What Is the IHSSBCA?

The Illinois High School Scholastic Bowl Coaches Association was founded by Rob Grierson in 1996 to assist coaches at the local level. Guided by a Steering Committee of coaches from around the state, the IHSSBCA oversees many projects to improve and promote Scholastic Bowl.

The Steering Committee meets four times each year to discuss new ideas and discuss ongoing projects. Two of those meetings are in person, in August and February, and two of those meetings are over the internet, in November and May. The February meeting is our annual meeting, at which all members may attend, though voting is restricted to current coaches, former coaches, and elected student liaisons.

IHSSBCA Projects

This is a short summary of what we do. For policy details, see our Constitution and Policies.

Scholastic Visions Newsletter: Our newsletter is sent to our members four times each year. It keeps coaches informed about Scholastic Bowl issues, rules, and results.
Web Site: We post news, calendars, results, membership, and helpful links on our website. We have a Members Only Section containing recent newsletters, a discussion board, and a Coaching Handbook.
Awards Banquet: Each April, we host a dinner to honor All-State students, State Champions, Hall of Fame inductees, Coach of the Year recipients, and the Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl.
Grants: At each quarterly meeting, the Steering Committee awards grants, worth a maximum of $400 each, to teams who submit the most deserving proposals.
Team Illinois: We sponsor a team for the National All-Star Academic Tournament. The team is comprised of the top Illinois players the selection committee feels will be most successful at the competition.
SchoBowlFest Coaching Conference: The annual SchoBowlFest Coaching Conference is held in September as an early-season kickoff meeting for new and returning coaches.
Scorebooks: We print scorebooks useful for tracking a team’s games over the course of a season. Order them with your annual membership.
Novice, Kickoff, and Turnabout Tournaments: These statewide tournament series are held in October, November, and January to provide a consistent backbone for the state’s competition schedule.
All-Sectional and All-State Teams: Each year in February, coaches select the top students to receive the honor of All-Sectional. The top few students from each Sectional are then reviewed by a statewide panel to honor the best students in Illinois as All-State.
Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl Award: This award is awarded annually to a non-coach supporter of Illinois Scholastic Bowl.
Coaches Hall of Fame: This award is given to coaches who have had outstanding careers in Illinois Scholastic Bowl. The coaches are selected by their peers.
Coach of the Year Awards: This award is given to coaches who are currently gone above and beyond in their coaching.
Moderator Certification: Moderators can take a multiple-choice test on IHSA Scholastic Bowl rules to earn test certification, and thereafter can earn performance certification.
Ethics Guidelines: To make coaches, students, moderators, and tournament directors more aware of the ethical expectations on them, we have published ethics guidelines. We also have an ombudsman to mediate complaints against our organization, our members, or organizations we work with.
Handbook: The Coaches Handbook is here to help our members get information and advice about Scholastic Bowl.
Rule Book and Case Manual: The IHSA is in charge of the Rule Book and Case Manual which govern its tournament and are used as a guide by many conferences and tournaments throughout Illinois. We help them by bringing issues to their attention and suggesting changes.

IHSSBCA Chairs

1996–98: Tom Durbin (MacArthur High School, Decatur)
1998–2004: David Riley (Loyola Academy, Wilmette)
2004–2014: David Reinstein (New Trier High School, Winnetka)
2014–2018: Sharon Lorinskas (Carbondale High School, Carbondale)
2018–2022: Matt Hasquin (Southwestern High School, Piasa)
2022-present: Brad Fischer (Keith Country Day, Rockford, ret.)