State Farm Holiday Classic set for December 27-30
Bloomington, IL – The 32nd annual installment of the State Farm Holiday Classic will boast one new venue and some of the top talent in the state. The largest, coed high school holiday tournament in the nation tips off December 27, 28, 29 & 30, and marks the twelfth consecutive year with State Farm Insurance® as the title sponsor.
The Holiday Classic is proud to announce a new partnership with the U.S. Cellular Coliseum as a host venue at this year’s event. The downtown Bloomington facility, a long time sponsor of the Holiday Classic, will now host the girls’ portion of the 64 team tournament.
“In addition to four very competitive games, the one thing we are proud to offer our participating teams each year is the chance to play those games in top-notch facilities with exciting atmospheres,” said tournament Vice-President Dave Oloffson. “With the addition of the Coliseum, we continue to provide all 64 teams with the best basketball facilities our community has to offer. The support of those venues is very much appreciated!”
“We are excited to be able to add the prestigious State Farm Holiday Classic to our ever growing list of events this,” said Bart Rogers, Vice President/General Manager of the U.S Cellular Coliseum. “This event provides a great economic impact on the Twin Cities with the out of town teams and guests that attend, and we look forward to showcasing our facility to them for many years to come.”
This year’s field will once again feature some of the top talent in the state. Rock Island and senior star Chasson Randle, who is ranked as the #6 point guard in the nation by ESPN, will take on a large school boy’s field that features the #1 junior in the state in North Chicago’s Aaron Simpson, and Peoria Notre Dame’s talented big man Max Bielfeldt. Chicago-land powerhouses North Lawndale and Glenbard East are new additions to this year’s field. Western Michigan recruit Hayden Hoerdemann and Bloomington Central Catholic highlight a small school boys’ field that features perennial state powerhouses in Rock Falls, Quincy Notre Dame, Minonk Fieldcrest, Chillicothe IVC and Providence St. Mel.
The girls’ portion of the State Farm Holiday Classic remains one of the toughest tournaments throughout the Midwest. Class 2A state-champ Bloomington Central Catholic returns the talented duo of Allie Norton and Jess Reinhart to face a small school girls’ bracket with ten teams that won at least a Regional championship last season. Springfield High, with two consecutive state final finishes the last two years, features all-state junior Zahna Medley to counter Peoria Richwoods all-state senior Mariah Smith, Morton’s sophomore shot-blocker Sarah Livingston and newcomer Champaign Centennial’s young and talented group in the large school girls’ bracket.
“Most holiday tournaments measure themselves by the number of highly-ranked teams and players they bring in,” said Oloffson. “With the talent displayed in Bloomington-Normal over the holidays, we feel our players, coaches and fans will be treated to a great experience this December at the Classic.”
All games will be played at Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center, U.S. Cellular Coliseum, Normal Community High School and Normal West High School. All teams are guaranteed 4 games over the 4-day event.
For more tournament information and a complete list of the 64-team field, visit the official Web site at www.theclassic.org or follow the event on Facebook and Twitter. All-tournament passes may be purchased beginning in November through the State Farm Employees Activities Association, or by contacting your local participating team.
Silent Auction returns to benefit HC Scholarship Fund
The 2010 State Farm Holiday Classic will once again host a Silent Auction with great packages and items to benefit the Holiday Classic Scholarship Fund. Here is a tentative list of items that will be up for bid – check back often for updates to this list and for guidelines on how to bid during the tournament.
- Signed jersey by Super Bowl MVP and New Orleans quaterback Drew Brees
- Autographed book – Dick Vitale’s Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball – signed by author and ESPN commentator Dick Vitale.
- State Farm College GameDay basketball signed by Illini head basketball coach Bruce Weber and ESPN GameDay hosts Reece Davis and Jay Bilas.
- Autographed baseballs by former Chicago Cub legends Bill Buckner, Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo.
- Signed State Farm Classic pin flag by LPGA stars Laura Davies, Natalie Gulbis, Julie Inkster, Christie Kerr, Christina Kim, I.K. Kim, Brittany Lincicome, Stephanie Louden, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie.
- Four (4) V.I.P. passes to the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic.
- Autographed photo of former UConn All-American and WNBA great Rebecca Lobo.
- Autographed baseball from the State Farm Legends game in Normal on August 14 – ball signed by former Chicago Cubs Bill Buckner, Bob Dernier, Mickey Morandini, Keith Moreland, Rick Reuschel and Turk Wendell, and former St. Louis Cardinals Ken Dayley, Cal Eldred, Tito Landrum, Hal Lanier, Ken Reitz, John Tudor and Andy Van Slyke.
- Signed photo by former University of North Carolina head basketball coach Dean Smith.
State Farm Holiday Classic announces scholarship winners
The Classic Tournament, Inc. has selected four winners as recipients of the 2010 Holiday Classic Scholarship award. Each of the winners will receive a $1,000 scholarship to go directly to their college of choice to help pay for tuition costs.
Established to recognize and award scholarships to eligible high school seniors who participated in this past year’s tournament, a selection committee of current and former educators chose the winners based on their leadership skills and academic performance. Applicants were also asked to demonstrate their experiences in student activities and community service, and were required to submit an essay titled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
The 2010 Holiday Classic Scholarship recipients are:
- Kevin Bischoff, Normal Community High School
- Rachael Graham, St. Joseph-Ogden High School
- Erin McGinnis, Normal West High School
- Andrew Sipes, Grayslake Central High School
Girls Class 2A State Champs!
Congratulations to the Bloomington Central Catholic girls basketball team for winning the IHSA Class 2A state tournament this past weekend. The Saints finished with a 32-1 record which included a team record for most wins in a season and the 2009 State Farm Holiday Classic title as well. Jess Reinhart and Allie Norton were selected to the first team IBCA All-State team, while Carly Norton was named to the fourth team and Kelly Curran was named Special Mention. Also congrats go out to Kankakee Bishop Mac who finished in fourth place at the 2A state tournament. Belinda Schaafsma and Erika Tatum were named first team IBCA All-State and Melissa LaReau was named to the fourth team.
2010 Tournament Dates
The 2010 version of the State Farm Holiday Classic will be played on December 27-30 at four venues across Bloomington-Normal: Illinois Wesleyan University’s Shirk Center, Normal Community High School, Normal West High School, and a fourth site to be determined. This will be the 32nd annual boys tournament and the 14th edition of the girls tournament.
2010 Volunteers
As with any great event, it is only successful due to the hard work, time and dedication shown by its volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering for the State Farm Holiday Classic, we are always looking for experienced and knowledgible volunteers for PA announcers, scorebook keepers, timers and scoreboard operators. For the most updated volunteer schedule, contact Dave Oloffson at dave.oloffson.iayf@statefarm.com.
2010-2011 Scholarship Application
Click here for information on the 2010 Scholarship winners
Application forms for the 2010-11 Scholarship will be available on this site after Jan. 1, 2011.
All eligible applicants must:
- have participated in the 2010 State Farm Holiday Classic
- be a graduating senior this spring
- maintain a grade point average of 2.75 or above on a 4.0 scale
- be admitted to and plan to attend a 2- or 4-year college
Applications must be submitted and postmarked by March 31, 2011, and include the following:
- Brief essay (200-500 words) entitled “How my high school sports experience helped prepare me for success in higher education.”
- Two (2) letters of recommendation from those who have worked with you in student activities or community service programs, like a coach, principal, guidance counselor, etc.
- Copy of your accumulative transcripts including the most recent completed semester.
- Proof (note on school letterhead) from basketball coach that you have been or will be awarded a varsity letter in basketball.
Completed applications (use the link above or below to download the print the application) should be sent to:
Scholarship Application
Classic Tournament, Inc.
P.O. Box 1887
Bloomington, IL 61702
Previous Holiday Classic Scholarship recipients:
- Taylor Baucom – Camp Point Central (2006)
- Jordan Christensen – Sherrard (2006)
- Cherelle Gay – Bloomington (2006)
- Matt Pelton – Bloomington Central Catholic (2006)
- Patrick Doggett – CPCI (2007)
- Jack Hainline – Stanford Olympia (2007)
- Kimmy White – Olney East Richland (2007)
- Brandi Branka – Kankakee Bishop Mac (2008)
- Andrew Etheridge – Normal Community (2008)
- Kati Hinshaw – Normal West (2008)
- Randall Koehler – Roanoke-Benson (2008)
- Samantha Reich – Park Ridge Maine South (2008)
- Kristen Baldwin – Normal Community (2009)
- Luke Harbers – Normal U-High (2009)
- Cora Jeffers – Williamsville (2009)
- Ross Munsterman – CPCI (2009)
- Kevin Bischoff – Normal Community (2010)
- Rachael Graham – St. Joseph-Ogden (2010)
- Erin McGinnis – Normal West (2010)
- Andrew Sipes – Grayslake Central (2010)
Silent Auction
The 2010 State Farm Holiday Classic is once again hosting a Silent Auction to benefit the Classic Tournament Scholarship Fund.
The silent auction will take place at the Shirk Center and at the Normal Community High School Monday through Thursday (12/27 – 12/30). On Thursday (12/30), bidding will only be held at the Shirk Center.
2010 Silent Auction Guidelines
- All Silent Auction proceeds will be used to fund the Holiday Classic Tournament scholarship fund.
- Minimum bids are indicated on the photo sheets for each auction item.
- Bids should be made in $5 increments.
- Cash, checks, and credit cards will be accepted.
- Bidding will close at a time TBD on Thursday, December 30th.
- Winners will be contacted by phone or email on Monday, January 3rd.
- Items will be available for pick up or will be mailed immediately after the winners are contacted.
- A portion of the winners’ donations are tax deductible over the fair-market value of the item.
Here is an early look at items to be auctioned off this year:
- Autographed jersey by New Orleans Pro-Bowl QB and SuperBowl MVP Drew Brees
- Autographed book – Dick Vitale’s Fabulous 50 Players and Moments in College Basketball – signed by Mr. Vitale
- Autographed State Farm College Game Day basketball by Illini head basketball coach Bruce Weber and ESPN Game Day hosts Jay Bilas and Reece Davis
- Autographed baseballs by Chicago Cubs legends Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo
- Autographed State Farm Classic pin flag by LPGA stars Laura Davies, Natalie Gulbis, Julie Inkster, Christie Kerr, Christina Kim, I. K. Kim, Brittany Lincicome, Stephanie Louden, Morgan Pressel, Angela Stanford and Michelle Wie.
- Four (4) VIP passes to the 2011 State Farm Holiday Classic
- Autographed photo of former UConn All-American and WNBA star Rebecca Lobo
For a complete list of items, check back to this page frequently as the tournament draws near.
Follow the Classic on facebook
Follow along with the 2010 State Farm Holiday Classic by becoming a fan of the tournament’s official facebook page. Get all the latest on participating teams, players, game results and interesting tidbits about the nation’s largest coed holiday high school basketball tournament. Go to http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=dc1fe430965088189bcb32eb00e68ec2&#/pages/Bloomington-IL/State-Farm-Holiday-Classic/142439705370?ref=nf and Become a Fan.
