Under the guidance of head coach Ron Gathright and assistant coach Dr. Davis “Doc” McAlister, the Aubrey Lady Chaparrals’ powerlifting team has grown into one of the most decorated programs in the state.
A conversation at a volleyball match led to the formation of the duo that has, for the better part of a decade, guided the team to many state championship appearances and has helped multiple Lady Chaps etch their names in state record books.
“I had known about [Doc] from when I worked at S&S Consolidated, and we hosted some powerlifting meets there,” Gathright said. “Around the time I took over as the girls' powerlifting coach here in Aubrey, we happened to be at the same volleyball game, and he came up to me and asked if he could help me with the team.”
Doc saw working with Gathright and the Lady Chaps as a great way to stay close to his own children, he said, while also building up their friends and fellow athletes.
“I've coached all my kids through school, but I couldn’t just focus on them,” he said. “I’m one of those people that if I’m going to do something, I believe in doing it 100%, so I wanted to come in, be able to help with the program and do whatever was needed so we could get things off the ground.”
Under Gathright and Doc’s direction, the Lady Chaps powerlifting program has grown from 11 lifters and five regional qualifi ers in their first season to 30 lifters and 29 regional qualifiers in the spring.
During duo’s eight years together, the Lady Chaps had a total of 145 regional qualifiers, 53 state qualifiers, 15 state medalists, three state champions, one Texas High School Women's Powerlifting Association scholarship recipient and one THSWPA Hall of Fame inductee.
The program also set two state records and still holds seven regional records.
'Starting out with the numbers we had the first year to now having 30 girls that are competing, we’re really proud of the growth we’ve had over the years,” Gathright said. “When you have 29 of the 30 girls in the program make it to regionals, that’s pretty incredible.”
Gathright and Doc were also recognized by THSWPA as the Region 6 Division II coaching staff of the year three years in a row from 2022 to 2024.
After such a stellar run, the duo’s time together came to an end this year, with Doc deciding to step away from coaching.
“It's a very bittersweet deal, but I’m not fully dropping Coach Gathright,” Doc said. “I promised him that I would help him from behind the scenes; I’m just not going to be as much of a physical presence. It was a very diffi cult decision to make, but my family and I are at a big transition point in our lives, and it felt like it was a good time to move on.”
Gathright emphasized that Doc’s presence in the program will be sorely missed.
“His experience in the sport is unbelievable,” Gathright said. “He's the numbers guy, and he can tell you where everybody in the state sits, so I’m going to miss his knowledge for sure, but I’m also going to miss the day-to-day interaction that we had during the season.”
Gathright and Doc made sure to thank Doc’s wife and team mom, Teresa McAlister; Doc’s daughter and son, Dana McAlister and Dillon McAlister; Aubrey athletic secretary LaNise Heath; Aubrey Athletic Director Keith Ivy; and the Aubrey parents for helping the program become the powerhouse it is today.
“We’ve encouraged parent involvement,” Doc said. “And there have been some instances where we've had to grab a parent out of the crowd because we needed something and just said, ‘Hey, can you do this for us real quick?’ and they just take care of it, so having that family support has just been awesome.”
Doc hopes all the young lifters he’s worked with at Aubrey gained more than strength and conditioning, he said.
“I’m all about life lessons,” he said. “I tell the girls all the time, ‘Everything we're doing here is not about powerlifting. This is about being successful in life, period. You have to set high standards for yourself. You learn what the standards are, and then you set your [goals] higher than that, and then that's what you work towards.’ … It’s a cumulative effect. As they gain more experience, they get smarter, they get better in their technique and everything they put out improves. It's the same thing in life. If you continue to improve and work towards those high standards, there's nothing that's going to be able to stop you.”
