PA-POST ISSUE 5
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Hey PA-TSA! We are only a few short weeks away from the 2015 State Conference! All of the
members of the State Officer Team have been gearing up for this year’s conference. We are most
excited to share a large number of special events with you. We have a special event for just about
everyone at the conference. If you want to get outside and get in a workout, sign up for the Iron Man
Challenge. Want to sing your heart out? Stop by Open Mic Night. Rather brush up on your
parliamentary procedure skills, visit your State Parliamentarian for her session for both beginners and
advanced parliamentarians. Read on to learn more about these events and others like the Minecraft
competition, NASCAR Relay event, and the Membership Committee Meet n’ Compete. Try and get to
as many different events as possible! If you have any other questions, feel free to contact any one of the
officers or come find us at Stag Pass during the conference.
See you soon!
Ben Cutler
State President
MEET N’ COMPETE
LUKE ARTZT
Hello PA-TSA! A whole new event is coming to this year’s State Conference! Organized and run by our
very own Membership Committee, Meet n’ Compete offer members the opportunity to make new friends
from across the state and win an amazing grand prize: early entrance to one of the general sessions! The
competition will be composed of five stations, each with its own individual challenge. Students will be
divided into groups who will face-off to see who can complete the challenges the fastest. The final stage
will be one giant challenge that all groups will perform together. Sound like fun? No sign-ups are
necessary! Just come down to the Grand Ballroom from 8:30 to 9:30 on Wednesday night to participate! I
promise it will make your State Conference experience a whole lot more fun. Hope to see you there!
SUPER SMASH BROS TOURNAMENT
ZACH MANLIN
HARRITON HIGH SCHOOL
Everybody loves Smash Brothers! No matter how many times you say you’re more of an Xbox person, we
all know nobody can resist the classic multiplayer awesomeness that is Super Smash Bros. Not only does
everyone like the game. everyone thinks they are better than their friends. Maybe you are better than all your
friends, but are you the best in Pennsylvania TSA? If you think you’ve got a shot, check out the conference
booklet for times and location. Even if you don’t think you’re the best, come down and enter anyway! It will
be a lot of fun.
The event will be a 1v1 double elimination tournament starting with small pools or groups of eight players.
Once each pool has finished, top players from each pool will advance to a bigger final bracket.
It will take place on Thursday during the conference following a brief rules explanation. There is a cap of
about sixty entrants, so you may want to line up a bit early as it will be first come first serve on spots. There
will be no registering for friends allowed.
The price for registration will be ten dollars, so be sure to bring some extra money- this will be
nonrefundable. Part of the registration will be donated to SANCOBB, an organization that saves seabirds,
and the rest of it will be donated to the American Cancer Society.
We will supply Wii remotes and nunchucks, but if you wish to use another kind of controller, you must
bring it yourself.
See you there!
THE IRONMAN COMPETITION
LISA GARDNER
Hey PA-TSA! Do you often describe yourself as ripped? Can you bench press your advisor? Do you run
through the school halls without breaking out in sweat? If so, you may have what it takes to be the next
PA-TSA Ironman/woman. Test your skills during the state conference Ironman competition from 3-5 p.m.
on either Thursday or Friday afternoon in the indoor pool. There will be door prizes for all participants and
the middle and high school winners will take home a grand prize. Hope to see you there!
NASCAR RELAY EVENT
MATHI TAMILMANI
Hello PA-TSA!! As you are hopefully aware of, the state conference is quickly approaching! While I am
sure you are hard at work on all of your events, please keep in mind some of the other opportunities that are
available to you this year.
As the state treasurer, I have been working with my fellow state officers to help create awareness and
funding for the American Cancer Society, TSA’s partner in the National Service Project. At your regional
conferences, you have probably seen advertisements and promotion for the ACS. Fortunately, our
involvement with the American Cancer Society continues to the state conference as well!
Due to the great success of last year’s NASCAR Relay, we will be continuing the same event at this year’s
state conference! It will be a NASCAR-themed race in which you and members of your chapter can race
against other PA-TSA members in a cardboard car. We will be providing the cardboard for the cars as well
as basic decorating materials. Feel free to bring any other decorating materials you would like to; the fastest
and most decorated cars get prizes! Check the PA-TSA website for more information on how your and your
chapter can participate in this event!
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected].
SPECIAL INTEREST SESSIONS
DAPHNE WEISS
Understanding parliamentary procedure is a skill with limitless applications. It’s not just used in Chapter
Team or at TSA business meetings, but also by organizations of absolutely every type. Because of that, we
will be offering two special interest sessions about parliamentary procedure at the State Conference. The
goal is to get you better acquainted with Robert’s Rules, no matter what your current experience level.
Never even picked up the book? That’s fine! State champion in Chapter Team? That’s perfectly alright too.
The first session will be geared towards beginners, and the second will get into more advanced topics. Both
will be casual and focused mainly on answering whatever questions you may have about parliamentary
procedure.
The beginner session will be held from 10-11:00 AM on Thursday in the Matterhorn Lounge. The advanced
session will take place right after that from 11:00-12:00. I hope to see everyone there! If you have any
questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected].
MINECRAFT TOURNAMENT
BETH BARBIS
Hey PA-TSA! For all you Minecraft fans, there will be a Hunger Games Minecraft Tournament on
Thursday and Friday of the State Conference. Three winners will be awarded prizes during each day. Please
keep in mind that you must have a valid Minecraft account and laptop with you to compete! We hope to see
you at Exhibit Hall for the tournament, and may the odds be ever in your favor!
If you would like more information or have any questions, please contact [email protected] or
[email protected].
FRIDAY NIGHT MIXER
MORGAN LEPRE
Is summer just too far away for you? Are you looking for a breezy get-a-way with palm trees, beach balls,
and limbo? If you answered yes, then the Friday Night Mixer is for you! On the last night at states, you’ll
have the chance to kick back and enjoy all the fun of the beach right inside of Seven Springs Resort! This
years mixer will definitely be a night to remember with many activities to participate in. We’ll have a blow
up obstacle course, a human foosball course, limbo, beach balls, music, and you’ll get to see some of your
very own state officers get pied in the face! You don’t want to miss this event, the first 50 people that show
up to the mixer will receive a hula-prize, and everyone will receive flower leis (while supplies last).
See you at the mixer!
GREEN COMMITTEE INFORMATION
BEN GRUNAUER & OLIVIA CROCKER
Hello PA-TSA! We here at the Green Committee are excited that the state conference is quickly
approaching, and we hope that you are too! At the conference, we will be hosting a resort-wide
recyclable scavenger hunt. Anyone can sign up in Stag Pass and forms teams of up to three people. The
actual "hunting" will take place on both Thursday and Friday, from 12 PM to 3 PM. Each person will be
given the clues to find recyclable items placed throughout the resort. Whoever finds the most objects in
the shortest time will win a prize (the Thursday and Friday groups will be separated, so there will be a
prize awarded on each day). We hope you can participate in this new event to win prizes, promote
teamwork, and increase environmental awareness.
See you at states!