This 1983 graduate of North High, Tara was one of three children born to Billy and Annie Ross. Tara and her two brothers, Bailey and Wyatt, come from a long line of Kern County athletes. Her father was a standout athlete at Arvin High School, Bakersfield College and Cal Poly. He returned to Bakersfield and to both coach and teach until his retirement.
As an athlete at North High School, Tara competed in three sports, softball, volleyball and basketball. In softball, she was a varsity starter as a junior and as a senior.
In volleyball she was a three-year varsity starter. As a sophomore she won second team All-league honors and first team All-league honors as a junior and a senior.
Playing basketball, Tara started on the varsity team all four years. She was also a four-time All-league first team player. She ended her career as North high’s all-time assist leader. As a junior she led the team to the Valley Championship game and an appearance in the CIF State Tournament. As a senior, she led the Lady Stars to another Valley Championship final.
After graduation she attended Bakersfield College and concentrated on volleyball. There, she was a two-year starter and two-time first-team All-Metropolitan conference player.
Then it was on to the University Nebraska, Omaha, where she received both a Bachelor’s degree and a Masters degree.
Her teaching career started at Mira Costa Junior College Oceanside, California. After one year there, she went on to teach at Delgato Community College in New Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1999, she was hired at Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish, Crowley, Louisiana. Tara has been the head volleyball coach there since 1999, compiling an amazing record of 498 wins and 149 losses. Her teams have been to 15 straight Louisiana state tournaments and have been to the finals six times, winning in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012. She was also honored as the Louisiana Coach of the Year in 2007, 2010, 2011, and 2012. Her teams have also been District champions 16 straight years.
Tara’s 19-year-old son, Waylon Young, was the starting quarterback in both his junior and senior years at Notre Dame High School. He was also selected as the first-team all- District quarterback for both of those years. In his junior year he led his team to the state semi-finals. Currently, on an academic scholarship, he is a junior at Louisiana Lafayette University majoring in psychology. Upon graduation, he would like to get into the field of sports psychology.
Congratulations to Tara, an all-time great Lady Star. The Ross bloodlines have created some outstanding athletes and people.