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IHSSBCA Banquet 2008

IHSSBCA held its 3rd Annual Banquet on April 12, 2008 at the Circus Room at Illinois State University. We had about 140 people in attendance—it was great to have so many people join together who are used to being competitors. We honored many wonderful people. Foremost among the honorees were the four people inducted into the Hall of Fame this year.

 David Reinstein welcomes everyone to the banquet

John Burke, who won IHSA titles at St. Teresa and Warrensburg-Latham before moving on to Streator, was introduced by Brent Stanley, one of his former players. Brent spoke about the strong impact Burke made on his students, and John showed a lot of humility in his acceptance.

John T. Burke, Scholastic Bowl Coach 1989-2003, 2007- IHSA State championships 1997, 2001 IHSA Sectional championships 1990, 1994, 1997, 2001 Okaw Valley Conf. championships 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2001 Conference treasurer 1994-2000		 John Burke and Brent Stanley

James and Jane Carney, who have served long tenures as coaches, hosts, and writers, introduced each other. They spoke about Scholastic Bowl’s early days and their experiences building buzzer systems using lumber and working together to write questions and run tournaments.

Jane Carney, Westhersfield High School 1970-1994 Q. Why did we do Scholastic Bowl for twenty-five years? A: It was challenging, innovative, rewarding, educational, exciting, and just plain fun. James L. Carney, Wethersfield High School 1970-1994 Scholastic coach, tournament organizer, question writer, judge, moderator, lockout board builder 		Jane Carney receives her plaque from David Reinstein
Jim Carney receives his plaque from David Reinstein

Linda Monge, who coached at Fairfield, was introduced by her former assistant Tammy Austin, who is now the head coach. They both spoke about setting high goals for their small school and what Linda did to build the program and to help teams throughout southern Illinois.

Linda Monge, Fairfield Community H.S. Scholastic Bowl coach 1989-2002 14 years of enjoyment with high school students Over 400 career wins Five IHSA sectional championships 4th in Class A State, 1997 Representative on IHSSBCA Steering and IHSA Advisory Committees		 Linda Monge and Tammy Austin

Larry Varner, a neighbor of the Carneys who is retiring after a long career at Galva, spoke about Scholastic Bowl’s early days and what coaches like him were able to accomplish even though they were starting from scratch.

Larry Varner, Galva High School founder and coach of varsity, fresh-soph Scholastic Bowl 1973-2008 Winner of 584 varsity matches Wrote questions and hosted 22 tournaments Formalized match procedures and introduced the rebound bonus format in Illinois		 Larry Varner receives his plaque from David Reinstein
The IHSSBCA Hall of Fame, Class of 2008

After the Hall of Famers got their plaques, Rob Grierson introduced John Rathbun, the recipient of the Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl Award. Rob spoke about the many roles John has played for Scholastic Bowl, including coach, innovator, state tournament director, question writer, and liaison. John was honored because of the strong and varied contributions he continues to make after his retirement.

Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl Award - John Rathbun, for co-founding and managing the Peoria-area Scholastic Bowl league, establishing the International Scholastic Bowl Tournament in Peoria, and managing IHSA Tournament since 1996		 John Rathbun receives his plaque from Rob Grierson

Matt Laird then introduced the All-State players. There were 21 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 teammates.

All-State Teams members		 Matt Laird introduces the All-State teams

Nick Pitz then introduced Team Illinois, who compete in PAC in June. Four of the five players were in attendance, as was assistant coach David Adkins from Springfield.

 Team Illinois - from left: John Brown, Auburn; Siva Sundaram, Auburn; Curt Peterson, Wheaton Warrenville South; Mike Verity, Loyola; assistant coach David Adkins, Springfield; coach Nick Pitz, Moline

Mark Grant introduced the IHSA Class A Champions PORTA. He spoke about what a great job his students had done and the work that had gone into their successful season. Many of the team members and their families were in attendance.

 IHSA Class A champions PORTA

Linda Greene then introduced the IHSA Class AA and Masonic State Champions Rockford Auburn. Linda talked about how well her team had stayed together after just falling short of State Championships in the past. The team captains spoke briefly about the great support they had gotten from Coach Greene and their parents.

 IHSA Class AA and Masonic champions Auburn