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ARTICLE I: MEMBERSHIP DUES

1 DUES:

Annual membership dues for the NYSHPA are $27.00. The annual dues include membership in the NHPA ($17.00) and membership in the NYSHPA ($10.00). It also includes NHPA Liability Insurance and the state newsletter “the Mud”. Membership dues are payable and due January 1, or upon joining, and last until December 31 of the current year.

2 NEWSLETTER:

For the purpose of keeping the Association membership better informed, a newsletter will be published 3 to 4 times a year and mailed to each member.

ARTICLE II: OFFICERS/COMMITTEES/APPOINTMENTS

1 TERMS OF OFFICE:

For the purpose of conducting the business of the Association, the following officers shall be elected, and the duration of his/her office denoted as follows:

a. President - two years, to be elected in even years;

b. First Vice President - two years, to be elected in even years;

c. Second Vice President - two years, to be elected in odd years;

d. Secretary-Treasurer - two years, to be elected in odd years;

2 DUTIES:

(A) PRESIDENT:

The President shall conduct the Spring and State meetings. He/she shall be responsible for the selection of the site for holding the Spring meeting. He/she shall be responsible for the proper handling of Association funds, as well as, an annual audit of the books. He/she shall assist the Tournament Director in the selection of sites for Association sponsored tournaments, direct the Secretary in keeping accurate minutes of the meetings of the Association, or committees appointed by him/her, and delegate his/her responsibilities wisely whenever he/she is unable to attend such meetings. Also, the office of President will receive a stipend of $100 per year. In the event of death, resignation or the removal of any officer or committee person, the President is empowered to make appointments to fill unexpired terms.

(B) VICE PRESIDENTS:

The Vice Presidents shall act in all matters in the absence of the President and shall work closely with the President in delegating advisable responsibilities for the good of the Association. Should the office of the president become vacant, the 1st vice president shall fill the office of president for the remaining portion of the term.

(C)SECRETARY-TREASURER:

The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for keeping accurate records of the annual meeting and all meetings of special committees. He/she shall answer all correspondence directed to the Association or officers, when directed to do so, and shall further handle all moneys of the Association. He/she shall make all necessary reports to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION. Each May, the Secretary-Treasurer will mail each member of the NYSHPA a copy of an addendum to the Bylaws, a list of the current officers, committees and their members, a ballot to vote for candidates running for office, a list of New York State tournaments, an application to the New York State Championship Tournament and any other correspondence the President may wish to include. Members joining after May 1st will receive these items at the time they join. The Secretary shall receive an annual stipend of $100.00 plus 50 cents per member in the carrying out of duties.

(D) EXECUTIVE COUNCIL:

a) The Executive Council shall be made up of the officers of the NYSHPA.

b) The Executive Council shall have full power to conduct the business of the NYSHPA between annual meetings provided such business is not contrary to the bylaws of the NYSHPA.

c) The Executive Council shall define and interpret these bylaws.

3 STANDING COMMITTEES/APPOINTMENTS:

a) The Standing Committees of the NYSHPA shall be: Bylaws; Hall of Fame; and Election.

b) Appointments: The President shall make the following appointments: Analyst, Youth Director and state newsletter editor. The Tournament Director shall be appointed by the President if not appointed by the Host Club.

(A) TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR:

The Tournament Director shall be responsible each year for conducting at least one statewide tournament for the purpose of selecting a champion in each class sanctioned by the Association, with preference being given to the Championship Class in case of inclement weather or unforeseen complications. He/she shall conduct all sanctioned tournaments in strict compliance with the regulations set forth in the By-laws. He/she will be appointed by the host club. If this is not possible, the Tournament Director will be appointed by the President of the Association. He/she will be empowered to appoint two assistants to aid in conducting the State Tournament. He/she will receive a stipend of $100 after fulfillment of State Tournament obligations.

(B) ANALYST:

The Analyst, appointed by the President, with the approval of the election committee, shall be responsible for producing a listing of members' pitching averages, computer generated if possible, that are received from the tournament directors throughout the State. This listing will be used by the Tournament Director of the State Tournament to seed the pitchers in the tournament. The Analyst shall perform any other analysis or data processing duties as directed by the President or other Officers of the Association. He/she shall receive an annual stipend of $100.

It shall be the responsibility of the Bylaws committee to verify that the revisions to the Bylaws are complete and accurate.

(D) NEWSLETTER EDITOR

The Editor of the state newsletter shall be appointed by the President and shall receive an annual stipend of $100.00.

4 ELECTION FORMAT:

The election format will be as follows:

a. All members desiring to run for office must notify the chairman of elections by March 31.

b. Each member must submit a short resume and their platform.

c. The chairman of elections will send the ballots, resumes and platforms to each member by May 1. Ballots should be marked and returned by Aug. 1, with the member’s NHPA card number in the area of the return address on the envelope. This will allow the Election Committee Chairperson to verify the unopened ballot as an unduplicated vote from a current member.

d. Ballots will be opened and counted at the State Tournament. This will be done by the Election Committee.

e. If a candidate is running for election or re-election without any opposition, ballots will not be mailed. Instead, one ballot will be cast for each officer. This will be done at the State Tournament by a designated officer or person.

f. In the event that no candidate comes forth, by the cut off date, the President will survey the membership and make an appointment to fill the post.

5 NEWLY ELECTED OFFICERS:

The newly elected officers will take office at the completion of the State Tournament. Within two (2) weeks after the tournament, all outgoing officers shall turn over to their successors, all records and property of the NYSHPA which are in their possession. They will be liable for all missing property.

ARTICLE III: SPRING MEETING

1 LOCATION:

The President shall call a spring meeting to be held in a place of his/her choice for the purpose of conducting Association business. The Spring meeting will be held after April 1st.

2 NOTIFICATION OF MEMBERS:

Members as of December 31 of the previous year are to be notified of the time and place of the Spring Meeting, as early as possible prior to the meeting, by the Secretary. Also, new members who have paid their dues prior to this meeting should be notified.

3 CLUB DELEGATES:

Before March 1, the Secretary is to receive from each club the names of their elected delegates and the names and addresses and NHPA/State members from the previous year. The delegates from the various clubs who attend this Spring Meeting are empowered to vote on issues as there will be no voting at the State Tournament.

4 DELEGATE VOTING:

For voting purposes the delegates shall be credited with One(1) vote for every registered member (NHPA/State card holder) of their club. Voting on all issues must take place at the Spring Meeting.

5 INDEPENDENT MEMBERS:

Independent members attending the Spring Meeting can act as delegates for other independent members unable to attend the Spring Meeting. Such independent delegates shall have written permission from each NYSHPA unaffiliated member they represent to act in such a manner, and shall notify the State Secretary by March 1st of the number and names of the independent members he/she will be representing.

6 VOTERS:

Only the votes of the delegates and independents will be counted at the Spring Meeting.

7 OTHER VOTING:

All delegates shall have the power to vote on anything that arises at the Spring Meeting that should improve the game of horseshoes in the State of New York. This does not preclude the written motions which are to be submitted to the Secretary-Treasurer by Dec. 31.

8 MOTIONS:

Motions will pass on the majority of club delegates and independent votes. Any proposals to amend the Constitution and By/Laws must be submitted, in writing, to the Secretary by December 31. All Constitution and by-laws' motions voted on and passed by the delegates at the Spring Meeting, shall become effective at the conclusion of the State Meeting, except for those passed motions that contain provisions for them to become effective at a specified date.

9 ORDER OF BUSINESS:

Business of such meeting is to be conducted in the following sequence:

a. Call to order by the President; b. Announcements; c. Reading of previous; meeting minutes; d. Treasurer's report; e. Old Business; f. Committee Reports; g. New business; h. Motion for adjournment

10 QUORUM:

Eight (8) delegates shall be considered a quorum to conduct Association business at the Spring Meeting. An independent member representing other independent, unaffiliated members, as described in Article III, Section 5, shall be considered a delegate and shall be included as part of the quorum.

11 DESIGNATION OF HOST CLUB:

If at the close of the Spring Meeting, no club agrees to host the State Tournament, the President will designate a Host Club. The Host Club will conduct the Tournament at it's convenience no later than December 31st of that year. The Host Club will appoint a Tournament Director for a period of one year, if this is not possible, the Tournament Director will be appointed by the President of the NYSHPA.

12 WORLD TOURNAMENT DELEGATES:

The Chairman for World Tournament Delegates should be picked at the annual spring meeting. Delegates should also be picked at this time also, if possible.

ARTICLE IV: STATE MEETING

1 LOCATION:

The state meeting will be held at the State Tournament. All courts are to be closed while this meeting is in session.

2 ORDER OF BUSINESS:

Business of such meeting is to be conducted in the following sequence:

a. Call to order by the President

b. Reading and acceptance of Spring meeting minutes

c. Treasurer's report

d. Discussion of old business

e. Tournament Site for next year

f. Introduction of new business

g. For the good of the Association (limit 5 minutes)

h. Announcement of incoming Officers

i. Motion for adjournment

ARTICLE V: STATE TOURNAMENT

1 PLAYING RULES:

The playing rules shall be governed by the "Official Rules for Horseshoe Pitching" of the National Horseshoe Pitchers Association. NHPA members are allowed to pitch in only one state tournament in any given year. (NHPA Bylaws, Article 7, Section 10). The Tournament Director shall post the State Tournament rules and regulations in a conspicuous place near the tournament registration desk. The tournament director shall appoint a committee of three or more persons to enforce the rules of the State Tournament.

2 FORMAT:

The format will be at the discretion of the Tournament Director, except where otherwise stated in these by-laws.

3 MODE OF DRESS:

All contestants will wear a shirt imprinted on the back with his/her name and city or town of residence.

4 QUALIFYING:

All applications for NHPA cards must be sent to the State Secretary by the applicant. Members must have their cards by August 1st, or they cannot pitch in the State Tournament. All sanctioned tournament and league directors shall forward the ringer percentages of all participants of all sanctioned tournaments and leagues to the Analyst in order to be used as a basis for class placement in the subsequent State Tournament. The pitcher must have participated in a minimum of two sanctioned events (sanctioned leagues of 400 shoes or more or sanctioned tournaments) between August 1 and July 31. The high three sanctioned events will be averaged except in the case that only two events are available. When only two events are available, they will be averaged. Everyone must pitch in two sanctioned events.

If a member cannot qualify for the State Tournament because of sickness or injury, the member may qualify by pitching 200 shoes, provided written evidence of said injury or sickness is submitted to the Tournament Director one (1) month prior to the application deadline for the State Tournament. The member must qualify in the presence of a State Officer, or if this is not possible, in the presence of a member appointed by the President. The qualifying scorecard signed by the witnessing Officer or member, must be sent to the Tournament Director by the witnessing Officer or member, as soon as possible. If, after review of the medical evidence and scorecard, the Tournament Director approves, he/she will seed the member accordingly. If the Tournament Director disapproves, he/she will notify the member of the reason(s) for his/her disapproval. The member may appeal to NYSHPA President. The President and Executive Council will review the circumstances and their decision is final. The appeal process shall be completed by the August 1 deadline. Juniors, who are members and also legal residents shall be allowed to pitch in the State Tournament. Juniors may qualify by pitching in one sanctioned event or by pitching 100 shoes in the presence of a State Officer or the President’s designee.

5 APPLICATION:

The application to the New York State Horseshoe Pitching Championship shall include, but not be limited to the following:

a. name; b. address; c. NHPA card number; d. division of participation; e. fee; f. dress code reminder; g. team event reminder; h. waiver of liability; i. Date of Birth for classes where age requirements exist.

6 REPORTING TIMES:

The deadline for entries shall be one month prior to the Tournament or as indicated on the state tournament application, whichever is earlier. After that the Tournament Director will create a pitching schedule and each contestant will be notified as to the time his/her class will play. Each contestant shall report to the Tournament Director one hour prior to his/her actual scheduled pitching time, and to be available to pitch if it is determined his/her class could start earlier. Failure to do so could disqualify him/her.

7 PITCHING FEES:

The pitching fee for all adult classes shall be $27.00. The Junior pitching fee shall be $2.50. These pitching fees are payable to the Tournament Director and due at the application deadline. The eight men and eight women that move into their respective Championship Class shall pay an additional fee of $25.00. The stated pitching fees do not include a scorekeepers fee of $1.00 per person per game and a $1.00 per shift fee for judges and statisticians. Pitchers will pay the $1.00 score keeping fee before each game begins. The Tournament Director will collect the $1.00 fee for judges and statisticians before the class/shift pitching begins. Juniors must also pay both fees. Pacers are exempt from all fees & stats.

8 CHAMPIONSHIP MEN:

The Men’s Championship Class shall consist of the top eight percentage contestants using the results from the men’s classes ‘A’ through ‘E’. The Men’s Championship Class shall pitch on Sunday to determine the New York State Men's Champion.

9 CHAMPIONSHIP WOMEN:

The Women’s Championship Class shall consist of the top eight percentage contestants using the results from the women’s classes ‘A’ & ‘B’. The Women’s Championship Class shall pitch on Sunday to determine the New York State Women's Champion.

10 TYPE OF PLAY:

Type of play for Championship Classes: Men, Women, Seniors, Elders and Juniors shall be 40 point cancellation.

11.CHAMPIONSHIP CLASS WITHDRAWAL

In the event that a seated player in a championship class must withdraw before the start of the tournament, the next highest available percentage player will automatically be moved up to fill the vacated spot.

12 OTHER CLASSES:

The Tournament Director shall set the number of contestants in each class, with eight contestants in the open men’s classes ‘A’ through ‘E’ and the women’s classes ‘A’ and ‘B’. Any such class champions shall be the official NEW YORK STATE CLASS CHAMPIONS in their respective classes. Extra days may be added if needed so that the tournament can be run during reasonable hours. A 30 point or 40 shoe game format shall be used for all classes other than the championship classes. The top 5 men’s classes (‘A’ through ‘E’) and the top 2 women’s classes (‘A’ & ‘B’) shall be pitched on Friday or Saturday.

13 TIES:

Play-off games will be used to break ties for 1st place. Ringer percentages will break other ties. Ties for 1st place in championship classes shall be decided by a 40 point game. Ties for first place in all other classes will be decided by a game with the format decided by the Tournament Director prior to the start of the tournament. The game shall consist of at least 20 shoes, but not to exceed 30 points. The format will be conspicuously posted.

14 SENIORS:

There shall be a class for Senior Citizens if there are four or more participants. Players are Seniors if they are 60 years or older at the start of the Tournament, or if they reach their 60th birthday during the course of the Tournament.

15 ELDERS:

There shall be a class for Elder Men. Participants are Elders if they are 70 years old prior to the start of the Tournament. The Elders shall be a 30’ class and may include any age man with a verified physical handicap that prevents pitching from 40’.

16 JUNIORS:

There shall be a class for Junior Boys and Junior Girls if there are four or more participants in each class. If either the Junior Boys or Junior Girls classes have less than four participants, the classes will be combined to form a Junior Class. However, there will be a champion crowned for each category, (Jr. Boy and Jr. Girl) based upon the results of the competition.

17 PRIZE MONEY AND TROPHIES:

The Championship Men’s and Women’s Classes shall have the following prize money:

1st Place - $200.00; 2nd Place - $150.00; 3rd Place - $100.00; 4th Place - $75.00; 5th Place - $50.00; 6^th, 7^th, & 8^th Places - $25.00.

The balance of the prize money will be distributed evenly to all other classes. Prize money to be awarded is to be posted before the tournament begins. Juniors will receive 3 trophies per class. There shall be no restriction as to the number of trophies obtained and distributed by the Host Club on its own behalf. The Association is to give the money which was formerly allocated to sponsor the Junior boy’s and girl’s champions to the World Tournament to the Junior Scholarship Fund.

18 ASSOCIATION ASSISTANCE:

The Association will donate $4.00 for each adult entry entered in the State Tournament to the host club.

19 STATISTICS:

Statistics are the responsibility of the Tournament Director and the Analyst.

20 GROUNDS KEEPING:

The Host Club shall be responsible for maintaining pitching conditions consistent with the Official Rules and Regulations. Pitchers are responsible for preparing their courts prior to each game.

21 HOST CLUB REPORT:

The host club shall file with the State Secretary, ten days following the tournament, a complete report on the distribution of all prize money and trophies, and in the name of the Association, the Secretary shall send a letter of thanks to all "outside" donors of money and trophies.

22 EXHIBITIONS:

All exhibitions should be given or played after the State Tournament's regular scheduled day's play, unless scheduled by the Tournament Director prior to the start of the Tournament.

23 LIMITED NUMBER OF ENTRIES:

The number of entries for the State Tournament is limited by how many entries a club can accommodate on their courts. (Example: 11 courts -178 entries in 3 days; 12 courts - 206 entries in 3 days, etc.) Entries would be accepted according to post office post marks (first come - first served).

24 CLUB COMPETITION:

Effective 1990, 5 eligible members of the clubs throughout the state can participate in this competition. Points will be awarded to the respective clubs based on where their members finished during the regular tournament play. Points will be awarded as follows:

1st place finisher 5 points; second place - 4 points; 3rd place - 3 points; 4th place - 2 points; 5th place - 1 point.

The club that has the most points will win the competition. In case of ties, the clubs will be declared co-winners. A club representative must notify the Tournament Director that his club will participate in the competition. He must supply the Tournament Director with a list of names of his 5 members who will be participating in the competitions. These notifications must be made before the start of the State Tournament. Clubs which are short players, may use players from other clubs or players not affiliated with any club. A club traveling trophy will be awarded to the winning club. A plate will be affixed to the trophy indicating the name of the club and the year it won. The winning club will retain the trophy for one year and will be responsible for bringing it to the next State Tournament. In case of ties, the clubs involved will make arrangements between themselves to retain the trophy on an equal basis.

25 OTHER RECOGNITION:

a. Prominently post a list of last years divisional winners.

b. Announce last years tournament winner per division prior to the commencement of each division's play.

c. At the final meeting of the State Tournament, recognize last year's divisional champs, if they are present.

d. Provide final results of Tournament to Clubs for publication in local newspapers as requested.

e. Present signed certificates to division winners at the State Tournament.

ARTICLE VI: HALL OF FAME

1 RECOMMENDATIONS:

When recommending an individual for this honor the following guidelines are to be observed:

a. The recommendation should be signed by three members. These names should also be printed.

b. State whether the candidate is being recommended as a pitcher and/or promoter. Place this information in the upper right hand corner of the write-up sheet.

c. The appropriate recommendation form should be completed. It should include the achievements of the candidate.

d. The candidate must be or must have been a member of the State Association for at least five consecutive years.

e. The cutoff date for recommendations is December 31.

f. Candidates who are voted on and are not inducted in a given year will have to be re-submitted. Recommendations will not carry over from year to year.

2. ELECTION OF NEW HALL OF FAME MEMBERS:

a. There will be 20 members of the Hall of Fame Committee representing, as near as possible, all regions of the state.

b. One member will serve as chairman of the Hall of Fame Committee at the pleasure of the President of the NYSHPA.

c. The chairman will arrange to send copies of all Hall of Fame recommendations, along with a ballot, to all members of the committee.

d. The members shall vote yes or no on each of the candidates and return ballots to the chairman.

e. A separate meeting of available Hall of Fame committee members will take place at the site of the NYSHPA Spring Meeting at which time the sealed ballots shall be opened and counted. Candidates receiving 14 or more votes shall be elected to the Hall of Fame.

f. The chairman shall report the results to the entire group attending the Spring Meeting.

g. When the final results are available, the NYSHPA President, or his/her representative, shall notify the new inductee(s) in writing and advise them that the formal induction shall take place during the State Meeting at the site of the State Tournament.

3 CEREMONY:

The Hall of Fame Ceremony will be conducted in the following manner:

a. The President will open the ceremony.

b. A prayer for the deceased members will be offered.

c. Introduction of the Mayor, City Council Members, etc.

d. Introduction of the Master of Ceremonies (MC) by the President.

e. The MC will welcome membership and visitors to the ceremony.

f. MC invites current Hall of Fame Members to the ceremony area.

g. MC introduces each Hall of Fame member.

3 CEREMONY (cont):

h. Hall of Fame members will be seated.

i. MC invites new inductees to the ceremony area.

j. MC introduces inductees and write up sheets and read a brief summary of their accomplishments.

k. Inductees individually invited to respond.

l. Ceremony closed.

4 OTHER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS:

Any personal acknowledgments, other than Hall of Fame inductions will be held at another time, to be allocated by the host club.

ARTICLE VII: JUNIOR AWARDS

1 AWARDS:

The Youth Director, whenever feasible, will make available to the Junior NYS Champions, two $50 US Savings Bonds. One to be presented to the Junior Boy State Champion and one to the Junior Girl State Champion. These awards are to be sent by registered mail to the parents/guardians of the Junior Boy and Girls State Champions as soon after the State Tournament as possible.

2 PARENTS RESPONSIBILITY:

It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to hold these bonds until the recipient enters a school of higher learning or attains the age of 18. A letter should accompany the bonds explaining that fact.

ARTICLE VIII: STATE DOUBLES TOURNAMENT

1 LOCATION:

A State Doubles Tournament shall be held each year, two weeks after the State Singles Tournament. The tournament may be hosted by any club that requests the tournament through the Officers of the Organization. The site will be decided at the Spring Meeting by the delegates.

2 FORMAT:

The format of the tournament shall be “walking” doubles. The total ringer percentage of the team, being the combined averages of the two pitchers, shall not exceed 110%. The size of the classes shall be at the discretion of the tournament director, with the format being ‘round robin’. Each team player will match up against high ringer % to high ringer %, low ringer % to low ringer %, and will each pitch 30 shoes per game, cancellation.

3 ASSOCIATION ASSISTANCE:

The Association shall donate $2.00 for each adult entry in the State Doubles Tournament to the host club. The team entry fee shall be $30.00.

4 QUALIFYING

To qualify, the NatStats average will be used, with a cut-off date of August 1st.

5 SCOREKEEPING FEE:

There shall be a scorekeeping fee of $1.00 per team/per game. This is to assist in the securing of scorekeepers for this state championship event.

6 PAYOUTS:

The payout for the classes shall be 100% of the entry fee minus any award charges. An example would be a deduction for trophies or plaques for the winning team in each class.

Last updated 4/10/2011

ARTICLE II: OFFICERS/COMMITTEES/APPOINTMENTS

1 AWARDS:

5 SCOREKEEPING FEE: