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Preparing for District Meet

BEFORE THE MEET

• Double check to make sure the district host has requisitioned contest materials.
• If you've never hosted a district meet, host an invitational first.
• Be creative. If hosting, have an in-service day and useA+ Program faculty to assist. Send students on field trip.
• Use community buildings and church facilities if necessary.
• Tap local businesses for help: free drink cups, cookies, chips.
• Get athletic coaches involved as timers, gym supervisors, etc. Help them at their district meet in return.
• Get a list of equipment needs from each contest director. See Academic Coordinator's Manual. Make sure everyone knows who provides what.
• Make sure UIL academic dates are posted on the school's web site and in the PTA newsletter.
• Invite schools in your district to visit the host school, inspect facilities, check out equipment, etc.
• Provide full information on location, parking and food.
• Get as much publicity for UIL academics as possible. Be on a first-name basis with local education reporter.

HIRING JUDGES

• Hire qualified judges. Contact them in September. Pay them the prevailing wage.
• Meet with judges prior to the meet if possible. Agree on standard signals and procedures.
• Never hire a judge who has a potential conflict of interest.
• For journalism and ready writing, avoid college students as judges.
• Have extra speech judges available just in case.

THE DAY OF THE MEET

• Be open and enthusiastic.
• Post lots of signs. Use ROTC, student council or other school group to serve as monitors, guides and hosts.
• Have a janitor on call at all times.
• Have a holding area for students. A gym or cafeteria works best. Have handouts of mind games available such as mazes, puzzles, riddles so students can have fun during down time.
• Use hall monitors to keep halls quiet.
• Use a quiet place such as the library for extemp prep room.
• Have separate hospitality rooms for coaches, judges. Feed bus drivers.
• Have plenty of substitute certification forms available.
• Make sure timers keep a log on how long each student spoke.
• Have a well-guarded, quiet tab room.
• Make sure number sense room is quiet and isolated.
• Have coaches take the tests while students are taking the tests.
• Double check results. Then check them again.
• Have a central location for verification of all events.
• Do not allow judges or timers to leave until after verification.

AFTER THE MEET

• Report results to the media and insist on coverage.
• Take photographs and distribute them to the media.
• Make certain winners are recognized immediately following the district meet on public address system and elsewhere. Encourage student newspaper to write stories about UIL competitors and for the yearbook to include UIL academics in its academic and/or club coverage.
• Post results in high-traffic area.
• Send thank you notes to everyone who helped run the meet, especially to parents, local businesses and other teachers, coaches and administrators.

ALONG THE WAY

• Build a bulletin board with pictures of past state meet participants/champions.
• Build a UIL academic trophy case or a UIL academic "Hall of Fame."
• Build traditions: places to compete, to eat, to stay.
• Post goals on walls - coaches' and students'.
• Put together a UIL scrapbook.
• Have an end-of-year academic banquet with awards. Honor as many students as possible including awards for sportsmanship, most improved, squad spirit, highest ranking freshman, etc. Devise a point system to determine UIL honors.
• Create and produce a team T-shirt or logo. Feel free to use the UIL logo. Emphasize UIL ACADEMICS!