Athletic Opus

In his 37 years as a high school teacher, coach and athletic administrator, Jim Watkins has had his hand in virtually every aspect of Kentucky high school athletics. Watkins began his career at DeSales and Valley high schools as a teacher and coach. He progressed to Southern High School, where he served 15 years as athletic director. In 1989, he began working for the Jefferson County Board of Education, where he spent nine years as the Director of Athletics, Activities & Academic Competition for Jefferson County and became a charter member of the Kentucky High School Athletic Directors Association. Currently, Watkins serves as the Executive Director of the KHSADA and sits on the board of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, which provides a voice, education and support for athletic administrators across the country. VYPE sat down with Watkins to discuss his life in athletics. VYPE: What is the role of an athletic director? Watkins: The AD sets the tone for all athletics in the school. An AD puts in more hours than any other staff member, being the first at an event to unlock the doors and the last to leave. An AD also needs to be a problem solver - you do not have the luxury of time to dwell on wins and losses. When I was at Southern High School, we set the tone by raising the expectations of our kids. Simply put, we expected our kids to be role models for other schools. They were to clean up after themselves when leaving a facility, be mannerly, and to show respect for themselves and others. While serving as the director of athletics for Jefferson County, we took it a bit further and developed the slogan 'Character First', which was printed on a banner and hung in virtually every high school gymnasium. This was meant to remind the athletes of the importance of integrity. VYPE: What was the 'hot topic' during your tenure as director of athletics and activities for Jefferson County? Watkins: Recruiting. It's been an issue for as long as I've been alive and it will probably never go away. Unfortunately, everyone does it. It can range anywhere from a youngster being offered financial aid at a private or parochial school to a promise of tradition and state championship bids by a public school. If students, coaches and athletic administrators choose to do the right thing and play by the rules, then they will have nothing to worry about. It's when you shave a corner, cut a rule - then you've got something to worry about. VYPE: What is the biggest financial challenge that athletic directors face today? Watkins: Getting enough revenue from your games to pay the bills for your equipment is still probably the biggest challenge. Funding is supplemented at times by Jefferson County Public Schools, but the remainder and majority of funding needs to come through gate receipts and/or fundraising. Schools successful in football and basketball help to support other sports programs. However, recently we have seen an increase in beautiful facilities being built for sports such as softball, baseball, track and volleyball, and gate receipts are growing. VYPE: What is the hardest part of being an athletic director? Watkins: Besides sacrificing a whole lot of family time, the two hardest things you'll ever have to do as an athletic director are 1) Look a young person in the eye and say "I'm sorry, you are ineligible because you did not pass, and 2) Tell a coach, who is probably your friend, "No, you cannot do that." VYPE: What is your greatest memory or accomplishment from your career? Watkins: The greatest accomplishment for me would be for people around this community to say 'Jim did a great job.' I don't need a plaque (although he has many). I was smart enough to surround myself with dedicated people that I could count on. They helped me do a lot of things. VYPE: What is your least favorite memory of your career? Watkins: When parents would call and complain. By the time they got to me, which was the end of the line, they were really upset. Usually, it all boiled down to 'my child is not playing enough.' Of course, we've gotten calls from parents where coaches didn't use good judgment with comments made or coaching techniques, so I'd have to have a talk with that coach and ask that person to take a hard look in the mirror. VYPE: What advice would you give to parents of athletes? Watkins: Don't specialize! Let the child make the decision. I don't think parents or coaches ought to say "play this sport." Youngsters that can play several sports are well rounded and are more apt in making their own decisions after a year or so in high school which sport they would like to excel in. Do not pigeonhole your child. VYPE: What type of advice would you give to a new athletic director? Watkins: If I were an AD starting out, I'd learn as much as I could about the profession by talking to other ADs who've been in the business for a while. Get a good mentor - someone you can bounce ideas off. Additionally, I would communicate annually with coaches by holding a preseason meeting. I'd hand out a coaching handbook that I would personally develop to fit the school's needs, and I'd have the coaches critique themselves by listing goals that they can measure at the end of the year. Lastly, I'd tell them to be cooperative with their colleagues - such as other athletic directors. You will have a scheduling problem - what goes around, comes around - and at some point, you will need a favor too. VYPE: Is it possible to summarize your career in athletics? Watkins: All I can say is that I've been lucky. It's been a rewarding career.