This champion makes a truly convincing argument

In a floor debate in Springfield on Saturday, modeled after one in Congress, Stevenson High School senior Bradley Dlatt calmly delivered the speech of a lifetime.

Speaking extemporaneously, Dlatt described why teens under 18 should not have to pay income tax.

He explained how teens already see their wages and hours capped, and that taxing their income would be an unfair burden. Additionally, he argued, having extra income in their pockets likely would boost their spending, and by extension, the economy.

The Buffalo Grove teen nailed it.

He won the IHSA's Congressional Debate tournament, leading medalists that included Loyola Academy senior Tom Nally of Glenview, who placed second, and Hersey High School senior Lena Shapiro of Arlington Heights, who took third.

"Brad is logically sound and a very persuasive speaker," says Dlatt's coach, Doug Koski. "He goes up there without notes and nails it, which is pretty rare."

Dlatt had little time to dwell on his state title. After school on Monday he huddled with the rest of his team to begin their strategy for the Illinois Congressional Debate Association's team championships in April.

"I've had a pretty good season this year," Dlatt said humbly, after admitting he had placed as high as fourth in a national tournament earlier this year.

Dlatt and teammate senior Ari Kasper now will be among only five students from Illinois selected to compete at the national speech tournament, hosed by the National Forensics League in June in Las Vegas.

In the fall, Dlatt hopes to advance his politicking in college, either at Georgetown University or Emory University in Atlanta.

In all, the state debate tournament saw 69 teams that qualified, or more than 400 students, and it played out at different venues across the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Other contests included Lincoln-Douglas debate, public forum and policy debate.

A pair of teams from Glenbrook South High School were crowned co-champions of Policy Debate. Will Thibeau and Richard Day shared the championship with their classmates Winston Luo and Grant Peretz, after debating whether the federal government should substantially increase its public health assistance to sub-Saharan Africa.

In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Brian McDonald of New Trier High School won the state title, while Elsie Harmening and Rob Burke of Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park won the public forum debate title.