Altamont head girls' basketball coach Katie Lurkins takes over as athletic director: "Athletics have always been a huge part of my life, starting when I was little."

Jul. 3—Katie Lurkins is ready for her next opportunity.

The Altamont girls' basketball coach is now the leader of the athletic department. Lurkins replaces former athletic director Peggy Bueker, who is staying at the school as principal.

"This opportunity came up to apply for the position, and I was too comfortable teaching. I just thought I would apply for it; we'd see where it goes, and here we are now — at the start of July — and I'm going to start my career in this portion of education," Lurkins said. "I can't wait. It's something I overthought, and now the time is here. Small towns thrive on their schools and their school activities. To be the one that helps coordinate all of those things and continue this 'Altamont Pride,' I hope I can take all the stuff that I've learned and continue on the success."

Lurkins officially became the athletic director on July 1, adding that it's "exciting and empowering" to be a female holding this position currently.

Lurkins and Bueker are the only two female athletic directors in the school's history.

"Peggy has paved the way for many things; I hope to continue following her path," Lurkins said. "It's an opportunity that —when I started my career in education — I didn't think would be something that I would want or something that would be possible. Now that I'm here, I hope it inspires new teachers and young female coaches who can grasp these opportunities and influence people."

Lurkins finished her 16th year of teaching after the 2021-2022 school year. She has been the head girls' basketball coach for 10 of those years and will remain in that role, albeit with more on her table.

But even with her schedule becoming busier, Lurkins is ready for it; the one thing she said she would need to manage well is balance.

"My biggest priority is balancing home and family life with work life," Lurkins said. "My kids love Altamont, and that was one of the questions asked in the interview, and I said, 'This is like a dream come true for my eight-year-old because he can go to any game possible.' We are very fortunate that my husband and our three kids love going to activities and games.

"Going to these things together is a family activity."

Having connections within the athletic department realm will help with that balance, too.

Lurkins said she's been around athletics for her entire life, dating back to when her uncle was the athletic director at Newton.

"Athletics have always been a huge part of my life, starting when I was little. My uncle was the athletic director at Newton, and I remember being the ball girl at tournaments," Lurkins said. "Then, growing up and playing athletics all through high school and college. Then, I started coaching during my junior year in college. I had so many significant influences in my life that have been through athletics: coaches, teammates, and opposing teammates."

Despite the lack of experience in this role, Lurkins said she has "huge ideas" for growing the athletic department further.

One is the implementation of a catchphrase.

"We are going with 'We are G.R.I.T,' Lurkins said. "I follow a lot of Big Ten and other university schools, and I know that the Illini men have the hashtag 'Everyday Guys.' So, as I was thinking about Altamont and what to do, we're going with 'We are G.R.I.T.' We are 'Grateful. We are Respectful. We are Intense. We are Tough. We are Altamont.' I've talked to the coaches about incorporating the aspect of being grateful, respectful, intense, and tough into their speeches, everyday practices, and philosophy, and they've bought into that."

The other is a larger social media following.

"Some of my other goals are to incorporate a bigger social media platform for our athletics. That way, we can search on whatever platform you want, and you can find out about today's game or score updates," Lurkins said. "I think that will benefit our whole community.

"I want to ensure that we're visible in all the great things we do."

Contact EDN Sports Editor Alex Wallner at 618-510-9231 or alex.wallner@effinghamdailynews.com.