Description
Best of the Midwest Speech & Debate Camp – 2026
2026 Camp Theme: Why Does It Matter? Turning Arguments into Impact
When: August 6-8, 2026
Cost: $160 until July 1; $185 after July 1
Location: Winnetka, Illinois (17 miles north of Chicago)
EverReady Speech and Debate, in partnership with Lasting Impact!, is thrilled to announce the 10th annual IN-PERSON “Best of the Midwest” Speech & Debate Camp for Summer 2026! This 3-day intensive camp is designed for both new and experienced debaters, offering specialized tracks to meet a range of skill levels and goals. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to sharpen your competitive edge, our camp will prepare you for the upcoming NCFCA season.
Tracks Offered:
- Beginning Debate: Perfect for new debaters, this track focuses on mastering foundational debate skills and building confidence in competitive settings. Students will learn basic debate skills, with a team policy focus.
- Intermediate / Advanced Debate – Team Policy (TP): Tailored for intermediate and experienced policy debaters, this track emphasizes refining techniques and constructing strong cases under the new NCFCA resolution. Appropriate for debate competitors who have some debate experience.
- Intermediate / Advanced Debate – Lincoln-Douglas (LD): Designed for intermediate and experienced debaters, this track hones advanced skills and strategies while developing compelling cases for the new NCFCA Lincoln-Douglas resolution. Students in this track may be new to the Lincoln-Douglas format but should have some competitive debate experience.
2026 Camp Highlights
- This year’s camp theme: “Why Does It Matter?” is a central question that often goes unanswered in a spirited debate. One of our goals this year is to help students learn to figure out what’s most important in a debate round and to explain more effectively why their arguments matter. In debate terms, we often call this “impact.”
- Students will learn and practice skills through both classroom and hands-on sessions.
- Advanced students will be challenged to write their own cases this year. We will teach students how to find good case ideas and how to quickly and efficiently get a case drafted during camp.
- This year we are bringing back Isaiah McPeak, founder of Ethos Debate and author of Upside-Down Debate. Isaiah will be working with intermediate and advanced students on Thursday, August 6th.
- We are in the process of confirming several other experienced coaches for camp, most of whom are returning from previous years and have coached or competed in NCFCA in the past.
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