Urbandale candidates split on conference move; several support leaving CIML for more even competition
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Summary
Candidates discussed whether Urbandale should leave the CIML for the Little Hawkeye conference. Several candidates favored a move to improve competitive balance; one incumbent said she did not support leaving in February.
At the candidate forum, multiple candidates discussed Urbandale's February vote on conference alignment and whether the district should leave the Central Iowa Metro League (CIML) for the Little Hawkeye conference or another fit.
Mark Solomon said he supported leaving the CIML to join schools closer to Urbandale's size, naming DCG, Norwalk, Indianola and Ames as potential conference opponents. He said the move would give students "a fighting chance on the field or on the court," and cited competitive records: "We would, in this new conference, be participating with schools that are actually our size." Solomon said the change would not prevent scheduling CIML neighbors as nonconference opponents.
Hannah Horton and Rodrigo Santizo voiced agreement that repeatedly losing to much larger programs was harming athletes' chances to compete effectively. Santizo said there is value in losing, but not in losing constantly.
Rachel Kent said she was the outlier in the group and did not vote in February to support leaving the CIML, not because she opposes the fit of the Little Hawkeye, but because she believes Urbandale remains one of the larger schools and that youth-development work is needed to improve competitiveness against larger programs.
No formal board action was taken at the forum and candidates described the discussion as a matter for the board and district leadership to continue to evaluate. Candidates referenced past board activity (a February vote) but did not announce any new motions.
