Ensuring compliance with regulations. Dealing with paperwork. Paying referees. Making sure athletes are eligible. These are just a few responsibilities Mr. Keene has as athletic director. Smoke Signals Sports Editor Savannah Anderson set out to discover the challenges and positive experiences of being athletic director of Clark County Schools.

Q: What was it like to host two region tournaments, a district tournament, and a state game in less than two weeks?

A: It was very hectic to say the least. I think we had 15 games in 10 days which puts in for very long days. To host a successful tournament, there are so many things that go on behind the scenes that many people aren’t aware has to happen. It would be impossible to host those tournaments if I didn’t have the help of other administrators, teachers and staff, coaches, and booster organizations.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

A: The best part of my job both as an assistant principal and athletic director is being around students. I try to build as many positive relationships I can with as many students as I can. I also like the rapport that I build with our coaches, parents, and community. I am always proud to represent GRC and Clark County in this capacity.

Q: What is the biggest challenge of not having athletic facilities at GRC?

A: There are several challenges with not having athletic facilities at GRC. It’s a challenge to schedule games with sharing sites with RDC. Luckily, we have a great working relationship and are able to solve any scheduling conflicts. Simply having a school function is a challenge due to not having any place we can get the entire student body together. It’s a challenge for visiting teams that are not aware where our various sites are located. Many times they come to the school to find out our game is somewhere else. I would say our biggest challenge is for some of our students to get to practices after school at those sites that are not on our campus.

Q: How did you decide to become an athletic director?

A: Athletics have played such an important role in my life and helped develop me as a person. There are so many life-lessons that should be learned by participating in athletics. I hope in my role that I can help our coaches, students, and parents understand the benefits of participating in athletics.

Q: What are some things you do as athletic director that no one really knows about?

A: I don’t think that many people realize the amount of paper work and other duties an athletic director has to do. In addition to getting gate money and referee checks prepared for games, there are KHSAA requirements that have to be met, Title IX mandates, grade checks, coaching requirements, safety training, etc. I try to keep a close eye on the grades of our student-athletes. I communicate with the coaches if we ever have any students getting close to being ineligible due to grades. Fortunately, this isn’t a big problem for us and our coaches do an extremely good job helping keep our athletes on track.