Judy Schue Selected Subsection 31 Speech Coach of the Year

Red Lake County’s speech coach, Judy Schue was named the Sub-Section 31 Coach of the Year for the 2015 speech year. Schue has been involved in speech as a coach at Red Lake County Central as the assistant coach beginning in 1999 with Mrs. Susan Hagge and then became head coach in 2014. Her daughter, Rachel, led her into the speech program where she became an extra judge in 1998.
Some background on Schue is that her first venture into public speaking was in first grade at Fosston while being part of a PTA program. She stood on stage and read a book by herself and that’s what started it all. According to Schue, “I haven’t quit speaking since.”
The speech program at Oklee was started by Mr. Mike Swenson, but it then stopped after awhile. Sometime in the 1990s the speech program was started by Mrs. Susan Hagge in Plummer and later added Oklee. Around 2009 or 2010, RLCC’s speech team was opened to Red Lake Falls. RLCC began hosting a meet in 2005-2006, and the Plummer Lions started sponsoring this meet in 2007. This year was the ninth year for the meet.
After Schue took over as head coach, Mrs. Bobbi Aakhus became the assistant coach. Because speech students attend school in Oklee, Plummer, and RLF, it takes some planning to organize speech practice. RLF students are either bussed over or practice through the ITV setup at their schools. The Rebel speech team brought on a third coach, Ms. Jessie Hamrum, this year so they could send one coach to RLF twice a week for practice. They had to work around sports and other extracurricular activities for practice, but Schue said they managed it well.
Schue appreciates the support for the speech program from the staff, administration, and school board. “Many schools are fighting to keep their programs, their funding and being allowed to participate in only so many tournaments during the season. Because our district realizes the value of the speech program, we were able to expand our program when the need for more coaching time arose.”
As a coach, Schue enjoys the students the most. Not just the ones from RLC, but also other schools as well. She commented, “You see them start out in Junior High, usually nervous and unsure, and watch them grow within themselves and within the speech world to be high level competitors. You see their confidence and their talent grow each year. You watch them acquire the skills of communication that will be used for their entire life.”
Her biggest highlight as a coach was seeing the students become a “family” by staying in contact even after high school. Another highlight was that RLCC was chosen by coaches in the area to host the 2015 MSHSL Subsection 31A Tournament. They also decided to have the tournament in RLCC again.
Schue commented on why speech is a valuable asset to our school. She stated, “Speech gives students communication skills they will use for a lifetime. No matter what you decide to do in life you have to be able to communicate well. Oral communication is part of every occupation from clerking at a store or fast food establishment to being CEO of a major corporation. Most people have a fear of speaking in front of a group; speech gives you the skills to overcome that fear. One of my favorite speech mottos is ‘We do for fun what most people fear worse than death.’”
Congratulations, Judy, on this honor!