Buried beneath the budgets and bond updates at the East Hampton School Board meeting Tuesday was the announcement nobody wanted to hear: The district's athletic director, Kathy Masterson, is retiring at the end of this school year.
"This place is so special. That board of education is second to none. My bosses are just amazing, amazing people," Ms. Masterson told The Star at the meeting, tears coming down her cheeks. "They've done nothing but support everything I've wanted to do since the minute I walked in the door and I will miss that the most."
Ms. Masterson became East Hampton's athletic director on July 1, 2022, after leading athletics at Westhampton Beach for 16 years. Given all she's accomplished, it's hard to believe she's been here only as long as the class of 2026.
"You're looking at an administrator who is invaluable. Everything she's touched has turned to gold here," said Adam Fine, East Hampton's superintendent. "Going back those few years, she hit the ground running. She embraced what was important to Bonac. She took it to the next level. She was approachable, clear in her communication to people. She will be sorely missed. Possibly one of the most talented administrators I've worked with in the past 24 years. Irreplaceable, irreplaceable."
Mr. Fine got to know Ms. Masterson when his son was playing lacrosse for Westhampton Beach. He was blown away by her passion for the kids, how she would run from field to field and know every athlete's name. "Kathy's been here for a short time and it's the exact same person I saw at Westhampton who had been there for decades."
Under Ms. Masterson's tenure, the Bonac football team made it to the Suffolk County Division III semifinals for the first time in 32 years, the baseball team made it to the county finals for the first time in 30 years, and the wrestling program has had its first two-time county champion, two-time state qualifier, and two-time all-state athlete. She started signing celebrations for her seniors when they committed to colleges.
The list of achievements goes on and on, but what's most impressive? "It's hard to narrow it down, but I think it's her clear and concise communication to parents, her passion for Bonac. You come here, and all of a sudden you're bleeding maroon and gray, immediately. She is a person of the utmost character," Mr. Fine said.
While the East Hampton community witnesses that regularly, they don't often get to see how Ms. Masterson is respected across Long Island and beyond. Just months after taking over at East Hampton, she was named the Section XI Athletic Director of the Year. "I got a chance to go up to Saratoga and watch her get honored," Mr. Fine said. "To see the respect she has from fellow athletic directors, to see the respect she had when she was president of Section XI, she's just irreplaceable, a consummate professional."
Ms. Masterson is leaving to spend more time with her wife of almost 13 years, Jill, and their two dogs, Kooper and Kona. "My wife is the most important person in my life. She's done nothing but support me in everything I've wanted to do in this job, and she understands that my kids come first, sometimes before she does. She accepts it because she loves me and she knows I love what I do for a living," Ms. Masterson said. "My father said to me, 'If you love what you do, it's not work, it's love.' And I truly, truly have loved this job for all 20 years I've done it. But, life is too precious. You never know what the next door is going to open for you. And I want to enjoy it for a little bit."
Ms. Masterson's announcement comes just weeks after Bonac's head football coach, Joe Mckee, made his retirement official. She joked that their two families will spend next year hanging out on the beach, watching football, of course.
With the spring sports season starting next week, the East Hampton athletic community can take comfort in having Ms. Masterson at the helm for the next few months. And while she's leaving her post at the end of June, she'll never truly be gone. "This place will always have a piece of my heart," she said.