UIL Kicks Off Centennial Anniversary With Student Conference
By Chris Schmidt | Wednesday, August 12, 2009 12:23 PM
In June, 100 student leaders from across the state descended on the University of Texas campus to attend the UIL Elite 100 Conference and to kick off the centennial anniversary for the League.
The first-of-its-kind, three-day conference brought together 100 of the brightest students from across Texas to learn about leadership and community service.
“To me, it was appropriate to have started the centennial celebration with students because that is what the UIL is all about,” Academic Director Treva Dayton said. “Students not only worked hard and learned a great deal, but they had a blast. They also made very good friends in a short amount of time. And those friendships will last.”
The culmination of the Elite 100 conference came with participants sharing their ideas directly with the UIL Legislative Council about how the League can continue its high standard of excellence in the future. Students and Council members alike ceremoniously gaveled in the new year with promise toward the future.
UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt said the Elite 100 conference is only the beginning of the celebration.
“We are very proud to be a part of the UIL’s ample history, and are excited to share in the celebration of our 100th anniversary with our students and member schools,” Breithaupt said.
State championship events will serve as the backdrop for many of the planned celebrations for the UIL’s anniversary. Special uniform patches and decals have been prepared to commemorate the occasion along with redesigned medals for state champions.
The Centennial Celebration Web site was launched in July with photo galleries, champion archives and a timeline of the UIL’s 100-year history. By visiting www.uil100.org readers can keep track of the latest news and events, vote for All-Century Teams and share their stories about how the UIL positively influenced and shaped their lives. Select stories will be featured on the Web site.
“With the technology of today, we are paying homage to the past and giving people the chance to be a part of the UIL’s Centennial Celebration,” Breithaupt said.
The League has been witness to and a part of many national historical events of the past century. In 1940, music contests were suspended due to World War II. The first women’s sport, basketball, was added in 1951 decades prior to Title IX. And in 1954 well before any court orders, the State Executive Committee ruled that desegregated public schools could participate in UIL competitions and later opened membership to all schools regardless of race.
Although not every year can have such historical significance, records are broken and new memories are made with each new season. For a 100-year old organization the UIL still had many firsts last year.
Cancer survivor and senior drum major Alec Gramann’s wish was to perform at the 2008 UIL State Marching Band Contest. Through the volunteer coordination of UIL State Director of Music Richard Floyd and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central & South Texas, he got his wish. On November 3rd, Gramann and his Austin LBJ Jaguar Band performed in front of a crowd of over 10,000 and received a standing ovation for the powerful exhibition.
Houston Nimitz’s Brittney Griner broke several records against Pflugerville at the 2009 UIL Girls State Basketball Tournament, but none was more impressive than being the first girl ever to dunk in a Texas state basketball tournament. Griner’s Cougars may have lost to Mansfield Summit in the championship game, but her athletic feat stands as a monumental stepping-stone in the evolution of girl’s high school athletics.
No event was bigger in the 2008-09 school year than on April 29th when the UIL postponed all activities due to the H1N1 virus outbreak, otherwise known as Swine Flu. For the first time ever schools were not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities statewide.
UIL directors and staff worked feverishly with schools to reschedule previously postponed, or in some cases cancelled, events. Everything from the State Academic Meet, the 20 regional track meets and the State track meet had to be rescheduled. Thanks to the efforts of the UIL staff and its schools, not one event was cancelled.
The UIL was created by The University of Texas at Austin in 1910 through the Extension Bureau to provide leadership and guidance to public school debate and athletics teachers. After approval from the University, the UIL’s two parent organizations – the Debating League of Texas and the Interscholastic Athletic Association – became operational.
In 1913, the Debating League and the Athletic Association merged to form the UIL, which was centered in the Bureau of Public School Services, then part of The University of Texas Extension Division. Today, the League continues to operate as part of the University under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement.