2018
Proposed Rule Changes
PRC
1
The RGS
Book
revised January
1, 2016
Rule 12
II
Requirements
Requirement
2
Section F – League Credit Page 23
Reads as
follows
All seasonal, sanctioned Club/League play must be four
hundred (400) or more pitched shoes to qualify as an official event for NatStats purposes.
Proposed
change
All
seasonal, sanctioned Club/League play must be two hundred (200) or more pitched
shoes to qualify as an official event for NatStats
purposes.
Reason
Some
leagues pitch 120 shoes a night and have substitutes. There are times when a
person may play or sub in 3 league nights. and only
pitch 360 shoes. By the rules that are currently in place, this person may not
get credit for that league.
In
comparison, tournament competition, Rule E, page 23 a contestant may pitch 100
shoes and get credit for NatStats.
Notes
·
During a league night in our
club, a contestant will pitch 120 shoes ( 3 – 40 shoe games )
·
Some tournaments, a contestant
may only pitch 100 – 200 shoes and receive NatStats
credit.
·
There are times when several subs
are available and not all are able to receive NatStat
recognition. The change in this rule will help.
·
There are times when a player may
be on a league team, but due to work or illness may not get to pitch 400
shoes.
·
This would also encourage more
participation. Membership is down an as NHPA members, we should try to increase
participation
PRC 2
Requirement
2, Section E, Numbers 1, 2 and 3.
Reads as
follows
1. For
singles and doubles events, a contestant must have pitched a minimum of 100
shoes to receive Natstats credit.
Exception:
If all games of the round-robin schedule have been pitched in less than 100
shoes, these statistics may be submitted for Natstats
credit.
2. In
team tournament competitions, any team member who has pitched a minimum of one
hundred (100) shoes during that event may receive Natstats
credit.
3. For
elimination tournaments, a contestant must pitch one hundred (100) or more
shoes to receive Natstats credit for that event.
Proposed
change
1. For
singles, doubles, team, and elimination events, a contestant must have pitched
a minimum of one hundred (100) shoes against another contestant to receive Natstats credit.
Exception:
If all games of the round-robin schedule have been pitched in less than one
hundred (100) shoes, these statistics may be submitted for Natstats
credit. This exception applies to point games only.
Reason
Numbers
2 and 3 are redundant and need to be removed. Number 1 now includes all
necessary wording.
PRC 3
Rule 2E
Reads as
follows
Section
E – Court Rotation
At the end of each game, contestants shall go promptly to their next assigned
court. If the court is vacant, they may practice here at this time. After
the games on adjacent courts are completed , both
pits shall be prepared for play (see Section B above). When the scorekeeper is ready,
the contestants have the option of pitching no more than four (4) additional
warm-up shoes each, and then the next game must begin immediately.
Proposed
Change
Section
E – Court Rotation
At the end of each game contestants can practice on current court until their
next assigned court is available. After the games on adjacent courts are
completed, both pits shall be prepared for play (see Section B above). When the
scorekeeper is ready, the contestants have the option of pitching no more than
four (4) additional warm-up shoes each, and then the next game must begin
immediately.
Reason
To
prevent contestants from debating with Judges with the potential to avoid
unsportsmanlike behavior and allow everyone the same privilege to practice
eliminating the unwritten rule in the Championship level. At the World this
year were several instances where contestants disagreed with the Judges and
acted in unsportsmanlike conditions. I believe this may help solve a few
issues.
PRC 4
RULE 11
– TOURNAMENT/LEAGUE PLAY
Reads as
follows
See
proposed addition in red/italic type
Section B –
Determining Class Winners, Breaking of Ties
The Tournament
Officials shall decide how Class winners are to be determined and how ties are
to be broken and shall announce these procedures before tournament play begins.
1. Class
Winners – At the end of round-robin
play, win/loss records or ringer percentage shall determine Class winners. In
addition, total points may be used if the scoring was done using the count-all
method.
2. Class
Ties – If ties occur, they shall
be broken by playoff games, overall ringer percentage, who-beat-whom in the
regular round-robin, or highest above/closest to their entering ringer
average. Total points may be used if the scoring was done using the
count-all method.
In
World, National, Regional and State Championships, all ties for first place in
the Championship Class of a designated Division must be broken by a
playoff game(s).
Current
Wording
See
proposed addition in red/italic type
Section F –
Handicapping
Handicapping may be
used in open tournaments and in league play. The Tournament/League Officials
shall determine the amount of the handicap. Class winners will be determined by
win/loss record or , for count-all
formats, by total points scored. An alternate-pitch format shall be used.
For the breaking of Class ties, the options in Section B (above) may also
apply, except that ringer percentage shall not be used. Game handicapping shall
not be used in any World, National, or Regional Tournament or in the
Championship Class of a designated Division of any State Championship
Tournament.
Reasons
Some
background information: Several RGS
revisions ago, the use of total points as an option for the breaking of Class
Ties was eliminated (see Section B-2 above) as it was determined that using
this option as a tie-breaker in cancellation play penalized the higher
percentage pitchers.in that Class. This was verified by the analysis of past
tournament results, was agreed-to by members of the IT Committee, and was also
approved by the Chairman of the Rules Committee and the NHPA Council. This also
resulted in the same changes that were made to the HS Master Program, now
widely used in Charter Tournaments. At least two articles were published
in Newsline Magazine, which included
reasons for the Rule change and examples of how the use of total points for the
breaking of Class ties was unfair to the higher percentage pitchers.
The
current wording of this Rule has lead to some mis-interpretations of the Rule by some Tournament
Directors, especially as it applies to the breaking of ties in handicapped
Classes. The proposed addition of the sentence in B-2 (a repeat of the
information in B-1), and also the addition of the phrase ‘for count-all
formats’ in Section F, does not change the original intent of the Rule and
helps to distinguish between the use of total points as it may apply to
cancellation formats and count-all formats in tournament play.
PRC 5
Definition
of Sanctioned Tournament
Reads as
follows
None
Proposed
change
To be
added under Requirement 2 as Section D-Tournament Size
Section
D: Tournament Size: The minimum number of contestants in a sanctioned
tournament shall be four (4) contestants.
Current
Section D becomes E, Section E becomes F, etc.
Reasons:
The number of two person tournaments being submitted to NatStats
has been increasing. Some of these tournaments are not publicized as required
by Section II, Requirement 1-A, of the RGS book. Having such tournaments that
do not follow the current RGS guidelines adversely affects the integrity of NatStats. Some feel that many of these tournaments are
staged at the last minute for the express purpose of getting qualifying events
for entry into the World Tournament. Allowing such tournaments could adversely
affect participation in regularly scheduled tournaments. Others feel that an
average obtained after pitching two fifty (50) shoe games against a familiar
opponent does not equate to the rigors of pitching in a competitive tournament.
PRC 6
Pitching
Devisions
Reads as
follows
Section A – Juniors
(See
REQUIREMENTS 6 for exceptions and additional information)
1.
Junior Cadets (any pitcher twelve (12)
years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Junior
cadets may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms and
shall observe the twenty-foot (20′) foul line. Note: Junior cadets may
choose to move into Junior Boys or Junior Girls prior to the age guidelines,
but cannot return to the Junior Cadets once this declaration has been made.
2.
Junior Boys (any male pitcher eighteen
(18) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Junior Boys may
pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms. They shall
observe the twenty-seven-foot (27′) foul lines. Note: Junior Boys may
choose to move into the Open Men Division prior to the age guidelines, but
cannot return to the Junior Boys once this declaration has been made.
3.
Junior Girls (any female pitcher
eighteen (18) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Junior
Girls may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms. They
shall observe the twenty-seven-foot (27′) foul lines. Note: Junior Girls
may choose to move into the Open Women Division prior to the age guidelines,
but cannot return to the Junior Girls once this declaration has been made.
Proposed
Change
Section
A – Cadets
(See
REQUIREMENT 6, for exceptions and additional information)
1.
Cadet Boys (any male pitcher twelve
(12) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Cadet
Boys may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms and
shall observe the twenty-foot (20′) foul line. Note: Cadet Boys may
choose to move into the Junior Boys prior to the age guidelines, but cannot
return to the Cadet Boys once this declaration has been made.
2.
Cadet Girls (any female pitcher twelve
(12) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Cadet
Girls may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms and
shall observe the twenty-foot (20′) foul line. Note: Cadet Girls may
choose to move into the Junior Girls prior to the age guidelines, but cannot
return to the Cadet Girls once this declaration has been made.
Section
B – Juniors
(See
REQUIREMENT 6, for exceptions and additional information)
1.
Junior Boys (any male pitcher eighteen
(18) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Junior
Boys may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms. They
shall observe the twenty-seven-foot (27′) foul lines. Note: Junior Boys
may choose to move into the Open Men Division prior to the age guidelines, but
cannot return to the Junior Boys once this declaration has been made.
2.
Junior Girls (any female pitcher
eighteen (18) years old or younger for the entire calendar year)
Junior
Girls may pitch from any place on the extended or full-distance platforms. They
shall observe the twenty-seven-foot (27′) foul lines. Note: Junior Girls
may choose to move into the Open Women Division prior to the age guidelines,
but cannot return to the Junior Girls once this declaration has been
made.
Reason
Dividing
the Cadets into Boys and Girls better adheres to the NHPA practice of
separating divisions based on gender. With the last increase in age of Cadets,
there has been significant growth in participants in this division; that growth
is prone to continue into the future. Separating Cadets into Boys and Girls
divisions will allow for increased recognition place on a greater number of the
youngest of the NHPA participants. Most kids have picked their favorite sports
and teams in elementary schools; with more value place on this age demographic
we can support the development of more committed life-long NHPA members.
Additionally, more individual focus placed on girls may lead to a greater
number of females participating in the NHPA as youth and later as adults.
Finally, a few NHPA charters are already treating Cadets in this manner at
their state tournaments. This rule brings those charters into compliance and
encourages the rest of the charters to place this added emphasis on their
Cadet-age youth.
Note 1:
Following all other current rules, Cadets could be “mixed” with each other or
with other divisions if their numbers are not high enough at a given tournament
for a division class. State and World Tournament should make every efforts to
fill these divisions and award Cadet Boy and Cadet Girl Championships
Note 2:
The Sections B-E of this rule will need to be re-numbered C-F.
PRC 7
Requirement 2 – All
NHPA Tournaments/Leagues
Reads as follows
Section B –
Eligibility
Tournament
entry and league participation is restricted to contestants holding a current
NHPA membership card (see Bylaws for additional information on membership).
This includes pacers and substitutes. Other eligibility requirements may apply
for State tournaments and for the World Tournament.
Proposed
Change
Section
B – Eligibility
Contestants
holding a current NHPA Full Member membership card (see Bylaws for
additional information on membership) are given priority over other member
levels for Tournament entry and league participation. This includes pacers and
substitutes. Other eligibility requirements may apply for State tournaments and
for the World Tournament.
Note: with
this change, a required clarification of membership levels must be made to
Bylaw
Article
III Section 3. The following is a recommendation:
SECTION
3.
Full
Member – Dues for Full adult members are the National dues of twenty
five dollars ($25.00) plus the amount set for State dues within their Charter.
Three dollars ($3.00) of every adult membership will be set aside for the World
Tournament prize fund, for the
next
year. Only Full Members may enter State and World Tournaments.
Provisional
Member – Dues for Provisional adult members are the National Provisional dues
of ten dollars ($10.00). Provisional Members are allowed entry to regular
tournaments/leagues (upon paying their full entry fee) for the period beginning
at their first entry to the end of the current calendar year. At which time
they must become Full members in order to continue participating in NHPA
tournaments/leagues. During their provisional time, a member can upgrade to
Full member at any time by paying the remainder of their National Dues ($15)
and their state charter dues. Provisional Member tournament/league statistics
are reported to the NHPA and the member is provided an NHPA membership card
number with a “P” at the beginning of their charter-assigned membership number
(e.g., P095001) for tracking purposes. Provisional members cannot vote and do
not count toward the awarding of charter delegates, but are reported on charter
membership reports to the NHPA.
Trial
Member – All dues for Trial members are waived and the member is allowed entry to
one regular tournament/league (upon paying their full entry fee). Trial Member
tournament/league statistics are not reported to the NHPA. Trial members cannot
vote and do not count toward the awarding of carter delegates, but are reported
on charter
membership reports
to the NHPA.
Reason
The rule
change will allow other levels of NHPA members to participate in NHPA
tournaments, but prioritizes entry and participation of Full NHPA members.
This
change requires that the membership bylaws to be altered to identify the other
levels of membership. The suggestion given includes two additional NHPA
membership levels for adults, “Provisional,” and “Trial.” Both are designed to
entice new membership recruitment and growth by removing the upfront barrier of
NHPA dues price tag, especially now that it has increased by a record amount.
The Provisional membership level only will last for the year the participant
starts and thereafter they must upgrade to full membership if they wish to
continue with the NHPA. The
Trial
membership lasts for one event and thereafter they must upgrade to Trial or
Full membership if they wish to continue with the NHPA. A Trial and Provisional
membership may only be used one time by a new member.
The
creation of other NHPA membership levels is a key step in opening the door to
attracting new membership to the NHPA from among, foremost, non-sanctioned
organized horseshoe pitching groups, but also to small community/neighborhood
groups who represent the 110 Million other horseshoe pitchers in the USA. The
NHPA should be making it easier for horseshoe enthusiasts of all walks of life
to affiliate with the NHPA, not harder. This rule removes a significant barrier
to joining the NHPA and participating NHPA horseshoes. As the NHPA starts
bringing in new members those new members will become exposed to the NHPA
world. They will learn about top caliber horseshoes. Top quality facilities.
Challenging state and world championships. Pro style
equipment. NHPA
marketing/promotion/communication. etc,
etc… In time, as many such members are
incorporated, they will help fortify the NHPA with growth and vitality.
PRC 8
Specifications
for Court Layout
Current
Wording
(the full wording of unchanged clauses is omitted for
brevity)
SECTION
A – Sanctioning of Courts
Court
conditions inconsistent with the NHPA specifications listed below are
discouraged, primarily because of the need to standardize the conditions and
results of play for all pitchers. All NHPA
sanctioned events
must be contested on fully or conditionally sanctioned courts. These courts
must be re- sanctioned by the Charter RD (or designates) every four (4) years,
beginning in 2007.
1. Full
Court Sanction – Permanent…
2.
Conditional Court Sanction – The NHPA
recognizes…
3.
Portable Raised Pits – Portable raised pits…
4. Court
Complexes – Since only one…
5. Court
Sanction Waivers – Waivers for some…
a.
Temporary CS Waiver –
b.
Permanent CS Waiver –
c.
A Special Waiver – ….
d.
Other Court Sanction Requirements
Proposed
Change
(the full wording of unchanged clauses is again omitted for
brevity)
SECTION
A – Sanctioning of Courts
Court
conditions inconsistent with the NHPA specifications listed below are
discouraged, primarily because of the need to standardize the conditions and
results of play for all pitchers. It is strongly recommended that all
NHPA sanctioned events must be contested on fully or conditionally sanctioned
courts. These sanctioned courts must be re-sanctioned by the Charter
RD (or designates) every four (4) years, beginning in 2007.
1. Full
Court Sanction – Permanent…
2.
Conditional Court Sanction – The
NHPA recognizes…
3.
Portable Raised Pits – Portable
raised pits…
4.
Court Complexes – Since only
one…
5.
Court Sanction Waivers –
Waivers for some…
a. Temporary CS Waiver –
b. Permanent CS Waiver –
c. A Special Waiver – ….
d. Other Court Sanction Requirements
6.
Non-Sanctioned Courts – Courts
that do not meet one or more identified criteria in the Sections B-D of
Specification II. Tournaments/Leagues played on non-sanctioned courts may be
given a secondary NHPA sanction number identifying that the tournament was
played on non- sanctioned courts in the NHPA statistical database (e.g.:
09-18-N01). Non-sanctioned courts cannot be used for NHPA state or world
championship play.
Reason
Although
desirable that all tournaments be played on high quality courts that would meet
the full NHPA sanction for courts, this rule has created a significant divide
between the NHPA and the American horseshoe pitching public (over110 Million).
In essence the NHPA has said to that
public “if you don’t play
horseshoes on our courts, you are not playing horseshoes, as we (NHPA) are the
nationally recognized organizing body of the sport and we do not recognize your
courts.” No wonder NHPA has a hard time attracting non-NHPA horseshoe pitching
enthusiasts and community groups. Furthermore, the NHPA has lost some of its
membership over the years as the sanction court rules have become more and more strict, due to old complexes falling out of compliance.
This membership loss may be further exacerbated in 2019 with the imposition of
short distance platform requirements.
Because
non-sanctioned courts have the potential to be significantly out of any given
specification, a secondary NHPA Sanction number should be applied to
tournaments/leagues pitched on any such courts to allow the NHPA and
participants to identify these events
separately from
those on sanctioned courts. A simple option is including the letter “N” in the
first
digit of the
tournament/league number for a charter for a given year (e.g., 09-18-N01 =
Utah-
2018-Tournament
#1 played on non-sanctioned courts).
Allowing
non-sanctioned courts to be used for NHPA play is a key step in opening the
door to attracting new membership to the NHPA from among, foremost,
non-sanctioned organized horseshoe pitching groups, but also to small
community/neighborhood groups. The NHPA should be making it easier for
horseshoe enthusiasts of all walks of life to affiliate with the NHPA, not
harder. This rule removes a significant barrier to joining the NHPA and
participating NHPA horseshoes. As the NHPA starts bringing in new members those
new members will become exposed to the NHPA world. They will learn about top
caliber horseshoes. Top quality facilities. Challenging state and world
championships. Pro style equipment. NHPA
marketing/promotion/communication. etc, etc… In time, as many such groups are incorporated,
they will strive to
develop fully sanctioned facilities and will help fortify the NHPA with growth
and vitality.
PRC 9
Requirement
6 – Cadet and Junior Pitchers – Additional Information
(See also Playing
Rule 1, Section A)
Section C – Awards
All Junior play (mixed class or otherwise) will be conducted on
an amateur basis. Awards presented to this Division by the Tournament/League
Officials should have no immediate monetary value. The awarding of trophies,
medals, or ribbons is recommended. Any award with monetary value, including
trust funds from the Charter, State, World Tournament or the Junior Scholar
Pitcher Awards Program, shall not be issued before the successful completion of high school.
Section
D – Responsibility
It shall
be the responsibility of all Junior pitchers (or their
parents/guardians) to make sure that their amateur standing is not jeopardized
by any violation of the above information.
Proposed
Change
Section
C – Awards
Awards
presented to a Junior or Cadet by the
Tournament/League Officials may have
immediate or deferred
monetary value.
Section
D – Amateur Status Responsibility
Collegiate: Prizes or cash awards for horseshoe pitching achievements
do not impact amateur status in any NCAA sports (Horseshoe Pitching is not a
NCAA sport).
Scholastic
(High School): It is the responsibility of
the youth participant and their parents/guardians to check state scholastic
sport association regulations/restrictions when determining whether to accept
an award with any monetary value.
The host
charter and/or the NHPA assumes no responsibility for any adverse effects which
Horseshoe pitching awards may have on the amateur status of any youth
participant.
Reason
The
issuing of Junior awards has been a topic of
discussion for decades in the NHPA. During that time there has been little if
any change to the ruling that youth should not receive money, or anything with
immediate monetary value, in order to preserve their “amateur status.” The long
hoped for day when horseshoe pitching would become a mainstream collegiate
(amateur) sport has become a present impossibility with the ongoing chronic low
numbers of youth participating in organized horseshoe pitching. The same holds
true for state high school (amateur) athletic associations. There simply is not
enough interest among youth for either level to sanction horseshoe pitching.
It has
been said that this rule has “served the NHPA well,” so there is no need to
change it. However, to the contrary, in a day of less restrictive amateurism
rules, and ever growing diversions that compete for the time of our youth, this
rule has become quite harmful to supporting our current youth and also to
increasing membership among our youth divisions. If we don’t do something to
make horseshoes more appealing to kids, like awards with immediate monetary
value, the junior numbers will likely keep falling.
In spite
of the NHPA rules disallowing such, some charters that have either historically
or more recently offered “prizes”
to youth participants have produced vibrant and sizable youth memberships. When
asked what most pleased them about pitching horseshoes, prizes were usually the
primary reply or a close second. Amateurs have been traditionally classified as
participants who play a sport for the pure love of the game. However, if our
game does not love the youth back, we will continue to lose them and it will
prove more and more difficult to attract new youth.