Flying Queen
1962-66
I’m Judy Wallek Stridde and I played on the Flying Queens from 1962-66. I grew up in South Texas about 45 miles north of Corpus Christi on a farm. My dad was a tenant farmer and worked hard to make ends meet, especially during the drought of the 50s. I went to a small high school with about 100 students. I heard about Wayland’s Flying Queens from my aunt who went to Clarendon Jr. College in 1955 to play basketball. From that point on, I dreamed of being a Flying Queen. My hometown was about 600 miles away from Wayland, but when I arrived as a freshman, I immediately felt at home. Everyone was so friendly. I don’t think I ever got homesick.
During years as a Flying Queen we were runner-up to Nashville Business College seven times. Four times at the National AAU Tournament and three times in National Girl’s Basketball League (NGBL) play. One of my most memorable moments as a Flying Queen was beating NBC—once. Another was being named an AAU All-American my senior year. There were some interesting changes in the game of basketball during my tenure at Wayland. For the 1964-65 season and the 1965-66 season, the AAU Rules Committee adopted the unlimited dribble and the 30-second clock rule on a trial basis. Prior to that time, we had to pass after 3 dribbles. Coach Redin said that they put these two rules in at the same time because the Rules Committee feared that, without the 30 second clock, some teams would just dribble all of the time. These changes were permanently adopted at the end of the 1965-66 season. Another adjustment was switching from the Rover Rules used by the AAU to International Rules when we play the Mexican National Champions, the Peruvian All-Stars, and the Russian National Team. Also interesting was the relocation of the National AAU Tournament from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Gallup, New Mexico. Quite a different environment and crowd!
My experience at Wayland was awesome. Wayland provided a great Christian education with small classes. There was always someone to help you and take care of you. While at Wayland, I grew as a person and as a Christian. I cherish the friends I made and the support I had from my professors and coach. I have kept in contact with teammates, classmates and Flying Queens who played before and after me. They are such a great group of women.
I have been married for 48 years to Howard Stridde. We have two children: Cari Lynn Stridde Siegel, age 38 and Flying Queen from1997-2001; and Kenton Stridde age 30. I am an animal lover as is my whole family. We’ve always had dogs and cats. Right now, we have a dog, Heinrich, who travels with us everywhere that we go. I love to read, do crosswords and do puzzles with my 10 yr. old granddaughter. We spend a lot of time in Rockport, TX at our condo. Our granddaughter and grandson love watching for the dolphins in the canal. I still sew and make some of my clothes and things for my grandchildren. I taught junior high and high school math for 41 years.
If I got a chance to talk to current Queens and/or their coaches, I would tell them to enjoy their time as a Queen. There is no other place like Wayland and no other team like the Flying Queens. I would encourage them to work hard and be the best that each could be. I would relate that what I learned from playing basketball was that I could do anything I set my mind to.
One of the greatest joys of my life was that my number from Skidmore-Tynan High School has been retired because I hold the school’s scoring record of 3881 points in four years from 1958-1962. Another joy is when my daughter decided she would play for the Flying Queens. She had said for years that she was not going to Wayland but Coach Pointer got her to visit. She fell in love with Coach Pointer and the team.
I look forward to reconnecting with Queens and supporters!