Opinions on this?

https://www.dallasnews.com/high-sch...dd-bass-fishing-as-uil-sanctioned-sport/

Personally I don't like it as I think both of the major trails in Texas do an outstanding job and do not need UIL help/interference/rules/oversight.

Might allow them to get some state funds to use.

I am concerned about tens of thousands of dollars (SETX) and scholarship money (THSBA) being pulled from the anglers and replaced with trophies and ribbons.

Terrible idea for UIL to get involved but I expected it. There is too much money floating around and they want a piece of it.

And, WHY would they want to get some state funds? THSBA already gives 250k plus a year in prizes and scholarships.

I captain for The Brook Hill School in Bullard, TX. From what I understand, fishing is already recognized as an official sport by TAPPS and they have no interference or say in what we do.

UIL just may sanction bass fishing as an "official sport", but as far as their help/interference/rules/oversight, we (THSBA) will continue to do our own thing as a private 501c3 organization, as I am sure others like SETX will as well, and have done just fine without their interference for 9 seasons now. We already have a 'no pass, no play' rule in effect. Plus, UIL won't even be able to come close to offering the scholarships that we do each season. Just look at last season....the THSBA awarded out $328,000 in scholarships and over $180,000 in prizes and awards. UIL won't sink 1/2 a million each season to run a fishing program. And the cost involved just to run a tournament with the trailer, contents of the trailer, a live release tank, the insurance, getting a crew to run a tournament, etc. is enough to scare some folks. There's a lot that the UIL is not thinking of. Now, if the UIL just wants to recognize fishing as an official sport without interference, that would be the best thing they could do. Most schools follow UIL or TAPPS guidelines anyways with they teams now as it is, so there shouldn't be a major shake-up. There are some school superintendents that have totally consumed the UIL Kool-Aid and think that they should be involved in everything. We have proved that we can not only survive, but thrive for the students without interference from the UIL.

I spoke to the UIL several years ago about this. Some of their ideas were laughable, like having a state championship each year around the Austin area, which was strike one due to those schools having home lake advantage every year. I had to explain to them that lakes are totally different than a football or baseball field which had very similar dimensions. Then they said that I could/would need to get our sponsors to pay for everything for them to run a bang up State Championship. That was strike two. Sponsors are hard enough to come by, especially now. Asking for more money so the UIL could look good wasn't going to happen. They asked if there was a strike three. I said, I don't know, keep talking and I'll let you know. They said they didn't feel it was for them at that point.

We shall see!

I bet some of the people handling the growing pots of gold do not want the state involved. The state tends to keep tabs on other people's money

Well I guess if they do I will have to sell my Rolls Royce.

upgrade it, a RR is so 2010's

Let's be totally honest, with zero school involvement the money and where it goes or what is taken in can be kept 100% private. It's a private business. I can see how some of the directors would not want the state deciding to take a slice of the pie. It will likely happen if state regulation is involved.

It could be kept secret but since the THSBA is a 501c(3) non profit all of ours is for public record. We will continue to do things the way we do with or without it being UIL. See ya at the College Event Douglas..

I hate to break it to you Douglas J, but as Ken stated, the THSBA is a 501c3 organization and all of our financial information is available with a simple email request. You will be sorely disappointed in the lack of financial gain for those of us running high school fishing. Do we have a couple of employees, yes. Can't run a big organization like the THSBA without employees. However, all founding members and board members are strictly 100% volunteers, as stated in our bylaws, which you can find on the THSBA website. I mean, I get a free THSBA hat every now and then, so maybe if I sell those on the black market, I might be able to get about a 1/2 of a tank of diesel fuel for my F250. If you are so certain that our "growing pots of gold" are so plentiful, please step up and give your free time as a member of the Board of Directors for the THSBA. That way you will see for yourself that comments like yours are completely wrong and out of line.

Here's a great example of the THSBA not adding to our pots of gold....
During the 2020 season when COVID stopped everything, we had numerous events cancelled in the regular season, refunding entries for those that had paid. We somehow got in the Regionals, but had to cancel State a week before the scheduled event, in which we refunded all the entries. With that, we have $40,000 in the scholarship account that would have been awarded at state (along with other money that was refunded) that we gave out in a blind raffle, putting all the teams that qualified for state in a hopper and drew names. Did the same for all the Academy gift cards we hade earmarked for that event, as well as those that were left over from the cancelled events. And the Lew's reels we had left over at the end of the season, we gave out during a "Digital Big Bass Contest" and the following December in a "THSBA Holiday Giveaway". Dang it, I guess we missed out on an easy way to pad our personal bank accounts (insert sarcasm).

You will continue to believe what you want, but oops, your "pot of gold" comment seems to be losing traction by the second.

503c or not, I am saying things change when the state gets involved. And usually the losers are the student participants.

Getting UIL involved would be an absolute nightmare. They provide no service that could make the product better. It would just add more bureaucracy and take away money from the program. UIL, like most things at the State level of public education, is a corrupt mess.

That is what I was saying and then Mr. Tim Haugh and Mr. Ken Starling got all defensive as if they are trying to deflect any conversations about money and high school bass fishing.

Tim and Ken have put a ton of time into building the organization. I think you will find them both to be good guys. The THSBA financial records are kept as well as any organization could ever keep them. They do things right. They don't need the "help" of UIL. The "Growing pots of gold" comment may not have been typed in an accusatory way, but that's the way I took it and probably the way they did to. Tone and intent are often times impossible to determine in a forum like this.

I see why they could have taken it the wrong way, but I meant as soon as the UIL gets involved it will screw the whole thing up.

The 503c reference that gets thrown around doesn't mean some people are not making income from the high school fishing game, it just means the "trail" isn't a for profit business. Seems the 503c is Mr Haugh's go to on most threads where finances are mentioned. Who cares if him or others are getting paid for work done.
But, I assure as soon as the UIL gets involved it will be over regulated by people who have little to no knowledge of the sport and more than likely you'll see them pull some robin hood type bullsh!t with the money.

It’s all good guys. We do get defensive when people think Board Members are lining our pockets when it is definitely not that way with the THSBA. Being a member that has been here from the inception of the association and running the events before we were even getting reimbursed for gas or any other expenses, we do get sensitive to accusations. No worries with me.

I guess I would ask how many other sports, activities, clubs etc lean so heavily on the backs of school that dont fall under UIL. I wouldnt think this would be any different. I think once it becomes something that sports the logos, requires faculty, is broke up into regions by schools, requires students to be students of respective schools etc it's just a matter of time. If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck it must be a duck. If it was just a wide open deal where any kid of a certain age could compete regardless of school affiliation etc, basically an open situation than I would think the uil would have no position. Ie golden gloves, there are plenty of examples where you have organizations separate from UIL and while competing with UIL isnt exactly the right word they definitely represent and alternative. AJGA golf comes to mind, USTA tennis comes to mind, Soccer clubs, Select leagues in certain sports etc. It could just be that if the UIL decides to get involved organizations like THSBA and the group in south east texas will have to make a choice regarding their business model and whether they want to be under the umbrella and oversight of UIL or go the route of some other sports organizations I have listed above. In fact in a couple of examples like USTA and AJGA success in those platforms has always carried way, way more weight towards college recruiting for those sports than UIL success, granted the scholarship nature is different when you compare it to what is awarded by fishing. I look at the fishing scholarships more as deferred winnings, I'm not even exactly sure why they are deferred as I dont think they impact eligibility in other sports like football, basketball etc but I could be wrong about that.

Another organization that has not fallen under the UIL umbrella and done quite well for itself is powerlifting(THSPA). If you like things the way they are keep the UIL out of it.