“M



“M.Y.P.L.A.Y.E.R.S.”

APA Pool League BY-LAWS

“M.Y.P.L.A.Y.E.R.S.” league business title comes from:

Marion, Yamhill, Polk, Linn/Benton Co. All You Enthusiats aRe uS

Started in 1993 - this is Randee Lee’s franchise area of the

American Poolplayers Association National Amateur Pool League

APA Pool League Owner/Operator: Ms Randee Lee

Office hours: Noon to 8:00pm daily 503-362-0133

(All calls concerning league situations or verification of the rules during league play

need to go to your division rep listed on the scoresheet first, especially after 8 pm.)

Contact info for Randee Lee and the local APA

Email: rlee973@

Facebook: MYPLAYERS APA league page for info & pictures

Facebook: Randee Lee for more personal info and reference

LOCAL League Website:

APA Pool League National Website:

These By-Laws are to be used in conjunction with the

Official APA Team Manual.

Some of these rules apply ONLY to weekly league play and playoffs,

but not Regional, Local Team Championship or National tournaments.

These rules may be updated as the need arises. It is impossible to cover all policies, rules and procedures in this one document.

Hopefully this will serve as a guide to help better clarify some local policies

and answer the most common questions and situations that come up.

Table of Contents

1) Teams/Divisions/Sessions

1.1 - How to form a team, APA paid members pg. 3

1.2 –Divisions, counties and nights of play available pg. 4

1.3 - League sessions pg. 4

2) Team Captain Duties

2.1 –Player Info pg. 4

2.2 - Bonus Points pg. 4-6

2.2.1 – Weekly fees, check writing policy, cash envelopes

2.2.2 – Scoresheet, the fees box

2.2.3 – Sportsmanship rating, written documentation

2.2.4 – Packets, drop locations

2.2.5 – Other flyers, responses needed

2.3 – Match Start Times pg. 7

2.4 – Team Conduct pg. 7

2.5 – Assumed Name pg. 7

3) Differences between Make-ups and Play-backs for shorthanded teams 3.1 - First four weeks “Make-ups pg. 7

3.2 - After week 4 “Make-ups” pg. 8

3.3 - “Play-backs” pg. 8-9

4) Season End and Playoffs

4.1 – Individual Player Eligibility pg. 9

4.2 – Wild Card Draw pg. 9

4.3 – Cash Back Breakdown pg. 10

4.4 – Playoff Scenarios pg. 10

4.5 – Trophies and Awards pg. 10

5) Higher Level Tournaments

5.1 - Tri-Cups pg. 11

5.2 - LTC (Local Team Championship) pg. 11

5.3 - NTC (National Team Championship) pg. 11

5.4 - Pre-registered Events pg. 11-12

5.4.1 - “Open Doubles for 8-Ball” and “Open Doubles for 9-Ball”

5.4.2 - “Wheelchair Championship”

5.4.3 - “Jack and Jill 8-Ball Scotch Doubles”

5.4.4 - “Triple Play Masters”

5.4.5- New Ladies Only 3 person 8-ball team

6) Coaching and Sportsmanship

6.1 - Clarify Coaching situations pg. 12

6.2 – Sportsmanship Issues pg. 13

7) Miscellaneous

7.1 - Phones, Head phones and blue tooth devices pg. 13

7.2 - Oregon’s Non-Smoking policy pg. 13

7.3 - Host location Player incentives pg. 13

7.4 - League Growth Incentives pg. 13

7.5 –Inclement Weather Policy pg. 14

8) Player Benefits

8.1 - View your stats online pg. 14

8.2 - Matches Played Lifetime Stats Awards pg. 14

8.3 – Gold Star Program pg. 14-15

9) LOCAL MONEY TOURNAMENTS

9.1 – APA NW Invitational and 9-ball Challenge & WPBA pg. 16

9.2 – Annual “Civil War” 8-ball Singles tournament pg. 16

9.3 - APA Singles program pg. 16

10) FINAL COMMENTS pg. 17

1 – TEAMS/DIVISIONS/SESSIONS

– HOW TO FORM A TEAM: You must have a minimum of five players (21 years of age and older) with a maximum of 8 players per roster. These can be uni-sex or co-ed teams (except in Ladies Only divisions). In “Double Jeopardy” divisions, where teams play both 8-ball and 9-ball simultaneously, on two tables side by side, the two rosters may be identical or may have completely different players on each roster. (At times, there are Junior divisions available for those under the age of 21.) At least FIVE players should show up every time that a team is scheduled to play. You may choose a location to play out of that can facilitate weekly play, or a location can be chosen for your team. The team roster should be turned in 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the new session. If turned in during previous session it may be dropped at a local APA drop box.

ALL PLAYERS MUST BE CURRENT PAID APA MEMBERS to play in a league match. Membership applications need to be completed by every player and turned in with their yearly membership fee PRIOR to a player’s first match in the league or a player’s first match in any given year. There is no grace period allowed. PLAYERS MAY JOIN THE APA BY PAYING ONLINE. Please make sure all phone numbers are current as well as legal names. You will have an opportunity to put a nick-name on personal registration forms. Nick-names like Bill instead of William (not things like Hotshot or other funny nicknames) IF AN UNPAID PLAYER PLAYS IN A MATCH WITHOUT FIRST PAYING THEIR FEES - THEIR MATCH WILL NOT BE ENTERED IN SYSTEM OR MAY BE ENTERED AS A FORFEIT/LOSS FOR THEIR TEAM AND THE PLAYER MAY BE DROPPED FROM THE TEAM’S ROSTER.

***Any unpaid players on a roster must be dropped if not paid by week 4 of the session.

1.2 - DIVISIONS: The following divisions are currently available…

Marion County Sunday Double Jeopardy

Monday 8-Ball

Tuesday Double Jeopardy

Thursday 9-Ball

Ladies only 8-Ball (night to be determined)

Saturdays – APA Juniors occasionally throughout the year

Yamhill County Tuesday 8-Ball

Tuesday Double Jeopardy

Thursday 9-Ball

Ladies only 8-Ball (night to be determined)

Polk County Tuesday 8-Ball

Thursday 9-Ball

Linn/Benton County Open to ideas for chosen format and night(s) of play

***Any night and format is possible, if enough interest is shown.

1.3 – LEAGUE SESSIONS run approximately 14 weeks long with 1 or 2 weeks at the end of the season for playoffs, depending on the size of the division. There are three seasons per league year: Summer session runs May through August, Fall session runs September through December and Spring session runs January through April (give or take a week or two either way). There are occasionally Team Captain and New Player information meetings scheduled between seasons that should be attended by a team representative. Depending on how holidays fall, during upcoming year, there sometimes is a full week off between playoffs and the following session.

2 – TEAM CAPTAIN DUTIES

2.1 – PLAYER INFO: Team captains should collect contact info for all players on their team, so all players can be notified of any changes or problems.

2.2 – BONUS POINTS: Each team can receive weekly bonus points, there are three available in 8-ball and ten is available in 9-ball, when the following things are done correctly:

1) Weekly fees. 2) Scoresheets. 3) Sportsmanship rating. 4) Packets. 5) Other Flyers.

2.2.1 - WEEKLY FEES of THE FULL $35 (or $70 for Double Jeopardy) NEED TO BE PAID EVERY WEEK, regardless of whether Make-ups are scheduled, Play-backs are used or Forfeits take place. ONLY in instances of new teams that are shorthanded AND THE LEAGUE OFFICE BEING CALLED FOR PERMISSION in advance, can the fees be paid when the make-ups are played, without the team incurring a penalty. The team that has their full team present should still pay their full weekly fees so, if the shorthanded team does not take care of the make-ups on time, the full team has paid their fees and therefore will receive points for any & all forfeited matches.

WEEKLY FEES continued:

*Any team that, as a whole, owes fees or that has one or more players who owe any fees to APA at the end of a session, will NOT be allowed to participate in playoffs or receive cash back awards until all of the delinquent fees are paid in full. This rule affects all teams that those players may play on. i.e.: If a player’s Sunday team is delinquent on fees and that player also plays on a Thursday team, both the Sunday team and the Thursday team are ineligible for playoffs and to receive their cash back awards until all of the past due monies are paid.

CHECK WRITING POLICY: If a player on a team wishes to pay their own weekly fees, their membership fee or any portion of their team’s weekly fees, the check needs to be made out to Randee Lee (not to APA). If a check bounces for insufficient funds, closed account or any other reason, the cost of the original check and the bank fee of $19 will need to be paid in cash by the offender as soon as possible, and no later than the final week of play for that session. If a second check written by the same player bounces, checks will no longer be accepted from that person.

CASH ENVELOPES: To avoid having any money disappear and to guard against the mishandling of player or team fees, at the end of nightly play, each team should follow these procedures: Put their weekly team fees, annual membership fees, and any other payments, as well as any authorized vouchers into the team’s small white money envelope. Then write the total amount enclosed in the envelope on the front of the envelope with the date and their team number. Someone from the opposing team should then re-count the fees, seal the envelope, write the amount enclosed on the back of the envelope and sign their own initials on the seal of the flap itself, verifying the amount inside. This should be done in front of the captain from the team whose money is being verified. If there is a discrepancy between what the opposing team counted and what the original team who the envelope belongs to wrote on the envelope, the opponent needs to bring this to the attention of the original team. This double count is intended to protect all of us. If possible - PLEASE USE LARGE DENOMINATION BILLS IN ENVELOPE. No more than FIVE $1.00 bills if possible.

2.2.2 – SCORESHEET: Scoresheets must be filled out completely and correctly. There must not be more than 3 red ink corrections on the scoresheet (i.e.: missing or incorrect information). Keep in mind that innings and defense marks do not have to match, and will not be considered incorrect information. Both teams, if paying attention, should be at least close on innings. Please leave member number spaces blank for new players who do not have a membership number yet (the office will fill that in).

THE FEES BOX on the scoresheet should be filled out every week. List all of the players making any payments that week and what fees they paid in the fees box provided on the scoresheet. At the beginning of the season, it also includes the renewal of annual fees ($25) and application for all players before playing that night. If the fees are for their membership and weekly fees, you can list it as the total amount for both or can list the two amounts separately (i.e.: Tina $32 or Tina $25 + $7). If someone is

THE FEES BOX continued:

paying for past dues or for a bounced check, indicate who paid it, how much they paid and what they were paying for (i.e.: Joe $36 for NSF check or Joe $7 from wk #2). Any team that is short fees will not receive bonus points for that week or any following week until the fees are caught up to date. Teams will not be able to earn back bonus points lost by paying up the fees they owe. In other words, if someone is short his or her weekly fees, the rest of the team should try to cover it or the entire team will be penalized in points. It is NOT the Captain’s responsibility to pay team fee shortages. The team members should split the cost of any shortages, forfeits or play-backs.

2.2.3 – SPORTSMANSHIP RATING: The weekly sportsmanship star rating program was put into place to make teams more accountable for their behavior during league nights and to help make league night a more enjoyable experience for everyone. On the scoresheet there is a place to rate your opponents using a scale of 1 to 5 score for their sportsmanship during that night’s league match. Starting with a 4 is recommended, and can easily be adjusted throughout the night. A 1 or a 2 indicates there were one or more problems that were not resolved satisfactorily during league that night. When giving your opponents a 1 or a 2, written documentation MUST be included explaining what transpired that evening that caused you to feel your opponent’s sportsmanship warranted a below satisfactory rating. A 3 rating would mean there may have been some minor issues, but they were resolved during the match. A 4 rating means that things went fairly well for the night and a 5 rating means the opponent’s conduct went above the call of duty in the sportsmanship area. The sportsmanship rating should only be based on the conduct of the opposing team’s players, not the location, the service, the host location’s equipment or other issues, such as a complaint about someone’s skill level. Not marking a sportsmanship rating for your opponent will cause your team to not get awarded Bonus Points for that week.

2.2.4 – PACKETS: Scoresheets and all collected weekly fees, membership fees AND applications must be included in the team “packet” and dropped off at one of the designated drop locations at the end of the night’s matches and no later than noon of the following day.

DROP LOCATIONS for your area are listed on a neon green paper in your team folder. If for some reason packets do not get dropped off before noon the following day, the league office must be informed as soon as possible. Call the league office and provide all of the following information: what team #’s packets were not dropped off, who has them, when they will be dropped off and at what drop box location. Leave a voice message as soon as you can, so we do not waste time looking for packets that haven’t yet been dropped. If the packets were left at a host location for some reason, the match wasn’t played, the bar was closed, etc, still notify the league office of the circumstances and location of the packets ASAP.

2.2.5 – OTHER FLYERS: Occasionally, additional flyers will be included in the packet. Some of these may require feedback and need to be returned in the packet in order to receive additional bonus points.

2.3 – MATCH START TIMES: It is always recommended to start on time (regular time, not bar time). There is a 15 minute grace period to allow teams or additional players to arrive. But - that is not to be used as an alternative start time. A match can start with only ONE player present. On occasion, a team does not show up at the scheduled start time. League Policy dictates that the team who is present is to wait 15 minutes past the posted start time to see if anyone from the missing team shows up or calls. If after 15 minutes, there is still no one present, call the league office to inform the League Operator of the problem. Typically, at this point, ONE match forfeit may be taken. Write down the player you would have put up in that first match on the scoresheet and write Forfeit on the line for the opposing teams’ player name. Then wait an additional 15 minutes (half an hour after posted start time). If at that time the missing team still has not arrived or called, the team that is present may have the rest of the number of forfeits for the matches they have players present for. The names must be written in on your scoresheet to indicate which players were present. If the league office finds out some unusual circumstances prevented the missing team from showing up on the normally scheduled night, a make-up match may need to be scheduled and played at a later date. A full match forfeit is 10-0 in 8-ball and 75-0 in 9-ball. Normal weekly fees still need to be paid. In a full forfeit, the team forfeiting will pay for both teams. (No Bonus points will be added)

2.4 – TEAM CONDUCT: The team captain is responsible for the conduct of every player on the team, and other people sitting with the team. Please be aware of any problems or potential problems.

2.5 – ASSUMED NAME: If any person plays in a match under an assumed name, the opposing team will receive forfeit points for all of the matches from that night. If the infraction happens again on the same team, the team will be removed from the league for the remainder of that session. Any involved players will be put on suspension for a time period to be determined by the Board of Governors and the League Operator. If the opposing team is found to have condoned or allowed this action, they too, will not receive any points for that night’s matches AND may also receive further penalties as deemed appropriate.

3 – DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MAKE-UPS and PLAY-BACKS for shorthanded teams

3.1 – FIRST FOUR WEEKS “MAKE-UPS” - Weeks 1 through 4 are a formation time for many teams, so some teams may not have a complete roster yet. If teams are short-handed, make-up matches should be arranged to be played later by team members not present that night. Please play as many matches as possible with whoever does show up on the originally scheduled night of play, and then schedule make-up matches for the rest. At the end of the night turn in your paperwork leaving the unplayed matches blank, pay your full weekly fees, regardless of how many matches are played, and drop your packet in a proper APA drop box by noon of the following day. Make-ups from weeks 1 – 4 should be scheduled and completed by the end of the 6th week of the session. DO NOT USE ANY OF YOUR ALLOTTED “PLAY-BACKS” IN THESE FIRST 4 WEEKS. A newly added player may need to play these make-up matches in order to get their 10 weeks of scores in before playoffs.

Schedule the date, time and location of the make-up match with the opposing team captain when you first play them. Then call to notify your Division Rep. of the make-up details AND write the information on the bottom of your scoresheet. Do Not designate any players ahead of time, because

FIRST FOUR WEEKS “MAKE-UPS” continued

anyone who has not already played is eligible for make-ups. It has happened before that two out of town teams (i.e.: Jefferson and Dallas) play each other and one team is short of players. If, after checking the schedule, it is determined that the teams do not play in the same location soon enough, other arrangements can be made, such as another night the week or sending a player early or late to do the make-up. If nothing can be agreed upon, for convenience, a play-back may be done to avoid a forfeit. Check with your division rep for verification.

3.2 – AFTER FOURTH WEEK “MAKE-UPS” - Individual or even full match make-ups may be needed due to conflicts such as Chinook Winds, National tournaments, holidays, vacations, illnesses, weddings, a death in the family, extreme weather conditions or some other unforeseen reason. Team Captains should call the league office to notify the league operator and call their opponents as soon as they know they have a conflict that affects the majority or all of the team. This should be done as far ahead of time and as soon as they know their team may be short too many players. The team that will be unavailable is responsible for contacting their opponent. They should refer to their future schedule to determine who their opponent will be on the date of the conflict and contact that team during their normal night of play, two or three weeks in advance. This way, both teams are assembled and are available to agree on a date and time for the make-up and everyone will be informed of the schedule change. These matches can be played before or after the scheduled night of play (preferably before). The division rep and the league office need to be informed of these arrangements.

If the conflict arises due to an emergency just hours or days before the scheduled match, someone from the team still needs to contact the league operator and the opponents to advise them of the conflict and to schedule the make-up match. Make-ups for weeks 5 and later should be played within two weeks of the scheduled night of play. The details surrounding any make-ups, which are not played by the deadline given by the league operator, will be researched. The team responsible for the match not being completed on time will forfeit any unplayed portion of the match. If both teams are guilty of not getting the matches played, neither team will receive points for the unplayed matches. Full weekly fees will still need to be paid by both teams for any forfeited matches. If one team chooses to forfeit an entire weekly match rather than scheduling and playing the make-ups, that team will be responsible to pay the full weekly fees for both teams involved. ALWAYS use the most current skill levels on players when playing any make-ups, not necessarily what was printed on the original scoresheet. So contact the League Office or check the web site for correct skill levels before playing a make-up match.

3.3 - “PLAY-BACKS” – When a team is short players, a play-back is another option a team may use to get in all five matches of weekly play. Play-backs should only be used after week 4 of the session. If a team starts the match with more than 4 players present, that team is not eligible to do a play-back. A play-back is using a team member who has already played during that week, to play a second match.

Two play-backs per week will be allowed for each team, but each team may only use 7 total play-backs in a normal session. A “Blind Draw” will be used to determine which player or players will play the play-back match or matches. The names of all players who were originally present for that night’s match, and who will not make the team violate the 23 rule, will be put into the blind draw. The blind draw should be done no later than the beginning of the third match or before anyone leaves.

“PLAY-BACKS” continued

If the player drawn has left prior to the play-back match making them unavailable to play, that player’s team will forfeit the match. If a team’s missing player arrives at the location prior to the play-back matches starting, they will be permitted to play and the play-back will not take place. If both teams are short, both teams can do play-backs. Any subsequent player shortages, beyond the two allowable play-backs, will result in forfeits. The opposing team receives a winning score of 2-0 in 8-ball and 15-0 in 9-ball for any match their opponent forfeits. If a player needed to leave prior to the blind-draw the opponent may choose to show extremely good sportsmanship by agreeing to not put that player’s name into the blind-draw, but don’t count on that happening. All team members present should split the cost of the play-back evenly among them, rather than making the player who was drawn pay double fees for the week. If one or both teams are short more than one player, it is a courtesy to let teams schedule a make-up for missing matches instead of taking a forfeit. PLAYBACKS MAY NOT BE USED IN PLAY-OFFS OR TOURNAMENTS.

4 – SESSION END AND PLAYOFFS

4.1 - INDIVIDUAL PLAYER ELIGIBILTY FOR PLAYOFFS: For a player to be eligible to play with their team in the session end playoffs, each player needs to be current with all league fees from all teams they participate on, regardless of whether there were forfeits, play-backs, or make-ups that occurred during that session. Each player needs to have participated with THIS specific team at least 6 times during this session. Though the APA Team Manual currently states: “A player must have played at least 4 times with the team” to be eligible, locally 6 is now required.

In the Spring session, this is only IF you already have accumulated at least 10 scores (regular weeks of play) in this format at some time on your record within the last 2 years. Brand new players to the league or those with less than 10 scores total in the last 2 years must play at least 10 times in the Spring session to establish a current skill level before playoffs. There are no exceptions to this rule in the SPRING session. BUT there may be some consideration for those with at least 6 scores during Summer or Fall sessions. The league operator has final discretion whether to allow a player to participate in the playoffs with less than 10 scores in. MP (matches played) is displayed on the scoresheets between the players S/L (skill level) and their 5-digit membership number so that you can keep track of the number of matches each player needs to play prior to season end.

New players who do not get in at least 10 scores (20 is preferred) prior to the Local Team Championships, or old players who do not get 6 weeks in with the team in Spring session, will be dropped from the team roster completely and will not be allowed to participate with their team.

4.2 - WILD CARD DRAW: The wild card draw takes place at the end of the session after all stats have been calculated. The teams and all of their players must be current on all monies owed to the league (including players who play on multiple teams) and someone representing the team must be present during the Wild Card Draw procedure to be eligible for the draw. No team can use more than 7 play-backs or 5 forfeits during the session to remain eligible for the playoffs or the Wild Card Draw.

4.3 - CASH BACK BREAK-DOWN FOR SESSION END: In Divisions of 4 or 5 teams, only the 1st place team in the standings, prior to playoffs, will receive a cash award. In Divisions of 6 or 7 teams both 1st place and 2nd place will receive cash. In Divisions of 8 or 9 teams 1st thru 3rd place will receive cash awards. In Divisions of 10 - 13 teams there will be cash awards for 1st – 4th place and in Divisions with 14 or more teams the top 5 teams will receive cash. Cash back amounts are based on how many teams were in the division and how many weeks the session ran. Teams must be current with weekly fees to be eligible for cash back awards. If the team qualifies for cash back but have outstanding fees, any fees owed must be paid up first.

4.4 - PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: Every week, teams are earning points that will be added together to give them a final place in the team standings list at the end of the session. Depending on the size of the division a variety of playoff scenarios could take place. The first place team, depending on the size of the division, is going to be given the option of “buying-in” to the TRI-CUP REGIONAL QUALIFIER END OF SEASON TOURNAMENT. Depending on the size of the division, the top team, the top 3 teams, or the top 6 teams, are guaranteed to be in the playoffs. If the top eligible team “buys in”, they will sit out of playoffs and the next consecutive 3, or 6 teams in a double tier playoff scenario, will make it into the playoffs. In addition to the top one, top 3 or top 6 teams, a single “WILD CARD” team (or two Wild Card teams when a double tier is used) will be drawn at random to play in the playoffs. Teams must be current with league fees and at least one team representative must be present at the “Wild Card Draw” for a team to be eligible to be in the draw.

In 4 team divisions: The 1st place team plays the Wild Card team for Division Title, 1st place trophies and Regional Qualifier Tri-Cup eligibility. There is no “buy-in” option for the 1st place team.

In 5-7 team divisions: The 1st place team plays the Wild Card team and the 2nd place team plays the 3rd place team in the Semi-finals. The winners of those two matches then play off for the Division Title, 1st place trophies and Regional Qualifier Tri-Cup eligibility. There is no “buy-in” option for 1st place.

In 8-15 team divisions: 1st place normally buys-in to Tri-Cup so the 2nd place team will play the Wild Card team and the 3rd place team will play the 4th place team in the Semi-finals. The winners of these 2 matches will playoff for the Division title, 1st place trophies and become eligible for the Regional Qualifier Tri-Cup.

In a 16 team division: 1st place normally buys-in, so the 2nd and 3rd place teams will play the two Wild Card teams, 4th place will play the 6th place team, 5th place will play the 7th place team in the Semi-

finals. The winners of those 4 matches then play off for 2 Division titles, 2 sets of 1st place trophies and both 1st place winners become eligible for the Regional Qualifier Tri-Cup.

4.5 - TROPHIES AND AWARDS: A portion of the weekly team fees paid is used at session end to purchase individual awards and team trophies. Individual awards are given for personal high win percentages at and above 75%. Teams voted to lower the trophy budget, so only 1st place trophies will be awarded after playoffs and a host location trophy for the bar they play out of. 1st place teams at session end that choose to buy-in to TRI-CUP will receive High Point Awards. Teams that participate in Tri-Cups only earn cash awards, not trophies. The teams that advance to Las Vegas for the National team championship receive trophies and cash compensation to ASSIST in their travel and lodging costs for all players on the rosters that go on the trip. The “Runners Up” at Regionals receive trophies and cash awards. Yearly team participation determines the budget each year for this.

5 – HIGHER LEVEL TOURNAMENTS

5.1 - TRI-CUP “REGIONAL QUALIFIER” END OF SESSION TOURNAMENTS:

At the end of each of the three sessions: Summer, Fall/Winter and Spring - there will be a money qualifying tournament offered to the top finishing teams in each division. This money tournament will be a “regional qualification” modified single elimination format. A portion of the weekly team fees, along with “buy-ins” and added money from the host location, go to the prize fund for this tournament.

Eligibility: At the end of each session, the first place team in the standings in each division, of 8 or more teams, will have the first option to “buy-in” to the Tri-Cup, a $50 fee, to guarantee their team a spot and skip the playoffs. If they opt not to buy-in, they will simply play in the play-offs to try to earn a spot and the “buy-in” option may be given to the 2nd or other placing team. The team that wins the Division title after playoffs will earn a free entry into the Tri-Cup. If the 1st place team chooses not to buy-in to the Tri-Cup, and plays in the playoffs instead, they risk being knocked out during the playoffs and lose their chance to play in the Tri-Cup.

5.2 – LTC (LOCAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS or “REGIONALS”): The 8 highest placing teams from each Tri-Cup Regional qualifier at the end of each session qualify for the Local Team Championship. This LTC/Regionals is the tournament that determines which teams will advance to the Nationals in Las Vegas from this area, and takes place once a year after the end of Spring session. The number of teams that earn a trip to Nationals is determined by the total active Spring team count for that format (8-ball or 9-ball). The LTC could be either a “double elimination” or “single modified” or even “single elimination” format depending on team count, host location and table availability.

5.3- NTC (APA NATIONAL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS):

Currently held in August of each year, in the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, the APA National office runs our National Team Championships for normal format 8-ball and 9-ball teams. It is a 4 to 5 day single modified elimination team tournament for 9-ball and a 6 to 7 day single modified elimination team tournament for 8-ball teams that have come from all over the United States, Canada and now Japan.

In 2013 there were 438 total 9-ball teams and 701 total 8-ball teams participating.

The MYPLAYERS teams that qualify to go play at the NTC by placing in the top of the LTC tournament for the current year get an entry fee and travel package prize fund to assist in travel and lodging for Nationals. AT THIS CURRENT TIME TEAMS/PLAYERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PLAY IN THE SUMMER SESSION TO ADVANCE TO THE NTC TEAM EVENT.

5.4 - PREREGISTERED NATIONAL EVENTS: The APA also offers 5 other National tournament events. Your League Operator may run qualifiers for these or may simply sell “slots” to enter them.

5.4.1 - “Open Doubles for 8-Ball” and “Open Doubles for 9-Ball” will now be offered during the National Singles Championship time period in APRIL/MAY. Couples can be co-ed or unisex with a skill level cap of 10.

5.4.2 - “Wheelchair Championship” is also offered during the APRIL National Singles Championship.

5.4.3 - “Jack and Jill 8-Ball Scotch Doubles” will be moved to the AUGUST National Team Championship. The Skill Level Cap is a 10 total with one female and one male partner.

5.4.4 - “Triple Play Masters” 3 person team (no skill level cap) tournament is also offered in AUGUST. Sometimes there is a qualifying tournament or a league session run to generate money to go to the winning team or teams to cover entry fee, travel and lodging for this event.

5.4.5- New Ladies 8-ball Team Championships starting 2014, 3-5 person roster, 13 skill level cap for 3 players. This is a modified single elimination tournament taking place in AUGUST with National Team Championship.

AT THIS TIME PLAYERS ADVANICNG TO JACK AND JILL OR MASTERS NATIONALS MUST BE ACTIVE ON A SUMMER SESSION ROSTER.

All of these per-registered events must be filled through your League Office. The entry fee for these events is $50 per person, except $100 for wheelchair slot and $200 for the Ladies team, with travel and lodging costs left up to the individuals to cover, unless your League Operator has set up a fund for that.

6 – Coaching and Sportsmanship

6.1 – CLARIFYING COACHING SITUATIONS: The way it is stated in the rule book: a coach may get a group consensus from other players on his team and pass it on to the shooter, but only the designated coach may pass it on. At one point, here locally we were allowing the coach to ask someone for a second opinion by letting them approach the table to look at the situation, while asking the shooter to step away, then only the original coach talked to the player after the second individual sat back down. Both for time purposes and because of how the coaching works at the National level: we locally

changed our ruling back to only allow one coach to approach the table and talk to the shooter. If the coach wishes, they may go back to the sitting team members and get additional advice, leaving the shooter at the table, and return to the shooter to pass on the advice.

There is no foul involved in whatever maneuvers the coach uses or misuses, only sportsmanship violations if the coaching situation is abused. At any time you feel the coaching is questionable, I would just have your Captain/or you talk to their Captain and make sure both teams are comfortable with whatever guidelines you both are coaching by. If a player has used his/her allocated amount of time-outs, any outspoken shooting recommendations made will result in a sportsmanship violation for the shooting team. If the player has not used their allotted time-outs, any outspoken shooting recommendations will result in a time out being charged against the shooter.

(even saying things like “do you want a coach or time-out?” becomes a time-out)

6.2 - SPORTSMANSHIP ISSUES: There are some sportsmanship rules listed in the APA Team Manual. A sportsmanship violation does not result in a Ball-in-hand foul or loss of game unless previously specified (like during Higher level tournaments). Severe sportsmanship issues should be brought to the attention of your Division Rep first and/or the League Office during match time to be resolved immediately if possible. Make every effort to handle the issue on the night it occurs, as quickly, quietly and as fairly as you can. The league office may, after review of the situation, and based on the severity of the infraction, assess penalties. Repeat violators will be asked to leave the league on SPORTSMANSHIP ISSUES continued:

either a temporary or a permanent basis. Verbal or written warnings may be issued depending on the severity of the problem and will accumulate on a lifetime basis for an entire team and/or for an individual. Sportsmanship complaints need to be submitted in written form. All protests and disputes really need to be addressed and resolved at the time of the incident. If you let the situation pass and then try to get a resolution after the fact, it makes it much harder to resolve in a fair and equitable manner. Always attempt to contact your Division Rep first at any sign of a problem and let them help with the rule book or common sense answers to resolve the situation. Realize that the league operator is not always available or able to make an immediate response. Many situations may need to be presented to the Board of Governors before a decision can be made. Players and teams will need to comply with the BOG’s rulings or they will be removed from the league.

7 – MISCELLANEOUS ISSUES

7.1 - Phones, Head phones and blue tooth devices: During regular league play all players using ear buds, head phones or blue tooth devices will be required to have at least one ear left unencumbered by a listening device, so players can hear their opponents calling fouls or captains calling for time-outs. Phones should be turned completely off or put on vibrate while within hearing distance of players currently involved in league matches. Also, phone calls should not be taken by a player while that player is currently involved in a match. At Chinook Winds, Tri-Cups, Local Team Championships and Nationals these devices will NOT BE ALLOWED at all.

7.2 - Oregon’s Non-Smoking policy: It is illegal to smoke inside all public bars and pool playing facilities. APA rules specify that match play must be continuous between two players. So, though quick “bathroom breaks” are sometimes necessary and can be taken in between games, there will not be “smoke breaks” allowed during a match.

7.3 - Host location Player incentives: Some host locations offer their teams incentives to play for their location. These can include things like team t-shirts, drink rounds during league play, drink rounds after matches are over when a team returns to their home bar after playing away that evening, discounts on food purchases, opening the pool tables for free play during league and/or during team practice times. In the APA league these benefits are not required, requested or advised by the APA league National office. Each host location has the right to offer what incentives they want as long as all teams are treated equally. There is NO obligation for host locations to do any of these things.

Please show courtesy and acceptance of any and all policies of host locations. If you are asked to pay for tables or not receive any benefits that you may be used to at other locations, you must accept the way it is at that location.

7.4 - League Growth Incentives: The incentives in the MYPLAYERS APA area has to do with recruiting new or non-active players into the league. There are specials, discounts or reimbursements offered for recruiting new players, forming new teams and for building a team to fill a bye. See the newly implemented Gold Star program information included or Call the league office for information.

7.5 - INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: A team may choose to cancel attendance for a league match for safety reasons if the current weather or road conditions or a threat of future weather or road conditions make it a hazard for players to travel to the scheduled location for that night’s match. This could be due to conditions that exist just prior to or at the start of league play or where there is a threat of poor or dangerous weather or road conditions occurring prior to the end of league play. An early call to the league office and/or a division rep is all that is needed so that the opponents may be contacted to cancel the match for that night and to re-schedule. These matches need to be played as soon as weather permits (preferably prior to the next week’s scheduled match).

8 – PLAYER BENEFITS

8.1 -View your stats online

Go to

Click on “Log In”

If you do not have an account click on “CREATE ACCOUNT”

Follow the easy steps.

View your stats, membership history, team history, tournament history, and update your profile.

8.2 - Matches Played Lifetime Stats Awards: Newly implemented 250, 500, 600, 750 and 1,000 lifetime matches played club awards are now available at the end of each session to those that have reached these plateaus. Attend the end of season Wild Card draw to pick up your awards.

You may look up your personal stats online under your member services account. Log on through to claim your account and access your records.

8.3 Gold star program – SUMMARY

Earn gold stars (points) for a variety of things:

5 gold stars for paying 2014 membership fees online before Jan. 3rd, 2014. (need instructions on how to get online – just call the league office)

Gold stars for recruiting a new member to APA or bringing someone back in who has not played for more than 2 years.

Gold stars for Building a new team with at least four new members. (get stars for both the new members and for the team)

Bring a team out of a new bar or one that has not had teams for over one year.

Participate or attend meetings, wild card draws, tournaments, ref class, other functions put on and for active APA members.

Gold stars for each team you play on (double jeopardy counts as 2). SPECIAL – skill levels 3 and below get double the stars for each team they play on.

A gold star for each patch you earn in the season.

“Bounty Hunters” match play reward

There may be other things added as we go along.

Gold Star Program specifics:

For each point earned and accumulated there will be a straight across $1 value. These points will be redeemable for entry fees to tournaments, purchasing pool merchandise and each one will be a chance in a drawing for a free trip to Vegas in April for Singles Nationals and then again in a drawing for a free trip to Vegas for Team Nationals.

The program may be revised as ideas come forward and things are tweaked to perfection. Be patient with any changes that may come in the future as we see how this all will work.

Point values:

stars:

Paying your 2014 (or upcoming years) membership fees online prior to new Spring session start-up date by 3 days. Attending a referee class or scorekeeping clinic Putting a brand new team together with at least 4 new players (or players who have not played for over 2 years) on roster Bringing a team out of a new or inactive host location

stars: Volunteering or being arbitrarily assigned to being a Division Rep Volunteering or being asked to participate on the Board of Governors for sportsmanship issues or league management decisions

stars:

Attending new session player meetings (only one per session) Attending a Wild Card Draw for your division(s) Participating in our annual Civil War tournament, in an APA Chinook Winds tournament or in any Singles Qualifier or Scotch Dbls event Being a Captain of a team that remains active and paid all session Pulling a shift refereeing at one of our APA tournaments Volunteering on a committee like the picnic planning crew

2 stars: Being a Co-Captain of a team that remains active and paid all session Skill levels 1, 2 and 3s will get 2 points for each team they play a minimum of 6 times on during a session

1 star:

For each team you play a minimum of 6 times on for a session For each patch you earn past the first one issued

“Bounty Hunters”:

Players a skill level 5 or above volunteer to become a “TARGET” on the “Hunted” list. Then anytime a player a skill level 4 or below beats them in a match – a point value will be assessed based on the 2 skill levels involved.

Examples: A 3 that beats a 6 would get 3 points, a 2 that beats a 7 gets 5 points, a 1 that beats an 8 would get 7 points, etc. (specific Bounty paperwork has to be turned in to claim these points)

9 - LOCAL MONEY TOURNAMENTS

9.1 – APA NW Invitational and 9-ball Challenge

The Oregon League Operators run two major (non-qualifying) tournament events each year, currently held at Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City, Oregon. We run two Scotch Doubles 8-ball tournaments along with a 3-Person team 8-ball event in the Spring of each year and two Scotch Doubles 9-ball tournaments with a 3-Person team 9-ball event in the Fall. We often have a Pro exhibition and other entertainment at these money tournament events, including mini-mania and open scratch tournaments. In addition we made add other events to supplement this tournament at times. SKILL LEVEL TIERED SINGLES EVENTS are being added in for our players’ participation.

The Woman’s Pro Billiards Association Tour (WPBA) has also graced us in Oregon with Championship tournament play during the fall months which is also held at Chinook Winds Casino. This Pro tour event is often scheduled to coincide with or falls in close proximity to the dates of the Fall 9-ball Chinook Winds tournament. (not necessarily every year).

9.2 – Annual APA “Civil War” 8-ball Singles tournament

The “Civil War” pits “North” (Portland and Vancouver OPAL) players against the “South” (MYPLAYERS and CASCADES franchise areas including Salem, Yamhill, Polk & Bend area players as well as players from the Southern Oregon APA franchise). This tournament has cash payouts, trophies, annual commemorative T-shirts and little surprise gag gifts. Fun is had by all. ALL skill levels encouraged to play in this event.

9.3 - APA Singles program:

Those players, who have obtained at least 10 weeks of scores on their records in one format or another (in the last 2 year period), may compete in “Singles Qualifiers”. The APA Singles Regional and National events are run in “tiers” of specified skill levels. There are now 5 different breakdowns for skill levels in the 8-ball format and 3 in the 9-ball format. The tiers are set up so that players are only competing against other players close to their same skill level for Regional and National competition. This allows for 8 different National Singles Champions. The 8-ball tiers are now: skill levels 2 & 3, skill level 4, skill level 5, skill level 6 & skill level 7. The 9-ball tiers are: skill levels 1, 2 & 3, skill levels 4 & 5 and skill levels 6, 7, 8 & 9. Next time you see a flier about Singles Qualifiers, come and try it out.

Your individual participation as a team member in the APA pool league

is always appreciated.

Your enjoyment of playing pool, meeting new people and having a fun night out

is of utmost importance to our organization.

Volunteers are always needed for the positions of Team Captain, Division Representative and/or a Board of Governors members as well as Referees.

Your participation in this capacity would be greatly appreciated. To become involved in one or more of these manners, or to be more a part of the operations side of this local league, make an effort to become familiar with the APA pool league rules and policies and “spirit of the league”, then call your League Operator and attend a “referee class”. Incentive and/or cash awards can be earned for some of the positions and assistance offered.

The AMERICAN POOLPLAYERS ASSOCIATION: A National amateur pool league offering 8-ball and 9-ball formats using a copy written handicap “Equalizer” system, offering more than just local weekly league play.

The local League Operators may run many tournaments of different types throughout the year for their members. Nationally, the APA, in addition to the normal weekly team competition that culminates in Local (Regional) and National Team Championships, also has a wonderful Singles program.

Everyone can play - Anyone can win!!!!

JOIN US - TO PLAY APA, COMPETE AND HAVE SOME FUN!!!

LAST UPDATED – May 2014

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