Team Illinois 2001

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Well, dinner was at a local pizza joint, and there wasn't anything we could get for free, other than the free refills on pop.

At 9:00 we practiced one round with Stevenson, and won 255-215. Everyone was pretty tired from a long day.

We ended the day with a Team Meeting. The coaches reiterated the differences between this Ohio tournament and next week's tournament in Florida. This was an Illinois-style tournament, with no points off for taking risks; each team got to answer about half the questions. Next week, there are points off for wrong answers, so "slow and steady" wins the race. With five teams in the same room, we only need to answer ten or twelve of the 65 questions -- correctly -- to win the match. Hopefully, the players will adjust. Everyone on the team was asked to say something nice about others on the team, and everyone came through with insightful and positive comments. It was a great team-building exercise.

To put us back in Florida "mode", we've arranged a Florida-style practice match with the team from State College Pennsylvania, tomorrow evening after dinner. Having been to the PAC in the past, they know the Florida ropes; but because of the strange way Pennsylvania selects their Florida team, they will NOT be participating this year. They are excited about the prospect of facing Team Illinois, even for a practice match. It should be a good time for all.

Finally, I forgot to mention in my earlier Day #2 note that this morning, in the opening assembly, Coach Grierson was presented with the "Ben Cooper Memorial Ambassador Award". Given for promoting the spirit and honor of academic competition, the award recognizes his founding of the Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association and the newsletter he edits.

Taking advantage of his "15 minutes of fame", Coach Grierson thanked the PACE Organization; all the coaches in Illinois who have joined the IHSSBCA; his parents, for encouraging academic excellence years ago by watching "G.E. College Bowl" and "It's Academic" with him on TV; and his father, for building a buzzer system in 1971 out of "stone knives and bear skins" (a reference to a Star Trek episode in which Mr. Spock goes back in time to 1930 and builds a computer out of spare parts purchased at electronics stores. He'd also like to thank his wife Linda for putting up with all this Scholastic Bowl Stuff! :)

Coach Grierson