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 in August, February, November, and May to discuss new ideas and discuss ongoing projects. 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.

Current Leadership

Chair: Brad Fischer, Keith Country Day (Rockford), ret.
The Chair appoints members of the Steering Committee, runs quarterly Steering Committee meetings, and is a point of contact for general IHSSBCA business.

Secretary: Linda Greene, Auburn (Rockford)
The Secretary keeps and reports minutes of quarterly Steering Committee meetings and ensures that the rules of meetings and procedures are adhered to by the Association.

Treasurer: Nevagay Abel, Auburn (Rockford)
The Treasurer handles payments to and from the IHSSBCA, keeps and reports a record of transactions, and is a point of contact for financial matters.

Ombudsperson: Erin Limestall, Olympia (Stanford)
The Ombudsperson is a representative of the Illinois scholastic bowl community, and is a point of contact for misconduct issues arising within Illinois scholastic bowl.

Email the entire elected leadership of the IHSSBCA at ihssbca@ihssbca.org.

The above leaders serve two-year terms, with elections occurring at the annual open meetings in February. Elections for Chair and Secretary are in even-numbered years, and elections for Treasurer and Ombudsman are in odd­-numbered years. They lead the Steering Committee, the central committee that meets quarterly to vote on IHSSBCA policies and projects. Steering Committee members are appointed to volunteer positions and at-large positions by the Chair. The current Steering Committee membership is listed in each issue of the Scholastic Visions newsletter and on our volunteers page.

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.

Scorebooks
We print scorebooks useful for tracking a team’s games over the course of a season. Order them with your annual membership or from our online shop.

Coaches’ Handbook
The Members Only section of our website contains a Coaches’ Handbook with helpful articles about many aspects of starting and maintaining a team, attending tournaments, helping players study, and more.

SchoBowlFest Coaching Conference
The annual SchoBowlFest Coaching Conference is held in early fall as an early-season kickoff meeting for new and returning coaches.

Tournaments
Novice, Kickoff, and Turnabout Tournaments are held in October, November, and January to provide a consistent backbone for the state’s competition schedule.

Awards Banquet
Each spring, we host a dinner to honor Hall of Fame inductees, Coach of the Year recipients, the Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl, All-State players, and State Champions.

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.

Rob Grierson Friend of Scholastic Bowl Award
This award is awarded annually to a non-coach supporter of Illinois Scholastic Bowl.

All-Sectional and All-State Teams
Each winter, 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.

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.

Moderator Certification
Moderators can be reviewed by teams and community members to become certified as tournament-tested, highly reliable readers.

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 ombudsperson to mediate complaints against our organization, our members, or organizations we work with.

Grants
At each quarterly meeting, the Steering Committee awards grants, worth a maximum of $400 each, to teams who submit the most deserving proposals.

IHSSBCA Chairs

Chairs are elected in even-numbered years at the annual open meeting.

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

IHSSBCA Secretaries

Secretaries are elected in even-numbered years at the annual open meeting.

1996-2000: Cathy Groesch (Springfield Southeast High School, Springfield)
2000-2001: Elizabeth Letterly (Williamsville High School, Williamsville)
2001-2003: Debbie Voorhees (Bloomington High School, Bloomington)
2003-2004: Susan Martin (Wheaton North High School, Wheaton)
2004-present: Linda Greene (Auburn High School, Rockford)

IHSSBCA Treasurers

Treasurers are elected in odd-numbered years at the annual open meeting.

1995-1999: John Rathbun (Woodruff High School, Peoria)
1999-2003: Rob Grierson (Latin School of Chicago)
2003-2007: Debbie Voorhees (Bloomington High School, Bloomington)
2007-2008: Susan Martin (Wheaton North High School, Wheaton)
2007-2010: Phyllis Kidd (Wheaton North High School, Wheaton)
2010-2019: Mike Laudermith (Fenton High School, Bensenville)
2019-2023: Jonathan Legendre (Latin School of Chicago)
2023-present: Nevagay Abel (Auburn High School, Rockford)

IHSSBCA Ombudspeople

Ombudspeople are elected in odd-numbered years at the annual open meeting.

1996-1997: Beth Young (Quincy Senior High School, Quincy)
1997-1999: Jerry Vandemark (Streator High School, Streator)
1999-2001: Cheryl Christianson (Sterling High School, Sterling)
2001-2007: Tom Egan (Maine East High School, Park Ridge)
2007-2011: David L. Riley (Loyola Academy, Wilmette)
2011-2012: Jay Winter (Greenville High School, Greenville)
2012-2014: Sharon Robinson Lorinskas (Carbondale High School, Carbondale)
2014-2022: Brad Fischer (Keith Country Day, Rockford, ret.)
2022-present: Erin Limestall (Olympia High School, Stanford)