected as homecoming queen means getting to showcase my love for SWOSU and the opportunities it has given me on a larger scale,” said Shaw. “I adore SWOSU and I have especially enjoyed that this university has given me the chance to try new things, take on leadership roles, and make the most of my college experience.” Earlier that morning, students and community members cele- brated in downtown Weatherford during the Homecoming parade. The parade began at 10 a.m. along Main Street. The top float honors went to the following groups: First place: Weatherford Highschool Cheer, $1,500 Second place: Hispanic American Leadership Organization, $1,000 Third place: SWOSU Custodians, $700 SWOSU congratulates its 2026 Homecoming King and Queen and the winning parade entries. The university thanks all royalty candidates, parade participants, local businesses and community members for the creativity, work and support they contributed to this year’s celebration. The Elk City Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for two in one business on Thursday, Oct. 29th, in celebration of their grand opening and joining the Chamber. Owner, Heather Porter, brought two companies, 5P Performance and 5P Press, under one roof at 805 S. Main. She invited the public to an open house from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with the ribbon cutting taking place at 5 p.m. the same day. “Test your strength, put your gym knowledge to work, tackle the scavenger hunt, or cheer everyone on,” Porter said in her invitation. “Come early for hourly gym tours, giveaway drawings, the T-Shirt Bar, and the Trucker Hat Bar. Come hun- gry for Surf Bar from 11-3 and TJ’s Taco Truck starting at 5. Thinking about joining our gym family? Public memberships are available, and signup specials have been extended through November 30.” The sign-up specials include no enrollment fee; the first 25 – get a free limited-edition 5P tee; the first 75 – also receive a free 5P koozie; a duo deal – join with someone from another household and each gets $10 off the first month; and in the family flex – each additional household member gets five percent off their first month. The first 25 and first 15 offers apply to the Oct. 5th through Nov. 30th signup promotion, and regular monthly auto draft rates resume in month two for Duo and family offers. The 5P Performance gym offers strength and performance results, while the 5P Press is about custom prints, banners, and embroidery. Both businesses are here for the public. Porter and her staff welcome new members or prospective members to go in to see what they have to offer and join the fun. Being part of the Chamber will bring in new clientele, as well as serving the greater cause of each step of the individual or group workout. The 5P press caters to anyone needing banners, embroidery, or other advertising materials. Go by south Main Street to welcome them to the Chamber and community. They believe that God has a plan, and they will be going with His plan as they invite the public to the businesses. Thunder Jiu Jitsu Joins the Chamber By Sheryl Ponce The Elk City Chamber of Commerce welcomed Thunder Jiu Jitsu to become a member of the Chamber last week. The company is owned by Cliff and Trisha Stewart, with Lyndsay Glassey serving as an assistant coach. Cliff has a black belt in Jiu Jitsu and 20 years of experience. The classes are held at 408 S. Jefferson Street, within The Rig, owned by Henry and Katie Casas. The classes are for adults and children, and the Stewarts offer a structured and proven curriculum that affords belt advancement. They also offer membership. The hours are Monday through Thurs- day, with kids’ class from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., and adults from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Women are welcome and can work out while children are in training, under the supervision of a woman trainer. For more information about the programs and Jiu Jitsu, call 405541-8490 or 303-885-8894. Sports Tidbits By Alex Alvarez MLB Freddie Peralta was traded from the Brewers to the Mets and then to Tampa Bay shortly before the 2026 World Series. He had a front row view of his old team winning the World Series! William Contreras, Milwaukee’s catcher and World Series MVP, “I don’t mean disrespect to any catcher in baseball, but right now I feel like I am the best catcher in baseball”. He was last October! GOLF Miyu Yashimoto won the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur last weekend for her third victory in 2026. Could she challenge Nelli Korda for Player of the Year? She probably needs two more wins in 2026! The Schwab Cup’s field of 36 has been set for this weekend. Notable absences: Bernhard Langer, Michael Block, Mario Tiziani, and Henrik Stenson. The two most painful were Tiziani who went from #34 to #37, one spot out; and Henrik Stenson who gave three shots coming in to end up in #38. For the first time in 10 years, Bernhard Langer did not make the top 36. Man, you have given us so many great golf highlights! With his wife Natasha on the bag, Darren Fichardt from South Africa finished birdie, eagle and clipped Zach Johnson for the Simmond Championship by one shot and went from #46 to #17 in Schwab Cup points. With Fichardt, the last two winners in the Over 50 Tour were from South Africa, the other one being Rory Sabbatini the week prior. With his win at the Vidanta World Mexico Open, Andrew Novack jumped to #53 in FedEx Cup standings. No player can break into the top 50, which are locked. But players #51-#60 get invited to the AT&T Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, with a shot to qualify for all Signature events with a win. NFL FOOTBALL: Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irwin has a career high 170 yards against the Atlanta Falcons as the Buccaneers won 16-0. Detroit Lions linebacker Jack Campbell was carted off the field after what looked like a serious neck injury vs the Minnesota Vikings. Was kept at a local hospital for evaluation. Minnesota Vikings lost to Detroit Lions and there are no more undefeated teams in 2026 COLEGE FOOTBALL #2 Ohio State lost to unranked Southern California to give Lincoln Riley a breather in his coaching career in California. He shouldn’t be worried; his buyout is about $70 million! Geogia climbs to #2 after beating Florida, and Ohio State falls to #11 after falling to Southern California. Both Oklahoma teams lost, OSU put up a great fight into a 51-49 loss to Iowa State playing away, and Oklahoma Sooners had a disappointing loss to South Carolina at home of 42-25. WNBA Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream set a new and unexpected (before the playoffs) record: seven times in the finals both teams skipped the National Anthem. I’m not sure if anyone wants to break that record! Both Sophie Cunnigham and Caitlin Clark made the news more than any other WNBA player, even after the Fever was eliminated from the playoffs: Sophie is now a free agent and set to play in Project B, a new global 5-on-5 basketball league, during the WNBA offseason. And Caitlin Clark, though she broke several records in 2026, was not even named as player of the year but in one ballot out of 19 “experts” who vote for POTY. We hope both players stay together. Meanwhile, Sophie Cunningham was tapped to wave the checkered flag at the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Austin, TX at the Circuit of the Americas. Sources ESPN, Google, MSN Sports, On-Line, local