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Gulf Coast APA Pool League
Bylaws
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Weekly Fees
2. Scoresheets
3. Bonus Points
4. Dropping & Adding Teams
5. Splitting Matches
6. Holiday
7. Rescheduling
8. Forfeits & Official Start Times
9. Playoffs
10. Most Valuable Players
11. Ghosting of Matches
12. Local Team Championship
13. Awards
14. Travel Packages
* These By-Laws have been read and approved by the American Poolplayers Association.
The Local By-Laws are a secondary source of information created in accordance with and in addition to the Official Team Manual. Our Team Manual will be your primary source of information, and all rules in the Team Manual will be followed, with the exception to the revisions listed below. All revisions and rules may be overridden, if needed, at the league operator’s discretion.
League Office:
Gulf Coast APA League Operators Kelly Champion can be reached at 251-379-6350. There is a 24-hour answering machine, so please leave a message and your call will be returned.
1. WEEKLY FEES
• Weekly fees are currently $35.00 per team, per night of play.
• Checks must be made out to the GULF COAST APA.
• Only checks or money orders from team members or bar owners will be accepted. Do not send checks or money orders from non-members (or bar owners) or your team will lose its bonus points.
• A service charge of $10.00 will be imposed for each returned check. Checks will not be re-deposited.
• Teams will not receive a bonus point for the week or weeks involved until recovery of said check(s). Once a bad check has been received from an individual, the league office reserves the right to refuse that individual’s check in the future.
• Credits are not transferable from one session to the next. Any credits not used by the end of the session (including playoffs) will not be refunded.
2. SCORESHEETS
• Both team captains should ask if there are any changes on the scoresheet before play begins.
• LOST SCORESHEET AND/OR PACKET:
?? In the event your scoresheet (and/or envelope) is lost, please copy your opponent’s scoresheet before league play begins and score the matches on your copy during play.
?? Note: Even though your packet may be lost, you are still required to turn in a scoresheet with the proper amount of league fees (including weekly dues and membership fees with completed applications)
?? When you return these, provide a note explaining that your scoresheet has been lost.
3. BONUS POINTS
• A bonus point will be awarded to all teams who turn their envelopes in on time, with the correct amount of league fees (including weekly dues and membership fees with completed applications)
• A second bonus point will be awarded if your scoresheet is legible, neat, properly and completely filled out. Any missing information such as matching inning totals, safeties, player names, player numbers, team numbers, etc. can cause the loss of bonus points at the League Operator’s discretion.
4. DROPPING & ADDING TEAMS
• In the event a team drops out in the first 4 weeks of play, the league office will try to find a replacement and a rematch will be scheduled between the team(s) that would have played the team that dropped out.
• In the event 2 teams are dropped from a division, please be aware of schedule changes. These circumstances are beyond the control of the league office. Please hold your complaints. This is a situation with which we must all live.
• In a case where a team drops out and a BYE results, only 3 points will be given plus 2 bonus pts.
• If a team registers for a session and then fails to start or complete that session, each player on that team will be proportionately responsible for the league fees associated with that team for the remainder of the session. For example, if an 8 man team stops playing with 8 weeks to go in the session, each member of that team will be responsible to pay the league $35.00 before they will be given credit for further playing in the league.
5. SPLITTING MATCHES
• There are players who cannot stay out as late as some others; therefore, if the teams are not in the 4th match at the 2 1/2-hour mark, the matches must be split at the request of either team.
• If another table is available, the teams are not in the 4th match at the 2 1/2-hour mark, one team has requested that the match be split, and the other team refuses to split the match, the result is a forfeit of the fourth match by the refusing team and loss of 1 bonus point. When the 3rd match is over, the team requesting to split matches must write, “REFUSED TO SPLIT THE MATCHES” in the 4th match area on the scoresheet. The team requesting to split the matches then must write one of their player’s names in the 4th match area. This player must be present and comply with the 23 rule.
6. HOLIDAY
Since we are on a national schedule, you may be required to play on some holidays (Memorial Day, Labor Day, Halloween, etc.) Teams will be allowed to reschedule depending upon the week of play involved (See the Rescheduling section of the By-Laws)
7. RESCHEDULING
• There will be NO RESCHEDULING the last 2 weeks of the league session or during the playoffs. The only way to reschedule the last 2 weeks of the league session is to play them in advance.
• Captains can, with the League Operator’s approval, reschedule a match if agreed to by BOTH team captains. BOTH team captains must notify the League Office 48 hours (2 days) in advance of a re-schedule. Should a rescheduled game be necessary after the 7th week of play, it must be played within 10 DAYS or the teams will not receive bonus points for that week.
• IF YOU ARE THE TEAM ASKING FOR A RESCHEDULE → YOU MUST GO TO THE OPPOSING TEAM’S HOST LOCATION TO PLAY IF ASKED.
8. FORFEITS & OFFICIAL START TIMES
• 1st, 2nd, and 3rd weeks:
?? The official start time is 7:30 p.m.
?? Tardy teams are given a grace period of 30 minutes after the official start time. If a team fails to have player present to begin play at the end of the grace period, the absent team forfeits to their opponent.
• All other regular session play and playoffs:
?? Tardy teams are given a grace period of 15 minutes after the official start time. If a team fails to have a player present to begin play at the end of the grace period, the absent team forfeits to their opponent.
?? A team will receive only 3 points for a match when the other team does not show up, plus 2 bonus points if the bonus point rule is followed.
?? A team will not receive more than 3 points by forfeit on any match.
Example:
If the opposing team shows up with only one player, your team could conceivably win the first match and take 3 points by forfeit, plus 2 bonus points, for a total of 6 points. If the opposing team shows up with two players, you could conceivably win the first two matches and take 3 points by forfeit, plus 2 bonus points for a total of 7 points. The key word here is "FORFEIT." There will be no more than 3 forfeits counted on a scoresheet. A forfeit does not count as a match played.
9.PLAYOFFS
• In each division, the top three teams and a wildcard will complete in that division's Regular Playoffs.
• Due to the time frame of the playoffs, there will be no reschedules and no protests allowed.
• It is not the responsibility of the APA League to provide referees or representatives at playoff matches.
• Teams involved in the playoffs that do not turn their envelopes in on time are subject to be disqualified from advancing, at the League Operator's discretion. Any team that does not turn in final round scoresheets is subject to disqualification from division title, at the League Operator's discretion. The championship will be defaulted to the runner up. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!
• Regular Playoff Bracket:
1st Place vs Wild Card
2nd Place vs 3rd Place
Winners play for Playoff Title
• Timeouts (playoffs and higher level play)
?? During playoffs and higher-level play, only 1 timeout per game is allowed for every player, regardless of his or her skill level.
10. MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS (MVP)
The Top Shooter in each skill level bracket (2-3, 4-5, 6-7) in each division will receive a plaque and Cue. If a player plays at least half of his/her matches that session in a skill level bracket and then moves up to the next bracket, that player will win the award in the lower skill level bracket. Once a player has won in a skill level bracket, he/she will not be eligible to win Top Shooter in a lower skill level bracket.
11. "GHOSTING" OF MATCHES
Teams found guilty of "Ghosting" matches (entering matches on the scoresheet that were not actually played) will receive 0 points for that week and the team captain could be suspended from the League for a period of no less than 30 days. Don't let your opponent talk you into cheating!!!
• Each session two teams per division will be qualified. To become a qualified team, you must win your division with the highest points for the session, win the session ending playoffs, finish 2nd behind a qualified team during the regular season, or finish directly behind a qualified team in the playoffs.
• If a Division Winner does not return the following session, they will not be eligible to participate in the LTC. The Runner-Up team in the playoffs will be invited instead.
• Once a team has qualified to participate in the LTC, that team must place in the top half of the division in the following sessions to retain their eligibility. If a team does not place in the top half of the division during the following sessions, that team risks losing their eligibility for the LTC (at the League Operator's discretion). That team must then re-qualify in order to participate in the LTC.
• If for any reason the League Operator needs to fill the tournament with a wild card team or teams, your team must have played the Fall and Spring session of the current league year to be eligible for the wild card draw,
13. AWARDS
Trophies will be awarded to division winner and playoff winner each session. If the same team wins the division and the playoffs, that team will receive only one larger trophy.
14. TRAVEL PACKAGE
• Each team advancing to the National Team Competition in Las Vegas, Nevada will receive a standard Travel Package.
• Any team who advances to the National Team Competition but elects not to attend will forfeit their Travel Package to their Runner-Up. Airline tickets are non-transferrable. If a team member is unable to attend, that ticket is forfeited.
• Example of Travel Package:
2011 Travel Packages
Open 8-Ball ⇒ Round trip airfare for each member of the team and 3 rooms per team for 5 nights.
Open 9-Ball ⇒ Round trip airfare for each member of the team and 3 rooms per team for 4 nights
NOTE: Teams will only receive 1 round-trip ticket per player, and this Travel Package is not redeemable for cash and is non-transferrable.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THESE BY-LAWS. WE HOPE THEY HELP WITH THE SESSION YOU ARE BEGINNING. IF YOU HAVE READ YOUR OFFICIAL TEAM MANUAL AND THE BY-LAWS AND USE COMMON SENSE, WE KNOW YOU WILL HAVE AN ENJOYABLE TIME PLAYING. REMEMBER, EVERY SITUATION MAY NOT BE ADDRESSED IN THE BY-LAWS; THIS IS WHERE COMMON SENSE COMES IN. AS THE NEED ARISES, WE WILL ADD TO OR MODIFY THESE BY-LAWS WHEN APPROPRIATE.
GOOD LUCK, GOOD ROLLS, AND HAVE FUN!!!!