Athletics News
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Rules Compliance Program (RCP) Replaced COPE
By Traci Neely, Assistant Athletic Director | Monday, August 29, 2011 10:23 AM
RCP is COPE. Last school year, UIL launched the first version of RCP (Rules Compliance Program). It replaced COPE (Coaches and Officials Positive Expectations), a mandatory sportsmanship program for coaches. COPE no longer exists.
Junior high and high school coaches must complete the RCP each year before they have contact with their athletes.
The RCP was designed to provide coaches a simple, efficient method of meeting state law requirements for mandated safety training and steroid education. It also connects coaches with updated information that impacts their daily duties.
NFHS Honors Tipton with Service Award
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director, and Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Tuesday, August 23, 2011 11:23 AM
Sam Tipton standing with Sheila Henderson, UIL assistant athletic director, and his wife Audree, displays his "Service to Coaching" citation.
Photo by Darryl Beasley
Sam Tipton, executive director of the Texas Girls’ Coaches Association, received the National Federation of High Schools Citation Award for “Service to Coaching” at the 92nd summer meeting held in Philadelphia. The NFHS awarded only one citation in this category from all 51 state associations (including the District of Columbia) that are members of the NFHS.
Tipton said he was “in total shock” when he read the letter informing him that he was the recipient.
UIL Adopts New Relay Takeoff Judging Protocol for Swimming
By Traci Neely, Assistant Athletic Director | Friday, August 19, 2011 10:45 AM
Traci Neely, Assistant Athletic Director
At the request of member schools, the UIL reviewed the relay takeoff protocol for Swimming and Diving this summer. For the past few years, the relay takeoff protocol has been a controversial topic for the coaches because the UT Swim Center, the host of the State Meet, uses the electronic timing system and touch pad equipment.
After careful consideration by the UIL staff and Swimming and Diving Sports Officials, the protocol for the utilization of relay exchange electronic equipment has been revised for the 2011-12 season.
Granbury Coach Inducted into National High School Hall of Fame
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director | Monday, August 15, 2011 12:28 PM
Granbury girls' basketball Coach Leta Andrews stands with UIL Executive Director Charles Breithaupt and Assistant Athletic Director Sheila Henderson at the 2011 State Basketball Tournament. Andrews was honored for her record at the girls' tournament.
Photo by Darryl Beasley
Leta Andrews, the girls' basketball coach at Granbury High School, has a long list of honors. She’s been inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, the Texas High School Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of fame. She’s been named the National Walt Disney Teacher of the Year for Coaching and National Coach of the Year. She’s received the Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching.
And now she has one more distinguished accolade: She’s been inducted into the 2011 National High School Hall of Fame.
NFHS Allows for Colored-Panel Volleyballs
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director | Friday, August 12, 2011 3:09 PM
Sheila Henderson
As volleyball season approaches, coaches and players should be aware of a new rule change. Last year, Rule 3-2-1 of National Federation of High School rules for volleyball allowed state associations to choose the color of the competition ball. This new rule to allow colored-panel volleyballs takes affect at the beginning of 2011 season for Texas schools.
The ball cannot have more than three colors, and one-third of the ball must be white. Each panel must be a solid color. School districts will be allowed to choose the color for the panels. By rule the home team shall provide the game balls for competitions. The UIL regional and state tournament competitions will utilize the red, white and blue colored-panel ball.
Pitching Distance Change Generates More Hits
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director | Friday, August 12, 2011 2:57 PM
The Dripping Springs HS Varsity Softball pitcher delivers a pitch during the semifinal game at the 2011 UIL State Softball Tournament.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
The mandatory softball pitching distance change from 40 feet to 43 feet had a significant impact on the 2011 State Softball Tournament. Many speculated the change would result in more balls being put into play thus involving the defense more.
Based on the scores from the tournament, we did not have the typical 1-0, 2-1 games as in the 2010 State Tournament. Several games were high scoring and quite exciting.
Volunteers at State Track Meet Critical to Success
By Traci Neely, Assistant Athletic Director | Friday, June 10, 2011 12:24 PM
Hutto High School students rake the sand pits before state competitors begin the long jump competition at the 2011 State Track and Field Meet.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
Hosting the State Track and Field Meet with 1,900 participants in 34 total events is no easy task, and the UIL could not accomplish such a task without the help of hundreds of volunteers.
Each year at the State Track Meet, more than 275 students and 30 coaches from 15 different schools across the state volunteer to help make the meet smooth and successful.
The students and coaches do everything from setting the starting blocks and hurdles for races to raking the sand for long and triple jumpers. They also escort the athletes to the track from the warm-up area, and they escort the winners to the medal stands.
State Baseball Tournament Held at Premier Stadiums
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Friday, June 10, 2011 11:07 AM
Wichita Falls Rider first baseman Ben Smith attempts to tag Jesse Baker from Brenham High School in the 4A semifinal game at the UIL State Baseball Tournament at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The Rider Raiders won the game 3-1. Last year at the State Tournament, the Brenham Cubs defeated the Raiders in the semifinal game and went on to win the 2010 4A Championship.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
In Texas, baseball is played on many types of surfaces. Whether it’s grass, turf or dirt, as long as there is a diamond on the field there will be a game. At the UIL Baseball State Tournament, teams have the opportunity to play in two of the premier stadiums in the state while they compete for the right to be called champion.
One of the sites for the 2011 baseball state championships is UFCU Disch-Falk Field on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The field, named after two legendary University of Texas coaches Billy Disch and Bibb Falk, has been host to the UIL Baseball State Tournament since it’s opening in 1975. Only once in 36 years has the field not been host to a state final – in 2007 due to renovation projects on the stadium.
“Disch-Falk is one of the top venues in the country because you have one of the top collegiate teams in the country playing there,” said Darryl Beasley, UIL Assistant Athletic Director and Baseball Tournament Director. “The renovations have made the park one of the best in the country.“
Softball Continues to Heat Up as UIL Sport
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Thursday, June 02, 2011 3:06 PM
The Celina Bobcats celebrate as shortstop Shelby Carter runs home after hitting a game-winning homerun at the bottom of the 11th inning. The Bobcats beat the Huntington Devilettes 4-3 in the semifinal game at the UIL State Softball Tournament. Carter's homerun was the first of the 2011 State Tournament.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
In the UIL’s 101-year history, an activity that’s been around for less than 20 years is relatively young. For an event that has only been around since the 1993 season, softball has had several noteworthy changes throughout its history, including which conferences have participated at the state championship level, significant increases in participation numbers, and most recently, an additional three feet in distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate.
When Softball began as a UIL event in 1993, the only conference to participate in the UIL State Softball Tournament was 5A, where Pasadena Dobie High School beat Tomball High School 1-0 in the state championship game. By 1995, conference 2A-5A schools were participating at the state level. Conference 1A was added to the State Softball Tournament in 2001.
The rationale for conferences being added to the State Tournament at different times is connected to participation numbers. At its inception, there were only 188 schools and just over 3,800 students participating in softball. Almost 20 years later, the number of schools participating has increased by almost 500 percent with more than 1,000 schools. The number of student participants has increased by almost 750 percent with more than 31,000 students now participating.
Ninth Qualifier at State Track Meet Marked a Success
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director | Tuesday, May 31, 2011 2:36 PM
Michael Patterson from Palo Duro HS in Amarillo jumps at the 2011 State Track and Field Meet. Patterson was a ninth qualifier this year and earned a bronze medal in the long jump.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
In the 100-year history of the State Track and Field Meet, UIL has allowed no more than eight qualifiers from each conference to participate in each event. Traditionally, the State Meet advanced the top two finishers from each of the regional qualifying meets.
Beginning with the 2011 State Track and Field Meet, the UIL staff added a ninth qualifier — a rule change approved by the Legislative Council at the 2009 October meeting.
The ninth qualifier, also known as the “wildcard,” is defined as the individual and/or relay team with the best overall time, mark or height from all regional meets per classification that did not finish first or second.
The implementation process went off without a hitch this year. All qualifiers, including the ninth, were posted on the UIL website within 72 hours of receiving all regional meet results. This posting gave everyone across the state final information regarding who qualified to the State Track and Field Meet in all events.
