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Student coach achieves national success with speech team

By Linnae Stole '10
October 6, 2008

In addition to balancing classes at St. Olaf College and participating in a wide range of on and off-campus activities, James Doyle '10 became one of the youngest people ever to coach high school students to first-place finishes in national speech competitions. A theatre and English major from Lakeville, Minn., Doyle has coached the Lakeville North High School speech team the past two years.

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Doyle recently shared how he returned to his alma mater as a speech coach, his perspective on achieving national success, and how he fits it all into his busy schedule.

Tell us about your own involvement in speech in high school.
I competed in high school speech for five years. I did interpretation events, which is basically competitive acting. Although I branched out into other events on occasion, I primarily competed in the categories of Drama (the serious stuff), Storytelling (the silly stuff) and Duo (a little of both). In addition to competing every Saturday morning at high school invitationals in Minnesota, I also had the opportunity to travel the country, from an invitational at the University of California, Berkeley to the National Forensics League Nationals in Philadelphia. I won the Minnesota State Tournament and the National Catholic Forensics League Grand National Tournament in the duo category my senior year.

How did you become a high school speech coach?
In an unexpected turn of events, a coaching position opened up at my high school right after I graduated. I was passionate about the activity and wanted to continue working within it. The coaching staff was hesitant to hire someone straight out of high school, but they thought I was capable and offered me the job. I happily accepted.

As a sophomore in college, you coached two high-school students to first-place finishes at national competitions. How do you motivate the students you work with to reach that level?
I ask a lot of my students. I've found that when you have high demands, students rise to the challenge. As long as you have faith in them, they don't want to let you down. Of course, you don't want to let them down either. I told my students at the beginning of the year, "OK, your goal this year is to win Nationals ... nothing less." And they did.

How would you compare your experiences at national competitions as a competitor versus a coach?
It's far more stressful as a coach. When I was competing I "knew" I was going to win (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). As a coach, we get to the tournament and it's out of my hands.

What other activities are you involved in?
I'm heavily involved with the St. Olaf Theatre. I'm also a member of the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and the St. Olaf Democrats. Off campus I work with Mystik Toyz Company and Funtime Funktions doing Global Games, which involves teaching skill toys from around the world to kids 6 to 106. The program also includes storytelling from around the world, so I'm right at home there! Sometimes I travel with the company to festivals and fairs, teaching and selling toys. I also spin fire. Seriously.

How often do you work with the students you coach, and how do you find the time with everything else you do?
I have no idea. But I gave up on sleep about four years ago. In the heat of the season I travel to Lakeville five to six days a week and work for about four hours each of those days -- except Saturdays, when daylong tournaments are held, and the weekends that I travel nationally with the team.

What is your favorite memory of working with the Lakeville North Speech Team?
When my students won Nationals. It's definitely better as a coach than as a student. I cried.

How has your work with the team benefited you as a student at St. Olaf?
It's forced me to be more responsible. I've had to learn how to juggle everything. There are people counting on me wherever I go. I haven't perfected the balancing act yet, but I'm working on it.

What has been the greatest challenge for you in this venture?
Finding the time to make it all happen is always a challenge. But when you love what you do, you find a way to make it happen.

What advice would you give to other St. Olaf students with similar aspirations of working with youth in areas they have excelled themselves?
Be prepared for a whole new experience. Doing and teaching are very different. All the personal experience in the world doesn't mean a thing if you can't redirect it. Communication is key; you have to know what you want and be able to get across that perspective. But if you can survive the challenges, it's amazing what you can accomplish.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.