Masonics
by Brad Fischer Hall of Fame Coach David Reinstein
These pages are part of the Coaches’ Handbook, a repository of knowledge available to IHSSBCA members. Log in as a member to access the full handbook.
Masonic Academic Bowl
The Grand Lodge of Illinois generously sponsors an annual statewide Academic Bowl tournament. Entrance into the tournament is free for all schools. The tournament is divided into three classes, based on school size. In each class, the top four teams at each Sectional site receive scholarship money; the winning team at each Sectional site then advances to the State tournament, where the top four teams earn further scholarship money.
Each year, the Grand Lodge donates more than $40,000 in scholarship money to our students and teams, on top of providing a premier competition. The Illinois Scholastic Bowl community owes much of its success to the support of the Masons, and the IHSSBCA deeply thanks the Grand Lodge.
The Grand Lodge has put together the following short guides for moderators, coaches, players, and site managers.
To enter the tournament or if you have any questions, please contact Academic Bowl Chairman Herman Albers at albers@htc.net. You can usually send in a previous year’s registration form to Mr. Albers to register for the tournament.
Download the 2024-25 Registration Form Here
Email the form to Herman Albers at albers@htc.net by the first week of January to register.
The accompanying invitation email reads:
You and your Scholastic Bowl team are invited to the 41st Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl Tournament.
The dates are:Sectionals held throughout Illinois Saturday February 22, 2025.
State Finals held at Bloomington HS Saturday March 8, 2025.These dates are set in stone. Notice the dates run a little later than ‘normal’ years, but they are still consistent with the IHSA calendar.
In an attempt to make the registration process easier, IF your school participated last year and IF there are no changes to the information required (contacts, principal) you can simply state as such to me via this email, text, or voicemail. Please also indicate if you are willing to host. If you do not fit that criteria, please fill out the attached registration form.
The Masonic Academic Bowl Tournament has three classes: Class A is IHSA enrollment to 300, Class 2A is enrollment is 301 to 860 and Class 3A is above 860. If an IHSA multiplier is in effect for your school, it is applicable to this tournament.
Our tournament is free to your scholastic team except for transportation. There is no registration fee. The tournament is completely underwritten by the Masons of Illinois to promote academic excellence in our schools. A second big draw to our tournament is that we give cash (and plaques and ribbons) to winning schools. Cash that many scholastic bowl coaches have used to purchase equipment for their programs.
If you are not familiar with our tournament, a good place to start is our website (academicbowl.org). There you will find current tournament rules and a couple of FAQs that should be helpful. If those do not answer your questions, please contact me via email or cell. I would be pleased to discuss it with you.
I am looking forward to your school’s participation.
Sincerely,
Herman Albers
Tournament Director
