Boys Wrestling

Meet the 2004 Grand Marshals

Two Grand Marshals will lead the annual Parade of Champions Saturday night (March 13) before the championship bouts of the 25th annual Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) State Final Wrestling Tournament.

Named Grand Marshals for 2004 are:

• Raymond Cummings
• Mike Golimowski

The IESA started having Grand Marshals in 1996. The Grand Marshals are honored for their contributions to wrestling at the junior high school level and the young men who participate in the sport. They are nominated by the IESA Wrestling Advisory Committee and approved by the IESA Board of Directors. The marshals will play an integral role of the Parade of Champions as they will lead the 36 individual finalists and their coaches into the Convocation Center, amidst music, applause and cheers from teammates, parents, family, and fans.

Here is a closer look at the 2004 Grand Marshals:

An IHSA licensed official for 40 years, Ray Cummings has been devoted to the sport of wrestling since his days as a student at Champaign Central High School. A three year letter winner, Ray was a member of the wrestling team that won two Big 12 conference titles and two regional titles. After high school, Ray attended Eastern Illinois University where he later earned both his bachelor and masters degrees. He was an NCAA Division II qualifier and an IIAC Conference runner-up in 1967. Ray has been a wrestling official for 40 years and has been assigned to officiate an 38 IHSA regional tournaments, 35 sectional tournaments and 18 individual state tournaments. He has worked 10 dual team state finals including last weekend's tournament in Moline. Ray has been an official interpreter for the IHSA for the past 19 years, was the IWCOA Official of the Year in 1980 and was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 1990. HE served as the Grand Marshal for the IHSA in 2001. Ray has worked several IESA State Tournaments, including the very first IESA state finals that were held in Charleston in 1980. Ray and his wife Mary have three daughters and eight grandchildren.

Mike Golimowski has served as the head wrestling coach for Shabbona Middle School in Morris for the past 28 years where he is a social studies and science teacher. Mike graduated from Morris High School where he wrestled for four years and won three varsity letters. After high school, he attended Lewis University. While coaching at Shabbona, he has had 11 IESA state champions, and numerous wrestlers who have qualified and placed. Proving that it is important to give back to the sport, 23 of his former wrestlers have gone on to become wrestling coaches. Mike served on the IESA Boys Athletic Committee for many years in the late 1980's and early 1990's and currently serves on the Wrestling Advisory Committee for the IESA. Mike is very involved in the sport of wrestling and it has been a part of his life for nearly 40 years. He and his wife Mary Kay have two sons, one daughter-in-law and one grandson.