When I first got to law school, I was asked to join the debating club. I went out to a few meetings and won top speaker and top team at the first tournament. At that tournament, I met a 17 year-kid from the Yukon, named Jamie. I was 29 and the kid almost handed me my ass. He was a crazy little fucker with bright red hair like Ronald MacDonald. At the first road tournament we went to, the house we stayed at was full, so we made him sleep outside (in Canada in November) in a sleeping bag. He was only too happy to do it. We nicknamed him Logan because he was, to us, like Wolverine.
We convinced him that he was wasting his time in undergrad and got him to transfer to the Droite Civil program at U of O Law. We debated together and trained novices in the intervening years. Since I left school, I haven't seen him much - had a few drinks with him in October. I was pleased to find out that he had done very well at school and was clerking for an incoming Justice on the Supreme Court next summer - arguably the most sought after job for a law student in the country.
Last week, he and another friend of mine won the World University Debating Championships in Malaysia. This is the Holy Grail of spoken debate in the world. There is no higher competition at any level for competitive debate. What you see politicians do on TV is a farce compared to the level of discourse at WUDC. I was incredibly proud.
On the way home, he had a connecting flight cancelled and was held up in Thailand. This is what he has been doing in the interim.
I am so humbled.
We convinced him that he was wasting his time in undergrad and got him to transfer to the Droite Civil program at U of O Law. We debated together and trained novices in the intervening years. Since I left school, I haven't seen him much - had a few drinks with him in October. I was pleased to find out that he had done very well at school and was clerking for an incoming Justice on the Supreme Court next summer - arguably the most sought after job for a law student in the country.
Last week, he and another friend of mine won the World University Debating Championships in Malaysia. This is the Holy Grail of spoken debate in the world. There is no higher competition at any level for competitive debate. What you see politicians do on TV is a farce compared to the level of discourse at WUDC. I was incredibly proud.
On the way home, he had a connecting flight cancelled and was held up in Thailand. This is what he has been doing in the interim.
I am so humbled.
no words i can find, express how i admire the people that have done so much in this time, and although we all do what we can, it never feels enough when hearing stories like that.
my respect goes to him and everyone who has done anything, big or small, to help with this disaster.
also, welcome aboard