In respect to the good ship Clarkston sports, Athletic Director Dan Fife may be the captain, but Athletics Secretary Linda Walker is the wind in the program’s sails.
While the coaches are in charge of fielding a team in their respective sports, Walker makes sure the Wolves have someone to play, and has done so since 1985.
‘You need a good sense of humor, plenty of energy, a mind for details and to keep your fingers crossed,? said Walker, who when she was hired became CHS? first athletics secretary.
With over 20 varsity teams, most with junior varsity and freshman offshoots, not to mention a slew of club teams, the Clarkston athletic program is not a small vessel.
When Walker started, there were no freshman sports programs; hockey and swimming were not added until the shift to the new high school in 1998. Even as more sports were added, there are more athletes to keep track of these days.
‘Thirty or 40 on the football team was good back then,? Walker said.
This year’s Clarkston varsity football team alone had nearly 70 players.
‘It used to be I knew where everyone was at all times. I had a handle on everything,? Walker said. ‘It’s getting a lot more complicated.?
Scheduling is perhaps the nastiest tangle Walker straightens out each season. Once the OAA sends the league schedule to Clarkston prior to each sports season, she sprinkles in non-league games and tournaments.
The hardest part of the year is during the change over from the Winter season to Spring sports.
‘People think when you are between seasons it’s a slow time,? Walker said.
For the Winter and especially the Fall seasons, Walker has at least a few weeks to make sure schedules are set, officials contracted, game workers found, athletes academically eligible, physicals are on file, pay-to-play money collected and tournament fees paid. There is no such setup time afforded before spring as the winter sports award banquets bleed right into the season, amping up the decibel level in the athletic office. ‘If I pick up the phone and say ‘I’m surviving,? that’s good because my heads above water,? Walker said. ‘I don’t want something not to happen because I screwed up.?
But Walker is somewhat blinded by her own dedication to ensuring affairs are in order, for she is quick to greet visitors to the athletic office with a smile as sweet as the colorful candies on her desk. For those who are in search of a little more sustenance, she has had, at times, a barrel of pretzels and always has an answer for questions regarding practice time changes or game location.
‘Don’t hesitate to ask me something ? if I sound rushed I probably am,? said Walker, who appreciates the variety and volume of queries she addresses daily.
While the transition period after winter stands out to Walker as the toughest time of the year, the summer is no picnic either. While the kids are out gallivanting around, Walker is putting a year of Clarkston sports to bed.
‘When the school year ends you basically have six weeks before football,? said Walker, who takes a couple weeks vacation after the final bell of the year in June.
‘That gives me one month to close the books and put away everything in an order you can find it again,? Walker said
Luckily, Walker is not completely alone during the school year ? for a couple hours a day, CHS building aide Wendy Kato helps around the office.
‘I don’t know what I’d do without her,? Walker said.
She is also thankful for the help the Clarkston Athletic Boosters provide to CHS programs as a whole.
‘It’s nice that they (the boosters) are there for all the teams,? Walker said.
Over her 22 years at CHS, Walker feels she has been fortunate to work under two people who have made her job easier ? current Athletic Director Dan Fife and former Athletic Director Paul Tungate.
‘Probably the reason I’ve stayed in this position, even with the heavy work load, is the bosses I’ve had. They’ve both been great people persons while I am more detail oriented,? Walker said.
She also is happy to report that 99 percent of the Clarkston coaches are great in keeping in touch with her on important matters. She would not mention who, at press time, was in her one percent doghouse.
‘They (coaches) help as much as they can,? Walker said. ‘The biggest thing is communication. If the right hand knows what the left hand is doing, you will be alright.?
Walker has seen more than just the athletes hair styles change.
‘When I started, a varsity coach would bring out the balls two weeks before the season started and collect equipment a week after the season ended and the sport was done until the next year,? Walker said. ‘Now they have to have year round conditioning in order to compete.?
With the rise of AAU and other club leagues, Walker laments a decline in three-sport athletes as students opt to play one sport, year round.
While the job has changed around her, Walker’s adopted home town has undergone a transformation as well. She moved to Clarkston in 1971 from Detroit after she and her husband decided they enjoyed vacationing here so much they were going to make the sleepy little burg their full time home.
‘We felt at the time living in Clarkston was like living up north. Being out here at night was so different. It was so dark. I was wondering where the street lights were,? Walker said.
Even as Walker has watched the Village swell and Independence and Springfield Townships explode with housing developments and stores, she still feels the small town atmosphere of the area is intact.
Walker has always enjoyed sports, which is what led her to the athletic secretary position in the first place. She feels she was lucky as her son and two daughters all played different sports in high school, so there was not much competition between them.
While her organizational prowess are invaluable to the Wolves? program, Walker also finds time to lend support from the stands whenever possible ? especially in the playoffs.