Chase Waldheim

Chase competed for Flintridge Preparatory School. In middle school, he did 3 years of MSPDP, before competing in both PF and extemp all four years of high school. He qualified to California State championships 4 years in a row; broke at Yale, James Logan, Berkeley, Jack Howe, UKSO, TOC Digital and more; was 2nd speaker out of 470 at Berkeley; and was undefeated in prelims at both TOC Digital and Stanford.

As a coach, Chase served as Public Forum captain at Flintridge, leading a 25-person squad through tournament prep, case construction, and competitive strategy. He also helped run a summer debate camp for elementary and middle school students, building the foundational skills — argumentation, evidence analysis, public speaking — that turn beginners into competitors. Debate, in his experience, sharpens not just rhetorical ability but the underlying habits of mind: rigorous thinking, structured argument, and the confidence to defend a position under pressure. He aims to pass those habits on to the next generation of students.