Sun City Anthem Billiards Club Competition Committee Rules Updated: 4/01/18 The SCA Billiards Club (SCABC) operates tournaments and leagues with the approval of the Lifestyle Committee. The Club has control of the room and four tables during the hours of tournament play. It has control of the room and up to six tables during league play. The billiard room is open to residents or guests as per SCABC bylaws. The Billiard Club Board of Directors monitor competitive play. Tournaments and League Play will function under the rules of USAPL/CSI. Refer to Club Administration Appendix A Contained in this document are the rules and policies for tournament and league play. Also included are Officer and Committee responsibilities, ranking procedures, Outside Challenge Procedures, and League Policies as follows: Club Administration Appendix A Scheduling Outside Challenges Appendix C Doubles Competition Appendix E Ranking Procedures Appendix B League Policies Appendix D I. ORIENTATION AND EVALUATION A. New Member Evaluation Procedures 1. Evaluation Request During new member orientation by a Club Officer or Flight Leader the SCA Billiards Competition Committee (SCABCC) recommends the new member be offered the opportunity to be placed in a competitive Flight based on an evaluation of their play. A new member cannot be placed into an appropriate Flight until the evaluation is completed and will therefore be unable to participate in tournament competition. He/she will be added to the Social List until evaluation is completed. 1
2. Evaluation Process After receiving a new member evaluation request, at least two Club Officers, Flight Leaders or designated Club members will evaluate a new member, and after a reasonable length of observation recommend placing the new member at the bottom of the appropriate Flight. The evaluators will also offer a recommendation to the league director as to the rating of the player for league play. Members will need a flight ranking to participate in tournament play and a Fargo rating to participate in league play. 3. Re-Evaluation When an assigned Flight Leader believes a member s level of play is not consistent with the assigned Flight assignment, a re-evaluation may be requested. Two other Club representatives not involved in the initial evaluation will conduct the reevaluation. The re-evaluation team shall observe the member s play and jointly come to a recommendation to reassign the member or confirm the original Flight assignment. The member will be assigned to the bottom of the designated Flight. *** If re-evaluation of a previous member becomes necessary due to illness, age etc., the flight leader will make this request to the club president. If he agrees he will plan for two club members to complete the evaluation and reassignment of the player to the appropriate flight. I. FLIGHT STRUCTURE A. Size, Number, and Designation of Flights. There will be 4 Flights: AA, A, B, and C. All flights will be as equal in size as possible. Notwithstanding the above, the SCABCC may at its discretion change the number of Flights or the numbers of players in a Flight until overall numbers dictate a return to normal Flight schedules. B. Flight Leaders Authority Flight leaders have sole discretion regarding how tournaments are run, including the number of games played in each match, type of game, challenges scheduled, speed of matches, and finals format. They have authority to control play in the room including which tables to utilize for tournaments, type of competition and issues of decorum. 2
In all Flights the final match will require the loser bracket winner to win three games before the winner bracket winner wins twice. In the event of time constraints, Flight Leaders or agreement of the players may shorten this requirement to two and one. C. Social List A member who is unable or unwilling to take part in tournament play during any quarter may, at the discretion of the Flight Leader or an officer from the BOD, be assigned to the Social List. A member placed on the social list for any reason, must remain there for a minimum of 30 days unless exceptional circumstances are determined by the BOD allowing the member to return to flight participation. Upon return from social a member should be offered the opportunity to compete in a flight tournament as soon as possible. (within the next two tournaments) The member will be held in the flight for two weeks until this occurs. If the member is offered the opportunity to compete and refuses, the hold will be removed, and they will then move within the flights as per normal movement, as all members do. II. TOURNAMENT COMPETITION A. Structure 1. Minimum Games All Flight tournament matches shall consist of a race to 3 in the winners bracket for AA and A Flights, and a race to 2 for B and C Flights. The losers bracket will be a race to 2 for Flights AA and A and a race to 1 for Flights B and C. B. Participation 1. Leave of Absence (LOA) from Competition. If a member is expected to be unavailable for tournaments for at least 30 days because of vacation, personal business or illness, the member may request their ranking be reserved by notice to their Flight Leader. They will be placed on the Social List with their last ranking in parenthesis. A Flight Leader may reach out to members on the Social List if there are not enough players available for flight tournaments. If the member on the Social List is available to compete in the tournament and wins their reserved rank will be increased by 1 position. They will not be eligible to challenge or be challenged. 3
Club members will resume competition at their original position if returning before 6 months has passed. (This designated number may not be in the same flight depending on the number of members presently in the flight competition.) Should the LOA exceed 6 months the rank reservation will expire and be replaced by a Flight designation only. Any subsequent return to competition will be at the bottom of their previous Flight. C. Flight Tournament Regulations 1. Winner rewards Winners of a Singles tournament move up three positions from the place previously held. Second place finishers move up two positions. Third place finishers move up one position. Third place finishers move up first; second place finishers move up next and finally the winner move up three positions. (See limitations for six-person shootouts, four-person tournaments, and Doubles tournaments. #3 below - Minimum Requirements When a win results in movement to the next higher Flight, the player must accept the move or move to the Social List for a minimum of 30 days. Upon return the procedure for returning from social will be followed. When a member moves up a flight they will not be guaranteed participation in a tournament before further movement. They will move within flights as per normal movement of all players. 2. Tournament Completion In Singles tournament play, any individual who leaves the tournament early for any reason will forfeit any position attained to that point and the next player in line will acquire their position in the tournament. In Doubles tournament play, any individual who leaves the tournament early for any reason will forfeit any position attained to that point and any eligible replacement may be substituted to complete the team. If the replacement team places in one of the top three winning spots, all advancement will go to the replacement team with no advancement awarded to the forfeited player. 3. Minimum Requirements If a singles tournament involves 6 or fewer players, or if a Consolation Doubles Tournament is played, or a Doubles tournament involves only 6 or fewer teams, only 4
two winners are declared. They move up one and two places respectively. There must be a minimum four (4) players, or teams for tournament results to count. For a doubles tournament there must be a minimum of 1 half of the assigned players that contain the correct level of players. (ie: 4AA and 4A players or 4B and 4C players when there is an 8-pair tournament) III. FLIGHT CHALLENGES A. General Challenge Rules 1. Challenge Levels Flight members may challenge up 3 positions in the rankings. 2. Minimum Games AA and A fights race to 3, B and C flights race to 2 for all challenge matches. 3. Challenge Penalties In non-tournament Outside Challenges an unsuccessful challenger will drop back one position. During Flight tournament play there will be no penalty for unsuccessful tournament challenges. B. Flight Tournament Challenges 1. Scheduling First round tournament challenges set up by Flight Leaders are at their discretion. Scheduled challenges by Flight Leaders are based on the posted rankings at the end of the previous week. 2. Re-challenge Rule The challenger in a challenge match, including tournament challenges, shall wait a minimum of seven (7) days before issuing another challenge. 5
C. Outside Challenges 1. Scheduling Outside challenges will be scheduled by the member issuing the challenge. They must notify the Flight Leader when scheduled prior to playing the match and report results to the Flight Leader after the match. 2. Refusal to Accept Outside Challenges After an unsuccessful attempt to schedule a challenge match the challenger will contact the Flight Leader for assistance. 3. Ranking Verification The challenger will verify prior to playing the match to confirm that the match is still within the allowed challenge range. Members cannot compete in a match that would result in movement of more than three spaces for any flight or the match will be considered invalid and the results nullified. Refer to Outside Challenge procedure for specifics Appendix C 4. Opting Out of Non-Tournament Challenge Play A member may opt out of the Outside Challenge process but will be included in Flight tournament challenges by notifying their Flight Leader. Such exemptions are at the discretion of the Flight Leader. An asterisk will be placed next to their name on the rankings list signifying that they not accepting challenges. Their ranking may fall subject to the movement of other ranked players in the Flight. IV. Flight Rankings 1. Ranking Updates The club secretary will maintain flight rankings. If unable or unwilling to perform this function, the BOD can appoint a ranking administrator. Flight Leaders will report tournament results as soon as possible after the tournament and after any outside flight challenge. The weekly Rankings Report and the most current daily ranking results will be available on the Club Website. Refer to Flight Ranking procedure appendix B 6
V. League Play A. Rules 1. League play rules and tournament rules will follow USAPL then CSI rules. Any exceptions for SCA residents due to age, medical issues, etc. will be evaluated by the LD (League Director), approved by the USAPL LM (League Manager), reviewed by the SCA BOD and SCABCC. All league members will be notified of exceptions to organization rules. 2. Practice will be allowed during tournaments and league play. Due to the limited numbers of tables members must observe the SCA Billiard Club Rules regarding table use. Refer to League Policies Appendix D for specific rules and format. 7
I. Administration Sun City Anthem Billiard Club Administration Appendix A a. BOD, Flight Leaders, and League Director 3. Board of Directors The BOD (Board of Directors) will monitor competitive play in tournaments and league activity. The officers will monitor problems, evaluate the need for rule changes, promote rule and procedure changes as needed, and review changes with club members. The officers will work with Flight Leaders and the League Director to resolve issues. An officer may be elected to a designated office for one year, and re-elected for a second year. They may be elected to the board in multiple positions for five years. At this point they are encouraged to take a year off before re-election, however this is not mandatory. 4. Flight Leaders Flight Leaders may maintain a position indefinitely. Flight leaders have full derivative authority to control play in the room, including on which tables to play tournaments, the type of competition, and issues of decorum. 5. League Director The CSI League Director may maintain a position indefinitely at the pleasure of the BOD. The League Director (LD) has responsibility for enforcement of all rules and policies during league competition. II. COMMITTEES 1. The Sun City Anthem Billiards Competition Committee The SCABCC (Sun City Anthem Billiard Competition Committee) will remain an integral part of the Club structure. As competitive matters arise or as the Club size increases the 8
ongoing existence of the SCABCC will allow the Club to quickly address and deal effectively with these issues and other issues that may arise. The mission of this committee is to liaison between the BOD and the members, to maintain fairness to all flights during competition, solicit information from members related to leagues and tournaments, and adapt rules and policies that maintain the spirit of the club. 2. The Sun City Anthem Billiards Advisory Committee The SCABAC (Sun City Anthem Billiards Advisory committee) is dedicated to maintaining the environment of the club. They act as a liaison between the members and the BOD and the SCA Self Management Group. Maintaining a comfortable, safe and updated environment so that all residents can enjoy the experience of the Billiard Club. A major focus is the continual update of equipment to provide all members regardless of their level of play, with the best experience. 3. The Sun City Anthem Billiards Web Committee The SCABWC (Sun City Anthem Billiards Web Committee) is responsible for the design and maintenance of an internet site that will provide members and guests with a pleasant and informative site explaining the activities of the club. This site will provide information regarding tournaments, special events, league activity, flight rankings, and news related to the billiard community. III. Use of the Billiard room. A. Members should be aware of the regulations in the SCA guidelines regarding use of equipment, time allowance for table use, and room restrictions. These will be enforced by the SCA Billiards Club BOD. 9
Sun City Billiards Flight Ranking Procedures Appendix B C. Flight Standings I. Understanding the Flight Standings. 1. The Flight Standings are usually updated as the results are reported to the secretary. (sometimes the update is delayed for various reasons). This is important to understand because if you are looking at a printed version of the Flight Standings as of Friday night and placed under the glass on the desk in the poolroom, the actual standings change, during the following week as the week s tournaments are played and results are recorded. 2. We now use a computer system to track and record all competition results and the most recent posted results to the Standings can be viewed online by going to the club s website. The club website is at www.scapool.org. If you don t have the password, you can get it from any fellow club member or call a Flight Leader. Once you get on the website you can look at the weekly posted results by clicking on the Flight 8 Ball dropdown, then selecting Flight Rankings. You will then either select a Rankings report from either Weekly Final Rankings for Friday s results or Daily Update Rankings to look at the most current Rankings. 3. It is very important to understand that all Flight Leaders will be using the Weekly Final Rankings when setting up Tournament Challenges. Players will be scheduled to play in the weekly tournaments based on the previous week s final Standings updates. If you are contemplating issuing an Outside Challenge you must use the most recent results to the Standings to determine if the Challenge is within the rules, NOT THE PREVIOUS FRIDAY S WEEKLY RESULTS. The Weekly Standings (Rankings) printed version is put under the desktop glass only as a quick reference for use when you are in the poolroom and need to get a member s phone number or look at the standings as they were at the end of the previous week. 10
II. Order for Updating Flight Standings 4. Any Outside Challenge results are posted to the Standings the day they are reported. The details of the Outside Challenge, including the date it was posted, is recorded in the notes section of the SCA Pool Club Eight Ball Standings, before the daily Tournament Results are posted. 5. All Tournament Challenge results are posted to the Standings as follows: a. The lowest players in a successful Challenge Match being posted first, followed by the next lowest and so on up the ranking order until all successful Challenge Match results are posted. b. Then the 3 rd place finisher, followed by the 2 nd place finisher, and finally the 1 st place finisher, for each daily Singles Flight Tournament. 6. The Doubles Tournament results will always be the last weekly results posted to the Standings after all other results have been posted, in the same lowest to highest sequence order. 7. Any player coming out of the Social Flight and back into tournament play will be added after all other weekly tournament results are completed. New members will also be added at this time. 8. Upon return from social a member should be offered the opportunity to compete in a flight tournament as soon as possible. (within the next two tournaments) The member will be held in the flight for two weeks until this occurs. If the member is offered the opportunity to compete and refuses, the hold will be removed, and they will then move within the flights as per normal movement, as all members do. 9. Any player leaving Tournament play and going into the Social Flight will be removed from the rankings on the day they notify the secretary or the effective date they want to go into the Social Flight. 7. When a member moves up a flight they will not be guaranteed participation in a tournament before further movement. They will move within flights as per normal movement of all players. 11
III. Flight Size. a. All Flight Sizes will have an equal number of players whenever possible. b. When the number of players is not equally divisible by the number of flights, the highest flight will always contain the extra player. c. When there is more than one extra player then the next lowest Flight will get that extra player and so on down the ranking order until all extra players are placed. d. This Flight size rule can be over-ridden by the secretary when necessary for the good of the Flights. IV. Flight Standings Errors and Member Responsibility. 4. It is the member s responsibility to report a suspected error in the Standings to the secretary in a timely manner, no later than Wednesday of the following week after results are posted. After that it will be deemed the Weekly Results are correct and no corrections will be made. 5. When the member believes the Standings are in error they should do the following before contacting the secretary. a. Review the Flight Standings Order for Updating (above). b. Review the previous Friday s Weekly Results Flight Standings found on the club s website. c. Review the most recent posted results SCA Pool Club Eight Ball Standings found on the club s website and, looking at each Flight s notes section, determine what result was posted that may have affected their Flight Standing. d. If after following numbers 1 thru 3 above, you still believe an error has occurred, contact the secretary, and tell him/her exactly where you believe the error was made. Questions/concerns should be resolved at this time. 12
Sun City Billiard Club Outside Challenges Appendix C 4. Outside Challenge Procedure b. Scheduling: D. The member wishing to initiate the challenge will talk to the person to be challenged over the phone or in person. E. The challenger will send an email or phone the challenger s Flight Leader to let them know the challenge was issued. F. Members will schedule outside challenges with their opponent and notify the Flight Leader of the scheduled time. Failure to notify the Flight Leader will result in the challenger moving back one space. G. The member receiving the challenge will have 24 hours to accept or refuse. H. A mutually agreed upon day and time will be worked out to play the challenge match, which must take place within five days. I. If a mutually agreed upon day and time cannot be agreed upon by the two member s, the Flight Leader will be notified by the challenger. The Flight Leader will intervene with the challenged member to attempt to schedule the match. J. If the match cannot be scheduled within the 5 days due to the challenged member s inability to agree upon a date, it may be deemed a refusal. The Flight Leader may approve extensions or cancellations due to extenuating circumstance such as extended vacations, illness, or opting out of challenges. The challenge can be withdrawn by agreement of the members at that time. c. Refusals e. In the event of a refusal or inability to agree upon a date, and no exception exists, the challenged member loses their place in the rankings to the challenger. ** see exception: Opting Out of Tournament Challenge Play d. Challenge Frequency 13
i. A member cannot opt out of assigned tournament challenges. ii. iii. A challenger will wait 7 days before issuing another challenge including tournament challenges. Outside challenges A member can only challenge or be challenged 2 times in thirty days. 14
Appendix D SCA BILLIARD LEAGUE POLICY 6. LEAGUE FORMAT SCABC will adopt and apply where necessary the Official Rules of USAPL and Cue Sports International used by the BCAPL and USAPL pool leagues for both league and tournament play with the following exceptions. These rules can be found at www.playcsipool.com, go to the USAPL tab at the top of the page and click on USAPL Rules. League members need to be aware that while teams in the leagues at the center are composed of a designated number of players this may be different for national tournaments. 7. LEAGUE ADMINISTRATION 2. Structure f. League structure, dues, rules etc will be determined by the LD and the governing organization. The USAPL/CSI format will govern each season. (During future seasons the governing organization may change however the SCA management will remain the same. In that event the association references to USAPL or CSI in this policy would change to that association) g. There will be a league director responsible for dues collection and payment to CSI, weekly paperwork, compiling weekly standings, determining schedules, assisting in the settling of disputes and rule clarification, and to liaison with CSI. The LD will also liaison with CSI at the end of each season for the return of prize fund money and payment of entry fees to nationals. h. No resident may receive compensation for acting as director for any SCA league. They will agree to accept this as a non- payment position. All money collected will be paid to CSI and minus any CSI dues, will be returned to members in the form of prize money or entry to CSI National Championships. i. League activity and table reservations must be approved by SCA management. j. Each team will designate a captain who will be responsible for collecting dues, scheduling players at weekly matches, resolving conflicts and completing weekly paperwork. 15
k. The BOD will monitor and assess issues pertinent to SCA residents and assist the LD with maintaining the regulations issued by the SCA management. 8. IDENTIFICATION 5. Residency and Club membership e. All players must be residents of SCA. They must be prepared to show identification and an active SCA members card upon request. f. All players must be a club member to participate in tournament and league activity. 9. DUES iv. III. IV. Collection of League Dues League dues will be determined prior to the start of the season by agreement of the league members, BOD, league director, and governing association. The captain will collect dues weekly and pay them to the director. V. The league director will submit all dues to the club treasurer who will make weekly payments to CSI. VI. VII. CSI will at the end of the season return all prize money to the league treasurer for disbursement to club members as determined by the league format prior to the season starting. The club treasurer will maintain accurate records regarding the disbursement of all prize money from the billiards account. These records will available for review by SCA management at any time. I. Rules 10. LEAGUE PLAY AND RULES A. League and tournament competition will utilize the rules of USAPL/CSI except for rule modifications determined by the SCABCC and documented in SCABCC Rules. The order of use will be SCA exceptions followed by USAPL rules and then CSI rules. B. Following evaluation of issues, the director, SCABCC and BOD may adjust rules to meet the needs of the community. Exceptions to the governing rules will be assessed by the BOD, reviewed with the LD, any instituted only when necessary. 16
II. Ratings 1. The CSI / FARGO rating system will determine player skill levels. C. Rosters D. Team rosters will be determined by the captain and submitted to the director. Any SCA resident who wants to participate should be allowed to join a team. After the teams have been determined, the director will assign new members to teams based on size and evaluation of skill level. A maximum roster per team is twice the number of games per set. D. Standings V. Points earned during the match will determine the winner of given match. VI. The win / loss record will determine the standings in the league. Ties in standings will be decided by points. If a tie in points remains, the tie will be broken by points scored against each other. 11. PRIZE DISTRIBUTION A. Prize Money and National Entry A. Teams will compete to win entry to the CSI national tournament and prize money. The number of entry s and amount of prize money for each league will be determined at the start of season. A change in this format will occur only after a vote by team captains for any future season. 2. A prize money list will be distributed by the 4 th week of play. 3. An Income Distribution List will be available for each season to include income and expenses of the league. 4. Any team may opt out of the national entry and receive the allotted amount of prize money. The entry for nationals will pass to the next eligible team. 12. SCA RULE MODIFICATIONS 7. Goal The The goal of the SCABCC is to encourage and promote fair play during open play, league play, and tournament play. Recognizing that age, knowledge, and ability are major components in maintaining a pleasant as well as a competitive atmosphere. 17
USPL/CSI rules will take precedent during all competition. 8. SCA Exceptions to CSI Rules 1. The LD will work with the BOD and SCABCC if there is a need to establish exceptions to the USAPL/CSI rules 18
Appendix E Doubles Tournament Format A doubles tournament will occur weekly. One-week AA/A will play the next week B/C s will play. The Flight Leader will form each team with the highest AA and lowest A player or highest B with the lowest C player, just like it is done today. When the flights are reduced or when there is decreased participation in the doubles tournament alternatives like a consolation tournament or a substitute event will be considered. A. Rules of Play: 1. We will be playing a modified version of the CSI s 2016 Nationals Tournament Scotch Doubles rules. CSI states In the end, the consensus was that scotch doubles are the ultimate display of teamwork in pool and not allowing two partners to communicate makes it less of a team event. CSI allows open communication between teammates in a Scotch Doubles match, the non-shooting player must remain in his or her chair. At SCA Billiards competitions, we will allow and encourage the communication to occur at the table at turnover time. Talk must stop when a player is ready to shoot. 2. Each team player will shoot 1 shot and 1 more if he makes the first one, and then turn it over to his partner. To reiterate, discussing strategy, pattern, and position play and how to achieve it at turnover time is allowed. 3. Pairings for the doubles competition will alternate each week. The first week AA and A players will be paired. On the alternate week B and C players will be paired. a. There will be 8 pairs for each tournament. If unable to format a match a flight leader may fill vacancies with available players however, there must be a minimum of one half of the correct player levels for the tournament to occur. (ie: 4AA and 4A players or 4B and 4C players in a 8 pair tournament) Flight leaders have the option of playing a tournament with less pairs however there must be a minimum of 4 pairs and the appropriate levels are to be maintained. B. Advancement of Winning Teams 1. Team members will advance as described in the Sun City Anthem Billiards Club Competition Committee Rules. 19
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