NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATON

By-Laws

2011-12 Edition

Revised November 2010

 

ARTICLE I:  Organization

SECTION 1.
The name of this organization shall be the Northern California Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association, hereinafter known as NCHPA.

SECTION 2.
The NCHPA is a Charter of the National Horseshoe Pitchers’ Association of America, hereinafter known as NHPA.

SECTION 3.
The NCHPA shall have jurisdiction over all of the Northern area of the State of California except for Inyo and Mono counties.  The Southern limits of the NCHPA jurisdiction are the northern boundaries of San Luis Obispo, Kern and San Bernardino counties.

 

ARTICLE II:  Purpose
The Purpose of the NCHPA shall be to foster, develop and promote the sport of horseshoe pitching on all levels - local, state, regional and national - both as a recreational pastime and a competitive sport.

 

ARTICLE III:  Membership

SECTION 1.
Any reputable person that legally resides within the NCHPA boundaries may become a member upon payment of annual dues as designated in these Bylaws.

SECTION 2.
The annual dues for adult members are $10.00 plus NHPA dues.

SECTION 3.
The annual dues for junior members are $2.00 plus NHPA dues.

SECTION 4.
The dues for all past and present World Division Champions shall be paid by the NCHPA.

 

ARTICLE IV:  Executive Council (hereinafter E.C.)

SECTION 1.  Members
The E.C. shall be made up of the elected and appointed officers of the NCHPA.

SECTION 2.  Authority
a.       The E.C. shall have full power to conduct the business of the NCHPA between annual meetings provided such business is not contrary to the bylaws of the NHPA and NCHPA.                                                           

b.     The E.C. shall define and interpret these bylaws and its rulings shall be official unless overturned by the delegates assembled in meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) vote.                              

SECTION 3.  Meetings
a.       The E.C. shall meet at the call of the President or any three (3) members of same.

b.        A quorum of any meeting of the E.C. shall be four (4) members.

c.       The E.C. may conduct business by mail or telephone or e-mail when necessary.

 

ARTICLE V:  Officers
SECTION 1.
The officers of the NCHPA shall be:
a.      A  President

b.         A  First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth Vice-President

c.         A  Secretary-Treasurer

SECTION 2.  Duties of Officers
a.    The President shall:

1.       be the chief executive officer of the NCHPA.

2.       preside at all meetings of the NCHPA.

3.       approve warrants for payment by being the second required signature on all checks received from the Secretary-Treasurer for payment of all accounts.

4.       have the power to assign specific duties to all officers.

5.       appoint any committee, name its chair, change the make-up of the committee, fill  vacancies or discharge the committee as deemed necessary for the good of  NCHPA.

6.       be ex-officio a member of all committees.

7.       develop, revise and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) which are the business guides and statements of E.C. and committee duties, travel regulations and expense reimbursement procedures; these SOP’s shall be presented annually to the delegates.

 

8.       appoint the NCHPA statistician with E.C. approval.

 

b.    The Vice-Presidents shall:

1.       in their order, assume the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President.

2.       assist the President, when requested and assume any duties assigned their office.

c.       The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
1.       be custodian of all funds, property, records and all other NCHPA owned assets.

2.       keep records of all monies received and  disbursed.

3.       pay all bills for routine supplies and all other special purchases that have been approved by the E.C.

4.     annually prepare a detailed financial report for the past fiscal year and present to delegates at annual meeting

5.     submit required dues and reports the NHPA Secretary-Treasurer

 

6.     distribute membership cards as per NHPA

7.    keep minutes of all regular and special meetings and distribute to all clubs within 15 days of said meetings.

SECTION 3.  Compensation and Allowances
a.       The NCHPA President shall receive annual compensation of $200.00

b.       The NCHPA Vice-Presidents shall receive annual compensation of $100.00 each

c.       The NCHPA Secretary-Treasurer shall receive annual compensation of $1.25 per member

d.       The NCHPA Statistician shall receive annual compensation of $.25 per player per tournament

SECTION 4.  Eligibility of Officers
a.       All officers shall be NHPA/NCHPA adult members in good standing

SECTION 5.  Candidates for office
a.       Candidates for office may announce their candidacy to the NCHPA President or be nominated at the annual meeting.

b.       Nominees must be willing to serve, be present when nominated or have signified in writing that the nomination is accepted.

SECTION 6.  Terms of office
a.       All officers shall serve a two-year term.

b.       The President, the 2nd, 4th and 5th Vice-Presidents shall be elected in even numbered years.

c.       The Secretary-Treasurer and the 1st and 3rd Vice-Presidents shall be elected in odd numbered years.

d.       The newly elected officers shall take office on January 1st of the year following their election.

SECTION 7.  Removal from office
a.       Any officer may be removed from office upon failure to perform the duties of the office or for any reason that brings discredit to the NHPA/NCHPA.  Removal from office shall be by majority vote of the remaining members of the E.C.

SECTION 8.  Vacancies in office
a.       Any vacancies in office except that of President 
shall   be filled within 30 days by the President with the majority approval of the E.C.

 SECTION 9.  Records and Property
a.       During the last 30 days of their term, all outgoing officers and committee chairs shall deliver to their successors in office all property and records of the NCHPA in their possession.

 

ARTICLE VI:  Charter Clubs                    (here in after known as clubs)

SECTION 1.
Clubs shall be organized under the NCHPA and shall be known as (chosen name) division of the NCHPA.

SECTION 2.
Any club may apply for a Charter by sending an application to the Secretary-Treasurer.  The application must include current dues and names addresses and phone numbers of ten members.  It must also provide the names, etc. of 3 Club officers consisting of a President, Vice-President and Secretary-Treasurer.

SECTION 3.
New Clubs can be granted only upon approval of the E.C.

SECTION 4.
All Clubs must maintain six current NHPA/NCHPA members or have that Club subject to revocation.

SECTION 5.
All Clubs must hold a minimum of 1 NHPA sanctioned tournament yearly.  Clubs without home courts shall arrange to use the courts of another Club.

SECTION 6.
All Clubs must appoint a current NHPA/NCHPA member as a Contact Person.  Their name, address, e-mail and phone number will be printed on the NCHPA Tournament Schedule and they will be the liaison for their Club with all other Clubs and the E.C.

SECTION 7.
All Club officers must be current NHPA/NCHPA  members
All Clubs must subscribe to the NHPA magazine.

SECTION 8.
Only adult members in each Club, in possession of a current NHPA/NCHPA card, are eligible to vote on any matter pertaining to the election of officers, sanctioned tournaments or anything else that may directly or indirectly involve NHPA/NCHPA business, bylaws or official playing rules.

SECTION 9.Requests for NHPA sanctioned tournaments must be submitted in writing to the appropriate NCHPA Vice-President by the date specified.

SECTION 10.
All NCHPA members who wish to enter NHPA sanctioned tournaments within the NCHPA boundaries must also  be a member of a NCHPA Club.

SECTION 11.
A Club shall be entitled to voting delegates at the annual meeting based upon the current year’s NHPA/NCHPA adult membership as of October 1st, as follows:

                                  6  -  20  members    1 delegate
                                21 -   40  members    2 delegates
                                41 -   60  members    3 delegates
                                61 -   80  members    4 delegates
                                81 - 100  members    5 delegates
Further expansion of the above will continue in increments of 1 additional delegate for each additional 20 members.

 

ARTICLE VII:  Delegate Meetings
SECTION 1.  Annual Meeting
The annual meeting is the meeting where the business of the organization is undertaken and elections for officers are held.  The location and time frame of the meeting shall be recommended by the E.C. and approved by the delegates at the annual meeting one year in advance.

SECTION 2.  Delegates
a.      The delegate body shall be made up as noted in Article VI SECTION 11.

b.        Delegates are chosen in a manner decided by their Club officers.

c.       All delegates must be current NHPA/NCHPA adult members.

SECTION 3.   Voting
a.       The President may decide on the method of voting except that there shall be no voting by mail, e-mail or phone.

b.       Each Club is allowed to vote its maximum delegate votes based on the current year’s adult membership as of October 1st

c.       Clubs with no appointed delegates seated have no vote.

d.      The President shall appoint a committee of no more than three (3) to act as tellers who shall count the votes immediately.

e.      The NCHPA elected officers shall be allowed to speak on all issues but may not vote unless seated as delegates.

SECTION 4.   Awards
An awards banquet shall be held either on the evening of the annual meeting or the evening of the NCHPA Championship Tournament and shall be run by the host Club with the cooperation of the E.C.  The proposed plans and a cost estimate must be submitted to the E.C. at least 60 days prior to the event.

SECTION 5.  Special  Meetings
a.       The President may call a special business/delegate meeting when approved by the majority of the E.C.

b.       All Clubs must be notified of a special meeting in writing at least thirty days prior to the meeting and must be given the reason for the meeting.

c.      Only the business specified may be discussed.

SECTION 6.   Quorum
A quorum for any meeting shall be at least 51% of the total number of authorized delegate votes.

SECTION 7.   Amendments/Revisions
All bylaw amendments or revisions that are passed at the annual meeting shall become effective on January 1st of the following year.

 

ARTICLE VIII:  Special Tournaments
SECTION 1.  NCHPA  Championships
a.       This shall be a one or two-day tournament, depending on the number of entries.

b.       There shall be 6 divisions offered consisting of: Men, Senior Men, Women, Senior Women, Elders and Juniors. The E.C. reserves the right to cancel any division based on insufficient entries.

c.       All entry fees plus added monies shall be paid out in prize money.

d.       Special awards shall be presented to 1st and 2nd place in each group.

e.       The E.C. shall determine the entry closing date,
format, entry fee and any other pertinent details of the tournament.                                              

f.         Entry in said tournament is restricted solely to NHPA/NCHPA current members who have pitched in a minimum of three (3) NCHPA sanctioned tournaments (Juniors and Cadet entrants need a minimum of one (1) NCHPA sanctioned tournament) prior to the eligibility closing date set by the E.C. New NCHPA pitchers joining after August 1st need only one (1) tournament.

g.       Information regarding this tournament shall be in the NCHPA tournament schedule, an advance flyer in the newsletter and on the NCHPA website

SECTION 2:   Team Tournament

a.       This will be a 2-day event with the top 8 teams advancing to the 2nd day finals.

b.       Teams may be mixed and must have 4 players. Each team may register one alternate player to be used in case of injury to an original player.

c.        All players must be NCHPA members and be a member or associate member of the club they represent.

d.       All team members must wear appropriate shirts of the club they represent.

e.       Tournament play will consist of 7 – 30 shoe count-all games at 80% handicap for qualifying rounds. The finals will be 7–40 shoe count-all games at 80% handicap. The finals will have 20 bonus points for each player win plus 40 bonus points to teams winning 3 or more games in a single round.

f.         Prize money will be determined by number of entries.

g.       The E.C. shall determine the entry closing date and other pertinent details of the tournament, which shall be listed in a flyer, the newsletter and/or the website.

SECTION 3:  State Championships
a.       The NCHPA shall “HOST” the State Championships every other year, alternating with the  “Southern California Horseshoe Pitcher’s Association”.

b.       The “HOST” NCHPA Club shall be selected at the annual meeting two years in advance.

c.       The E.C. must prepare an application package and distribute same at the State Championships one year in advance.

d.       All costs for the State Championships when hosted by the NCHPA shall be borne by the membership/treasury.

 


ARTICLE IX:  Amendments
These bylaws may be amended as follows:

1.       At any annual meeting held in even numbered years by a 2/3’s vote.

2.       An emergency amendment may be considered at any annual meeting if consent is given by a ¾’s vote for it’s consideration and provided it arises out of the business of the annual meeting.

3.       Amendments must be in the hands of the bylaws chairperson no later than 60 days prior to the annual meeting to be considered.

4.       The E.C. and the Club presidents must have copies of all proposed amendments to be considered no later than 30 days prior to the annual meeting.

ARTICLE X:  Dissolution 
In the event of the dissolution of the NCHPA, all money held in the NCHPA treasury, after all outstanding debts are paid, shall be divided on a pro-rata basis to all current NCHPA Clubs.  All NCHPA property shall be sold and the proceeds divided on the same basis.

ARTICLE XI:  NHPA Bylaws
NCHPA bylaws automatically include all applicable NHPA bylaws and Official Playing Rules and changes  thereto.
(See NHPA Bylaws ARTICLE VII)

 

              STANDING RULES

 

Standing rules are for the guidance of the E.C. and the NCHPA.  They may be adopted, changed or suspended by majority vote of seated delegates at any meeting without notice.  The E.C. may adopt, change or suspend a standing rule between annual meetings but any action must be ratified at the next annual meeting for it to continue.    

 

STANDING RULES TAKE EFFECT IMMEDIATELY

1.  The Secretary-Treasurer shall be bonded. The E.C. shall determine the bond amount and the cost shall be paid by the NCHPA.

2.  The E.C., by majority vote, may authorize the purchase/production and distribution of literature and promotional items they deem suitable for the advancement and goodwill of the sport & the NCHPA.


3.  Candidates for Regional Director shall be recommended and approved by a majority vote of the E.C.  The Regional Director shall recommend any assistants to the E.C. for approval.  They must follow all NHPA Regional Director guidelines.

4. The President shall appoint the NHPA delegate chairperson and the NCHPA shall compensate said chair in the amount of $100.00.

5.   Scorekeepers must be paid a minimum of $.50, for the benefit of each contestant, including Jrs. & pacers for each game in every sanctioned tournament

6.   Host Clubs shall forward $2.00 of each tournament entry fee to the NCHPA Secretary-Treasurer.

7.   A minimum of $1.00 of each tournament entry fee collected by the NCHPA must be set aside to be used as follows: $.50 to cover the expenses of the “STATE” tournament when hosted by the NCHPA and $.50 to cover the expenses of the NCHPA Championships. Any excess funds after expenses are covered shall be added to the prize fund of the respective tourney.

8.   Tournament directors cannot re-rate a pitcher except up-wards and then only with the consent of the pitcher

9.   The NCHPA tournament schedule shall designate general details pertaining to each tournament.  Flyers, the NCHPA website and/or the NCHPA newsletter must be used to elaborate on any special details of tournaments.

10.   Any changes to the printed tournament schedule must be submitted to the E.C. for approval.  Proposed dates for tournaments needing to be re-scheduled must also be submitted to the E.C. a minimum of 30 days in advance of said date.

11.   The NCHPA will provide, at no cost to Clubs, plaques to be given as awards in sanctioned tournaments.

12.   Minimum tournament prize money shall be double the entry fee for 1st place and equal the entry fee for 2nd place in each class.

13.   No alcohol is allowed on the courts during sanctioned tournaments.

14.  The NCHPA shall receive 100% of entry fees and shall assume all the tournament expenses for NCHPA sponsored tournaments. (State, Team, NCHPA Championships)

15.   Each NCHPA club shall provide 2 prizes for the raffle at the annual Awards Banquet with a minimum value of $10.00 each.

 

16.   Each NCHPA club shall provide $25.00 to the State Tournament raffle director when the NCHPA hosts the State Tournament. The raffle director shall purchase appropriate items for the raffle.

 

17.  Any sanctioned tournament that is not open to all Northern California pitchers shall not be allowed to count towards the “Northern California awards.”

 

18.          NCHPA Year End Awards

a.      Awards is restricted solely to NHPA/NCHPA current members 

b.   NHPA/NCHPA current members shall get awarded credit/points from all NCHPA/NHPA sanctioned tournaments that is open to all NORTHERN CALIFORNIA pitchers for that season.  (exception: NCHPA All Jr. Only tournaments shall apply)  

c.       The E.C. shall determine the awards and other pertinent details prior to the season starting date.

d.      The dates for the season along w/ information regarding the awards shall be posted on the NCHPA Website prior to the season starting date and applied to the membership package.