Chuck Nicholas is the highest ranked active coach in South Carolina by the National Speech & Debate Association.
Nicholas, a Mauldin resident, serves as the speech and debate coach for Bob Jones Academy in Greenville. He has coached at BJA for more than 25 years and earned more than 13,000 coaching points. Nicholas becomes the highest ranked active coach in South Carolina by the National Speech & Debate Association.
A diamond award recognizes a professional career that combines excellence and longevity. The National Speech & Debate Association provides diamond awards based on coach points received. Coaches receive one-tenth the points earned by their students and one-tenth of the points earned as a student member of the Association.
After a minimum of five years as a National Speech & Debate Association member, a coach who attains 1,500 points is awarded a first diamond; he or she receives a second diamond for 3,000 points, a third for 6,000 points, and so on. Five years must pass between each diamond award.