Based on 48 years of coaching experience, a midwestern university forensic coach offers the following suggestions for others involved in forensic activities: (1) the teacher must be well prepared; (2) the school system must be supportive of the program; (3) parents and the community should be informed of school activities; (4) the media should publicize such speech activities; (5) colleges and universities should sponsor clinics, festivals, tournaments, and summer programs; and (6) community experts as well as alumni should be invited to be lecturers and judges. Among the problems cited as troubling current forensic programs are burn-out in overscheduled coaches and students, financial difficulties, and an unprofessional competitiveness that is leading to habits that have no place in the real world. She calls for a note of optimism based on the concern of former students for whom forensic activities have been an important part of their lives. (HTH)