Together Again for 2022 Tournament

By Dale Thayer

Since we have had a one-year hiatus due to Covid, we have a tremendous amount of work ahead of us to get this program re-started and running smoothly once again. This is more work than the committee alone can do. However, my Brothers, if we all work together again our goal will be accomplished.

Please mark the below two dates on your Lodge calendars AND on your personal calendars:

Sectional Tournaments –Saturday, February 19, 2022

State Tournament –Saturday, March 5, 2022

The Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl Committee has their annual committee meeting scheduled for July 24th – our first in-person meeting since Covid separated all of us. It will be great to meet again in person. The committee has a larger work-load this year to get this program restarted.

All Lodges will receive the tournament information and sponsoring instructions during the last week in August. This information will be transmitted from the Grand Lodge office via email to the Lodge Secretaries and Worshipful Masters. So, please print the information and take to your first stated meeting in September to be read under communications.

All Illinois high schools will receive the tournament information and registration instructions in early September – starting the day after Labor Day. This information will be transmitted to the high school scholastic bowl coaches via email from Dale Thayer, Tournament Director. With over 700 schools to notify, this process takes about 2 weeks because each school must be notified separately.

Due to our one-year hiatus creating a larger workload for the committee, and with our goal of restarting the tournament as smoothly as possible and getting as many schools as possible to compete, we will be asking the Lodges for more assistance in getting schools to register for competition. So, in late September, each Lodge should start contacting the school(s) they normally sponsor. There is no need or reason to wait until December or January to contact the schools. Activities must get placed on the school’s calendar, and that needs to be done very early in the school year. The contact method that works the best is in-person contact with the high school scholastic bowl coach. In-person contact almost always works better than phone calls or emails.

It will be great to be together again with the scholastic bowl teams, parents, and Lodge members at the tournament sites.

Questions or comments about the Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl should be submitted to Dale Thayer, Chairman, via email at thayerdale@mchsi.com or by telephone at 815-441-3070.

Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl

Providing Positive Recognition for Academic Excellence

R.W. Brother Dale Thayer, Chairman, Illinois Masonic Academic Bowl