CHANGES AND/OR ADDITIONS TO PROPOSED RULES, GUIDELINES, AND
SPECIFICATIONS
Please see
below, a listing of proposed changes and/or additions to the current Rules and
Bylaws. Some of this text information includes actual changes to the current
Rules, while some additions (included
here) may also be considered as actual “changes” to the current Rules. Note: Proposed changes/additions to the
current Rules/Bylaws are indicated below in italic
print. If, after reading through the RGS Book, you may find other information
that you consider to be “changes of intent” to the existing Rules or Bylaws,
please contact anyone on the Rules re-vision Committee with this information,
as soon as possible.
PLAYING
RULES SECTION:
Introduction
to Playing Rules:
All contestants, including pacers and/or league substitutes, must be current NHPA members …
Reason for
addition: Anyone participating in an NHPA Sanctioned Event should be a current member of the NHPA.
RULE 1 –
PITCHING DIVISIONS
- Section A – Add Junior Cadets (and accompanying
information) – Reason for addition: This addition is based on input from several
Charter Committees and Individuals.
- Section D – Seniors (become eligible to pitch in
the Senior Division at any time during the calendar year that they become sixty
(60) years old) – Explanation/Reason for change: Based on the current Rules, Seniors don’t
become eligible for entering this Division until the anniversary of their 60th
birthday. This change will make the “age rules”, based on the calendar year,
more consistent for all Divisions.
- Section E – Elder Men may pitch from any place on
either the extended or full-distance platforms, and shall observe the
twenty-seven-foot (27’) foul line. – Explanation/Reason
for change: The current Rules state that Elders “shall pitch less than the full-distance”. This
change will make this rule (see information in italics, above) the same for all
of the 30-foot pitching Divisions (Juniors, Open Women, and Elders). Also, there is no advantage to Elders who might choose
to pitch from the full distance.
RULE 4 – FLOW OF THE GAME
5. Moving The Shoe Or Stake
Exceptions: If one or more shoes are below the
shoe(s) in question, they shall remain in place for the re-pitch and shall be
scored at the completion of the inning. Explanation/Reason for change: The
current rule reads (see Rule 6, Sec E, Exceptions): “If one or more shoes are
below the shoe(s) in question, they will
be scored and remain in place for the repitch. No scored shoes will have the scoring changed due to a
repitch.” If/when
shoes are ordered to be re-pitched by the judge, the inning has been
“re-opened”, and based on another current Rule (see Rule 6, Sec E.1), the
scoring for the one or more shoes below the shoe(s) in question is to be
determined “once
the four shoes of the inning have been pitched”; not before all four shoes are pitched. The
wording in these two current Rules is contradictory. Also, what if a re-pitched
shoe ends up closer to the stake than an opponent’s shoe that has already been
scored and awarded the single point? This proposed change will resolve this
existing contradiction and correct any potential scoring errors.
6. Leaving The Courts – If a contestant has to leave
the area of the court complex between games for a legitimate reason, they shall
notify their next opponent, the scorekeeper, or a Tournament/League Official
and shall return soon after the last game of that round is completed. Failure
to return in a reasonable period of time (to be determined by the
Tournament/League Officials) will result in the forfeiture of that next game.
Reason for addition: This specific
information is not included in the current Rules or Bylaws. As this situation
happens often during tournaments, both contestants and Tournament/League
Officials need to know the procedure/consequences for this occurrence.
Note: Live shoes already
in the pit area that may be disturbed by a foul shoe (or other live shoes), are
not to be removed, unless they are knocked into foul territory and then come to
rest in the scoring area. Live shoes shall be scored “as they lie”, after all
shoes for the inning have been pitched.
Reason for
addition: This information is not in the current Rules or Bylaws and is needed here to answer a
question often asked by beginners: “What if a ringer gets knocked off by
another shoe. Does it still count?”
RULE 6 – SCORING THE GAME, CALLING THE SCORE
Section B – Calling the Score
1.
Cancellation
Play
(b)
The
Correct Call – When calling the
score, ringers (if made) shall be reported first, and then points. Note: Contestants
from different regions may use different phrases for calling the scores.
(Recommended and alternative calls can be found in GUIDELINES PART I, #2.)
Reason for Change: Currently
(see Rule 8, Section A.2), the “correct” calls for scoring are designated.
These “rules” for calling the score are not followed by many pitchers, are
controversial, and are difficult/impossible to enforce. The re-write committee,
and others, felt that the best solution to this “problem” was to move the
“calls” to the Guidelines Sections, where there is a listing of “recommended”
and “alternate” calls (see above reference).
2.
Count-all
Play
(a) Called By – The score shall be called to the scorekeeper by only one of the two
contestants, for the entire game, inning by inning. The person who calls the
score shall be determined by Sanctioned League rules or by the Tournament/League Officials.
(b) The
Correct Call – The caller shall
report his/her score first, followed by the opponent’s score. Since there are no cancelled ringers,
only number scores shall be reported (see Section A.2, above).
Reason for the above additions: Although count-all scoring is
described in Rule 8, Section B of the current Rules, there is not information
about who calls the score or how it is to be called.
RULE 7 – PITCHING ROTATION DURING THE GAME
Section D – Pacer Rotation
If a pacer
is used, the pacer will always pitch last; for all innings (see GUIDELINES PART
I, #5 for additional information about pacers). Reason for addition:
Currently, there is no information about pacers in the Rules or Bylaws, and as
pacers are often used in tournament play, this information (and also the
information added to the Guidelines, referenced above), is an important
addition.
RULE 11 – TOURNAMENT/LEAGUE PLAY
Section A – Standard Method of Sanctioned Tournament Play
Reason for
Change: In the current Bylaws (Article XII,
Section 5), the last phrase of the above sentence reads, “In no event shall
that be less than two (2) games.” As a result of some communications from
Charter Committees/individual input, we have learned that there are some
“special” tournament formats where a team captain may control how many games
may be pitched by the “team” members. This could result in a contestant not
receiving credit for this event, if they pitched less than half of the
scheduled games. The suggested change (in italics above) may solve this
problem. The 100-shoe amount is based
on the 100-shoe requirement for the seeding of contestants who have no
established average. This change may also have some implications for the
forfeiture rule, when a contestant may have to withdraw for legitimate
reasons.
RULE 11 – TOURNAMENT/LEAGUE PLAY
Section E
– Mixed Classes
If there are not enough entrants to form a competitive Class within a
given Tournament Division (see Rule 1), contestants should be placed into more
competitive “mixed” Classes where the overall ringer percentage “spread” will
be less. Mixed Classes are not allowed, however, in
some Championship Classes/Divisions of State Tournaments and also at the World
Tournament (see also GUIDELINES, PART II, REQUIREMENT #3 “Mixing”, and
REQUIREMENT #4 “Divisions”).
Reason for addition: There is currently no information
in the current Rules or Bylaws about when or why the “mixing” of classes
can/should be used.
RULE 12 – APPROPRIATE NHPA MEMBER CONDUCT
Section E – Cell Phones
During the
World and State tournaments, the use of cell phones shall not be allowed by
anyone on the courts. This rule may also be adopted at the Charter level or may
be enforced at the State or
local level, if announced in advance by the Tournament/League Officials.
Violations may result in the forfeiture of games. Reason for addition: This information is not included in the current Rules or Bylaws. The
increased popularity and use of cell phones in recent years makes it necessary
to limit their use on the courts as they may create an unnecessary distraction
to the contestants.
GUIDELINES SECTION:
Section
A – Recommended Calls
– Note: The text information in this section was moved here from the
current Rules (see Rule 8, Section A). All of these recommended calls (also in
Section B) remain the same, except
for the following: “two dead, one point”
replaces “one ringer each, one point”, “two dead, three
points” replaces “three ringers, three
points”, and “two dead, no score”
replaces “one ringer each, no score”. These are now the recommended calls. Reasons for change: For each of these recommended calls, “dead”
refers to cancelled ringers, and as you may also know, the call “four dead” has
been used for a long time. As a result of input/suggestions from individuals on
the NHPA Message Board, Charter review committees, and many other individuals,
the calls “two dead” and “four dead” are thought to be easier for scorekeepers
to hear/understand and using the term “dead” offers more consistency for the
calling of cancelled ringers. As these calls, and others, are only
“recommended”, other calls preferred by some may continue to be used. Note:
The above is provided here only for your information, and since this is only recommended information, this does not
require a vote by the delegates.
PART II – REQUIREMENT 3 – CHARTER/STATE INFORMATION
Section A – Championship Play
3. Residency
State Championship Tournaments are open
only to those NHPA members who legally reside in that State and meet the
regular eligibility requirements imposed for the event. An exception to this
shall be active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their immediate family (if married) who may
pitch in the State Championship event of any State in which they are
stationed/reside, provided they meet the other eligibility requirements of that
Charter. No one will be allowed to pitch in more than one State Championship
Tournament per year. Reason for change:
This change is proposed here only for clarification. The way that it is
currently worded (see Article VII, Section 10 of the current Bylaws): “U.S.
Armed Forces and their families who may
pitch…”, is open to interpretation. This more precise wording leaves no doubt
as to what “families” means.
Section G – Eligibility
All entrants shall have their eligibility and entering percentage
verified by NATSTATS
.
3.
Exemptions – An exception to the requirement
of four (4) sanctioned events shall be active-duty members of the U.S. Armed
Forces and their immediate family (if married), provided they meet the other
eligibility requirements. Entering averages for foreign entrants and
active-duty members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their immediate family, not in
the NATSTATS database, will be verified by other means. (See RULE 11, Section
D.1) Reason for addition: There is currently no provision in the current
Bylaws for waiving this eligibility requirement (see Article X: World
Tournaments, Section 8) which would allow active-duty members of the US armed
forces to pitch in the World Tournament, if their schedule permitted them this
opportunity.
SPECIFICATIONS SECTION: Note: No changes
have been made to any of the actual measurement specifications in this section,
so all critical measurements are the same as in the current Rules. Beyond the
additions included here, you will notice that this information, from the
current Rules, has been re-organized and that some of the wording has been
changed, for clarity.
I –
EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS
SECTION C – Legal
Horseshoe Repair
Through prolonged use,
horseshoes may become bent or warped and “mushrooming” or “roll-over” may occur
on the inside of the “toe” area, or elsewhere. Horseshoes may also crack or
break into two or more parts. When possible, these conditions may be corrected
by grinding, heating, pounding, or welding of the shoes, so long as the
original design of the shoe is not altered in the process and so long as they
still meet all of the measurement requirements for NHPA sanctioned horseshoes.
(see Section A above) Reason for
addition: There is currently no specific information in the Rules or Bylaws
about how horseshoes may be repaired. This new section provides information on
how horseshoes may be legally repaired for use in sanctioned competition.
II –
SPECIFICATIONS FOR COURT LAYOUT (also see diagram on back cover of RGS Book)
SECTION A
- Sanctioning of Courts (read Sections A through E)
Reasons
for additions: There is currently no
information in the Rules or Bylaws about the sanctioning of horseshoe courts. A
court sanctioning form has been developed for use by Regional Directors for the
sanctioning of courts, but there is no current rule specifying that sanctioned
tournaments and leagues must be held on sanctioned courts. This new addition
will require that all court complexes comply with at least the minimum
requirements of specified pitching distances, minimum pit dimensions,
correct stake dimensions and placement, and NHPA approved pit substances, for all sanctioned leagues
and tournaments. Court complexes that are in compliance with these minimum
requirements (but not all of the court specifications) will be
issued a Conditional Court Sanction Certificate by the Charter/State Regional
Director. At such time that all of
the court specifications may be met (see Section B), a Full Court Sanction
Certificate can then be issued by the Charter/Regional Director, upon verification.
All State, Regional, or World Championship events must be contested on
fully-sanctioned courts (see exceptions in Section D). Exceptions include the
“grandfathering” of permanent court complexes built prior to January 1, 1994,
but these court complexes must also meet all of the conditions for Conditional
Court Sanction certification.
SECTION B – 4, b.2 – Short-Distance Pitching
Platforms and Walkways – The pitching
platforms, on each side of both pits, shall be extended forward for the full
length of the court to provide a continuous walkway and to accommodate
short-distance pitchers…Reason for
addition: For fully-sanctioned court complexes, full-distance pitching
platforms/walkways will be required and will accommodate the Cadet Juniors and
their 20-foot foul line. For conditionally-sanctioned court complexes, at least
some full length pitching
platforms/walkways should be provided for the Cadet Juniors.