Published: May 12, 2008 09:01 am            

The Perfect Words

At Oak Grove student’s request, U of L coach speaks out about speech disorder

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

Jeff Walz, University of Louisville womens’ basketball coach, sometimes has a difficult time describing his job.

“As a stutterer the word ‘Louisville’ is the hardest word I’ve had to say in the past 15 years of coaching,” Walz said to an assembly at Oak Grove Elementary Thursday.

Walz was invited to speak to the school as part of Better Speech and Hearing Month by an e-mail from Oak Grove student Tucker Barton, who also struggles with stuttering. Barton is part of teacher Heather McVey’s speech program, which helps students struggling with speech problems.

“When I got the e-mail from Tucker, I was very, very touched that he would like me to come today and speak to his school about what I’ve gone through as a person and a coach, having the same challenges in life that Tucker works with,” Walz said to the school.

According to the National Stuttering Association’s (NSA) Web site, the exact cause of stuttering isn’t understood, but it is known that stuttering isn’t caused by emotional disorders — which is a general misconception. The NSA says that it is best to treat stuttering as soon as it appears, which is usually early in life, by seeking the help of a speech-language pathologist. But the association says that even adults and older children can still benefit greatly from treatment. Treatment usually includes speech modification training by repeating trouble words.

Walz said he has struggled with stuttering from a very young age. From first through sixth-grade Walz attended speech-therapy classes at his school and said the difference in his speech was “drastic.” He hasn’t completely gotten rid of his stuttering — it still comes up when he is speaking in public and to the media during press conferences. Walz says that at almost 37-years-old, he still practices certain trouble words everyday, telling the students that “you’re never too old to practice.”

Walz credits support from family and friends with getting him through his speech problem.

“Most importantly, one of the things I want all your classmates to know is how fortunate you are to be in a school where so many teachers and friends care about you, because that’s what’s gotten me to where I am today, having the support of families, friends and teachers,” Walz told students.

Walz added that being up front about his speech problems has always helped him along.

“I don’t hide it. I let people know that I stutter ...We all have things that make us special, and stuttering is one of the things that makes me unique,” Walz said to the students.

The Lady Cardinal’s basketball team knows all about their coaches stuttering problem. For his birthday the team gave him a card that had a few extra “p”s and “o”s in the “Happy Birthday, Coach” message.

“I am fortunate enough to coach a wonderful group of ladies who have accepted that I stutter. I enjoy a good time and I enjoy laughing so they got me a card that said, ‘Happppy Birthday, Coooach’ ... they understand that I stutter, and it’s great to have a group of people around that accept it,” Walz said.

Even deep in the heart of UK Wildcat country, students held up red signs that read, “Go Cardinals!” and “Go Coach Walz!”

During most of his speech Walz answered questions from the students. At one point, Walz eyed a student wearing a University of Kentucky Wildcats shirt.

“Sir, you can’t wear that shirt,” Walz joked.

One of the students asked what Walz thought of the University of Kentucky.

“I’m alright with it, my father went to Kentucky...I’m OK with them until we have to play them,” Walz said.

        

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