Sports

Adam Baxter remembered

Friends, faculty and family celebrate life of UMaine athlete

By Dana Bulba

Posted on April 28, 2008, at 12:00 a.m.

After the tragic loss of University of Maine soccer player Adam Baxter last fall, teammates and the UMaine community wrapped up the spring semester and season remembering the first-year athlete, student and friend.

“I knew Adam at first from playing on the Maine Soccer team,” first-year teammate Tom McCole said. “He later became more then just a teammate but a great friend. I knew him from the many days we spent at Knox Hall, going to the Rec. Center, eating at Hilltop, the long road trips to games and the many practices in the back field.”

“[Adam] was a genuine, hard-working, charismatic person on and off the field,” fourth-year teammate and captain Kiaran McCormack said. “He always had a huge grin on his face.”

The men’s soccer team, along with UMaine faculty, welcomed Baxter’s parents from Skegness, England over the weekend.

“His parents had intended to come to the U.S. over spring break and bring Adam to New York City and then onto Florida,” McCormack said. “It was a very emotional experience for his parent’s and everyone involved with Adam.”

“They wanted to come and see the campus,” Head Coach Pat Laughlin said. “Adam really enjoyed his time at UMaine.”

During their visit, Baxter’s parents were able to meet teammates, faculty members and friends during a variety of events and activities.

“Friday was a very special day,” McCole said. “For many of the players on the team, it was their first time meeting the Baxters, and for us boys who went to England, it was a valued reunion.”

According to Laughlin, Baxter’s parents’ visit was coordinated with the spring schedule – this weekend anticipated the best weather and best location for them to watch the soccer team play.

“They wanted to see the team play,” Laughlin said. Adding, “I think as a player, Adam was always someone who tried to do his best. He had a real winning mentality; [he] really competed hard at all times.”

The team played two games this weekend at Husson with Baxter’s parents in attendance.

“It was two emotional friendlies [sic] for everyone,” said McCole. “The team commemorated Adam in pregame wearing T-shirts that the Baxters had brought as gifts.”

“He was a natural leader, always talking and shouting during practices and games,” McCormack said. “When Adam came to the U.S., he had two bags, not like the car loads of stuff most freshmen have when they first arrived. In this way he was uncomplicated, and cherished the friends he surrounded himself with rather than material things.”

“Adam enjoyed soccer, obviously, reading, watching, or pretty much anything to do with the game,” McCole said. “He also enjoyed music, and I later found out about an interest in art. He was a character who never failed to raise a smile in anyone.”

While Baxter is no longer running up and down the field as a UMaine soccer standout, his presence is still felt.

“For all of us, I think it was the final farewell to Adam, but he will never be forgotten,” McCormack said. “His parents have set up a scholarship fund for incoming soccer players, and there will be an award for best new player on the team named in his honor.”

“I think for the players, for all the players, it was an emotional visit,” Laughlin said. “It was a time to celebrate his life.”

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008, 12:00 am. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.