We hope you join us for our annual Walk the Plank Invitational for fun and friendly competition in all academic and speech events on
Friday, January 16, 2026
Saturday, January 17, 2026.
Welcome to our spring UIL Invitation A tournament. We hope you join us for friendly competition as we kick off the spring competition season. Our goal is to support novice competitors and coaches in gaining confidence in UIL and NSDA events while at the same time offering strong competition that sharpens the skilled competitor. We have volunteers experienced with running UIL contests so you can spend time with your team, qualified contest directors, and superior judges. It is important to us that you enjoy and value your experience.
Test vendors include
UIL Invitation A
ASW (spelling)
We award a lot of medals!
Custom Sweepstakes team plaques for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places will be awarded for (1A - 4A) and (5A-6A).
Team medals will be awarded for 1st and 2nd place teams.
Individual medals will be awarded for 1st - 6th places.
TMSCA 1st - 6th place grade level winners will receive medals for number sense, mathematics, calculator, and science.
Divisions will be combined in all Speech/Debate events with medals for 1st - 6th place individuals and teams and Top Speaker plaque.
Top Journalism and Speech/Debate teams will also receive plaques.
Please contact Terri Davis (tdavis@ptisd.org) for academic events and Melissa Witt (mwitt@ptisd.org) for speech and debate events.
Please bring a check or a purchase order. Checks can be made out to:
Pine Tree HS UIL Academics
c/o Lee Branson
PO BOX 5878
Longview, TX 75608
DEADLINES: We will need your full registration by 5pm, Wednesday, January 8 and judges by Friday, January 3. Please do not cross commit speech and debate judges. We understand that in smaller schools coaches must sponsor multiple events. Please do not register as a judge for any event if you are not able to grade the event/s.
Entry fees are as follows:
CX Team: $30
LD: $20
DUO: $15
Speech Events: $10
Computer Science Hands-on: $20/team
All other events: $10
Missing Judge Fee: $150
The following academic and speech events will be offered:
Ready Writing
All Journalism Events
Spelling
Literary Criticism
LD, CX
Informative Extemp
Persuasive Extemp
Prose and Poetry
Current Issues & Events
Social Studies
Mathematics
Number Sense
Science
Calculator
Accounting
Computer Applications
Computer Science Written and Hands-on
HI, DI, Duo, POI
OO, INFO, USX, IX, CX, LD, PF
We provide both computers with Word and printers for all writing events and notebook paper for students who wish to handwrite. However, students are welcome to bring their own equipment.
Ready Writing entries will be capped at six (6) per school with additional students waitlisted. Every effort will be made to add waitlisted students to the contest during the week before the meet. We will open a 3rd lab if needed. Please email Terri Davis (tdavis@ptisd.org) with any special requests. Gay Noble will be the Contest Director.
Journalism entries will be capped at six (6) per school with additional students waitlisted. Every effort will be made to add waitlisted students to the contest during the week before the meet. Please email Terri Davis (tdavis@ptisd.org) with any special requests. Susan Duncan, retired coach of state winners, former state judge, and current district and region judge and contest manager will serve as the Contest Director.
The pronouncer will be Belinda Walinta. The test will be from ASW. Contest Director will be Martha Dalby.
Contact Terri Davis (tdavis@ptisd.org) if you have any questions.
For debate, you must have 1 judge for every 4 LD contestants or 2 CX teams, or part thereof and 1 judge for every 4 PFD teams, or part thereof. For Interp, Speech, and Writing Events, you must provide 1 judge for every 6 participants or part thereof. We prefer judges over fees . AT MINIMUM, speech/debate team coaches MUST serve as judges.
CX DEBATE: Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly strengthen its protection of domestic intellectual property rights in copyrights, patents, and/or trademarks.
LD DEBATE: TBA
Missing judge fee is set at $125.
Contact Melissa Witt (mwitt@ptisd.org) if you have any questions.
Please bring power cords in addition to your computers. Both the written test and programming will take place Saturday. Contact Terri Davis (tdavis@ptisd.org) if you have any questions.