IHSSBCA Turnabout

Turnabout tournaments use IHSSBCA rules. Please read our IHSSBCA Tournament Policies and our guidelines for coaches, players, game officials, and tournament hosts.

IHSSBCA regular season tournaments are only open to teams with an IHSSBCA member coach. Visit the membership page or our online shop to become an IHSSBCA member.

Contact host coaches to register. Download the Turnabout registration form if you need a form for billing.

Submitting a registration form does not guarantee entry into any tournament site. Some sites may have capacity limits or other restrictions on registration. Contact your prospective tournament host to confirm your registration.

Sites

The annual Turnabout tournaments will be held on January 11, 2025 at the following sites:

Blue Ridge (Farmer City) site (12 team limit): contact Evan Miles
Evanston site: contact Terry Gatchell
Fairfield site: contact Tammy Austin
Galena site: contact Ron Jenkins
Granite City site: Register a team at this form; contact Jaime Pamatot
Homewood-Flossmoor site: contact Michael Sacks
Richmond-Burton site: contact Seth Herchenbach

As well as on January 18, 2025 at the following site:
St. Teresa (Decatur) site: contact Sandra Bronson

Contact Turnabout Coordinator Mike Laudermith if you would like to host a Turnabout tournament or if you have questions.

What are Turnabouts?

Turnabout tournaments are high school scholastic bowl tournaments that are held across the state in early January. Turnabouts are held at multiple schools across the state on the same day, giving many teams the opportunity to play. These full-day tournaments are sponsored by the IHSSBCA, and each school must have an affiliated IHSSBCA member to register.

Turnabouts give teams a chance to compete without having to go up against the best teams in the state. The vast majority of Scholastic Bowl teams are invited, but teams that have won large tournaments or repeatedly placed highly at tournaments in the past year are not invited (see “Blacklist” and “Blacklist Restrictions” below). Turnabouts are a good experience for teams that are new, improving, or just enjoy playing.

Contact Turnabout Coordinator Mike Laudermith with questions, or if you’re interested in hosting a Turnabout tournament.

Blacklist

The 2024-2025 Blacklist is: Alton, Auburn (Rockford), Barrington, Belvidere, Benet Academy (Lisle), Bloomington, Bloomington Central Catholic, Buffalo Grove, Carbondale, Centennial (Champaign), Cumberland (Toledo), East Peoria, El Paso-Gridley, Evanston, Fenwick (Oak Park), Fremd (Palatine), Glenbrook South (Glenview), Goreville, Hinsdale Central, Homewood-Flossmoor, IMSA (Aurora), Johnston City, Keith Country Day (Rockford), Latin (Chicago), Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort), Lisle, Loyola (Wilmette), Macomb, Metamora, Metro-East Lutheran (Edwardsville), Naperville North, New Trier (Winnetka), Northridge (Niles), Northside College Prep (Chicago), Parker (Chicago), Payton (Chicago), Pleasant Plains, Riverdale (Port Byron), Rushville-Industry, Sandburg (Orland Park), Springfield, Stevenson (Lincolnshire), St Teresa (Decatur), University (Urbana), Waubonsie Valley (Aurora), Winnebago.

Blacklist Restrictions

The Blacklist is determined based on the performance of each team in the previous season. Teams who have recently demonstrated themselves to be top competitors are not invited to Turnabouts. The following achievements preclude teams from attending Turnabouts:

  • winning an IHSA Sectional tournament in the previous year;
  • placing fourth or better at Masonic State in the previous year;
  • winning the top division at a tournament with at least twenty teams in the same year or the previous year; or
  • placing fourth or better in the top division of three or more tournaments in the same year or the previous year.

The teams on the Blacklist will not be invited. We may add teams to the list if they perform well in November and December. Additionally, if you think that your team is one of the best teams around, we advise that you avoid these tournaments. The goal is to allow as many teams as possible to experience the joy of answering questions. If you have any questions, please contact the Turnabout coordinator, Mike Laudermith.

If a team on the blacklist wishes to appeal their status, they may contact Mike Laudermith.

Fees

The entry fee is $65 per team. Schools are expected to bring a working buzzer system and a staffer for the tournament. Contact your tournament host if you are unable to bring a buzzer or staffer. Every school must have a current IHSSBCA member to register for a Turnabout tournament; if you are not a member, you must join to enter a team or teams. Please be aware that each tournament site will have its own limit on the number of teams it can accommodate, and therefore, turning in a registration form does not guarantee you a spot in a tournament.

Question Source

All IHSSBCA Turnabouts will use an NAQT introductory-level “A” set.