Athletics News
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UIL State Basketball: Evolution of the Title
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Monday, March 14, 2011 3:00 PM
Peyton Little of Abilene Wylie goes up for a shot during their 3A semifinal game against Rockport Fulton. Abilene Wylie went on to win the UIL 3A State Championship. Peyton Little was the MVP of that game scoring 43 points.
Photo by Stephen Tidmore
Every year, more than 150,000 spectators travel to Austin to watch history in the making as the best of the best student-athletes in the state of Texas compete in the UIL Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball State Tournaments. Each visit is a new experience as the sport and the tournament have evolved since becoming a UIL athletic event.
The first UIL Boys’ Basketball State Tournament was held in 1921 at Gregory Gym on The University of Texas at Austin campus. That year, El Paso High School defeated San Antonio High School for the first UIL basketball state championship, 25-11. Even though that score resembles a single quarter of scoring for today’s teams, there have only been a few significant changes in the 90-year history of UIL boys’ basketball.
Wrestling State Tournament Goes to the Mat
By Chris Schmidt, Communications Officer | Wednesday, March 02, 2011 11:12 AM
Robert Rios of Lubbock Monterey High School and John Rodriquez of San Antonio Roosevelt High School meet during their Round 1 Match at the UIL State Wrestling Tournament in Austin.
Photo by Stephen Tidmore
Since its inception as a University Interscholastic League sanctioned athletic event in 1999, wrestling has exploded onto the Texas high school sports scene. Participation numbers have risen nearly every year, making it one of the fastest growing UIL sports.
Wrestling is still relatively new compared to other UIL sports – the last sport added prior to wrestling was Team Tennis in 1984 – however it has already become one of the largest programs of its kind in the nation.
In 2010, the UIL had the 14th-largest boys wrestling participation out of 49 states that crown state champions in boys’ wrestling. Texas led the country in girls’ wrestling participation with 213 more participants than the next closest state, California.
“We have an opportunity for girls to compete on their own teams with their own programs, and I think that has helped tremendously with the growth of wrestling,” said UIL Director of Policy and Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Mark Cousins. Cousins also served as wrestling tournament director from 1999-2008.
Swimming and Diving State Meet Continues to Show Off Student Success
By Stephanie Ramirez, Communications Officer | Monday, February 21, 2011 10:54 AM
Swimmers compete at the 2011 UIL State Swimming and Diving Meet.
Photo by Nakita Loving
Every year, records at the UIL State Swimmming & Diving Meet are broken, new swimmers and divers come to compete at the state level and new techniques are learned. But one thing that always stays constant is the fact that these things will continue to change. Since its inception as a UIL-sanctioned event in 1970, the UIL Swimming & Diving State Meet has evolved to what it is today: one of the fastest swim meets in the country producing several national records.
This year, the State Swimming and Diving Meet was held Feb. 18-19. For results, go to http://www.uiltexas.org/swimming-diving/state/results.
Originally, the State Meet was held at Gregory Gym on the University of Texas campus. When the Texas Olympic Swim Center, now the Jamail Texas Swimming Center, was completed in 1977, the Meet was moved and has been held there since 1978.
Faces of 2010 Team Tennis State Tournament
By Chris Schmidt | Friday, January 07, 2011 10:10 AM
Video and interviews from the 2010 Team Tennis State Tournament.
Photos and Video from the 2010 Cross Country State Meet
By | Thursday, January 06, 2011 3:06 PM
Photos and video from the 2010 Cross Country State Meet. Photos by Mary Mendez and video by Elisabeth Sikes.
Softball Pitching Distance to Increase to 43 feet in 2010-11
By Sheila Henderson, Assistant Athletic Director | Thursday, October 14, 2010 10:35 AM
Most softball coaches are aware that effective with the 2010-11 school year, the pitching distance will increase from 40 feet to 43 feet. I wanted to revisit this change to ensure that every coach is aware and prepared.
The pitching distance change was not a fly-by-night decision. The National Federation of High Schools Softball Committee debated and discussed the issue for more than 10 years, and two state associations (Florida and Oregon) experimented with the 43 feet distance for several years.
All UIL member schools must comply with this mandatory change. Many schools started preparing the fields for this change after the close of the 2009-10 season to help their athletes make the adjustment.
Helpful Reminders to Help the Athletic Year Run Smoothly
By Darryl Beasley, Assistant Athletic Director | Tuesday, August 31, 2010 1:59 PM
One thing coaches can appreciate is a school year free of surprises. The last thing a coach needs is to be blindsided with new forms, new rules or changes in general. It’s vital to have routines in place. To eliminate some of those surprises and to help coaches keep those routines running smoothly, here are some helpful topics to review.
Eligibility for Student/Athletes for the First Six Weeks
During the last six weeks in spring, you should have considered checking credits of your athletes to ensure eligibility for the first six weeks of school. This should have been done for the sports (football, volleyball or individual sports) starting before or during the first six weeks of school.
Eligibility for the first six weeks is as follows:
In grades nine and below, students must have been promoted from the previous grade. If a student fails to meet the Student Success Initiative (SSI) grade advancement requirements applied to the TAKS reading and mathematics tests, the Grade Placement Committee (GPC) could determine if a student advanced through this process would be considered as “promoted” or “placed” for purposes of academic eligibility for the first six weeks.
Good Sportsmanship: It Doesn’t Just Happen
By Cliff Odenwald, director of athletics | Thursday, August 26, 2010 8:56 PM
In today’s culture, young people are bombarded by images of celebrity athletes. Even high school athletes get caught up in believing that it is “all about me.” Students see professional athletes performing celebration dances and promoting themselves, but what doesn’t always make the news are pictures and stories of athletes demonstrating sportsmanship and integrity. Our duty as coaches, teachers, parents and administrators is to emphasize the honor of the game and to teach our athletes the meaning of sportsmanship.
School sponsored athletic programs represent amateur athletics at its best. This year coaches will have an endless stream of teachable moments with the best classroom, whether on the court or on the field. Coaches must recognize and praise displays of good sportsmanship like the behavior of Armando Galarraga, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, who was pitching a perfect game until a bad call was made on the last out of the ninth inning. Galarraga displayed class as he respected the call made by the umpire. The umpire also displayed class as he reviewed the play and admitted it was a bad call. Both men took the high road and demonstrated what is right about athletics and sportsmanship.
Nolan Ryan Throws the First Pitch at 2010 Baseball Tournament
By Jeanne Acton | Monday, August 23, 2010 2:03 PM
Photos and video of Nolan Ryan throwing the First Pitch at the 2010 5A Baseball State Championship Game.
Update on plans for 2010-11 school year regarding officials
By staff | Wednesday, July 28, 2010 11:16 AM
As you may be aware, the Texas Association of Sports Officials (TASO) has filed a lawsuit regarding the decision of the UIL Legislative Council to amend section 1204 of the UIL Constitution and Contest Rules for the 2010-11 school year. As the 2010-11 school year approaches, due in large part to this ongoing litigation, questions have arisen concerning insurance coverage for officials who are members of chapters that have previously registered with the UIL. Insurance coverage provided as part of the UIL registration process for officials and chapters that registered with UIL during the 2009-10 school year expired as of June 30, 2010.