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Basketball State Tournaments Move to San Antonio Alamodome
By Kate Y. Hector, Media Coordinator | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:17 AM
The 2015 University Interscholastic League Girls and Boys Basketball State Tournaments will be played at the San Antonio Alamodome, the League announced in July.
In June, UIL staff asked for guidance from the UIL Legislative Council as it related to the basketball state tournament venue. The council authorized staff to move the basketball state tournaments to San Antonio in 2015. The Alamodome has worked with UIL staff to finalize arrangements for the upcoming girls and boys basketball state tournaments.
“The decision to move the basketball state tournaments has been a difficult one,” said UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt. “The tournaments have enjoyed a rich tradition in Austin, but in order to provide the best experience for student-athletes, coaches and fans, it is best to move the UIL basketball state tournaments to another excellent venue in Texas, the San Antonio Alamodome.”
Staff Accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
By Chris Schmidt, Public Affairs Representative | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:07 AM
UIL staff participates in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Photo by Brooke Rousch, UIL staff
Challenge accepted.
During the summer the UIL joined more than 28 million people that have participated in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The cultural phenomenon, which involves donating $100 to charity or dumping a bucket of ice water on your head and donating only $10, has helped raise more than $100 million for the ALS Association.
UIL staff was challenged by several individuals and organizations and answered the call by donating to ALS research in addition to making their own ice bucket challenge video. Several UIL staff members participated in the video, which can be seen on the UIL YouTube page (www.youtube.com/uiltexas).
Weblinks for Academic Coordinator Preparations
By Dr. David Stevens, Academic Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 11:02 AM
STUDENT ACTIVITIES CONFERENCES begin next week. Bring a busload of students and every coach you can round up. They are free and no registration is required. A tentative schedule will be posted two weeks before the conference. Handouts and presentations will be posted on the website as they are made available.
WTAMU Canyon-Sept 13
TAMUCC Corpus-Sept 27
UT Austin-Nov 1
UT Arlington-Nov 15
http://www.uiltexas.org/academics/student-activity-conferences
Speaking Events Continue to Evolve and Grow
By Jana Riggins, Speech and Debate Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 10:37 AM
It’s the dawn of a new day, a new school year and I hope you are as excited as I am to begin the journey of this new competition year! The academic department at UIL is always seeking ways to bring growth and progress to our program, so my column this month is full of important changes and updates in every speaking event. Indulge in what will seem like a potpourri bulletin board.
The biggest news in Cross-Examination Debate is the confirmation of our site and location for the CX Debate State Tournament. You may have noticed on our original tentative calendar that two weeks were marked for state debate with a “TBD” notification. That is because for some time now, I have been exploring the possibility of alternative sites. This summer, I notified all debate coaches registered in the UIL speech coach database of our decision that, for 2015, the state debate tournament will remain at UT-Austin and will be hosted during the week of March 16 – 21.
Introduction to the CX Debate Oceans Topic: Time to Dive In
By Noah Recker, La Vernia High School | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 10:35 AM
Author: Noah Recker, Debate coach at La Vernia High School and UIL representative to the NFHS National CX Debate Topic Selection Committee who authored the study report over Oceans. Noah’s paper developed into the resolution which debaters throughout the nation will be debating during the 2014-2015 school year: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its non-military exploration and/or development of the Earth's oceans.
When asked to write for the National CX Debate Topic Selection Committee, I had some nervous trepidation. It felt like a huge weight had been put on my shoulders. I knew what I wanted in a topic and I hoped that my topic paper could convey those wants and needs. Across the state, I continuously heard coaches complain about the changing nature of CX debate and how it is getting tougher and tougher to recruit high school students into the event. It was time to create some waves with my topic paper, and I eventually settled on oceans. The breadth of the topic can help novices explore their imaginations with topic ideas and senior debaters can really dive into a wide range of research opportunities.
Journalism Advisory Committee Updates Contests
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Tuesday, September 09, 2014 10:30 AM
Amazing things happen when you put a group of top-notch journalism advisers together in a room and give them a few hours to work. This summer is proof of that.
In July, 15 or so of your colleagues and I met to discuss, revamp and review the UIL Journalism Contests and the ILPC Contests. The advisory committee, comprised of some of the best advisers across Texas, accomplished more in 8 hours than I could have done all semester long.
Before coming together, I split the committee into five subgroups to focus on the following areas: 1) UIL Journalism Contests 2) ILPC Yearbook Contests 3) ILPC Print Newspaper Contests 4) ILPC Online Newspaper Contests 5) Broadcast Contests.
Each subgroup met for a few hours to discuss proposed changes that advisers emailed to me earlier in the year. Every voice was heard, and every proposal was discussed. Then, the groups came up with recommendations for changes to their area.
Triple Threat: UIL Tradition Starts More than 40 Years Ago
By Sue Jane Mayes, Borden County HS | Thursday, June 05, 2014 9:39 AM
When science teacher Mickey McMeans drove to Austin in 1966 with Borden County High School’s first-ever academic state qualifier, he could not have imagined the tradition he was starting.
In the 70s and 80s business teacher Netta Jarrett coached multiple state champions in 1-A typing and shorthand.
Speech teachers Darrin Ard and Sue Jane Mayes would be the next generation of coaches, carpooling many students the 350-mile distance from Gail to Austin. Between them, they coached two speech championship teams and numerous extemp, interp, and debate gold medalists. Champions in spelling, ready writing, journalism and social studies were also added.
OAP Contest Makes an Impact
By Julie Herman, Arts + Culture Texas | Thursday, June 05, 2014 9:33 AM
Reprinted with permission from Arts + Culture Texas
Theater students from Rogers High School, a small 2A school near Temple, wait in the wings of the auditorium. An official with a stopwatch stands in the corner of the backstage area. “One minute,” she warns. “Go.” The students snap into action, seizing blocks and steps, shifting them into position on the stage. They have seven minutes to build their set, brings in props and complete sound and light checks. Philip Taylor, the school’s director, stands watching. These students have helped craft the script to fit the 40-minute time limit, auditioned for parts, scrounged for props, created costumes, and rehearsed, rehearsed, rehearsed. One or two of them spare a glance up at the light bar high overhead. If their palms are sweaty, it’s because when the curtain goes up, this competition matters.
Some people think that Friday Night Lights defines our state’s youth. But football is not the only contest worth watching in the great state of Texas. According to Luis Muñoz, the state theater director of the University Interscholastic League (UIL), 1,220 schools will bring their best performances to the Texas UIL One Act Play (OAP) Contest this spring: That’s a boatload of thespians. Just like Texas football, this monster of a contest gathers high school teams and pits them in the largest U.S. competition of its kind.
Original Lit Crit State Director Dies at 82
By Jamie Oberg, UIL Intern | Wednesday, May 14, 2014 12:37 PM
Dr. Fred Tarpley was the first state director for the Literary Criticism Contest.
Dr. Fred Tarpley, the first state Literary Criticism Contest director and driving force behind the contest, passed away on March 1 at the age of 82.
Tarpley graduated from high school at 16, received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from East Texas State University (now Texas A&M- Commerce) and a Ph. D. from Lousiana State University in 1960. He was a professor at Texas A&M, Commerce from 1957 until his retirement in 1992 and was named Professor Emeritus of Literature and Languages in 2004.
In the early 1980s, Tarpley “instigated the Literary Criticism contest and provided an opportunity that students had not had before,” said Treva Dayton, former UIL Academic Director. “The literary criticism contest is the perfect example of his constant willingness to give.”
Academic State Meet Brings in the Best
By | Tuesday, May 13, 2014 3:17 PM
Thousands of students compete at the Academic State Meet each year.
Photo by Jeanne Acton
The UIL State Academic Meet is set to start Monday May 19 and wrap up in the wee hours of Wednesday, May 21. Thousands of competitors and academic coaches will descend on the University for the meet.
Academic Director David Stevens said he is looking forward to the state meet because it’s his time to reconnect with coaches and students.