IHSSBCA Banquet 2007

IHSSBCA held its second annual banquet on April 21, 2007 at the Circus Room at Illinois State University. We had about 170 people in attendance—it was great to have so many people join together who are used to being competitors. The Banquet opened with a speech by Rob Grierson about why people get so involved with Scholastic Bowl, and everybody got to listen to a quintet from Bloomington High School as they ate. There were many people honored at the IHSSBCA Awards Banquet. Foremost among the honorees were the four people inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

Cheryl Christianson, who no longer teaches at Sterling but still coaches the team, was introduced by Nick Pitz, the coach at Moline. Nick spoke about his many experiences attending Cheryl’s tournaments and the fact that everybody always knows that she will do what is best for everybody even if it means more work for her. She said that she never expected any great honors but had enjoyed working with many wonderful students over the years.

Tom Holbrook, who no longer is a head coach at University High in Normal but still teaches there, was introduced by his son Tim, who once captained his father’s team to a state championship. Tim spoke about how well-prepared and supporting his father was to everybody on his teams. Tom said that he is still involved in Scholastic Bowl—this year, he helped one of his former students take over the team.

Ken Johnson, who coached at Sullivan, was introduced by Nancy Kuhns, one of his former players. Nancy spoke about how Ken was a pioneer in Scholastic Bowl and brought a lot of success to a small school in a rural area. Ken always brought a lot of energy and organization to his job, bringing out the best in many students over many years.

Bud Lachel, who coached at Cary-Grove, was introduced by former Crystal Lake Central Coach John Sayles. John said that it was nice coaching in a conference and region with Bud around because Bud would always step forward whenever work needed to be done. He also spoke about how much class Bud and his teams always demonstrated, saying that playing against them was a good experience even though he often lost.

After the four Hall of Famers got their plaques, Rob Grierson introduced Durwin and Pam Nigus, the recipients of the Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl Award. Durwin and Pam, who run buzzersystems.com, formerly known as Novel, were lauded for the great service they always provide and their continuous support of Scholastic Bowl in a variety of forms. Durwin explained how he got started in the business, sitting down with Brenda Bratcher to make sure he understood what was needed for a buzzer system. He also said that he has sold systems to people in 49 states and several foreign countries.

Tom Egan then introduced the All-State students at the banquet. There were 26 out of the 40 students in attendance—a great turnout considering how far many people had to drive from the Northern or Southern corners of our state. The students were accompanied by family members, coaches, and/or teammates.

David Riley then introduced Team Illinois, which will compete in Florida in June. Three of the five players were in attendance.

Tom Egan, coach of the Masonic State Tournament champions, Maine South, spoke with gratitude about the wonderful support the Masons have given to teams over many years. Dale Thayer, in his third year as Director of the Masonic Tournament, attended.

Dr. John White introduced the IHSA Class A champions Decatur LSA. He spoke about the many wonderful students on the team and the great support his school has given them. The school has a great team even though they only have a little bit over one hundred students to draw from. Many of the team members and their families were in attendance.

David Reinstein introduced the IHSA Class AA champions New Trier. He spoke with great pride about the wonderful students on his team.