Brian Casey who coaches the debate team at Sacred Heart in Halifax was taken by surprise after one of Mattea Roach’s recent wins on Jeoperdy in which she credited him for much of her success.
Following her sixth win, Roach said, “The version of me that’s successful on Jeopardy, doesn’t exist without Mr. Casey,”.
Casey who had been following Roach’s Jeopardy journey from the outset never expected that kind of recognition, “It’s lovely to hear something like that from a former student, it’s never something you expect at the time as your just focusing on helping young people develop,” Casey said.
Sacred Heart Debate Coach Brian Casey was honoured when his former student Mattea Roach thanked him following one of her recent Jeopardy wins. Photo: Boyne Clarke
During her time under Casey’s tutelage as a debater she became a member of one of the most successful high school debate teams in the nation’s history. Casey who has coached multiple national champion teams says Roach’s team was the best he’s ever worked with.
Casey thinks there are some ways her debate career has helped her on Jeopardy but he maintains her appetite to learn is the main reason she’s been successful.
“I don’t know if debate specifically helped her, but rather people who tend to join debate are often very bright and interested in the world.”
He also says that Roach has told him she believes her experience debating in front of large crowds helped prepare her to play Jeopardy in front of the relatively large studio audience.
Casey says the night she thanked him was lovely and a pleasant surprise, although in hindsight he feel’s he should have known something might be happening, “That night Mattea’s parents dropped by to watch that night’s episode with us which now looking back makes sense since her parents knew what was going to be said.”
Mattea Roach. (SOURCE: Jeopardy via YouTube)
Throughout her time on the show, Casey has been watching every episode with his wife and he says he hopes to be tuning in for as long as possible.
Roach has won 10 episodes of Jeopardy so far, totaling earnings of nearly $228,000 and she has also qualified for the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions due to be filmed later this year.
She looks for win number eleven tonight, with Jeopardy airing at 6:00 p.m. (AST).
