From Feb. 14–15, the Riverside Brookfield High School chess team participated in the ISHA State Tournament in Peoria. The team played hard and showed their dedication in the challenging tournament, earning RB another victory to celebrate.
Each match involves teams of eight competing against each other, and RB only has six team members, so they play each match already down two players. Despite this, the chess team proved that they could depend on each other whether it’s a casual match between friends or a competitive match at a state competition.
“It was very exciting,” said science teacher and head coach Elizabeth Carroll. “I was a little bit nervous because it was something that I haven’t done before, since this is my first year of coaching. Once we got there, I saw that it’s really nothing to be nervous about, and I saw how exciting and great it is. We had a blast, and I even started making plans for state next year while we were still there because I’m really looking forward to it.”
The team is always looking for new members to fill up the roster. They are always willing to go to school events to help attract students to participate in the program.
“It’s a small team, but they’ve worked really, really hard to recruit other members, whether for the team itself or for the club,” Carroll said. “They’re willing to get out there and talk to other students, which can be intimidating.”
The team walked into the competition with full-fledged confidence and exceeded their expectations throughout the tournament. When passion and determination cross, unexpected results can make someone feel like they can do anything.
“They’re a good group of kids, and they seem to get along really well and have a lot in common,” Carroll said. “We hope to expand, but for now we’re a small group that’s having fun and trying to build from the ground up.”
The team showed its commitment to the game during their state competition, as well as through the matches and games that they played by working hard to expand their team. They showed how willing they were to get their team more known by students and teachers around the school and that they are not afraid to show their skills to their peers and teachers alike.
“Come visit the club, even if you don’t know anything about chess,” Carroll said. “I think it might be helpful to know that the coach also didn’t really know a lot about chess before this year, so you’ll be learning with me. There are kids on the team who are very helpful and motivated to teach kids how to play, and so even a kid who maybe is a little bit nervous or apprehensive to join the club would be made to feel very comfortable by the kids that I have coming to the club right now.”
