SDAPA Bylaws - February 1, 2002

BYLAWS OF THE SAN DIEGO

AMERICAN POOLPLAYERS ASSOCIATION

MAY 2006
Amendments made after this printing will be added to this site in red type.
Please add these changes to your copy of the bylaws.

                                        Age Requirements
                                        Fees
                                        Returned Check Policy
                                        Official Start Time
                                        23 - Rule
                                        Match Time Guidelines
                                        Player Match-up
                                        Adding Players
                                        Male 1's and 2's
                                        Starting A New Format
                                        Make Up Matches
                                        Bonus Points
                                        Byes
                                        Forfeits
                                        Host Location
                                        Extra League Materials
                                        Scoresheets
                                        Table Size
                                        Cue Ball
                                        Cue Sticks
                                        Table Time
                                        Team Drinks
                                        Timeouts
                                        Coach Marks the Pocket
                                        Pocket Markers
                                        Jump Shots
                                        Masse Shots
                                        Adding Innings
                                        Disturbing the Table Layout
                                        Concession of the Game
                                        Patches
                                        Trophies and Other Awards
                                        Determining MVP's
                                        Determining a Perfect Session
                                        Session-Ending Playoffs
                                        Tie-breaking Procedures

The name of this organization will be the San Diego American Poolplayers Association, heretofore referred to as SDAPA.

The purpose of these Bylaws is to augment and clarify the rules in the Official Team Manual, not to contradict them. These Bylaws are in effect during sanctioned play in San Diego County. Bylaws vary in different regions of the country and it is the player’s responsibility to know when these Bylaws are in effect and when they are not applicable.

A Member shall be anyone with current APA membership, who is in good standing and resides and/or plays on a team in San Diego County. Good Standing is defined as a player whose fees and membership dues are current and who has no disciplinary limitations on his or her membership. All members are governed by the Rules and Regulations of the APA, the Official Team Manual and these Bylaws.

The purpose of the Board of Governors is to help maintain the league, interpret and clarify the rules, settle disputes or protests, assist in sportsmanship rulings, and help promote the overall betterment of the league.

The Board of Governors (BOG) shall consist of player representatives and the League Operators. Any member of the SDAPA may nominate a member to serve as a BOG representative. A Nominee may only become an actual representative of the BOG if the League Operators approve the nomination and the existing BOG representatives vote the nominee in by majority. Preference will be given to nominees who are active members with a minimum of one-year membership. All Board members, whether currently serving or newly nominated, must be SDAPA members in good standing with the league. Every effort will be made to ensure that the Board consists of representatives from all geographical areas participating in the SDAPA. BOG members may represent more than one division.

The BOG will elect a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson and Secretary to serve one-year terms. In the event that any of these elected officials cannot finish his or her term, an election will be conducted to appoint another BOG member to finish the term. There is no limit to the number of terms an official may serve.

The League Operators will select a number of BOG members to serve as Division Representatives. The Division Representatives will act as liaisons between the League Operators, host location management and the players within a designated geographical area. Division Representatives will be responsible for assisting the League Operators with keeping players and host location management informed of events and rules and policies, and gathering information and feedback from players and host locations management and conveying it to the League Operators.

The Board of Governors will handle the regular business of the organization as comes before it. Board meetings will be held on a quarterly basis. The Board may reschedule the regular Board meeting as conflicts occur due to event scheduling or other calendar considerations.

All official decisions will be made by a vote of the quorum. A quorum is defined as the League Operator, Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson plus two additional voting members of the Board. If no quorum is present, matters that arise at a Board meeting and require immediate action will be handled by "Executive Privilege." Executive Privilege will consist of consenting votes of the League Operator and either the Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson.

Participation is essential for the Board of Governors to be effective. Board members who cannot attend a scheduled Board meeting are required to contact the Chairperson. A less than 66% attendance record shall be grounds for consideration for dismissal from the Board. The Board shall handle dismissals.

A Handicap Advisory Committee has been formed to ensure a player’s assigned skill level is an accurate reflection of his/her ability. A team captain may submit the name of any player recommended for handicap review in writing to the HAC. Referrals may be made in the message center section of the scoresheet.

League office hours are 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. every day. The SDAPA League phone number is (619) 303-0183. Calls will be accepted outside of regular office hours for emergencies only. Emergencies might include physical or verbal altercations, protests, rulings or disputes during session ending playoffs, etc. Use your best judgment when deciding whether to call. Most questions can be answered by looking in the Team Manual, these Bylaws, the APA website at www.poolplayers.com, the San Diego APA website at www.sdapa.com and/or the weekly newsletters. In the event that answers cannot be found via these methods or when players or host location management have general questions about the League, the Division Representatives or other representative of the BOG should be contacted, if possible, before contacting the League Office. To assist members with contacting their Representatives, e-mail addresses, as well as a list of divisions in which each Representative plays, can be found on the League Information page of the SDAPA website at www.sdapa.com.

Know the rules in the APA Team Manual and the SDAPA local Bylaws. Be responsible for the conduct of the team members and associates during league play.

Attend all team captains' meetings, or assign a player from the team to cover if the captain is unable to attend.

Read all league information and materials (Captain's Log, tournament announcements, etc.) and distribute to all team members. Post information in the team's host location. Make sure all team members are aware of any schedule changes.

Record a list of phone numbers of all teammates. In the case of a schedule change, the League Operators will only notify the team captain. Make sure the L.O.'s have current information on all players on the roster.

Make sure the team members are present and ready to play at the appointed time, and that they know ahead of time where they will play next.

Make sure the scoresheet is complete, accurate and legible and that both teams have signed the scoresheet.

Weekly team scoresheets will be mailed to each team captain’s home address (or, if requested, to the team's host location or another member of the team) and the team captain will be required to make sure the team has its scoresheet for each match. Collect weekly dues and memberships from team members and record such payments in the fees section of the scoresheet. Enclose the scoresheet and fees in the provided self-addressed stamped return envelope, write your return address and five-digit team number in the upper left hand corner and initial the envelope. Mail the envelope to the League Office. Envelopes must be postmarked no later than the next mailing day after the league match took place in order to earn the team bonus point(s). See the section titled BYES under ARTICLE 8 - GENERAL for information about how to handle the paperwork when your team is scheduled for a bye.

Some in-house divisions will have their team packets delivered to the host location and the teams in those divisions will not be required to follow the above-outlined procedures for returning scoresheets and fees to the League Office. Instead, when the evening's match is complete, the captains of these teams will place their scoresheets and fees in the team envelope provided and place the team envelope in the manila Host Location envelope. At no time should the host location envelope leave the premises of the host location without League Operator approval. Make sure the host location packet is secured for pick-up when the matches are complete. If you are unsure whether your in-house division falls in this category, please contact the League Office before your first night of play for the session.

AGE REQUIREMENTS. Members must be at least 21 years of age in order to participate. Exception: Junior Leagues, when available, have no minimum age restriction except where local ordinances apply.

FEES. The current yearly membership fee is $20.00. See the team manual for more information on membership fees. The weekly team fee will be $40.00 per team, except during session-ending playoffs when the fee will be $25.00 per team. The team is responsible for the total fee no matter how many team members play on a given night. There is no fee for a bye week. Payment may be made with cash or check/money order made out to SDAPA. Checks, money orders or large cash denominations are recommended in order to facilitate mailing and accurate record keeping. Coins will not be accepted as any part of a fee payment.

RETURNED CHECK POLICY. The first time a check is returned for insufficient funds, the League Office will assess the team a $6.00 fee and the team's bonus point(s) will be revoked for the week the check was written and all subsequent weeks until the check and all resulting fees have been made good. The League Office will attempt to send the check through a second time. If a check is returned after the second attempt to collect, the team will be assessed an additional $15.00 fee and will continue to be ineligible to receive bonus points until the check and all resulting fees have been made good. The League Office will not attempt to send any returned check through a third time. After a check has been returned twice, the check will be stapled to the team's scoresheet and the team will be required to make up the past due amount with cash, a money order or a check from another member with sufficient funds to cover it. If the team chooses the latter method and that check is returned, the team will be assessed an additional $15.00 fee and will not be eligible to receive bonus points until the check and all resulting fees have been made good. The League Office will not accept personal checks from members who have had their checks returned for insufficient funds more than two times. Teams may not recover any bonus points lost due to returned checks.

OFFICIAL START TIME. The Official Start Time for the Monday-Thursday leagues is 7 p.m. The Official Start Time for Saturday and Sunday leagues is 5 p.m. The start time and the 15-minute rule should be adhered to and can only be changed if the opposing team captain has agreed. It is expected that a team will not call a forfeit until the opposing team is 15 minutes late and has not called. A team consistently late is subject to sportsmanship violations and penalties.

23-RULE. The skill level limit that your team can field in one night is 23, so your team cannot play 5 highly skilled players in one evening. If your team plays over the skill level limit, you will forfeit the entire team match regardless of whether scoresheets are signed. The L.O.'s will make no exceptions to this rule.

MATCH TIME GUIDELINES. In order to prevent matches from progressing beyond a reasonable amount of time, League Management has established the following match time guidelines. These guidelines will be strictly enforced at all higher-level tournaments and every effort must be made to adhere to these guidelines during regular weekly league play. Teams and/or members that continually ignore these guidelines are subject to sportsmanship penalties.

Example: If a player with a Games Must Win of 5 is matched up with a player with a Games Must Win of 3, the total of their handicaps is 8, and their match should not last any longer than 60 minutes.

PLAYER MATCHUP. The team selecting a player first cannot change the designated player after the opposing team has chosen its player. The ONLY exception is if the 23-Rule is going to be broken.

ADDING PLAYERS. Teams may add or drop players from the roster at any time during the session except when there is less than 4 weeks of league play left in the session (bye weeks do not count because players must be able to play at least 4 matches with the team). On rare occasions, the League Operators may grant a team permission to add a player to its roster with less than 4 weeks of play left in the session. Once a player is dropped from a roster, that player may not be added back to the same team’s roster within the same session without League Operator approval. Teams that are eligible to participate in the City Championship may not make any changes to their spring session roster after the 4^th week of the spring session. After the 4^th week of any session, an added player must pay the annual membership dues in order to be added to the roster. (The team may include the payment with that night's fees.) Teams that play an unpaid player after the 4^th week of a session will become $20.00 past due to cover that player's membership fees and will not be eligible to receive bonus points until the past due is made up.

MALE 1's AND 2’s. A new male player will not be allowed to drop to a skill level 2 in 8-ball or a 1 in 9-ball until he has played ten [10] matches at the local level in that format. At that time, the team captain may request a handicap review.

STARTING A NEW FORMAT. Skill levels of players with less than 10 matches played in one format (8-Ball or 9-Ball) are not transferred to another format. These players will be considered new when beginning a new format. If a player has 10 or more matches in one format, that player will begin a new format with the current skill level that they have established in the other format.

MAKE-UP MATCHES. 24-HOUR ADVANCE NOTICE TO THE LEAGUE OPERATORS IS REQUIRED ANY TIME A TEAM'S ROSTER IS NOT AVAILABLE TO PLAY. A make-up match may be scheduled if the opposing team agrees. All make-up matches must be completed within three weeks of the originally scheduled match date, and prior to the last two weeks of the session. In the event that a make-up match is scheduled, the team captain must notify the L.O.'s of the time and location at which the match is to take place. Current rosters with current skill levels will be issued for score keeping. Fees must be paid regardless of whether the match is made up or not. The League Operators have sole authority to make exceptions in rare cases.

BONUS POINTS. One bonus point for 8-ball and 10 bonus points for 9-ball will be awarded to each team that does its paperwork completely, neatly and accurately, is not past due on any fees and makes sure the return envelope is postmarked no later than the next business day after the scheduled match. In-house divisions that do not mail their scoresheets and fees must make sure the team envelope is placed in the host location envelope after each scheduled match and before the league office picks up the host location envelope.

BYES. In the event that a bye is scheduled, the team envelope will be mailed to the team captain (or, if requested, the team's host location or another member of the team). The team captain (or captain-designated team member) is required to sign the bye scoresheet and mail it back to the League Office in the provided self-addressed stamped return envelope (making sure to include a return address and the 5-digit team number and sender's initials in the section provided on the return envelope) no later than one mailing day after the division’s regular night of play for that week. Captains of in-house teams that do not mail their envelopes will find their bye scoresheets in the host location envelope the week of the scheduled bye and are required to follow the same procedures described in this section, except that they will place the signed bye scoresheet in the team envelope and place it back in the host location envelope before league management picks it up that week. The team captain (or designee) must properly distribute all information and materials from the team envelope to all members of the team. Byes are worth 3 points for 8-ball and 60 points for 9-ball. Failure to complete the paperwork in the manner described above will result in the loss of the bonus point(s). There are no fees for a bye.

FORFEITS. In 8-ball, each individual match forfeited is worth 1 point. In 9-ball, each individual match forfeited is worth 15 points and should be scored 15-0, except during playoffs and higher level tournaments where 9-ball forfeits are worth 20 points for each individual match forfeited and should be scored 20-0. Full fees are due from each team regardless of how many matches are played on a given night. If a team forfeits all 5 matches at any time during the session, the entire roster will be considered disbanded beginning with the day of the forfeit, unless the League Operators conclude that there was a legitimate and compelling reason as to why the team failed to show without advance notice. The opposing team will receive bye points and will not be responsible for paying weekly fees. The forfeiting team will be suspended from play for the remainder of the session and the session following. This bylaw does not apply to a 5-match forfeit due to a 23-Rule violation.

HOST LOCATION. In the event a host location is closed or otherwise made unavailable, the home team will choose the location where the match will take place. The home team must obtain the permission of that location’s management and must notify the L.O.'s as soon as possible of the change in location. In the event the home team cannot decide where a match will be played, the L.O.'s will choose the location.

EXTRA LEAGUE MATERIALS. Extra league materials such as 8-ball/9-ball rules booklet, scoresheets, membership applications, etc. will be kept in a packet at each host location for use in the event that a team is in need of such items. At no time should the host location packet leave the premises of the host location. Scoresheets, membership applications and other league related materials may also be downloaded from the Internet. A link to these materials can be found on the League Information page of the web site at www.sdapa.com.

SCORESHEETS. In situations where the innings do not accurately reflect the outcome of the game, scoresheets need to be marked in greater detail. For example, if the opponent takes his/her shot at the beginning of the game and accidentally kicks in the 8-Ball, your player’s game will show a zero inning win. When the match is scored, if there are no markings or notations it will be assumed that your player had a table run.

So, for example in 8-Ball, your opponent makes an 8-Ball break in the first game of the night, in addition to marking the appropriate box on the scoresheet, a note would be made in the message center on the scoresheet: M1, G1, 8B. Using these abbreviations will save you a lot of time.

TABLE SIZE. Play will take place on the smallest of the tables designated by the host location management for league play, unless both captains agree to play on a larger available table.

CUE BALL. Play will take place using the cue ball that accompanies the table designated by the host location management for league play, unless both captains agree to use a different cue ball.

CUE STICKS. A player cannot play a match with anything other than the tipped end of a cue stick. The butt end of the cue, broomsticks, mops, etc., will not be allowed. However, in the event an unmovable obstacle prevents a player from being able to make a shot, the player will be allowed to use a shorter cue stick for that shot only. The player may break down his/her regular playing stick to shoot the obstructed shot using a normal (level) stroke. The player may not use the broken down stick for a jump shot.

TABLE TIME. If required to pay for table time, the two teams will split the cost of the tables evenly. Please respect the locations’ equipment and house rules.

TEAM DRINKS. The APA does not require or encourage team drinks. If your location gives out team drinks, do not expect anyone else to do the same.

TIMEOUTS. Any form of asking for a time out is considered a timeout. Examples of questions include, but are not limited to, "Do you have a question," "Do you need help," "Do you want to talk about it" or “Do you want a timeout.” Timeouts are not over until the ball is shot. Coaching periods should not exceed one minute. During a timeout, the player and the coach may approach the table with the intent of looking at the shot and determining the best course of action. The coach may discuss the shot with another player on the team at the sidelines, but only the coach and the player may approach the table. If, during a player's turn at the table, a coach or teammate walks or circles the table to get a better look at a shot, it will be considered a timeout if they stop at any pocket or use any other form of signaling to the shooter. Taking a timeout when one is not available is considered a sportsmanship violation and repeated attempts to do so should be reported to the league office. Repeated failure to comply with any part of this Bylaw will result in sportsmanship penalties assessed by the League Operators and/or the BOG.

COACH MARKS THE POCKET. The player or the coach may mark the pocket for the 8-ball, however, if a coach marks the pocket, it will be considered a time-out.

POCKET MARKERS. To properly mark a pocket, a coaster or some other reasonable marker must be placed next to the pocket the 8-ball is intended to enter. Chalk and legal tender are not allowed. Legal tender is any paper or coin currency in circulation at the present time. Personal chalk holders may be used.

JUMP SHOTS. The APA rules allow jump shots if performed properly, but no jump cues are allowed. To properly perform a jump shot, you must strike the top half of the cue ball with the butt of the cue elevated. Any jump shot attempted by hitting the bottom half of the cue ball, or by "scooping," the cue ball will be considered a ball-in-hand foul. Please check house rules before attempting jump shots as some host locations prohibit them.

MASSE SHOTS. The APA rules allow masse shots. Please check house rules before attempting masse shots as some host locations prohibit them.

ADDING INNINGS. Any team found to be adding innings to its scoresheet, urging a player to lose a match, or padding safeties will have its entire roster moved up 1 skill level in addition to receiving sportsmanship violation penalties assessed by the Board of Governors. While comparing scores during or at the completion of a match, if it appears that the opposing team has consistently added innings, make a note on the scoresheet citing specific instances and provide details of any overheard statements related to the incident.

DISTURBING THE TABLE LAYOUT. It will be LOSS OF GAME any time a player intentionally disturbs the natural layout of the table during the course of a game. Loss of game in 9-ball means that the winning player is awarded all of the points left on the table. See the team manual for other ways to lose.

CONCESSION OF THE GAME. If a player is shooting, and his/her opponent breaks down his/her cue stick or makes any other show of concession of the game, this action will be considered a concession by the opponent. If the shooter continues shooting, then he/she has forgiven the opponent, and the game continues. The intent of this rule is to prevent a non-shooter from attempting to intimidate or distract the shooting player (sharking). Concession of the game includes, but is not limited to, breaking down the cue stick, approaching the table in preparation for the next game, and/or picking up the rack in preparation for the next game. Teams attempting to enforce this rule for any reason other than its intended purpose stated above will be subject to sportsmanship penalties.

PATCHES. Patches are awarded for 8-Ball breaks, 9-Ball breaks, 8-Ball and 9-Ball break-and-runs, MVP, team captain (once per year), skill level 7 (8-ball) and skill level 9 (9-ball) (once per year). Grand Slam patches will be awarded to players, who in one session accomplish an 8-ball break, 8-ball break-and-run, 9-ball break and 9-ball break-and-run. Patches may be redeemed at the session's BLAST Tournament. Players may designate someone to pick up their patches for them if they are unable to do so themselves.

TROPHIES AND OTHER AWARDS. Trophies are awarded to MVP winners, division winners, first and second place finishers in the City Championships, those who accomplish a perfect session and those who play their 500^th and/or 1,000^th match with the SDAPA. Plaques are awarded to session-ending playoff winners and to the division winners' host locations. $800 is awarded to division winning teams and session-ending playoff winning teams. First place finishing teams in the City Championships are awarded entry into the APA National Team Championship, lodging (double occupancy) for the team during the event and $200.00 per qualified player for travel expenses. Second place finishing teams in the City Championships are awarded $800. Third place finishing teams in the City Championships are awarded $400. In addition to a trophy and patch, MVP winners will also receive $30 in APA Singles Program Qualifier Tournament vouchers. In addition to a trophy, players who play their 500^th match with the SDAPA will receive a certificate of achievement. In addition to a trophy, players who play their 1000^th match with the SDAPA will receive a certificate, a "Property of the APA" t-shirt and a gift bag of pool related items. At the end of each session, all team captains who are in good standing with the league and whose teams are not past due in fees will be entered into the Team Captain's Raffle for cash prizes. Captains that meet the criteria will be entered once for each team of which he/she is the captain. Two $500 prizes, two $250 prizes and five $100 prizes will be awarded in each session-ending Team Captain's Raffle. Teams that receive high marks in sportsmanship will receive patches and certificates and will be recognized in Captain’s Logs and on the sdapa.com web site.

DETERMINING MVP'S. Adding up the skill levels of the players one has defeated and then subtracting one point for each loss will determine MVP points. In each division, there will be an MVP for 3 different skill level tiers (2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 in 8-Ball and 1-3, 4-5 and 6-9 in 9-Ball). Ties will be broken by determining which player won the greatest number of matches for his or her team. If there is still a tie, each player will earn the MVP award. If a player moves up in skill placing them in a higher tier, but has never won a match at the higher skill level, that player will be deemed a member of the lower skill level tier for purposes of determining the MVP. If a player moves down in skill placing them in a lower tier, but has won a match at a higher skill level during the session, that player will be deemed a member of the higher skill level tier for purposes of determining the MVP.

DETERMINING A PERFECT SESSION. In order to be eligible to receive a perfect session award for any division, a player must have played in at least 66% of the division's matches that session, must have played in one of the last two matches of the session in that division and must have no losses during that session in that division.

SESSION-ENDING PLAYOFFS. The session-ending playoffs will begin the week following the last week of regular session play. The total number of teams in the division determines whether there will be a division winner (division winners are exempt from participating in the session-ending playoffs) and in what finishing position teams will play in the session ending playoffs. Refer to the following table for eligibility in your division:

# Teams in Division	Division Winner?	Teams In Session Ending Playoffs
5 or Less	No	1, 2, 3 & Wild Card
6 – 11	Yes	2, 3, 4 & Wild Card
12 or More	Yes	2, 4, 6 & Wild Card 3, 5, 7 & Wild Card

The League operators will conduct the seeding/wild card draw in the presence of at least one member of the BOG. Once the draw has been completed, the playoff schedule will be posted on the SDAPA web site at www.sdapa.com. Those who do not have Internet access may call the league office after the draw is conducted to find out their team's playoff status

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES. In the event that teams are tied in standing at the end of a session, the tie-breaking procedures outlined in the Team Manual will be used to determine team standings for playoffs. If more than two teams are tied, the tie-breaking procedures outlined in the Team Manual will be used to determine the top seed. Once the top seed is determined, the same procedure will be used to determine the standings of the remaining tied teams until all ties are broken. In the event that teams that tied did not meet during the session, each team's record will be compared against the highest finishing team that both teams faced during the session. The team that shows a better record will win the tiebreaker. In the event the teams are still tied, each team's record will be compared against the next highest finishing team that both teams faced during the session until one team shows a better record and thus wins the tiebreaker.

THE BLAST. The BLAST tournaments are held at the end of each session and are considered the preliminary rounds of the LTC. Each session's BLAST tournament qualifies teams to participate in the final rounds (City Championship) of the LTC (see the section below titled City Championship for information regarding this tournament). The summer and fall session 8-ball and 9-ball BLAST tournaments will qualify 16 teams each and the spring session 8-ball and 9-ball BLAST tournaments will qualify 32 teams each to participate in the final rounds of the LTC.

In order to participate in a session-ending BLAST tournament, a team must win the division standings, win the session-ending playoffs or be the highest finishing team in the session-ending playoffs that is not already qualified for the final rounds (City Championship) of the LTC. If a team wins the division standings or playoffs after already qualifying for the final rounds (City Championship) of the LTC, the team will be exempt from participating in the BLAST tournament at the end of that session. Members must have a minimum of 4 matches with the team during the session and must have been on the roster at the end of the session in order to be eligible to play in that session's BLAST tournament. In addition, participants must have a minimum of 6 matches in the appropriate format since joining the APA. The BLAST is a single elimination event. The League Operators will conduct a blind draw in the presence of at least one member of the BOG to determine match-ups. Except where noted in these Bylaws, the rules for the BLAST tournaments will be the same as all higher-level tournament rules as described in the Official Team Manual.

CITY CHAMPIONSHIP. The City Championship takes place once a year after the Spring Session is complete and is considered the final rounds of the LTC. The 64 winners of the 9-ball BLAST tournaments and the 64 winners of the 8-ball BLAST tournaments will be entered into the City Championship provided they retain their eligible status as defined in the Team Manual. The City Championship qualifies teams to participate in the APA National Team Championship (NTC) (see the Team Manual for more information regarding the NTC). The league area is granted a certain number of entries for the National Team Championship based on the number of teams the league area has participating in each format. One tournament board per National Team entry will be run at the City Championship. The League Operators will conduct a blind draw in the presence of at least two members of the BOG to determine board placements and match-ups. A player may participate with any team with which he/she is eligible (see the Team Manual for eligibility requirements). If a player is eligible on two teams that meet during the tournament, the player may elect not to play for either team during that match and advance with the team that wins, or he/she may choose to play with one of the two teams, but if that team loses, the player will not be allowed to advance with the team that wins that match. If a team that qualifies for the NTC cannot attend the NTC, then the team that finishes directly behind it in the City Championship will be invited to participate in its place.

Any member not representing the best interest of the SDAPA will be notified and may be disciplined if deemed necessary by the Board. This is a fun league and a few members will not be allowed to spoil league play for everyone else.

Please do not drink at the pool table. Please respect each location’s equipment so management can maintain their tables at an acceptable level. Be friendly towards curious onlookers and explain to them how the league works. These people may want to join a team or put their own team together in the future. Help new teams get off to a good start by helping them learn to keep score, rotate players in and out, understand safeties, good hits, bad hits, fouls, etc.

Please refrain from trying to disrupt the player at the table. Shooting Team players should go to the table immediately when it is their turn, otherwise, the opponent may think the shooter is being coached. SITTING TEAM PLAYERS SHOULD BE AT LEAST 6 FEET AWAY FROM THE TABLE (SPACE PERMITTING) DURING THE OPPONENT’S TURN. Disrupting your opponent includes, but is not limited to standing in the player’s view during a shot, walking up to the table while your opponent is shooting to pick up the chalk or remove your pocket marker, or any other behavior that could distract your opponent or be considered "sharking." Everyone deserves the same respect.

READ THE APA TEAM MANUAL AND KNOW WHAT THE RULES MEAN. IF YOU ARE UNCLEAR, ASK FOR AN EXPLANATION. DO NOT TELL SOMEONE ELSE THEY ARE WRONG IF YOU ARE NOT 100% SURE YOURSELF. TAKE YOUR MANUAL AND THESE BYLAWS WITH YOU TO MATCHES SO YOU CAN REFER TO THEM IF NECESSARY. BOARD MEMBERS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE DURING WEEKLY LEAGUE PLAY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. SEE ARTICLE 6 CONTACT INFORMATION IN THESE BYLAWS FOR INFORMATION ON CONTACTING BOARD MEMBERS.

Time Guidelines for Individual Matches (8-Ball)
Total Games Must Win	Match Time	Average Game
4-6	45 minutes	10 minutes
7-10	60 minutes	8 minutes

Additional Time Guidelines
Each 8-Ball Team Match	4 hours
Each 9-Ball Team Match	3 hours
Each New Player Selection	2 minute limit
Each Coaching	1 minute limit
Average Shot	20 seconds
Special Shooting Situation	45 seconds (maximum)