What contributes to a school’s sports success—how does a school win a state championship or even a national championship? Is it the players? Is it the coaches? Or is it the alumni presence supporting the athletic programs?

Tim McCormack and Reid Yarbrough are one of many cogs in White Station High School’s (WSHS) system working towards the success of WSHS sports teams. Without them, many of the sports would not have the required support system needed to exist.

“We’ve got a good Booster Club board,” Yarbrough said. “I’m the president. We’ve got two vice presidents that are really strong, Hillary Chipley and Ray Dockery. Our treasurer does a great job, John Russell. And Ebony Washington’s our secretary. Everybody’s really involved.”

Yarbrough and McCormack are both alumni of WSHS. Both graduated in the late 1900s; they experienced a very different school than what students experience today. Yet through their passion, they remain ever-present in assisting the school.

“[I want] to just do everything I can to make sure [WSHS is] successful,” McCormack said. “[I want] it [to remain] a great school and football program. I’m proud of the school too, always. Just the other day, somebody was talking about academics. I said, ‘There were 36 perfect ACT scores in Tennessee, and 11 of them came from White Station.’ Yeah, I say that’s something to be proud of.”

McCormack holds an important position as an athletic trainer for the football team. A longtime servant of WSHS, McCormack is entering his 53rd year of service. With players taking constant hits, an athletic trainer is needed to be the educated voice of reason and prevent serious injury.

“Every single high school should have an athletic trainer,” McCormack said. “And almost none have one. The ones that have them, come from orthopedic clinics. They’re assigned [to] three or four schools. But in states like California, Texas and the larger states, every single school is required by law to have an athletic trainer on staff, [w]hich is important [because] you read all the time about ‘this kid dropped dead,’ you know, and there’s no trainer there to prevent it.”

Yarbrough,  a former football coach turned President of the Athletic Booster Club, juggles various responsibilities and works to support the coaches of all sports. Using his experience as a coach, Yarbrough is better equipped to maintain relationships and understand the needs of athletic teams.

“The Athletic Booster Club for White Station serves pretty much all the other sports,” Yarbrough said. “I still have that pride for White Station. I still have a desire to see the athletic program succeed. I know there’s been some recent changes, but I have friendships and long-lasting relationships with a lot of the coaches, and I think the booster club is kind of a great way to support those coaches and to make the student-athlete experience one that is really worthwhile.”

Like many other alumni,  McCormack and Yarbrough –longtime contributors to the school– are much-needed constants in the changing environment. Staff turnover can make it difficult for new coaches to adapt, but alumni like McCormack and Yarbrough make the transition easier when they need assistance.

“I’ve been in athletics so long that it’s just part of the game,” McCormack said. “I’ve been in sports for 10 years after college. I’ve never been that person that says, ‘Well, we used to do it this way.’ I’ve always been the person [who says], ‘Well, let’s buckle up and get it done however we got to do it.’ So it doesn’t affect me. I know some people think ‘Oh gosh, we lost so and so,’ but it’s never affected me. I’ve always just looked forward.”

To support the large percentage of student-athletes at WSHS, Yarbrough and the booster club board have to listen to the requests of coaches and students to implement and provide equipment and funds to ensure athletes can compete.

“We have a lot of student-athletes here,” Yarbrough said. “So we need more parents to participate in the booster club to support our sports programs [and] build up our membership this year while also being able to raise some money.”

McCormack and Yarbrough do more than try to make the school teams win; they want to provide students with the knowledge and skills to succeed past high school. The total responsibilities of the Athletic Booster Club take a village to fulfill.

“These parents are involved,” Yarbrough said. “They care about not only their kids, but the other kids in the school and the student-athlete experience. And so you’ve got to have people that are bought in and want to do it. It is a sacrifice of time…So it’s all about the people that are involved and we’re just trying to catch some of the momentum and some of the enthusiasm.”

This story was originally published on The Scroll on October 13, 2024.