AUSTIN — Water polo is now a fully sanctioned high school sport in the state of Texas.
The University Interscholastic League legislative council voted to remove the “pilot program” label from the organization’s newest sport, which held its first season in 2022 and has continued to see sustained success and growth since then.
Water polo has been particularly fruitful for Houston-area schools. Since its inception, the Foster girls (2022, 2023), the Brazoswood girls (2024), the Brazoswood boys (2022) and the Clear Creek boys (2024) have won five of the six state titles handed out. More than 150 schools across the state compete in water polo, which was first approved as a pilot program in 2019. The last sport added under the UIL umbrella before that was wrestling, which became sanctioned in 1998-99.
Wednesday was a busy day for the UIL athletics committee. The group worked its way through 28 agenda items, most of which were proposals from the public. The proposal to remove water polo as a pilot program came from UIL staff.
The other notable passed item was the expansion of the pilot program that requires three-game series throughout the baseball playoffs leading up to the state championships — unless otherwise agreed on by both teams — to Class 4A and Class 3A. The current pilot program, which was implemented by the legislative council in October 2022, includes only 6A and 5A.
The UIL also passed an amendment to Section 1204 of the constitution, a language reconstruction aimed at clarifying rules regarding scratches and payment to officials to better support schools.
The UIL also passed an amendment that allows its staff to make rules changes to stay in compliance with state law.
THSCA addresses
legislation
Texas High School Coaches Association executive director Joe Martin was the first public speaker of the day and addressed some of the challenges that could arise for public education and extracurricular activities across the state of Texas due to the school voucher bill that passed and was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott on May 3 during the 89th legislative session.
“We were handed some new obstacles to overcome by our governor and our legislators, and we’re going to do what we always do,” said Martin, whose organization had been publicly opposed to the bill. “We’re going to learn how to mitigate those damages, and we’re going to keep UIL activities and athletics the best they are in the United States, and we’ll overcome some of those consequences that were handed down. We walk away from the 89th legislative session without looking like Florida and California and those other states that aspire to be like Texas.”
Martin said that despite the voucher bill passing — along with Senate Bill 401, which allows homeschooled students to participate in UIL activities at the schools they are zoned to — the THSCA was pleased that other legislation did not come to fruition. On that front, he alluded to House Bill 619, which would have allowed students a one-time transfer for athletic purposes. He also alluded to House Bill 126, which passed and will allow Texas colleges to enter into direct “name, image and likeness” (NIL) deals with athletes. The bill did not, however, change the fact that high school students in Texas cannot receive payment from NIL deals. While high school students can enter into NIL agreements after they turn 17 years old, payments cannot be received until after college enrollment.
Flag football
still waiting
Despite its surge in popularity, girls flag football remains on the outside looking in for UIL sanctioning.
For the second consecutive legislative session, representatives from the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys came to the podium during Wednesday’s forum, petitioning for the UIL to consider the future of the sport in Texas. During the past three sessions, the UIL athletics committee lobbed girls flag football proposals into the “denied, rejected or took no action” bucket. This time around, the committee changed their tone and labeled the sport’s growth as something it will monitor and study.
According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, 14 states have already sanctioned girls flag football (Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Mississippi, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania), and Louisiana has entered into a two-year pilot program for the sport.
Flag football has certainly seen growth in Houston with school districts like Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD and Alief ISD all participating in the Texans’ league. The championship games were held last month at the Houston Methodist Training Center.
Not time for
shot clock
The addition of a shot clock in Texas high school basketball has spurred plenty of discussion in recent years. But on Wednesday, despite support from the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches, it still remains just that — a discussion.
The UIL athletics committee agreed to continue studying the issue, which has long been deterred primarily by its potential costs. The NFHS made a recommendation for states to adopt a shot clock in 2021, and 31 are already using it or plan to use it by the 2026-27 season. Oklahoma is the most recent state to implement the change, voting on its approval in April.
“I can tell you the TABC coaches are in favor of it, and we hope that someday it comes to fruition,” TABC executive director Johnnie Carter said. “I think it’s important for me to tell you how our coaches feel. When we did all our surveys, it was probably 75-25 (percent) in favor of it, and I just hope that we’re able to get this done.”
Passing of the torch
Wednesday’s legislative council session was the final one for former UIL executive director Charles Breithaupt, who held the organization’s top role since 2009 and spent 14 years as the UIL athletic director before that. Breithaupt, who is retiring after five decades of service in public education, handed the reins over to new executive director Jamey Harrison on April 1.
“Dr. Breithaupt, you have left your mark, sir,” Harrison said during his opening remarks. “Job well done. The great things that you have done will continue through this organization for many generations to come.”
Breithaupt responded with praise for Harrison, who has served as the deputy executive director since 2011.
“Dr. Harrison’s been hitting the ground running,” he said. “He’s been doing this for year, folks. He’s not new to the table. He knows how to do this job. He’s going to be phenomenal.”
More proposals
The athletics committee will continue to study the following items.
— Proposal to add girls flag football as a sanctioned activity
— Proposal to add a shot clock for basketball
— Proposal to add a mileage cap for playoff game travel
— Proposal to update the P.E. substitute exception list
— Proposal to add an optional spring training period for water polo
— Proposal to allow college students to coach if they are in an approved program
— Proposal to allow pyrotechnics at contests if overseen by professionals
— Proposal to change the scrimmage rules for soccer
— Proposal to add lacrosse as a sanctioned activity
— Proposal to expand exception from the full-time employee requirement
The athletics committee denied, rejected or took no action on the following items.
— Proposal to add boys volleyball as a sanctioned activity
— Proposal to add Class 3A soccer
— Proposal to require schools to participate in both volleyball and basketball
— Proposal to give home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs to district champions in all sports
— Proposal to allow students participating in off-campus P.E. to still participate in an after-school activity
— Proposal to allow the number of scratches to two
— Proposal to require the use of instant relay in all sports during the playoffs
— Proposal to change the dates of the regional and state tennis tournaments
— Proposal to conduct steroid testing
— Proposal to eliminate the requirement of shirt tails needing to be tucked in during competition
— Proposal to limit coaching disruptions in volleyball
— Proposal to allow varsity eligibility for students who elect programs of choice
— Proposal to add bowling as a sanctioned activity
— Proposal to add gymnastics coaches for the UIL CCP and Concussion Oversight Team
— Proposal to add table tennis as a sanctioned activity
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