I say "Thank God for high school policy debate" because getting involved in debate competitions eventually helped me to choose my profession of broadcast journalism.

 I was very lucky and grew up in a family which valued arguing and holding firm to a position through the use of facts, logic and thought. I was brought up in this environment, thanks to my Grandmother, who herself was a high school debater back in the day. When I was a freshmen at Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa, I was instantly drawn to the debate program there for a couple of reasons: (1) my natural interest in it, and (2) the people who were in charge of it: two guys named Mike Busjohn and Craig Bittick. Both had been in high school and college debate themselves before being drawn to education and eventually, the debate team at Valley. They both taught me the importance of research, of thoroughly knowing a topic inside and out. They taught me the importance of political history as a guide to the future. They taught me the art of listening...really listening....and taught me how picking out a word, a phrase, a thought from your opponent could bring their argument crashing to the ground. Sometimes it's not what you know but it's what your opponent says which creates the opening you need to win.

 Debate taught me the crucial art of not being flustered and how to think and speak on my feet. The art of ad libbing (and believe me, it is an art).

 It also taught me "debate speak"; you might not know this, but in a debate match you speak roughly 3-4 times faster than you normally would in an effort to cram all your arguments in. As a result, you begin to hear faster and think faster. Just watch this video I found on You Tube and you'll see what I mean.

 It helped me develop thick skin; to react cool and calm when challenged in life. To not freak out and overreact, but to figure out the appropriate response and then deliver that response. It taught me how to write thoughts in a concise manner. It taught me how to work with others under pressure. I am so glad, to this day, that I took the chance and tried my hand at debate. I ended up winning several awards, trophies and accolades as a result. While all those things are appreciated, the life skills it taught me remain with me to this day and I am grateful to my coaches and my fellow debaters for helping me to see the advantages of a life spent researching, thinking and discussing.

 Quote Of The Day: "I learned an important lesson in the art of debate. Present your argument clearly, arm yourself with cutting wit and of course, bob and weave." Takayuki Ikkaku

 This Day In History:  Palestinian guerrillas killed 11 Israelis at the Munich Summer Olympics on this date, September 5th, 1972.

 Something You Should Check Out: Talk about too close for comfort. Watch this video as a tornado moves through an Air Force Base in McConnell AFB in Andover, Kansas in 1991. It is amazing and leaves my mouth hanging open every time I watch it.