Fan Spotlight: Mr. Blauner

Throughout Oratory’s very successful soccer season, there has always been one constant element at each and every game. Yes, there have been amazing goals and great saves. Of course, there have also been incredible moves, high energetic plays, and mind-blowing passes, but the one person that never fails to make it to the game is the one and only Mr. Blauner. He attended our very first home opener in the sunshine, downpours in Union, freezing temperatures in Linden, and almost every game in between. The reason this inspires so many of us on the soccer field is that Mr. Blauner has no more reason to support our team than anybody else at our school. He does not coach soccer, does not have a son on the team, and has not made it clear if he even played soccer as a child, but his unrelenting support and enthusiasm have been a welcoming presence to which the soccer team has grown accustomed to. During the highest peaks and lowest valleys, he has always been there chanting for a team and rooting for the boys in blue and gold. As for the one or two games he missed, he informed the players on the team that he would be missing and wished them the best of luck in his absence. If he did not see them in the hallway, he would send some of them emails urging them to continue to follow the path of winning and success that Oratory’s soccer team has forged. He went out of his way to make sure that they knew he would either be there in body or spirit, and he has provided a spark that the team needed to succeed on the field. Mr. Blauner, also famous for his extensive shoe collection, has embraced a school spirit that every school wishes they could foster. His worth to the soccer team as a fan and a person cannot be matched.