New faces for 100 year old WHS Speech and Debate program
By Sharon Haught
August 23, 2011
275
When the speech and debate competition season begins in a few short weeks there will be both new and familiar faces on the coaching staff of Wooster High Schools (WHS) highly successful program.
When his duties as the new associate principal at Edgewood Middle School prevented Ned Lauver from continuing as head coach, assistant coaches William Franck and Holly Custer were named co-head coaches of the storied program.
Both bring a wealth of experience to the program.
Franck spent eight years as the head coach of a successful speech and debate program in North Carolina, where he was named the 2006 Coach of the Year. During his long coaching career, Franck has coached numerous national qualifiers and a state champion.
Custer, who herself was a two-time state finalist and placed 10th in the nation in Prose Poetry as a high school student, has coached multiple state finalists, state champions and national qualifiers during her 11 years as a coach.
The pair have assembled a team of new and veteran coaches that will provide the young team with a significant competitive edge.
Lauver will return to the program to coach the Humorous Interpretation category, where he placed fifth in the nation as a high school competitor.
Also returning to the program are WHS speech and debate team alumni and College of Wooster students Andy Young and Matt Varga, who will lend their expertise in the Extemporaneous Speaking and Policy Debate categories.
Rounding out the coaching staff is WHS social studies teacher Phillip Klein, who competed in debate during his college years.
The coaches and the competitors are anxious to get the 100th season of one of the most storied speech and debate programs in the nation under way.
The traditions that have been established for this program absolutely set it apart from any other program in the nation, Franck told the returning and prospective team members at the teams annual picnic in August.
We are the program that the rest of the nation is trying to catch, said Franck, noting that Woosters team holds the record for the most appearances at the national tournament by any school in the nation - public or private - at 61.
In 28 of the last 29 years weve been a top 10 school in the state, said Franck, adding, talent that we have coming back definitely will keep us where we need to be.
Franck told the team members that being a part of this program comes with a lot of prestige and a lot of honors, but that prestige and honor comes at a price.
There is a heavy dose of responsibility with the speech and debate program. We ask for a lot of time. The payoff is just great, said Franck, noting that team members get a life skill that you will use every day for the rest of your life.
Competition is so great that youll have to push yourselves beyond your comfort level and when you do that youll find self-confidence you didnt know you had, said Franck, adding, that kind of skill you cant just go into a classroom and get.
Franck noted that the team members have the opportunity for recognition on the local, state and national level.
But beyond the accolades, its just plain fun. The students will make relationships beyond the school, throughout the state, sometimes in the nation, said Franck. It carries with them throughout life.
For more information on the Wooster High School Speech and Debate team, follow the link under the Programs section of the WHS website, which can be accessed from the districts main Web page at http://www.woostercityschools.org.
