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Coaches and Others Must Complete Safety Training Program
By Cliff Odenwald | Wednesday, January 21, 2009 11:17 AM
In the November edition of the UIL Leaguer, Dr. Mark Cousins submitted a list of “things to do.” One of the items on his list was a reminder to complete the safety training required by Senate Bill 82.
The Senate enacted this bill to ensure that coaches, trainers, sponsors, band directors and students were prepared to recognize and handle emergency situations. It requires that students be taught to recognize the symptoms of catastrophic injuries. Another requirement of the bill is that students are educated about the risks of using certain dietary supplements designed to enhance athletic performance. This is not a complete list of the mandates. Please refer to the complete list described under “Safety Training Program” on the UIL Web site’s home page.
Theatrical Design Contest Winners Announced
By Luis Munoz | Friday, January 16, 2009 11:18 AM
Entries for this year’s Theatrical Design Contest exceeded 200 entries. The entries were judged by Kelly Draper, Lamar University; Theresa May, UT Press; Ron Dodson, Austin; Paula Rodriguez, San Antonio College; Tracy Mask Marlowe, Creative Noggin; and Phil Johnson, Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Our thanks to our adjudicators and congratulations to the state qualifiers. State Qualifiers will receive instructions sometime in February. Non-advancing entries will be returned with “critique CD” and certificate(s) in February. Some outstanding Components from non-advancing groups will be exhibited as non-competing entries at state.
STATE QUALIFIERS THEATRICAL DESIGN 2009
GROUP
1. Eastland High School – 2A
2. Harper High School – 2A
3. Henrietta High School – 2A
4. Judson High School – 5A
5. Leander High School – 5A
Online Prescribed Music List Features and Other Music News
By Richard Floyd | Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:20 AM
While growing up in a very rural Richardson, Texas (main street was two blocks long and there was one traffic light) one of the big attractions each week was to take in a movie at the Ritz. It was an old style movie theater where you could catch the latest Hollywood feature for nine cents. As a bonus there was usually a cartoon and the all-important preview of coming attractions. Those previews always built anticipation and sometimes excitement for things to come. So with that childhood thought in mind, allow me to share a “main feature” and a “previews of coming attractions” with you.
NEW ONLINE PRESCRIBED MUSIC LIST FORMAT
In December, the UIL Music Division launched a new version of the online Prescribed Music List. The new format and search engine is the result of input from the UIL Music Selection Committees, countless suggestions from directors across the state and the work of an Internet technology design team at the University of Texas. With the new system, you can search selections by event, UIL ID, title, grade, arranger/composer, publisher and specifications as in the past. However within each of these features, there are additional options available to customize your search.
Texans Earn Top Awards at National Convention
By Jeanne Acton | Tuesday, December 02, 2008 9:56 AM
Texas has a few things to celebrate after the JEA/NSPA fall convention in St. Louis last month.
Former ILPC director and journalism adviser Randy Vonderheid was awarded JEA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award is given to retirees for lifetime dedication to journalism education.
Two Texas newspapers and one broadcast program earned Pacemakers — The Stampede of Burges High School in El Paso and The Liberator of Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin. MHS-1 from McKinney High School won a Pacemaker in broadcast division.
Music Director Makes a Wish Come True for Austin Senior
By Andrea Negri | Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:58 AM
When Make-A-Wish Foundation employees heard Liberal Arts and Sciences Academy senior Alec Gramann’s wish — to lead the band at a UIL state marching contest — they wondered if it could be done.
“There is no way this is ever going to happen. What’s his second wish?” Kathryn Draper, program services assistant at Make-A-Wish, recalled workers saying. “This is just something that’s going to take a huge amount of time.”
But UIL music director Richard Floyd wasn’t so sure it was an impossible wish.
“From the beginning I felt certain, it was something that we could do,” he said. “My primary goal was to find a time in the schedule that would allow the largest possible audience to help make Alec's wish come [true].”
Welcome to the Leaguer Online
By Bill Farney | Tuesday, November 11, 2008 10:01 AM
We want to welcome you to the Leaguer Online. We hope you enjoy the site and find our new way of dispersing information helpful and easy to navigate.
We will continually add new articles and new information each month. Please continue to check the site for updates.
If you find problems or errors, please feel free to email the managing editor, Jeanne Acton at jeacton@mail.utexas.edu.
Deadlines Scare the Pants Off…
By Jeanne Acton | Monday, November 10, 2008 10:03 AM
Jack-O-Matic is afraid to go to the mailroom.
If you are unaware of who Jack-O-Matic (JOM for short) is. He is my trustworthy assistant. You know, the guy who does all of the real work.
Anyway, he’s not enjoying the mail these days.
And I must thank you for that.
JOM is getting inundated with Interscholastic League Press Conference membership forms and yearbooks. He’s a little busy and a little scared to check today’s mail.
I say, keep it coming. Scare the pants right off JOM. I think he has good legs.
After Ike, High Island HS Finds Its Way Home Again
By Charles Breithaupt | Friday, November 07, 2008 10:16 AM
Thomas Hardy once wrote, “You can never go home again.” He was right of course, but he never knew the people in High Island.
High Island is a small southeast Texas coastal town along the Gulf Coast. Ravaged by hurricane they had little hope they would ever be able to return, yet miraculously many did.
Head Football Coach and Athletic Director at High Island High School Paul Colton had evacuated from his own home as Hurricane Ike barreled toward the Texas coast. Having already cancelled one game because of the evacuations, Coach Colton was concerned that the damages to the tiny Conference A school, nestled on the gulf coast, could cost his team the season.
He, like many others in High Island, awaited news regarding the rest of the season. Most importantly he awaited information regarding the fate of the school and the homes of many players who lived in the coastal communities along Bolivar Peninsula.
Q&A with New Current Issues and Events State Director
By Andrea Negri | Friday, November 07, 2008 10:14 AM
Tom Ray from Hays High School is the new Current Issues and Events State Contest Director this year. Last year, former director Bobby Hawthorne retired from the event.
The following is a brief question and answer with the new director:
How long have you been involved with the UIL and at what capacity?
In high school, I joined the UIL debate team as a freshman in 1983 and was involved all 4 years. I advanced to State in cross examination debate my junior and senior years and placed 3rd in 1986 and 2nd in 1987. I judged the CX State meet for years as a paid judge until I took a Speech and Debate coaching
position at Jack C. Hays HS in the fall of 1993. My teams won district each year I coached, and one of our teams won state in 1997. I then became just a teacher for about five years. I became the Academic Coordinator for Hays in 2006.
What are your plans for the CI&E contest?
My plan this year is to continue to balance foreign and domestic news as well as major Texas news and personalities. In the long term, I hope to move to more international events and personalities. The Internet and electronic library databases really level the playing field and make this contests
so interesting. I am looking forward to visiting with the coaches and coordinators around the state and getting their input as well.
30-minute Clinic/Critique Offers Students a Great Learning Environment
By Richard Floyd | Friday, November 07, 2008 10:12 AM
The State Wind Ensemble Contest was established in 1976 as a part of the Texas State Solo and Ensemble Contest. During the years that followed, this event gradually evolved into the festival format that is in place today. It is now referred to as the State Wind Ensemble Festival (SWEF). It is viewed to be an educationally rewarding and positive experience for all participants. This year this prestigious event is scheduled for May 9, 2009.
Much of the success of this event has been attributed to the Clinician/Commentator component of the format. This feature allows each performing group to have a 30-minute post concert clinic/critique with a nationally recognized conductor/educator. The focus of the event is on the subjective, artistic elements of music performance rather than the objective, technical details that tend to dominate critiques in a totally competitive setting.
With the approval of the UIL/TMEA Music Advisory Committee and the UIL Legislative Council the event was modified in 2000 to what many would term a festival format. The intent of this revision was to build on the most successful elements of SWEF, which cultivate the positive aspects of making music for music’s sake rather than the attainment of an objective rating. In addition a listening component has been added to emphasize the very important value of becoming good audience members as well as accomplished performers.