Two top speech coaches reached significant milestones last weekend.

Veteran Columbia Falls head speech and debate coach Michael Christensen was inducted into the Montana Forensics Educators Association Coaches Hall of Fame while Flathead High School head coach Shannon O’Donnell received the Class AA Coach of the Year Award.

Christensen’s coaching career spanned 26 years, of which 20 were at Columbia Falls High School. He stopped coaching in 2010.

Over his career, Christensen coached 10 state championship teams and 47 individual state champions.

Christensen said receiving the award is an opportunity to give thanks.

“It’s an opportunity for me to say thank you to every coach I worked with and every student who took the time to work on being a high school speaker or high school debater,” Christensen said. “I couldn’t have done it alone.”

Christensen said his favorite event to coach was probably Lincoln-Douglas Debate for its though-provoking questions on moral, political or social topics.

“I like questions that don’t have solutions to them necessarily but lead to discussion,” Christensen said.

One event he did not care for was pantomime.

“I hated pantomime, but I coached a state champion [in the event] once. She never talked to me the entire year,” Christensen said.

Love was the reason Christensen first got involved with speech as a Polson High School student.

“I had a crush on someone who was on the Polson High School debate team,” Christensen said. “She fell in love with a debater from Columbia Falls. It was all very tragic.”

Despite being lovelorn, Christensen went onto become a Policy Debate state champion in 1976 and was the last Student Congress state champion in 1978 when the event was discontinued.

Christensen started coaching as a volunteer on Bozeman High School’s debate team when Anne Sullivan was head coach. He then coached at Joplin-Inverness High School before moving to Columbia Falls in 1990 and taking the head coaching position.

Five years later, he coached his first state championship team at Columbia Falls.

Occasionally, he drops in on speech practices at the high school.

“Tara Norick, the head coach here today, and two assistants Leslie DiMaio and Kim Gange are very gracious and allow an old retired guy come in to time and help the kids,” Christensen said.

Coach of the Year O’Donnell said she was excited and surprised to receive the award this year. This is the third time O’Donnell has earned the award, which is voted on by coaching peers across Montana.

“My favorite thing about coaching is the kids. You spend so much time with them you really build relationships,” O’Donnell said.

O’Donnell’s coaching career began in 1994 at Butte High School where she coached for six years.

In 2000, she became assistant coach at Flathead High School. After two years she took 10 years off to raise children. O’Donnell’s return in 2012 was her first position as head coach.

“I didn’t think I missed it at all until I came back,” O’Donnell said. “I love being back.”

Building a strong team involves long hours and dedication and watching students develop as speakers inspires O’Donnell. O’Donnell has built up the program from 45 students in 2012 to 145 last season.

“It’s a wonderful growth process,” O’Donnell said.

To watch students progress into state champions is a gratifying part of the job.

“To see all their hard work pay off is just amazing,” O’Donnell said. “They are so jubilant.”

Over her career, O’Donnell has coached seven individual state champions and 17 national qualifiers.

This season Flathead took second place at state.

“We’ll be back next year and fighting for first — that’s the ultimate goal,” O’Donnell said.

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at [email protected].