READ THESE CAREFULLY AND KEEP THEM WITH YOUR OFFICIAL TEAM MANUAL

CENTRAL OKLAHOMA APA POOL LEAGUE - LOCAL BYLAWS 2018

Judy Duncan, League Operator Office (405) 790-0600 www.okla.apaleagues.com

Local Bylaws: These bylaws have been read and approved by the American Poolplayers Association, Inc. The local bylaws are a secondary source of information created in accordance with and in addition to the Official Team Manual. When there are any differences in these Local Bylaws and the APA Official Team Manual, always follow these bylaws for weekly play.

When at any Regional or National level you follow the APA Official Team Manual or HLT Rules.

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 am – 8 pm and Friday 11 am to 4 pm. If we are not available, call your Division Rep listed on the scoresheet or leave your name, phone number, a short message, and your call will be returned as soon as possible. During the start of and at the end of each session I try to be available and check messages on the weekends when possible. If you know ahead of time you are going to need something over the weekend, then call during office hours through the week to make sure you get a hold of someone.

Captains /Co-Captains: It is your responsibility to read the Official Team Manual and these Bylaws so that you learn the rules and can teach your teammates. Take these Bylaws and the Official Team Manual with you to your matches so you have them when needed.

· You also need to make sure each player is a paid member before they play, and the weekly team fees are paid in full before turning in your own paperwork and money by midnight the following night.

· Always write in the fees section (bottom left corner of your scoresheet) player’s names that pay a membership and how much, any extra money and what it is for and put the total money paid. Always add your money again to make sure it matches what you wrote on the scoresheet.

· The Team Captain (listed 1st) and Co-Captain (listed 2^nd) are the ones we will contact with schedule changes and important info so please make sure if you change your phone number you update it online, on a membership app or call us. All captains and co-captains MUST have a working phone, or they will be replaced.

· We use e-mails to get out info and reminders now so make sure you and your players keep those updated too.

League Fees: Team fees are $35 per week per team for 8-Ball & 9-Ball full formats, $35 per team per format in Double Jeopardy, $21 per team in Masters and Ladies Only and $20 for Doubles which covers:

1^st Place and Playoff Winner’s Payout for each division (except Masters, Ladies & Doubles)

Tournament Prize Fund / Travel Assistance Fund

Trophies, Patches & Awards

League Material & Supplies

Administrative Expenses

You must be at least 18 years old to join the APA. You still must follow the rules and age restrictions of each Host Location. You must have a photo I.D. to enter any location that is restricted to: no one under 21.
APA (player) membership fees ($25) are due the first night a player plays. This is very important! If you play a player whose membership is not paid, your team will lose all points for that night. Please make sure these are paid on time. All unpaid members will be dropped from the rosters after your team’s fourth week of play. If your team plays a non-paid member and he quits or is dropped, your team is still responsible for that membership so make them pay up front before they play so your team doesn’t have to come up with the money!!!!
APA has gone digital, so they will no longer be sending out membership cards. You can pay memberships and print your card online through your member services account. Check poolplayers.com for current member discounts.
All team fees are due in full (amount stated above under League Fees) for every team match regardless of forfeits, defaults or number of individual matches played. It is a team fee, not an individual fee.
All checks or money orders must be made out to APA or Judy Duncan.

Returned Checks: there will be a $25 charge for any returned checks. A notice will be sent with a deadline to cover any returned checks plus a $25 service charge. If you can’t pay by the deadline call me and we may work something out, but you must call and let me know. If we have trouble collecting payments on returned checks you will lose your right to pay with checks or play in the Central Oklahoma APA League.

Past Dues: Any team that falls behind in paying their dues will be sent a warning notice stating that their team will be dropped if not paid. Teams dropped will forfeit all prizes and awards. If your team is dropped for past dues no one on that team can play again on any team or format until their share of the past due is paid no matter how long it has been. All teams are responsible for their own weekly fees and membership dues so make sure they are paid.

Any team that consistently gets behind on their fees may be required to pay 4 weeks of dues up front (to be held and used for the last 4 weeks of play) to start back in the League or may not be allowed to play anymore at all.
Absolutely no awards or prize money will be paid out until all past dues are paid in full.

When forming your team: Make sure you don’t put too many good players on one team (stack a team) because of the skill level limit rule (see Official Team Manual). The 23-Rule in Open & 13 in Ladies are designed so that a team can’t load up with a bunch of good players and dominate their division. This gives all teams a fair chance to win and advance to higher level tournaments. You also want to make sure you have room for your handicaps to go up as your players improve throughout the session. So be careful and put a wide variety of playing abilities on your team so you have room to grow.

Roster changes: All rosters must be set by the 4^th week of play. VERY IMPORTANT! NO Change can be made to a World Qualifier (WQ) Team after the 4^th week in the Spring Session or they will lose their eligibility.

Hardship Rule: If after the fourth week you lose players and are having trouble fielding a team please call the League Office and we will see if we can help you. Changes to the roster after the 4^th week must be pre-approved by the League Operator.

Teams that drop out before the end of the session: Please read this section in the Official Team Manual before you make a rash decision to drop out. Try to finish the session you committed to if possible. Call us so we can we can help you.

Team Names: Please make sure your team name does not consist of profanity, sex, violence, drugs or acronyms.

Once your team qualifies for the WQ you cannot change your team name (unless it is deemed unacceptable by APA).

Division Rep / Board of Governor’s Program / Handicap Advisory Committee: (See APA Official Team Manual) Instead of having three different programs we will combine them all into a single program known as the Division Rep Program. We will select at least one player from volunteers from each division that will serve as a Division Rep. Their name and phone number will be on the scoresheets so that players will have someone to call after the office is closed. They will help keep the League Office up to date with what is going on in their division such as rule questions, handicap, and sportsmanship issues. They will help recruit teams and Host Locations, run singles qualifiers and help with local tournaments if needed. They will also help with handicap review, protests, disputes and other issues. A flier with a list of responsibilities for the Division Reps will be sent out in the team packets. Anyone that is interested in volunteering please fill out the form and send it back or you may call the APA Office at 405-790-0600. We need more volunteers! The Division Reps will be picked by the League Operator from volunteers and will be replaced if or when needed.

Captains & Co-Captains Meeting & Free Tournaments: We will have a Free Tournament for all Team Captains and Co-Captains each session with cash pay-outs and door prizes. We will have a meeting when needed at this time to go over changes, problems and other things you will need to know about. Watch for fliers and e-mails announcing these and try to have someone from your team present. It is a good time to meet people that play in other divisions you might not otherwise meet and is always a fun day.

Bonus Points: The bonus points are intended to reward the teams that are taking care of business and are not given out automatically. If you don’t take care of business and lose these bonus points that the other teams are getting you are hurting your team every time and putting them further behind. Do your best and get your team’s help to make sure things are done right:

Please make sure these things are done to get your bonus points:

The team fees are paid in full - You will lose the bonus points each and every week you are past due!
Your team’s scoresheet and money must be turned in by midnight the following night.

Exception! On the last week of the session we need all packets turned in by NOON, so we can get the standings done on time and notify teams for playoffs.

All teams are responsible for turning in their own scoresheet and money. The traveling team picks up the packet with both team’s paperwork (please do not keep anything that is designated for the other team) but each team is responsible for turning in its own paperwork and money each week. If you give them to the other team and they are not turned in on time your team will lose your bonus points. If you give them to the other team and they are lost, we have nothing to input. No scores. No points. No money!

All scoresheets must be filled out fully and properly. Teams that consistently turn in their scoresheets without team and player numbers, total innings, defensive shots and team match scores will be subject to loss of bonus points.
Each team is responsible for turning in its own scoresheet and money by midnight the following night of play. You may drop it in one of the APA Lock Boxes (they have APA Stickers on them) at any of the following locations:

Don Quixote’s @ 3030 N. Portland- OKC, Jim’s Sunset Bar & Grill @1140 S.E. 44^th- OKC, Jamaica Joe’s @ 5920 S.E.

15^th – MWC, Bill’s Billiards Bar & Grill @ 5911 S.E. 74^th – OKC, Mike’s @ 8301 N. Glade Ave - OKC (you give it to the Bartender @ Mike’s). Those that use the mailing systems need to drop theirs off the next day @ a post office NOT your home.

Start Time: Weeknight matches begin at 7:00 pm, Saturday’s @ 2 pm and Sunday’s begin at 5:00 pm (real-time NOT bar time). Play needs to begin no later than 15 minutes after start time even if only one player from the team is present or the opposing team may call a forfeit. Once started, play must be continuous; otherwise forfeits will be awarded to the team that has players present. Play must be continuous even in Double Jeopardy (if you plan on playing in both formats, play in one format early so you are available later in the other format). You must have players available to receive the forfeit points. Please be on time & ready to play so everyone can get home at a decent hour.

Split Tables: The Official Team Manual states that you must split to a second table if you’re not in the fourth match by official League start time plus two hours unless no second table is available or both teams agree not to split. Sportsmanship penalties can be accessed to teams that refuse to split or make a table unavailable. So, start on time and keep the matches moving.

Forfeits: The League Office must be notified in the event of a NO SHOW within 24 hours.

· Because of possible confusion and players changing their minds at the last minute, there will be no team forfeits called during a team’s first 2 weeks of the session. Call our office ASAP to postpone. Make-ups will be required.

· 8-Ball & Ladies Only individual forfeits in weekly play are worth 2 points / 3 points in playoffs & all higher-level play.

· 9-Ball individual forfeits in weekly play are worth 15 points / 20 points in playoffs & all higher-level play.

· Masters individual forfeits in weekly play are worth 5 points / 7 points in playoffs & all higher-level play.

· Both teams must still pay full weekly dues. If your team forfeits, you must still pay the team dues to continue to play.

· Full Team Forfeits (No Show) are worth the same points as a BYE in all formats. See Byes on next page.

· Deliberate forfeits will not be tolerated! This is cheating! You could lose more than just the matches given away.

· If a team asks you to give them the matches, please report them to the League Office!

Byes: All teams that have a scheduled Bye will receive 8 points plus 3 bonus points in 8-Ball and 60 points plus 10 bonus points in 9-Ball,

4 points plus 1 bonus in Ladies Only and 15 points plus 1 bonus in Masters (provided your team is not past due). There are no weekly dues to pay and no packet to pick up when you are scheduled against a Bye. Occasionally a team may need to be moved from one division to another in the same format and night to fix a schedule. The bye points will not be entered until after the fourth week of play in case the bye is filled, or the schedule is changed. If it is filled make-up matches will need to be played.

Postponed Matches: The League Office must be notified no less than 24 hours before a scheduled match for us to require the opposing team to postpone and reschedule that match (unless due to bad weather, see below). Always call the League Office to get the opposing Team Captain’s phone number to postpone and reschedule. Leaving a message at their Host Location will not get the message to them in time. Always call and let us know of any postponements or total no-show forfeits.

Bad Weather: We will not require 24 hours notice during bad weather and road conditions. If the roads are too dangerous for your team to drive, please call our office A.S.A.P. so, we can let your opponents know and save them the treacherous drive for no reason.

Make-up matches: All make-ups need to be rescheduled within 2 weeks of postponing. They don’t have to be played within

2 weeks but you must get with your opponent and set up a day and time to play it and let the League Office know that date within 2 weeks of postponing. Let us know if a team won’t set a date or call you back. Get it scheduled early! All rescheduled matches must be made up by the next to the last week of the regular session (NO EXCEPTIONS). Important! Make sure you turn in your own scoresheet & money by midnight the next night, so we can have all points up to date by the last week.

Table availability: If for some reason there is not a table available at the home team’s location the match will go to the visiting team’s location unless otherwise agreed upon by both teams involved.

Player ID: Players must be able to show a valid ID to the League Operator or the opposing team. Teams that play a player under a false name have cheated and will be suspended from the League. Their opponents will receive all points won plus forfeit points for any match involving an illegal player. If in doubt, ask for ID’s before you play! It is much better to forfeit than to cheat and risk getting kicked out of the League! Remember it is team play so when you cheat you are putting every player on the team at risk.

Defensive Shots: Please make sure you mark all defensive shots for your player and their opponent. A Defensive Shot is: WHEN THERE IS NO INTENT TO MAKE A BALL. It is that simple. If they are not trying to make a ball, no matter what the reason or whose player it is it must be marked as a defensive shot! See the Team Manual or watch the Defensive Shot videos on poolplayers.com for more details. Teams that are not marking these will be warned and if they continue to not mark them they are subject to disqualification. This is very important because if not marked the handicaps will not be correct. Teams can be disqualified for not marking Defensive Shots. By not marking them it looks like you are trying to keep your skill levels down which is cheating! Teams may not agree on this so don’t argue. You just mark what you honestly believe is a shot where they are not trying to make a ball. Remember this must be on your team also!

Coaching / Time-outs / Sand Timers: We will go strictly as stated in the Team Manual now! Skill level 3’s and below get 2 time- outs and 4’s and above get 1 time-out per game in weekly play and playoffs. During all Tournament play there is only one time-out for all players no matter what their skill level is. Remember to keep your timeouts to 1 minute!

Mark time-outs on your scoresheet in each game section so there are no arguments.

We have passed out 1-minute sand timers at the Team Captains meetings & tournaments. If one team has one of these timers, please abide by them. It is something everyone can see and there should be no arguments over this. The correct way to

use these is: wait until the coach gets to the table then turn the timer over. When the sand runs out you announce, “times up”. The coach then quickly finishes what he/she is saying and walks away from the table. You can get your timer by coming to the Team Captains’ tournaments. If you want one sooner let us know and we can put it in your weekly packet.

These may seem silly to some, but they have really cut down on long timeouts and the arguments about them.

It is no longer a foul for the coach to touch the table. The coach still cannot mark the playing surface by literally putting a mark on the cloth with chalk or spit. It is, however, legal to set a piece of chalk on the rail to show them where to hit.
We have had complaints of some players talking to their shooter while it is their turn at the table in Spanish. When told they couldn’t coach without a time-out they said they weren’t coaching “just talking”. You can NOT TALK to the shooter at the table without a time-out in any language or it is a foul so please be more careful about this.

Banned Players: If a player has been banned from a Host Location, the team must play without him/her when playing there. The APA League has no right to insist a Host Location admit that player and we will not get involved. This is also a national ruling.

Masse’ and Jump Shots are legal unless posted as a house rule: no masse’ and jump shots. You must follow the house rules.

Disputes should be resolved by the two shooters first. If they can’t agree then the two Team Captains can try to settle it. You may call the Div Rep for advice but remember neither them nor the League Office can make a call on a bad hit that we were not there to see.

Please follow the rules in the Official Team Manual and try to resolve all disputes on site in a good sportsmanship manner.

Sportsmanship: Teams that consistently argue, threaten and create problems will not be allowed to play APA.

Please be aware of and follow the “Conduct During League Play” section in the Official Team Manual

Good sportsmanship always makes it more enjoyable for all! Isn’t that one of the reasons we play anyway? Any player that has more than 3 sportsmanship violations may be dropped from the League. Please keep your team members under control. If someone is acting out of line, please make every effort to stop them. One bad apple can spoil things for your entire team and cost you points and or other penalties.

Please let the shooters and or the team captains handle any problems or disputes. Do NOT allow your team to be up screaming and arguing. Any disputes at the table need to be handled starting with the two shooters and then the team captains can step in and help if needed. If you talk things out and follow the rules in the Team Manual there will be no need to argue, scream or fight!
Remember, it is alright to cheer for your team, but it is very poor sportsmanship to cheer against the other team. Example: Cheering when they miss a shot or scratch on the 8-ball. Please do not do this!!!!!

Breaking down your cue when your opponent is on the 8-Ball is very poor sportsmanship. It is not a foul, just bad sportsmanship and will not be tolerated! If someone breaks their cue down when you are on the 8-Ball don’t take for granted they have conceded. It is always best to finish the game even if it looks like a sure thing.

Changing Cues or breaking it down is not a foul. Please do it during your turn at the table or after the match is over. Changing cues or shafts while your opponent shoots could be considered sharking! You cannot use jump cues or break a cue down to jump with just the shaft.

Electronic Devices: Due to continued complaints we are no longer going to allow headphones or any other electronic devices to be used while playing a match in weekly play or higher-level tournaments.

Falsification of Scoresheets: Any team caught sandbagging or sending in falsified scoresheets will be subject to any penalties handed down by the League Operator, which may include being dropped from the League. Teams that are believed to consistently cheat the system will not be allowed to play in APA Leagues. Never write down any match or scores that were not actually played. This is cheating and will not be tolerated and if you are asked to do so please report it to the League Office!

Protest & disputes: Please stop arguing, screaming and fighting over matches. Always look up any rules in the Official Team Manual (now available to download on your phone). If you can’t find the rule always try to settle any dispute at the match when possible. Whether what you agree on is correct or not, what matters is that both teams agree and settle the dispute in a sportsmanship manner. You can then call our office the next day and find out the correct rule so you will know next time. If you can’t settle it on site, all protests must be in writing and include a $25 protest fee. The League Operator will inform the teams and the team that wins the protest will get their $25 back. The losing team’s $25 will not be refunded. We cannot make a ruling on a bad hit that we didn’t see so you must settle that on site. Also, all matches, and handicaps are reviewed after every match so there is no need to pay to protest someone’s handicap. If you think they are out of line please write me a note of whom and why you think they are out of line and I will check on them. Do not ever try to fix their handicap yourself by putting down fewer innings, more defensive shots or knocking the 8 in early because that is also cheating!

MVP and Top Gal: With the 3 - Point scoring system in 8-Ball and the 9-Ball scoring system each player has a chance to earn points for their team whether they win their match or not. These points are called “points available” or “PA”. The new scoring system has made each and every game important to each teams’ total points and now we will use those points earned by each player to figure the Top Players of each division. Even if you didn’t win your match you may have won a point that will add to your total points for the session. We will use a formula with your points earned, matches played and points available to figure our Most Valuable Player and then go down the list to the highest finishing female after that to determine the Top Gal in each division. The MVP is awarded a plaque & the Top Gal is awarded a patch.

To be eligible for these awards you must play at least 7 matches in the regular session (playoffs don’t count).
You must be an established player with at least 10 APA lifetime matches played
You cannot win the same award 2 sessions in a row in the same division and the same APA Year.

We will hold an Annual MVP of the Year Tournament and a Top Gal of the Year Tournament (both Free). All MVPs and Top Gals from each APA Year (Summer, Fall, and Spring) are invited to play in the tournament for free that will be held during the following Summer Session. We will pay out cash prizes and very nice awards. You must be on an active roster in the Summer Session when the tournament is held to play in this tournament so that all handicaps will be current.

Session matches required: All players are required to have a certain number of matches played to be eligible to play in the End of Session playoffs, Tri-Cups and the World Qualifiers (WQ).

All players must have played at least 4 times with the team to play at the End of Session Division play-offs or win awards.
All established players (players with 10 scores or more) must have played with the qualified team at least 4 times to be eligible for that session’s Tri-Cup and all established players must play a minimum of 4 matches in the Spring to play the World Qualifier (WQ) and World Pool Championship (WPC).
All new players must play at least half the matches available in the Summer or Fall Session to play in either of those session’s Tri-Cups. They must have at least 10 total scores and have played at least 4 matches with the qualified team to play with them in the WQ.
End of Session Division playoffs can be used to get matches needed for the Tri-Cups and WQ
Forfeits and Byes do not count as a match played; they must be actual matches played not forfeits.
All players must have a minimum of 10 scores by the end of the Spring Session for any Higher-Level Tournaments.

NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

Division Playoffs: The 1^st place team in each division (highest points at the end of regular League play) will automatically receive a slot to the Tri-Cup for that Session, Trophies, Division Championship Patches and 1^st Place Money of $300.

All Division Playoff Winners receive $200 and a slot in that Session’s Tri-Cup. 1^st Place and Playoff money will be paid at the

Tri-Cups. This way all teams that play in the Tri-Cups have money coming even if they lose their first 2 matches.

The charge for the end of session division playoffs is the full team dues (depending on the format you play) and

it must be paid for the first round and the finals regardless of the number of matches played.

In divisions with 4 to 10 teams, the first round of playoffs will be: the wild card team (the wild card is a team randomly drawn from all teams that did not place high enough to get in the playoffs and are not past due fees) @ the 2^nd place team’s home (4 team divisions 2^nd place gets a Bye first round), the 4^th place team @ the 3^rd place team’s home. The final round @ the 1^st place team’s home.
In divisions of 12 or more teams, there will be 2 playoff brackets. The first round (1^st bracket) will be the wild card team @ the 2^nd place team’s home, the 7^th place team @ the 4^th place team’s home. The first round (2^nd bracket) will be the 8^th place team @ the 3^rd place team’s home, the 6^th place team @ the 5^th place team’s home.
The final rounds of each bracket will be held @ the 1^st place team’s home (tables permitting). If pool tables are not available @ the 1^st place team’s home, the finals will be held @ the home of the highest finishing team in each final round.
All division Playoff matches must be played where designated on the bracket. These teams have earned a home match for their host location. Any teams that change where they play their playoff match without the approval of the APA League Office (unless a table is not available) is subject to forfeiting their match!

(Tri-Cups) Session Tournaments: The purpose of the Tri-Cups is to reduce the number of teams going to the WQ and make it more manageable. These will be held 3 times a year per 8-Ball and 9-Ball (after each session). The 1^st Place teams and the Playoff winners from each division will qualify for the Tri-Cup tournament for that format and session. Teams will qualify from the Tri-Cups to the WQ for that format (see below). In each Tri-Cup the Top 4 teams in 9-Ball and Top 6-8 teams in 8-Ball (depending on table availability in the Tri-Cups) move on to the WQ. Ladies and Masters Divisions don’t have enough teams to hold Tri-Cups, so they will only have a Qualifier Championship at the end of the League year which is after the Spring Session.

World Qualifier (WQ): This is an annual tournament that takes place at the end of the League year in which the winning teams will win travel assistance money and qualify for the APA 8-Ball or 9-Ball World Pool Championships in Las Vegas.

Qualified Teams: All teams that qualify from a Tri-Cup have earned a conditional eligibility to the World Qualifier (WQ) held after the Spring Tri-Cups. All teams must meet the following conditions to keep their eligibility.

Once your team qualifies for the WQ you cannot change your team name!!!!!
Teams must maintain WQ eligibility rules in accordance with the Team Manual.
All teams that qualify in the Summer or Fall Sessions must stay active through the Spring Session.
To maintain their eligibility, each player on a qualified team must play a minimum of 4 matches each session after the session in which they qualified.

All qualified teams must keep at least 4 original players to keep the team eligible.
All teams must be up to date on all League fees and memberships.
Tri-Cup and WQ teams must keep 4 original members thru the Spring session to keep their team eligibility.

Spring session rosters cannot be changed after the 4^th week of play unless you give up your eligibility.
All teams qualified to go to the WQ must continue to play competitively. Qualified teams must finish in the top 50% of their division each session following their qualification from the Summer or Fall. This will be left up to the League Operator’s discretion depending on the circumstances. Teams can be disqualified for rolling over, lying down, not trying, holding back, sandbagging or however you want to word it. It is all cheating! The League Operator has the right to disqualify any team she feels has done this or that has player’s skill levels out of line.
Your Spring roster is the roster that goes to WQs and World Pool Championship. Make sure your roster is right before the 4^th week of the Spring session. Any change to a qualified team’s roster (after) the 4^th week of the Spring session will cause your team to automatically lose their eligibility to play in the WQ’s or World Pool Championships.
The APA year runs from Summer, Fall and ends with the Spring Session. The Spring Session ends the APA year, so you can change anything you want after the Spring Session ends and the New Year begins with the next Summer Session.

Refusal to Do Business With: At any time, at the sole discretion of the League Operator, Central Oklahoma APA can refuse to do business with any individual regardless of whether the individual is a paid member or not. Most often, players who are unwelcome in the League will be those who are disruptive to the League, have multiple bad sportsmanship complaints, get in a fight, are believed to be manipulating handicaps, refuse to follow rules, or are combative.

GOOD LUCK, GOOD SHOOTING & HAVE FUN!

Local Website: www.okla.apaleagues.com E-mail: okapa@apaleagues.com