Page 30 of 51 pages ‹ First < 28 29 30 31 32 > Last ›
Two New Pieces of Legislation Passed
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Tuesday, July 19, 2011 2:37 PM
Two new pieces of legislation that were passed by the 82nd Legislature require action on the part of UIL member schools. Both bills will go in to effect on Sept. 1, 2011 and by reading the information posted on the UIL website, member schools will be more likely to stay in compliance.
Under House Bill 2038, each district will need to appoint or approve a Concussion Oversight Team to establish a return-to-play protocol. The bill states that local Concussion Oversight Teams must adopt the UIL Concussion Management Protocol at the very least but are given the discretion to create a more restrictive protocol. To see further information and House Bill 2038, please go to http://www.uiltexas.org/health/info/concussions.
House Bill 675 relates to the age and reconditioning of football helmets. This bill prohibits schools from using helmets that are older than 16 years and requires that all helmets that are 10 years old or older to be reconditioned at least once every two years. Even though this takes effect Sept. 1, 2011, it does not apply until the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year.
For any questions regarding these two new pieces of legislation, please contact Dr. Jamey Harrison, UIL Deputy Director, or Dr. Mark Cousins, UIL Director of Athletics at the UIL office.
ILPC Summer Workshop
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Thursday, June 30, 2011 4:44 PM
ILPC just wrapped its annual summer workshop on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The four-day intensive summer workshop offers classes on newspaper, yearbook, video editing, new media, design software, photography and adviser classes. The workshop took place June 24-27 and students had the option of staying in University dorms or commuting. While at the event, each student or adviser took one class the entire duration of the workshop, giving them the opportunity to not only learn new things, but also help prepare for the upcoming school year. To learn more about ILPC, go to http://www.uiltexas.org/journalism/ilpc.
Superintendent Survey Results Posted
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Friday, June 17, 2011 2:10 PM
Twice a year, the UIL surveys its member school superintendents to get their opinions on possible upcoming changes. The latest superintendent survey results were posted to the UIL website today. The Spring 2011 Superintendent Survey focused largely on the number of activities in which our member schools participate each year. The survey results were discussed by the standing committees of the Legislative Council, and it will vote on any possible changes at the annual October meeting. No changes would go in to affect until the 2012-13 school year. To see the full results go to the “recent news” section of the UIL website at www.uiltexas.org .
Final Update for UIL Lone Star Cup Standings
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Friday, June 17, 2011 11:30 AM
Following the final State Championship events of the year, the UIL has posted updated standings for 1A-5A UIL Lone Star Cup.
Be sure to look up your school’s standings, as results will become official on July 1. For questions or concerns on your school’s standings, please contact the UIL office.
The UIL Lone Star Cup is awarded annually to five high schools, one in each of the five UIL classifications, based on their team performance in district and state championships. The winning schools in each classification will receive the UIL Lone Star Cup trophy and a $1,000 scholarship, also presented by the UIL.
Honoring the best overall athletic and academic programs in Texas, the UIL Lone Star Cup is open to all UIL participant high schools.
To see the updated standings, as well as the rules and scoring, go to http://www.uiltexas.org/lone-star-cup.
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.“
His First Love - the Elementary Yearbook
By Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director | Thursday, June 09, 2011 8:31 AM
Jeanne Acton, Journalism Director
My 6-year-old son Charlie received his first yearbook last week.
And he won’t let it go.
He struts around the house pointing out friends and faculty to anyone who will stop and listen.
It’s his crowning achievement for kindergarten, and he didn’t even have anything to do with it.
The strange thing is, I have never talked to Charlie about yearbooks. He knows his mommy is some type of educator/teacher, and he knows that I write some. But that’s it. I’ve never told him that hundreds of yearbooks flow through my office each year. I’ve never told him how much I love yearbooks. I have never even told him that I helped a bit with his own yearbook.
UIL Baseball State Tournament
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Tuesday, June 07, 2011 3:35 PM
The 2011 UIL Baseball State Tournament will take place Wednesday, June 8 through Saturday, June 11 at UFCU Disch-Falk Field on the University of Texas at Austin campus and Dell Diamond in Round Rock. The State Tournament bracket can be found on the UIL website at http://www.uiltexas.org/baseball/state/brackets.
There are no advance ticket sales for the Baseball State Tournament. Tickets can be purchased at the venues starting one hour prior to the start of the first game of each session. All seats are general admission and prices are Students: $5 per session, Adults: $10 per session, Coaches All-Tournament: $20, and All-Tournament: $30. Parking is $5 at each venue.
Good luck to all our participants!
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.