THORNDIKE — Krysta Porter isn’t surprised to be living her dream job.
She just didn’t think it would happen at the young age of 23.
Porter, a Unity resident, was hired as interim athletic director in mid-December for grades 6-12 at Mount View Junior and Senior High School. She is believed to be the youngest athletic administrator in the state.
Porter, a 2016 Mount View graduate, took over the position from former AD/assistant principal Thomas Lynch, who retired.
The position will be reviewed by the RSU 3 school board at the end of the year.
“It’s what I’ve looked forward to since I was a sophomore in high school,” Porter said. “It’s crazy that I get to do my dream job. I can’t even put into words how happy I am, and excited.”
Porter acknowledged the position has its challenges, but she refused to let her inexperience stand in the way of trying to oversee Mount View’s athletic programs.
“(Being the youngest) is a little overwhelming, but I’m pretty confident in what I know and what I learned in school,” she said. “Maybe a few more years of coaching might have helped me a little bit more, but I don’t necessarily think I’m too young to do the job. I’m looking forward to it.”
Porter, who was working as a development coordinator for the American Lung Association, credited former Mount View athletic director Chuck Karter and athletic trainer Casey Holmes for cultivating her interest in running an athletics department. Karter is now the athletic director at Erskine Academy in South China.
Mount View athletic director Krysta Porter stands in front of the school’s trophy case on Wednesday in Thorndike. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
“They just made things look so fun to be around sports all the time,” Porter said. “They created a sports program that ran so smoothly, so I wanted to be a part of that. I never really thought that I would be back at Mount View, the opportunity just kind of jumped when Tom Lynch retired. It was a little bit of lucky timing. I already knew the school, so it was easier for (the school board) to hire me, essentially, rather than to hire somebody new come in that doesn’t know anything.”
Porter added that she’s received a lot of support from her peers across the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference, as well as from the Mount View community.
“It’s definitely helped a lot,” Porter said. “Some of the teachers are different, some of my (former) teachers have retired. But a lot of the coaches are the same coaches that were coaching when I was here. And I also helped coach JV softball for the last two years, so I also know some of the newer coaches through that. It’s been a lot easier just being able to already know a lot of these people. Everybody knows my face, they know who I am.”
Porter attended her first KVAC meeting earlier this month — thanks to Belfast Athletic Director Matt Battani.
“(Battani) was the one who let me know about the KVAC meeting because I wasn’t on the (contact) list yet for that,” Porter laughed.
After graduating from Mount View, Porter attended Thomas College in Waterville in 2019, earning a degree in sports management with a minor in coaching. She received her master’s degree in business administration in 2020. Porter also played four years of field hockey and two years of softball for the Terriers.
Porter said her favorite part of the job is being around sports on a consistent basis and to watch games and matches at Mount View.
Her least favorite part?
“The worst part of the job is COVID,” she said. “Just trying to figure out when the right time is to cancel a game. Our girls basketball team already doesn’t have a lot of players, so even if one player is out due to sickness, it’s hard to find that line of, ‘Okay, when is it not safe anymore, with the amount of players that we have left on the team?’ That’s kind of what the worst part that I’ve been dealing with.”
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