Apple Valley Speech Team Head Coach Retires After 24 Years of Victory

Pam Wycoff has served as the head coach of Apple Valley High School's speech team for 24 years, involving herself in every detail of the program down to clothing and jewlery choices.

When she retires from the speech team at the end of the year, she'll be able to boast a legacy of 71 state champions and more than 100 national finalists.

“Ever since she came in 1989, she’s been the heart and soul of everything that’s done here,” Joe Wycoff, the arts and activities director at Apple Valley, told the Star Tribune. “The legacy of speech and debate at Apple Valley is the legacy of Pam Wycoff.”

Wycoff plans to keep teaching at Apple Valley for a few more years before her retirement from education.

The 2013 Tournament

This year, four District 196 students won almost a third of the 13 first-place titles in this the State Speech Tournament for Class AA schools.

Ashesh Rambachan of Eastview High School, successfully defended his title in the extemporaneous speaking category of the competition, which took place April 19 at Blaine High School.

Stephanie Lenertz of Apple Valley High won the great speeches category, Georgia Schmitt of Apple Valley won informative speaking and Emerald Egwim of Eagan High School in serious interpretation-prose.

Eagan students won a total of six medals, Apple Valley High took 12 and Eastview six.

Eagan is second only to Apple Valley in total state speech titles won since 1969. Apple Valley now has 81 titles and Eagan has 65 first-place finishes at state.

District 196 students won 23 of the 104 total medals awarded at this year’s tournament.

But despite the strong performance, District 196 won fewer medals than might have been expected. The past several years, district students have won a majority of state titles awarded in the 13 categories of competition and about a third of all medals awarded at state each year.

This year, Moorhead High School upset Apple Valley to win the most medals.

District 196 has more about its students' performances in a press release:

In addition to the four state titles, four District 196 students were state runners up: the team of Andrew Friedman and Nat Cobbett of Eagan in duo interpretation; Rebecca Crepeau of Apple Valley in extemporaneous reading, and Patricia Reeves of Apple Valley in serious interpretation-poetry. Third-place medals were awarded to Apple Valley’s Sara Reagan in great speeches and Jacob Voss in informative speaking; Eagan’s Sophie Callahan in discussion and Justin Wirsbinski in serious interpretation-drama, and Eastview’s Erica Floding in extemporaneous reading and Alex Leehan in humorous interpretation.

District 196 students who medaled in places four through eight are as follows:

• 4^th Place – Three medals, Apple Valley’s Morgan Potter in discussion and Nader Helmy in original oratory, and Jacob Guzior of Eagan in creative expression.

• 5^th Place – Two medals, Eagan’s Carly Mau in extemporaneous reading and Olivia Schiffman of Apple Valley in storytelling.

• 6^th Place – One medal, Apple Valley’s Max Courtright in creative expression.

• 7^th Place – Three medals, Apple Valley’s Jordan Larson in great speeches and Miriam Kelberg in informative speaking, and Cuong Duong of Eastview in serious interpretation-drama.

• 8^th Place – One medal, Eastview’s Jack Kurila in extemporaneous speaking.