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Tips to Remember Before Competition Season Begins
By David Lambert, TMAA President | Tuesday, October 06, 2009 12:23 PM
We are once again well into the school year, and competitions will soon begin for bands, orchestras and choirs. As these events are set into motion, many of you will be asked to judge performances for organizations throughout the state. This will require every adjudicator to approach each event with decorum and professionalism.
TMAA is a professional organization that has made great strides in creating a cadre of adjudicators who demonstrate their dedication to the profession, and their fair approach to evaluating each adjudicated performance. We want to continue that perception and improve every year. With that in mind, I would like to provide a list of some of the things to remember when adjudicating these events.
• Re-read the rules for the event you are going to adjudicate. Rules change and we forget. It is always a good idea to re-read the rules each year and understand your role in the process. Sight-reading judges should know who gets extra time and how much. Too often, mistakes occur that could be avoided if time had been taken to review the rules and guidelines.
State Cross Country Course to Remain the Same
By Traci Neely | Tuesday, October 06, 2009 12:22 PM
The fall season sports of cross country and volleyball are now in the last few weeks of district competition. Another UIL State Championship month is upon us.
The UIL State Cross Country Championships will be held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock for the 11th straight year. The meet will occur on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The park is in fantastic shape, thanks to some rain and Rick Atkins, director of Round Rock Parks and Recreation. Atkins and his department added many improvements to support the state course including the bridge over the lake and the dam improvement around the drainage area of the lake.
Many coaches have asked us to consider an adjustment to the start line. I have studied the course map with both the UIL staff and RR PARD staff. Our choices are very limited. The state course must be designed to meet the needs of the participants, as well as the mass of spectators. Cross Country draws a large audience and that tends to dictate the choices for the start and finish line.
I have examined the elevation changes across the park and considered all factors. The logistics of moving the start line to the opposite side of the lake (NE corner) will not work for a large meet.
New LD Handbook Availiable for Students and Coaches
By Jana Riggins | Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:52 PM
As you or your Academic Coordinator prepare your order for UIL study materials this fall, don’t forget to include the new UIL Lincoln Douglas Debate Guide.
With the continuing evolution of LD Debate and changing styles and trends, the League commissioned a brand new manual. Larry McCarty, long-time educator, successful debate coach, UIL Sponsor Excellence Award recipient and LD State Advisory Committee member is the author of this student-friendly text. Larry’s continued involvement in concentrated debate research made him a logical choice to write this new manual.
Included in the book, most notably, is an entire chapter devoted to philosophy. Additional chapters include: Introduction to LD Debate, Fundamentals of Value Debate, Evidence and Research, Preparing the Case, Cross-Examination Strategies, Communication and Refutation, and Tournament Competition.
UIL Welcomes Four New Faces
By Chris Schmidt | Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:51 PM
The University Interscholastic League is proud to welcome four new members to the staff.
Veronica Cantu, Marketing Manager – Cantu came to the UIL in August from Dell where she worked for two years in their Latin American Marketing and U.S. Services departments.
A native of San Antonio, Cantu graduated in 2001 from Texas A&M University where she majored in international business and marketing. She later earned her master's in international business and marketing from Universidad de las Americas in Puebla, Mexico.
Cantu’s duties will include working with UIL vendors, sponsorships and contracts.
Avi Ghosh, Administrative Associate – Ghosh began working at the UIL in March after a successful stint managing the Blackberry music showcase at the 2009 South by Southwest Music Festival. Before moving to Austin he worked at Discover Card for three years as a decision support analyst out of Chicago and Little Rock.
New LD Handbook Availiable for Students and Coaches
By Jana Riggins | Thursday, September 10, 2009 12:00 PM
As you or your Academic Coordinator prepare your order for UIL study materials this fall, don’t forget to include the new UIL Lincoln Douglas Debate Guide.
With the continuing evolution of LD Debate and changing styles and trends, the League commissioned a brand new manual. Larry McCarty, long-time educator, successful debate coach, UIL Sponsor Excellence Award recipient and LD State Advisory Committee member is the author of this student-friendly text. Larry’s continued involvement in concentrated debate research made him a logical choice to write this new manual.
Included in the book, most notably, is an entire chapter devoted to philosophy. Additional chapters include: Introduction to LD Debate, Fundamentals of Value Debate, Evidence and Research, Preparing the Case, Cross-Examination Strategies, Communication and Refutation, and Tournament Competition.
Accuracy is Vital on Previous Athletic Participation Forms
By Sheila Henderson | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:58 PM
I would like to take a few moments to express my gratitude to everyone for their support and well wishes since I started last February. I have gained valuable experience these past few months that will continue to help me as we go forward in the new school year.
Now that we have had a solid start to the school year, I would like to revisit a “coach’s favorite,” the Previous Athletic Participation Form (PAPF). The athletic staff continues to revise and tweak the form in an effort to have a document that is clear, concise and easy to follow.
The latest revisions to the PAPF were made July 2009. It is important to pay particular attention to the items in red bold print on both pages of the form. These are usually areas that get overlooked and cause the PAPF form to be incomplete.
It is also important to know which students actually need the form. Before participation at the VARSITY level at a new school, all NEW STUDENTS in grades 9-12 who have ever practiced or participated in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball or wrestling in grades 8-12 at another school in the United States or Mexico before, during (in school athletic period) or outside the school day must complete a PAPF. The form must be sent back to the last school of participation for that individual student-athlete. However, it is the recommendation of UIL that the PAPF form is completed the first day a new student steps onto your campus.
When You Find It, Speak It
By Ronnie Rios, Marching Band Vice President | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:57 PM
Find the great! See the great! Reward the great! Be the great! And, as UIL adjudicators, speak the great!
As we go through life, it is very important to remember that a bad lunch, a bad moment in time, even a bad rehearsal should be cherished. Why? Consider the alternative.
What if there was no lunch, no rehearsal or no moment to experience. Regardless of the circumstances we must strive to find the great in everything and acknowledge its value.
Many times we, adjudicators, often speak of one problem after another on our tapes or sheets. Although constructive criticism is imperative, we must also speak to the great that is happening or has potential to happen with the groups we adjudicate.
Having a group of students represent a school at a contest is an achievement. Having a group of students play music in an outdoor arena is an achievement. Having a group of students march from point A to point B 65 times is an achievement.
All-State Journalism Staff Named
By Jeanne Acton | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:55 PM
Thirty-seven students have been named to the 2008-09 All-State Journalism Staff. To qualify for the staff, students must have earned 50 points by participating and winning different journalism contests throughout the year. Students can earn points by participating in UIL invitational contests, UIL district, regional and state contests, as well as ILPC and similar type journalism contests.
Voting Begins for All-Century Teams
By Peter Contreras | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 12:54 PM
The University Interscholastic League is celebrating its 100th year this school year.
UIL has stood the test of time, and today, is an organization revered by many across the nation for its mission and dedication to students in Texas.
Throughout the years we have consistently produced the best of the best. Our students not only excel in the classroom but also in the athletic arenas. In that vain, as part of the UIL’s Centennial Celebration, we have established online voting for UIL All-Century Teams in football, volleyball, girl’s basketball, boy’s basketball, track and field, soccer, softball and baseball.
To help celebrate this landmark in UIL history, a Web site dedicated to the UIL Centennial Celebration has been created. You can link to that Web site at www.uil100.org
League Announces Fall Lincoln Douglas Debate Topic
By staff | Friday, August 28, 2009 2:21 PM
Debaters eager to sink their teeth into this year’s fall topic don’t have to go hungry any longer. The Lincoln-Douglas Debate resolution released by the UIL State Office for use at invitational meets from September through December 2009 is RESOLVED: Standards of professional behavior ought to be valued above freedom of expression on social networking websites.