
Who is at the Helm?

We are excited to roll out the
Summer 2025 Helmsmen Camp coaches and staff!

Katie
Davidson
Speech Camp
Coach
Katie is a dedicated and experienced coach with deep roots in the Stoa community. She competed in Stoa for five years, qualifying for NITOC four years in a row in a variety of speech and debate categories and earning a 3rd place national ranking in Duo Interpretation in her Senior year. A proud alum of Helmsmen, Katie spent three years attending camp before returning as a coach to invest in the next generation of students. Currently, Katie attends Samford University, where she is a member of the University Fellows honors program and is pursuing a degree in Classics and History.

Savanna
Winchel
Speech Camp Coach
Savanna Winchel is passionate that the purpose of life is to know God and to make Him known. Nothing excites her more than using the gift of communication and critical thinking in order to ultimately share the gospel of Christ with fellow image bearers through evangelism, teaching, and apologetics. A four-year STOA competitor in high school, she has taught and coached speech and debate since 2018 for students in grades 5–12. Her experience includes serving as a head STOA coach, honors speech and debate classroom instructor at Crean Lutheran High School and The Geneva School OC, and leading at speech and debate camps both nationally and internationally. Savanna Winchel currently serves as a science, mathematics, and rhetoric high school teacher and adjunct university professor. Her passion for evangelizing through the gift of communication has led her to study world religions for over a decade, and she is currently learning both Spanish and Arabic to strengthen her ability to connect with and evangelize among European and Islamic cultures. Whether teaching, coaching, evangelizing, or discipling, speech and debate has equipped her with the tools necessary to be able to "always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." - 1 Peter 3:15

DeEtte
Sprimont
All Camps Coach &
Director
Coach Sprimont has been involved in Stoa since 2010. She coaches Voyagers speech and debate team and is administrative staff for all Helmsmen Institute camps. She coaches all levels of Lincoln Douglas and Parliamentary debate, and any speech event. Her approach to coaching is based on a growth mindset, and a recognition of the student's purpose and goals. She is picky about words. Coach Sprimont lives to serve, honor and glorify God.

Isaiah
Sinclaire
Debate Camp
Coach
Isaiah competed in Stoa for 4 years in Washington, favoring Team Policy and Parliamentary debate. He placed 11th in Team Policy at NITOC and won several debate tournaments along the way. Now, he has been debating at and traveling for Patrick Henry College as he pursues a Bachelor's degree in Government. God willing, he will one day be like the experts he cited for his Team Policy cases. His coaching emphasizes the Socratic method because he believe that every debater has immense inner potential. Still, Isaiah uses direct instruction for feedback and when a student needs help getting started.

John
Semple
Debate Camp
Coach
Speech and Debate requires a broad set of skills. Learning how to refine, and practice those skills is at the core of progressing in Stoa. John specializes in coaching Lincoln Douglas Debate, prop building and platforms, as well as limited preparation events. John competed in Stoa for six years and has been involved in the Stoa community since 2011. He remembers cheering for his sisters when they received awards, and dreaming of competing. From his first year competing in Stoa until his last, he learned skills from the ground up. Beginning with Apologetics and Lincoln Douglas only, he eventually added more events to his repertoire. His first hint of success began in the 2020-2021 season when he placed third in Lincoln Douglas Debate at Virtual Green. Facing sporadic success from there, John hunkered down and began to invest serious time and energy into Stoa, eventually moving past his inconsistencies. In his senior year, John expanded his event list to include interpretation events, and found they taught him skills he was lacking. He proceeded to consistently place highly in all 10 of his regular events through his senior year, eventually earning first place titles in Apologetics, Impromptu, Extemporaneous, Original Oratory, Expository, Open Interpretation, Parliamentary, Parliamentary speaker points, Lincoln Douglas, Lincoln Douglas speaker points, and Team Policy. His favorite speech was his Expository with which he won six tournaments. At NITOC 2023, John won the national titles in Lincoln Douglas Debate and Apologetics speaking, broke the NITOC record for picket fences with seven, and was awarded the second place Tournament Champion award. John’s foremost struggle and foremost goal in Stoa has been to constantly press in for God’s wisdom and trust Him with all results. He currently attends Grand Canyon University, where he is on the debate team. Since joining the GCU debate team, they have won three national championships. John is excited to see where God leads him through the rest of his life.

Hudson Winchel
Debate Camp
Coach
Hudson Winchel participated in Stoa speech and debate for five years, competing in 11 different events. In his final year, he qualified for Nationals in all seven speech categories and two debate formats, accumulating 113 qualifying checkmarks. Hudson won 25 tournaments in various events including Apologetics, Impromptu, Original Oratory, Persuasive, Parliamentary Debate, and Team Policy Debate, ultimately securing the title of 2023 NITOC Parliamentary Speaker champion. Ranked third nationally at the season's end, Hudson is committed to using his skills for God’s glory and aims to coach others to be proficient, honorable speakers who positively impact God’s Kingdom.
Additional Special Lectures at Online Camps
Provided by Economic Thinking
The Helmsmen Institute is pleased to announce our guest speaker for our online camps: Mr. Gregory Rehmke. Mr. Rehmke has a degree in Economics from the University of Washington and has worked with the Reason Foundation, the Institute for Humane Studies, and the Foundation for Economic Education. Mr. Rehmke has published study guides and articles on each year’s debate topics on EconomicThinking.org and earlier in The Freeman, DailySpeculations.com, and the MasterResource blog. Mr. Rehmke is coauthor of the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Global Economics. Mr. Rehmke serves on the Mackinac Center Board of Scholars and is a speaker at Institute for Economic Studies-Europe seminars for college students and each year’s Summer University in Aix-en-Provence. Additionally, Mr. Rehmke serves on the board and works with American Logos, offering economic principles relevant to World Schools debate tournaments, held mostly in Europe.