Coaches, athletes emotional after Baxter’s decision to end CMB sports sharing

BAXTER — Rob Luther had time to prepare for it. Lori Fricke hoped there would be a change of heart.

In the end, several members of the community walked out of the Baxter School Board meeting with a sense of sadness.

Two communities that have been tied together for 29 years will now have to look at other options following Baxter’s 5-0 decision to end the CMB athletic sharing agreement Monday night.

“I felt like I knew it was coming so I had time to prepare for this day,” Luther said. “My thoughts are two-fold: I am excited for what the future looks like at Baxter with our students, but we still have a full season with our CMB kids that we have to take care of.

“We need to make sure the current CMB kids are taken care of this year on the way out.”

Luther is a Collins-Maxwell graduate. He has been a principal at Baxter for 20 years. As the school’s football coach for more than two decades, Luther has an invested interest in Raider athletics.

“I have addressed it to this year’s team a couple times,” Luther said about the future of CMB. “Sitting in there tonight, I wondered about what I am going to have to say at practice (Tuesday). I have a great veteran football staff that has bled CMB but also understand the decision. We just have to be leaders to those kids and lead by example.”

It was a tough night for Fricke, too. Her and her husband Todd were both seniors when CMB was formed back in 1988. She graduated from Collins-Maxwell in 1989, taught for more than a decade at Baxter and is the current CMB Athletic Director.

“It’s just really sad,” said Fricke, whose three children all played for CMB. “I have already seen a lot of things on social media. The students are united. They want to be CMB Raiders. I am hoping the current students will make the best of it.”

Several other coaches were in attendance Monday night. Everyone was emotional. One current CMB athlete in the room left the meeting in tears.

Jason Aker is a teacher at Baxter. He and his family moved to the district in 2001. Aker also is in charge of the defense on Luther’s football staff.

“I came into tonight expecting this, but at the same time I’m feeling kind of stunned,” Aker said. “It’s been a long three or four years as a parent and a staff member here. We have ridden a lot of waves, and had a lot of ups and downs. I just needed a decision. I am happy a decision was made, but it’s tough.

“It’s like losing a friend in a lot of ways. In my house, all of us wear black and silver.”

Aker’s oldest son Braydon will be a junior this year. He will have one final year of athletics with his friends at Collins-Maxwell. Aker’s daughter will go through all of high school without Baxter’s long-standing partner.

“They have expected this decision,” said Aker, who moved to Baxter when Braydon was just 1 year old. “Our son has a lot of question marks about his future. I have great confidence that our board and our leaders are going to find a solution for those seniors who have put their whole lives into something like this.

“My eighth grader will be upset. She’s not a huge sports person, but she wears the gear and believes in CMB. It’s a change and change is always tough, but they are resilient. They’ll bounce back.”

Luther envisioned some day seeing both districts join together to become CMB High School. Over the last few years though, he has not been as confident.

“I think our districts should be together. I think we make good partners,” Luther said. “We both had things to offer to the other one, but it just didn’t materialize.”

The CMB athletic sharing agreement runs through the end of the 2017 baseball and softball seasons. The football team is beginning the first year of a two-year cycle this upcoming season.

“Are we going to play eight-man football, are we going to play Class A football or are we going to share with someone else? All of those are on the table,” Luther said. “I have talked to Todd Tharp (at the Iowa High School Athletic Association) multiple times. There are options out of there.”

None of those options will be better than what the Raiders currently have, according to former CMB athlete Chase Maher.

“I feel so bad for the kids who won’t get to experience growing up together with Collins, Maxwell or Baxter people,” Maher said. “Two of my best friends are from Collins and Maxwell, and if weren’t for CMB I would have never met them.

“It’s kind of a punch to the gut for everyone that ever wore a black and silver jersey with CMB on the front of it. That used to stand for something — pride — we were all proud of where we came from.”

Contact Troy Hyde at
641-792-3121 ext. 6536
or thyde@newtondailynews.com