Chicago, Illinois
Ethos is coming to Chicago on July 30th-August 3rd! Here’s what you need to know:
The Deets
Where is it?
When is it?
July 30th-August 3rd. 9-4 each day.
How much is it?
$299 per student.
What formats will you be coaching?
LD, TP, and Parli.
What experience level is this camp intended for?
Everyone! We’ll have three coaches there, so we’ll be able to split up novices, intermediate, and advanced. If you’ve never done a debate round before, you should come. If you won nationals last year, you should still come! Everyone has more to learn.
What league will you be coaching?
We’ll be coaching debate. Regardless of what league you compete in, this camp will work for you. However, since our audience is mostly from NCFCA at this camp, we’ll be using cases and examples from the NCFCA resolutions as well as having some breakout sessions to discuss the new resolutions. If enough people are interested, we’ll have breakout sessions for other resolutions.
How old do I have to be before I can attend?
We recommend attendees be above the age of thirteen. See this video for an explanation of why. However, this is more of a guideline than a rule. Email us at ethosdebatecommunications@gmail.com if you’re interested in an exception.
Are there any discounts or scholarships?
There’s a family discount that takes 20% off of your order. It’s only applicable for families purchasing multiple tickets together. Upon checkout, when asked for a discount code, use the code 2018family.
Partial and occasionally full scholarships are available for those in true need. Please contact us at ethosdebatecommunications@gmail.com explaining your needs.
Will you be providing meals?
Nope! You’re on your own. Pack a lunch, order Chinese food, eat your flowpad, the choice is yours!
What about host housing?
If you are coming from out of town, please contact Louis Kolssak: lkolssak@gmail.com
Your Coaches:
Chris Ostertag
Head coach
Chris Ostertag is an alumnus of NCFCA and STOA and a current student at Grove City College, where he holds a fellowship to study philosophy and law. An unapologetic nerd, he’s enthusiastic about syllogisms, literature, and esoteric jazz music. In his spare time, he can be found making cold brew, ardently debating epistemology in the philosophy suite, playing gigs as a member of the Grove City College string quartet, and stargazing.
Accomplishments:
Competed in NCFCA and STOA LD and TP, and college NPDA and IPDA.
Held the highest regional at-large score in two separate styles of debate for three consecutive years.
During his last high school LD season, Chris went into NITOC ranked second in the nation on speechranks.com.
During the same season, he also won a national open and earned the third-place speaker award at NCFCA nationals.
Last year, during his freshman year of college, he went undefeated at IPDA nationals, where he took home the first-place title.
As a coach, Chris has authored material for multiple national-level sourcebooks, coached local clubs since 2014, single-handedly organized and taught several LD summer camps, and maintained a roster of online students who’ve won notable regional- and national-level accolades.
Joel Erickson
Assistant Coach
Currently a sophomore at Wheaton College, Joel Erickson is pursuing a dual degree in Philosophy and English.
On campus, he enjoys co-captaining Wheaton’s nationally competitive mock trial team, serving as a Teacher’s Assistant in the Philosophy Department, editing the Undergraduate Law Review, and working with a fellow NCFCA alumnus to found the college’s first-ever moot court program.
In his free time, find him curled up with a good book, writing something overly ambitious that he will never finish, lost in thought (hopefully about something deep, but let’s be real… it’s likely trivial), talking with friends or family, or trying to glimpse the good, the true, and the beautiful throughout the day.
Accomplishments:
Champion of multiple tournaments in speech, LD, collegiate debate, and mock trial
Prequalified to NCFCA Nationals in multiple speeches
Advanced to LD semifinals at two NCFCA National Opens
Nationally ranked in the top twenty-five LD debaters both at NCFCA Nationals and on SpeechRanks.com
As a coach, Joel has helped many students actualize their personal goals, whether to win multiple tournaments or to advance to elimination rounds for the first time
We’re still working on confirming the best team of debate coaches you’ve ever seen. Other coaches may be at your camp based on attendees and scheduling.
Registration: