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Originally Posted by #olderthanilook
What does "downstate" mean? I first hear this jargon on some basketball special on TV on Sunday afternoon - I think it was Sunday - that was a docudrama about a boys high school team. Maybe some place called "Orr Academy". Not sure. But, the coach and his staff kept talking about "downstate".
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"Downstate" means for most people in northern Illinois that they are in the state finals, which is often held in Central Illinois. Basketball they play the Girl's Tournament in Normal, Illinois (Illinois State Campus). And the Boy's Tournament Finals are played in Peoria, Illinois (Bradley University Campus). Both tournaments used to be played in Champaign, Illinois (University of Illinois Campus).
It is just another way of saying they are at that level of the IHSA Tournament. It is mostly those in Chicago and the suburbs that say this term. Yes, some people in the other parts of the state might use this, but if you are in Central Illinois already, you likely would not reference the State Finals this way for the most obvious reasons. Also, most of the state's population is from the northern part of the state. Actually the term kind of pisses off those in other parts of the state sometimes, but they will just have to get over it. BTW, I am originally from Central Illinois. I grew up in Macomb, Illinois originally before coming to the Chicago suburbs in 1999 and I lived an hour from Peoria and about 2 hours from Bloomington/Normal area. We just called it the "State Finals" or "Going to State."
Peace