Announcing the Wisconsin Forensics Daily Coach of the Year Award
December 20, 2007 – 12:16 pm by: Nick BubbCoaches are the tireless advocates of debate and forensics. They spend countless hours away from their family and friends, and dedicate their lives to the instruction of students in one of the most valuable skills they can learn. While both the WDCA and WFCA award coaches on a yearly basis with the Hinz and Coach of the Year awards, these awards often under award successful coaches because they are not popular with all members of the Wisconsin coaching community. To that end, Wisconsin Forensics Daily is creating its own coaching award - that will be an active traveling trophy.
In the future WFD will have an open nominating process for all coaches, but due to the time constraints (the year is coming to a close - and WFD operates in the non-academic world), this year’s coaches are chosen by executive fiat. Read below for this year’s list of nominees and the procedures for casting your ballot!
Mary Wacker, Brookfield East.
Earlier this year Mary coached the WFCA State Championship team. This completes a series of exceptionally strong performances by the Brookfield East forensics team which includes: the 2004 NFL National Runner-Up in Duo Interpretation, a 2005 NFL National Finalist in Humorous Interp, and a 2006 NFL National Runner-up in Humorous Interp. This year at NFL Nationals with two Octafinalist in Humorous Interp. Along with the 2007 WFCA State Championship Brookfield East earned state individual champions in Group Interp and Impromptu Speaking. For these reasons, WFD is proud to nominate Mary Wacker as a WFD Coach of the Year candidate.
Jay Johnson, Sheboygan North
A long time coach at Sheboygan North, who retired after the last forensics season to focus on his family, Mr. Johnson has been a tireless advocate for forensics and his students. A past-president of the WFCA and a coach of three runner-up teams at the state tournament (that only placed second by a combined total of twelve points in 2002 and 2003). Last year Sheboygan North achieved great individual success, claiming WFCA State Championships in Demo, OIL (which marks their Sixth championship of the event since 2000 - claiming the title in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007), Humorous Interp, and Special Occasion Speaking. Their State Champion in HI - David Colton - was also a NFL National Semi-Finalist. For these reasons, we are proud to nominate Jay Johnson as a WFD Coach of the Year candidate.
Bill Batterman, Marquette
No one is a bigger advocate for policy debate in Wisconsin than Bill Batterman. Since returning to Wisconsin in 2002, Bill has coached a number of teams to local and national success. Bill’s teams have consistently represented Wisconsin well, earning bids to the National Tournament of Champions in 2003 (with Nicolet), 2005 and 2006 (both with Marquette). As an assistant with Appleton East in 2004 and again with Marquette in 2005, Bill’s teams placed among the top 20 teams at NFL Nationals in policy debate. Bill has also seen considerable success in state. In this year alone Bill had students in elimination rounds of all varsity level competitions, including a semi-finalist team in public forum, a quarter finalist and the runner up in Lincoln Douglas Debate, and a quarter-finalist team, a semi-finalist team, and the Champions in the Varsity Switch Side division. Bill also had a high placing novice team. For these reasons, we are proud to nominate Bill Batterman as 2007 WFD Coach of the Year candidate.
Tim Scheffler, James Madison Memorial
Few individuals in the activity dedicate themselves more than Tim Scheffler. Unlike most coaches in the activity who teach during the day, Mr. Scheffler is an attorney. The practices of arguing well and articulating eloquently are integral to his profession. In his spare time, he is one of the few coaches who coach both forensics and debate. He is the only active head coach who has qualified a Lincoln Douglas Debater to the National Tournament of Champions and has had an extemp speaker in the semifinals of the Extemporaneous Speaking Tournament of Champions. 2007 has been a very successful year for Tim’s students. `During the forensics season he coached the Runner-Up Team at James Madison Memorial, a state champion in Public Address, and many national qualifiers. In debate, Mr. Scheffler coached a freshmen to NFL Nationals in Lincoln Douglas just a few short weeks of the student being the bottom ranked contestant at the state tournament. With Tim’s help, the same student was the third seed in Lincoln-Douglas Debate at this year’s state tournament. Tim’s success with young debaters continued as he coached a pair of freshmen girls to NFL Nationals in Public Forum. That success with public forum carried over into this year’s state tournament with two octafinalist teams (one because of a coach-over) and a semi-finalist. For these reasons, we are proud to nominate Tim Scheffler as a WFD Coach of the Year Candidate.
How to Submit a Ballot
To be eligible to submit a ballot you must be a head or an assistant coach at any program that actively participates in Debate or Forensics in the State of Wisconsin. Retired coaches and other important individuals associated with the activity may also be eligible to vote (e.g. college professors, NFL administrators, WHSFA Administrators, etc).
To submit a ballot RANK the individuals 1 through 4. One being your most preferred choice and 4 being your least preferred choice. Enter that information in an email and send it to me directly (if you know my email - if you don’t, but want to vote in this manner - just post in the comments and I’ll email you) or by using the submission form.
Ballots are due by January 15 and results will be announced shortly there after.
2 Responses to “Announcing the Wisconsin Forensics Daily Coach of the Year Award”
Community-driven coaching awards are cheezy. This one is particularly cheezy because everyone knows vote-based awards are a popularity game, and yet this award attempts to be be less of a popularity game by saying it isn’t. However, selection by “executive fiat” or nomination and a vote driven process is a popularity game, particularly when you don’t establish objective criteria. Any coach that coaches so s/he can get an award is in this business for the wrong reasons. Now, that having been said, I am all in favor of public and private praise for people you appreciate.
Personally, I think Clif Morton was a pretty kick butt coach. He seemed to care about creating opportunities for adolescents to participate; he wanted to make sure that students were protected from individuals who don’t have the students best interests in mind (i.e., over-regulation of events, judges that stepped out of line, tab room administrators that didn’t see the big picture, etc.); and he keeps giving back, despite being retired!
I also think assistants are often under-appreciated, at least publicly. I’ve seen a lot of head coaches get congratulated publicly. I hope assistants aren’t under appreciated privately. I know he’s not an assistant, but he kind of fits the bill. Jon Voss does a lot for his students. I’m not sure if they say thanks nearly enough to him. They should.
As far as true assistants, though, I think our own Tim Ernst, as well as Hortonville’s Val Wojcik deserve some recognition. Like Jon, they have the spirit of debate. There are a ton of former debaters out there who probably know more about debate than these two, but I’d take either one of these two, any day, over most of those former debaters.
For me, the sign of a great assistant is their prioritization of time commitments. Every one of us is very busy. All of us have commitments outside of debate that are more important or could make us more financially successful. A great assistant internalizes a commitment to the activity and students of the activity. You can tell who is a great assistant just by how they talk about the students and how much time they spend with the students. Chances are, that commitment translates into team unity and happiness. Tim and Val are that kind of assistant. I’m sure you can name several others, and probably should. This is a recognition thing, not a competition.
My last point on the subject is that I think we should recognize non-coach coaches. We call them judges, but a good judge is different from a non-coach coach. Let me give you a couple examples. While Neal Krokosky and Paul Hager can be a touch on the “tell it like it is side” they also are great educators. They take time (after turning in ballots) to explain decisions, arguments, and opportunities for improvement in ways that are truly coach-like.
Bill Batterman did a particularly good job of that in his early days, especially the year before he got back into coaching. He still is quite good, today, but a touch on the “interventionist” side and his philosophy clearly suggests that.
Henning clearly is the best example of this. If you listen to him, you will learn a few things. He is a professional, through and through. Sometimes I wish he got back into coaching and became a teacher–he’d make a wonderful teacher–but I’m not sure it would be the same. People change when they become a coach. I know I changed a bit when I became a coach. I miss judging without strings attached and without external distractions.
Anyway, the above people clearly rock.
In parting, I have one bit of advice: everything doesn’t have to be a competition.
By Cory Puuri on Jan 7, 2008