After 10 state titles, C. Falls speech coach steps down

After more than a quarter century spent coaching some of the best speakers in the state, Michael Christensen is resigning.

Christensen, the head coach of Columbia Falls High School’s speech and debate team, submitted his resignation last week. He has coached for 26 years and has led the Columbia Falls speech program since 1990.

In that time, he has chalked up 10 state championships, including a fifth consecutive title this year.

“We’re in a very good place at this point within the program to find someone younger than myself who could replace me,” said Christensen, 51. “And we have an outstanding group of kids back next year ... so there won’t be the concern to rebuild.

“It’s just time.”

Christensen’s career in forensics began as a sophomore at Polson High School. He was part of a Policy Debate team that beat one of Columbia Falls’ debate teams at state that year.

Christensen later competed in Student Congress, an event no longer offered in Montana except in Class AA schools as Legislative Debate.

“I was the last state champion in Student Congress in the state of Montana. They got rid of the event the year after I won it,” he said. “I used to like to joke and say I killed Student Congress.”

He continued to compete informally in college; the University of Massachusetts had a debate society in which he took part.

“It wasn’t sanctioned competition,” he said. “We very eruditely practiced our version of rhetoric, which was a lot of bluff and very little factual information.”

After college, Christensen volunteered as a coach with Bozeman High School’s debate team. At the time, Anne Sullivan — a legend in Montana forensics — was the head coach.

From Bozeman he moved to what was then Joplin-Inverness High School along the Hi-Line. In 1990, Christensen moved to Columbia Falls to teach high school English and take over the speech and debate squad.

He won his first state championship in 1995. That was when he first realized how much he genuinely enjoyed the hard work of coaching.

“I’m sitting in a gym in Livingston, Montana, watching all these kids earn individual awards, then a team award. Five minutes after it’s all done, I’m thinking to myself, what now?” Christensen said.

“What now” was a new season with a new team, and new opportunities to help shy teenagers blossom into confident young adults.

“It’s the process of watching a young person who comes to you with maybe a little less confidence than they should or a little less ability than they would otherwise, and working with them ... till they get to the point where frankly they don’t really need your help much any more,” Christensen said.

While he has helped coach students to a number of individual state titles, those aren’t always the stories that stand out in Christensen’s memory.

“Some of my great success stories are kids who never won individual championships or a team championship. Those kids did amazing things as well, in competition and in life,” he said.

He remembers Trevor Seaman, a speech and debate alumnus who died several years ago, who “just kind of embodies what you see in a lot of those kids who come through the program: a real high character, strong work ethic, a good sense of humor and a dedication to the friends he had on the team that he would always put before himself,” Christensen said.

“As long as we had a group of kids who met those criteria or characteristics, we had wonderful success,” he added. “To all the kids beginning with Trevor that kind of emulated that — I’ll miss them all.”

This year’s squad was one of his all-time favorite teams. Three students won four individual state titles, and Columbia Falls claimed the state championship for the fifth year in a row — a Class A speech and debate record.

He attributes much of Columbia Falls’ legacy of success to the students’ parents, who have been unfailingly supportive, and to encouraging administrators and dedicated coaches.

This year, Christensen pointed out, he had the support of two of Montana’s top people — assistant coach Tara Norick and athletic director John Thompson.

“I was surrounded by the Class A Coach of the Year on our staff and the Athletic Director of the Year,” Christensen said. “I would have been ashamed of myself if we lost state this year, for all the talent we have this year.”

By stepping down now, Christensen will miss the chance to coach his daughter, Stephanie, during her final high school season. He said he has “mixed emotions” about that.

“The fact that Dad is stepping out of the way might actually let her be measured a little bit more fairly on her own merits, on her own things. I think it’s good in some ways,” he said. “I talked to Steph before I talked to just about anyone, other than my wife, and I had her blessing to make the decision.”

There is never a perfect time to quit, Christensen added.

“There are seniors in your program every year. There is never going to be the right time for everyone,” he said. “But it’s a good time for me. They’ll be fine.”

Depending on who takes over as head coach, Christensen may find himself part of the team again next season. He said he has promised Norick that if she takes his place, he will be available if she needs his help.

“If the district decides — and I think they should — to hire Tara as the new head coach, she’ll do an outstanding job for them,” he said. “And she has a promise from me that if finds a difficult time finding someone to assist, I’ll always be there.”

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at kalbertson@dailyinterlake.com.