Hinsdale, Saco, Whitewater Should Merge Sports

Three schools in our area are in a battle over whether or not to merge their sports programs. This scenario is being played out all over the West. Shrinking school enrollments is not a problem for Montana alone, folks. It's happening to rural schools from Texas to Canada and from the Mississippi River to the eastern portions of Washington, Oregon, California and Nevada.

Towns that have suffered in our area are Flaxville, Peerless, Opheim, Froid, Medicine Lake, Scobey, Plentywood, Antelope, Reserve, Hinsdale, Saco, Turner, Hoagland and Whitewater, to name just a few Montana schools that have experienced diminishing enrollments.

At one time, there were seven high schools from Havre to Shelby. Now there are two comprised of Kremlin, Joplin, Rudyard, Hingham, Inverness, Chester, Gildford, Lothair, Devon and Dunkirk. Most of those west of Chester have gone into the Shelby schools.

Hobson, Moore, Judith Gap scrapped their colors, mascots, school songs and went with a new look and new name. “Tri-Cities.” Richie-Lambert went the same way. New everything. They are now the R&L Fusion. Westby-Grenora did the same, creating a new team on which their younger kids can start to build their own legacies. They are now the MonDak Thunder, a very successful sports program that has sent the girls to state in volleyball and basketball several times and the boys have won second place in state the last two years.

There were fistfights, arguments, threats, broken friendships, towns torn asunder, families fighting with other families that they have been friends with for many years. It has been a tough transition in all cases. But the people I have talked with in several of these co-op/merged towns say that today most of the animosities have disapated and friendships renewed. People from Westby are now sitting with their friends from Grenora; folks from Rudyard are again friendly with folks from Hingham and Kremlin. Folks from Judith Gap, Hobson and Moore all say, “Go Tri-Cities.”

The time has now come for Saco, Hinsdale and Whitewater to combine their sports programs. In the years to come the three schools combined will be lucky to have 60 kids in high school and hardly any prospects for many more in the near future. This is despite the several young folks who have completed college and come home to run the family farms and ranches with hopes of marrying well and repopulating the schools.

In the meantime ...

I don't know if parents in Kremlin said, “If we have to merge with Rudyard we'll send our kids to Havre.” Or folks in Joplin saying, “My kid will never wear Chester's colors.”

I do know there has been talk like that in our three small towns. I can see how parents want their kids to play sports and to play on a good team. I get it. But ...

It's time to make the move friends. It's time for a new look on the Hi-Line. It's time for old school ties to be severed and new ties to be tied. Let the young kids make their own legacy. The three towns have competed together in jamboree and junior high sports. The Saco Panthers and Hinsdale Raiders won a state track and field championship together. The Saco-Whitewater girls won a state championship in basketball together. The Saco-Whitewater-Hinsdale girls are 14-1 this season and headed for a repeat trip to state.

Next year there are barely enough girls in the three towns to make a team. The Hinsdale boys are losing their five senior starters. SWH is losing four starters on their girls team.

Sports merger has been a topic of contention in Saco and Hinsdale for many years. It was discussed way back in 1958, when I attended Saco high school.

Just sayin' it's time to git 'er done as best you can. It is inevitable, and best do it now.

When one school has enough students to make a ball team and compete they aren't the ones wanting a merger, and it seems that in the past few years one of these three schools has had the required amount and two haven't. Each year the haves and the have-nots change. Next year the haves will be the younger Hinsdale boys, so naturally, a large portion of Hinsdale is opposed to the merger. Saco and Whitewater will be short on numbers, so they want it at this time.

Who will the numbers favor in years to come? Who will have the upper hand, the advantage, the hammer? Seems that's the most important factor at hand. Not the kids.

That's it for now folks. Thanks for listening.

UPDATE

A public meeting Tuesday night at the Hinsdale school was held to gauge the opinion of district residents on the issue of co-oping the girls and boys basketball teams over the next three years with Saco and Whitewater. By a show of hands of people in attendance, it was 21 in favor and 0 against the proposal. Another seven people were undecided, saying they wanted more information. A number of others didn't vote.

The issue now goes to the Hinsdale school board in addition to the other two school boards. For the co-op to occur, all three boards must approve it.