This year's WDCA Coach of the Year exemplifies competitive success, dedication to other coaches and service to the activity.

He is a dedicated coach of the activity who seeks to better his students at all levels of competition. Last summer his students were among the top Public Forum teams in the country. Their school advanced one team to elimination rounds at NFL nationals, while the other team fell only one ballot short. Early in the 2008 season, none of his teams had a losing record. This included freshmen and sophomore debaters who were trying the activity for the first time. He has qualified an exceedingly large number of Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas debaters to the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament--7 and 4 respectively. Among the state qualifiers are several freshmen and sophomore debaters who exhibit a large amount of skill for their age--due in large part to his coaching.

He has also dedicated time to help other coaches. He has served in countless tab rooms across the state. He has helped young coaches and tournament directors develop the skills necessary to serve the debate community. He has been a passionate advocate for debate in South-Central Wisconsin--an area previously underserved by the debate community.

This coach has dedicated time to debate organizations. He serves as the Southern Wisconsin NFL District Chair, where in 2008 he was awarded the New District Chair of the Year award by the National Forensic League. He also serves as the Chair of the Tournament Practices and Procedures committee for the WDCA and was this year's State Tournament Operation's Director--performing a significant amount of work for the Wisconsin State Debate Tournament.

For all of these reasons, the WDCA is proud to name Tim Scheffler of James Madison Memorial High School as the 2008 WDCA Coach of the Year.

Past recipients of this award include:

1998
Thomas Noonan, Nicolet

1999
Jim Sauer, LaCrosse Central

2000
Jan Lennon, Brookfield Central

2001
Steve Sexton, West Bend East

2002
Sharon Sharko, Greendale

2003
Steve Gargo, Appleton West

2004
Eric Van Ert, South Milwaukee

2005
Nathan Hanson, Merrill

2006
Jason Chapman, Nicolet

2007
Ernest Chomicki, Bradley Tech