In TSA, there are usually two types of competitive events: static and non-static. Static events are ones in which the majority of the work for an event is completed prior to the conference. Project-based events like Engineering Design, Biotechnology Design, and Webmaster are examples of static events. Non-static events are ones in which the event is mostly completed at the conference. This includes events like Extemporaneous Speech, CAD Architecture, and Technology Bowl. At SLHS TSA, we typically recommend our members to compete in two to three events, with a combination of static and non-static events so they get the experience of project-based learning and competing at the conference.

 

There are three levels of competition in TSA: Regionals, State, and Nationals. Our Regional competition is in February each year and is hosted by Gulf Coast TSA. The State competition is in April each year, and we travel to Fort Worth to compete against the best entries in Texas. Texas TSA has one of the largest state competitions in the nation and is much more competitive than Regionals. Finally, the Nationals competition is usually scheduled around late June or early July, with the location changing each year. Since we face the top competitors from each state, Nationals is much more competitive than our State contest. 

 

In order to qualify for the next level of competition, you typically must place well in the previous level. In other words, to qualify for the State contest, you usually need to place in the top three at Regionals. To qualify for the National conference, you’ll usually need to place well at State (there are some exceptions, but this is the general rule of thumb). 

 

To best enable our members to place well in their competitive events at all levels, we spend many meetings teaching members how to work on their projects, develop event guides, and have event check-ins with officers. The officer team is always ready and eager to help members improve their projects.