The Connecticutian

..but I can’t. I’m a debate/speech coach at the school where I teach. I can’t say I the successes of those in my charge are due to my coaching, but I can brag about their successes! One of our kids recently went to the The World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Championships which happened to be hosted at the very exotic location of the Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, CT this year. Luckily, this same student qualified and went to Cyprus last year. He basically won the whole dang thing! He did not win first overall speaker, but he won first place in two out of a possible three categories. Even the “number one” speaker didn’t achieve that. And our kid — he is really talented. Again, I claim no responsibility. But this kid can write. And speak.

He was written up in a Salon.com article by Mark Oppenheimer. I met Mark at the event (I was a judge). He seemed like a great guy, and I really liked his article. But, in typical Heidi fashion, foot-in-mouth disease runs in my family, I said one of my famous “dumb-as-shit” things. He said his brother writes for the Valley Advocate, which I read when I lived in Noho. Remembering his brother’s self-important, pompous articles, I announced how much I disliked his brother’s writing. When Mark asked me why, I explained what a pompous ass I thought he was. It turns out I was talking about Tom Vannah. Oops. Tom’s the pompous ass. I actually liked Mark’s brother’s reviews.

Nonetheless, my debate kid rocks!!!!