Libby sports go Class B

Libby High School sports teams will compete in Class B starting in 2015. Libby School Board members decided to go with the way of dwindling enrollment numbers during Monday’s meeting after Mark Beckman, executive director of the Montana High School Association, recommended Libby reclassify to Class B. The change will begin during the 2015-2016 school year.

Libby High Athletic Director Jim Germany recommended the school remain Class A during a lengthy presentation to the school board.

“By us moving out, we change the entire makeup of the state,” Germany said. “People need to be careful saying we are going to win championships by moving to Class B. It always depends on the athletes.”

Germany said it was his best educated guess, after a week reviewing the matter, that the change in travel costs would not be significant. Germany tallied votes from current coaches last week, and the results were heavily in favor of remaining Class A.

“I think this contradicts all the efforts we make to get more kids around,” said Jim May, Libby High’s girls basketball and track and field coach. “I worry about getting enough opponents. Now we are going to get schools with 125 kids.”

The school board was required to vote if the desire was to remain in Class A. After quite a bit of waffling from board members, Bruce Sickler was called upon to state his stance by Board Chairwoman Ellen Johnston.

“The community response is to give B a shot,” Sickler said. “I wish we had a couple hundred more kids. I say we go B.”

Board member Les Nelson followed.

“I hate to go against the administration, but I say we go B,” Nelson said.

Johnston said the decision would be made to transition to Class B if no vote in support of remaining in Class A was held. No motion was made to stay in A, and after board members John Carlson and Lori Benson also stated support of moving to Class B, the board’s feelings were clear. No official vote was held.

“When you look at our community, there is really nothing stimulating to bring families in,” Benson said. “The folks that are moving out - this is going to sound worse than what I want to say – those that are moving out are motivated families looking for jobs and place where their children have a good education. I feel the people participating in sports are going to be less and less.”

Wally Winslow, whose resignation as the boys basketball coach was officially accepted during the meeting, thought moving to Class B was a good idea.

“Give it a shot,” Winslow said. “Enrollment is not going up without a change in industry. It is only going to go down. There is no reason for young families to come to Libby. To stay in Class A when we are below the cutoff puts the kids in a difficult situation.”

Much of the conversation leading to the decision to switch centered on the lack of participation in high school sports. The question was whether this was something that would continue, or if it was a temporary lull.

“We have the numbers, we just need to motivate them again,” Germany said. “Our lower level programs have high numbers.”

Class B schools have between 120-339 students. Libby’s average enrollment in the last two years is 338.5.

Libby soccer already participates at an A-B level, making it the only sport unaffected by the change.