Texas Forensic Association

Archived News Items (2010-2011 Season)

May 25, 2011
This past Monday evening, we lost one of our own. Patrick Mercier, the coach at Cy-Lakes High School, passed away due to complications stemming from a heart attack in February.

Funeral Arrangements: Saturday, May 28, 2011
11AM Viewing 1:30 PM Funeral Service
Metropolitan Baptist Church also known as The Met
13000 Jones Rd
Church Phone number: 281-890-1900

May 25, 2011
A Message from Jordan Williams:

As you all know, our 2011 National NFL Tournament is quickly approaching. With such a large event here in our own backyard, we are hoping you- the Texas coaches, parents and students- to volunteer your time to help this tournament run smoothly.

We are in need of volunteers for the 2011 Denim and Diamonds NFL National Tournament. I truly appreciate those of you who signed up at the TFA State Meet in March. For those of who missed the registration table, didn't know of your nationals plans, or are bringing additional adults, please consider donating a small portion of your time and/or speaking with your parents or adult chaperones about donating theirs. The dates and times for volunteering are on the attached 2011 NFL Volunteer Form. Please complete one form per volunteer.

Download volunteer form: WORD • PDF

We cannot make this happen without you! This is a great opportunity to give back to the organization that gives so much both our students and us.

For more information, please contact Jordan Williams at 817.919.4542 or jordan.williams@gpisd.org.

SUMMATION
Who: Coaches, Parents, Adult Chaperones
What: Volunteer to Help With 2011 NFL Tournament
When: June 13 – 18, 2011
Where: Dallas, Texas
Why: NFL needs you: Texas coaches, parents and students. Let’s all do our part in making this tournament an amazing experience for our students and showcasing the teamwork and spirit of Texas coaches!

May 24, 2011
Below is the 2011-2012 Tournament Schedule. Please review and contact your region rep, if you have any questions about the schedule.

May 3, 2011
ATTENTION COACHES: Please print and submit the updated TFA W9 form to your financial secretary to assist you in processing any checks to the Texas Forensic Association

May 2, 2011
Legislation for IQT tournaments for next fall should be submitted by Friday, May 6th (midnight). Submitting schools will have their names attached for authorship purposes. The docket will then be released on the TFA website by the end of May so prep work can begin. The formatting of each bill and resolution must utilize the NFL templates. Please send legislation to cheryl.potts@pisd.edu as a Word document.

April 21, 2011
All TFA IQT applications and $50 checks are due by May 7th to Cindi Havron. Applications that are sent to the EC that do not have a check attached will not be considered. No hold checks will be considered. Schools that do not get their paperwork in by May 7th to Cindi Havron may not be on the tournament calendar next year. Those schools will have to send their information/checks in and those late submissions will be addressed during the EC August meeting. After August-all applications will have to be voted on by the body at convention. At that time, the EC will check to make sure that schools requesting an IQT are also a member of TFA/TSCA

April 5, 2011
The 2011-2012 TFA IQT application is now available on-line. Schools will have until May 7, 2011, to submit the completed application and the check for $50. Incomplete applications or applications without checks will not be eligible for calendar consideration. Please make sure you have all paper-work mailed prior to the deadline to ensure you are eligible for the calendar.

March 7, 2011
From Eric Mears: please find a list of details regarding the state host site. I would recommend making a copy for each of your competitors so that they are fully in the loop of the logistical details and what to expect once they arrive on campus. Download document here (WORD).

March 5, 2011
Pref sheets for Policy and L-D debate will go up on 8:00am Monday morning. They will be due Wednesday night at midnight.

March 5, 2011
If you are attending the TFA State Tournament, please print and complete the following EMERGENCY CONTACT form and BRING IT TO REGISTRATION on Thurday for the TFA State Meet.

DOC • PDF

February 21, 2011
Coaches are reminded that the deadline for entry into the TFA State tournament is FRIDAY, February 25 at 5:00pm. As several IQT tournaments were held last weekend, Grant Hahn (IQT Coordinator) will work to certify those tournaments quickly this week. You should check for IQT corrections and have those submitted as soon as possible. All payments for entries must be postmarked by February 25 and sent to Cindi Havron.

February 17, 2011
The TFA State Newsletter is now available. Please reference the newsletter, the TFA registration website and the TFA Constitution and Rules & Regulations for all information needed for competition at the state meet.

February 14, 2011
Congress dockets have been updated for the state tournament. Semis item #8 was originally missing and is now included (Standardized Testing). Semis item #18 is now correctly included with text for Border Security. Super Congress item #10 was originally missing and now included (DC voting seating). Super Congress item #13 was originally missing and is now included (Korean War).

February 4, 2011
The deadline for scholarship applications has been extended to Wednesday, February 9, 2011.

February 3, 2011
Several tournaments scheduled this weekend have had to cancel due to weather. Those tournaments will be allowed to reschedule for the February 18/19 weekend if the tournament host chooses to do so.

February 2, 2011
Congress legislation for TFA State is now available. See the TFA State page to download.

January 3, 2011
The list of schools eligible for participation in the 2011 TFA State Tournament Congress (House and/or Senate) is now available. Click here to view.

December 29, 2010
Scholarships available: The Texas Forensic Association will award four scholarships at the state tournament in March. Two males and two females will be presented scholarships of $500 and $300. Applications must be received by February 4, 2011. Applicants will be rated on honors/achievements, financial need, and academics; all elements are weighted equally. ALL specific requirements and paper-work must be met to be eligible for scholarships. See the Scholarship page for the application and more information.

December 20, 2010
Legislation for January and February has been posted. See the Congress page to download the legislation.

December 14, 2010
The December 2010 Newsletter is now available.

December 8, 2010
Coaches: PLEASE verify your e-mail address on the TFA website. A notice was sent to all coaches on 12/8/10 at 9:15 AM. If you did not receive this notice, then you may not have the correct e-mail on the TFA website. PLEASE correct this immediately to ensure you receive all information.

December 2, 2010
The Fall TSCA Newsletter has been posted on the TSCA website.

November 15, 2010
Submissions of legislation to be considered for the Jan-Feb 2011 docket must be emailed by December 1st.

Submissions of legislation by all schools intending to enter a student in the Senate at the TFA State Tournament must be emailed by December 15th. The Constitutional changes that were passed at convention do not go into effect until the 2011-2012 school year. Submissions should be typed into the appropriate NFL template and emailed to Cheryl Potts at cheryl.potts@pisd.edu. Late submissions will not be accepted.

November 10, 2010
Supplemental legislation for November-December has been posted on the Congress page. Tournaments may add any or all of these to their tournament dockets.

October 21, 2010
Dear Coaches, we are testing to make sure that you have submitted your information and are a member of TFA. All members should receive an email from Scott Baker in the next day or two titled: TEST EMAIL. If you DO NOT receive this email, please check your membership or email information in the TFA website to clarify why you are not getting the e-mails sent out. If you DO receive the email, do nothing.

Also, please note: the EC has also adopted a "late fee" schedule for late memberships (this is in addition to membership fee):

Join November 1-30	$100
Join December 1-31	$200
Join January 1-31	$300
Join February 1- State Tournament	$500

October 21, 2010
Region Rep Voting has been completed. The Region Reps for next year are:

Region 1	Mellessa Denny
Region 3	Kirsten Nash
Region 5	Yolanda Silva

October 20, 2010
The Congress Committee would like to invite all TFA member schools to submit one piece of legislation by Wednesday, October 27th at midnight. No more than 15 pieces will be chosen by the committee to supplement the Nov-Dec docket. The December 1st and 15th deadlines remain intact to meet 2011 legislative submission requirements.

October 15, 2010
Dear Coaches in region 1, 3 and 5:
Please vote for your region rep. Voting will be open until Tuesday, 10/19. at 3:00 PM. Each coach, with TFA membership, may vote once. Incomplete ballots will be thrown out. Multiple votes from a single coach will also be thrown out.
Voting has closed.
October 14, 2010
There is an updated constitution and contest rules available on-line. Please note the EC has created a "change log" at the end of the contest rules to clarify changes made to the constitution. Each year, after convention, the updated constitution will include a detailed change log of the current year's legislation and an abbreviated version of previous years legislation.

October 12, 2010
ATTENTION COACHES IN REGION 1, 3, and 5:
If you did not receive the email about region rep elections, please let me know asap at joseph.baker@cfisd.net . I will forward you the e-mail immediately.

October 11, 2010
The 2010 TSCA convention was held last week. Click here for a summary of news from the business meeting.

October 4, 2010
An additional amendment proposing 8 state finalists has been received and is available on the Convention page. This amendment was received after the 30-day early notice deadline, so it will require a 75% majority vote for passage.

October 1, 2010
An additional amendment proposing junior high student state qualification has been received and is available on the Convention page. This amendment was received after the 30-day early notice deadline, so it will require a 75% majority vote for passage.

September 30, 2010
The following coaches have been nominated for TFA officer positions:

Vice-President: Heath Martin

Secretary: Scott Baker

September 30, 2010
Legislation for November and December has been posted. See the Congress page to download the legislation.

September 22, 2010
TFA STATE UPDATE: The TFA State Tournament will be held at Flower Mound High School on March 10-12, 2011.

September 11, 2010
Please review the information from TSCA, provided by Brent Hinkle, and the 2010-2011 Point Schedule. Download reminders here.

September 10, 2010
An additional amendment proposing an oath of office has been received and is available on the Convention page. This amendment was received after the 30-day early notice deadline, so it will require a 75% majority vote for passage.

September 8, 2010
The Convention page has been updated with proposed legislation for this year's business meeting. The amendments below met the 30 day requirement for submission for a simple majority vote. In addition, please review the amendments put forth by the Constitutional Task Force and the Student Congress Committees.

Allowing Cross entries to the State Tournament in both Duo Interp and Duet Acting.
An Amendment Concerning IE Tabulation
An Amendment Concerning Code of Professional Standards
An Amendment Concerning Crossfire
An Amendment Concerning Debate Advancement
An Amendment Regarding Speech and Intepretation State Tabulation
Program Oral Interpretation

August 25, 2010
If you want to submit an amendment, the early notice deadline is September 6. Amendments proposed prior to that deadline require only a simple majority for approval. Amendments proposed after that date will require a 75% majority. In addition, please review the work completed by the Constitutional Task Force this summer on the constitution. Additional amendments proposed by the Task Force will be voted upon at convention.

August 25, 2010
The Dobie, Byron Nelson and Crowley tournaments have been canceled.

August 23, 2010
Revisions to Thursday's constitution are now posted (formatting only). Page numbers afer 33 were incorrect. If you have downloaded the version from last week, you'll want to download the updated copy. Download updated constitution as PDF or WORD

August 19, 2010
The updated constitution has been released. This version is different in format than previous versions, so please print your own copy. The Constitutional Task Force has made cosmetic changes, but all legislative changes will be voted on at convention. Please thank the task force members for their hard work: Jordan Williams, Heath Martin, Gay Hollis, Clint Adams, Carol Hildebrand, Melissa Locke Witt, Grant Hahn, Joe Uhler, John Mast, Kim Falco. Download updated constitution as PDF or WORD

July 20, 2010
Addition to the IQT Calendar: Plano Williams will be hosting on November 19-20, 2010. Download tentative IQT calendar as Excel or PDF.

June 30, 2010
Correction to the IQT Calendar: the correct date for the Abilene Swing will be November 19-20, 2010. Abilene High will host on November 19 and Abilene Cooper will host on November 20. Download tentative IQT calendar as Excel or PDF.

June 28, 2010
Congratulations to all of the Texas NFL National qualifiers and their coaches! Texas NFL Results include... (click here to view as PDF).

June 7, 2010
An updated version of the 2010-2011 IQT Calendar is now available. Download as Excel or PDF.