THE
INTERNATIONAL SHUFFLEBOARD ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
as Amended: 2009
10 17.
Amended
portions will remain in italics until subsequent
Amendment.
ARTICLE
1- NAME
The Association shall be known as
THE
INTERNATIONAL SHUFFLEBOARD ASSOCIATION (ISA).
ARTICLE
II - OFFICIAL LOCATION
The
official location of the Association shall be at the place designated
by the incumbent President.
ARTICLE III - OBJECTIVES AND PURPOSES
The general nature of the objective of
the Association is to stimulate the formation of National
Shuffleboard Associations throughout the world; to provide
information on the game of shuffleboard; to promote construction and
development of playing equipment, improvement of the rules of play
and to stimulate interest in Shuffleboard by promoting world
championship games between nations.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
The membership of the International
Shuffleboard Association and the manner of admission shall be as
follows:
-
Any National Shuffleboard
Association, having qualified under the Constitution and Bylaws of
the International Shuffleboard Association, may be duly proposed to
and voted on by the Board of Directors of the International
Shuffleboard Association.
-
Each National Association is
entitled to have its National President and one Observer attend the
International Shuffleboard Association’s Board of Directors
Meetings. Each National Organization is entitled to one vote only
on any motion before the Board.
ARTICLE V – THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors of the
Association shall be: The President, the immediate Past President,
the Treasurer, as well as the National President of each member
nation. A Secretary, an Historian and a Keeper of the Records will
normally be appointed by the President subject to approval by the
Board of Directors. The Past President, the Historian, the Keeper of
the Records, the Treasurer and the Secretary, although essential
members of the Board, do not have voting privileges.
The President will vote when his/her
vote will make a difference. For example, if there is a tie vote,
the President may announce that he/she will vote to break the tie.
Another example; should the affirmative exceed the negative by 1
vote, the President may announce that he/she will vote to create a
tie, thus causing the motion to fail.
ARTICLE VI -
FISCAL YEAR
The Fiscal year of the Association
shall be from Annual Meeting to Annual Meeting.
ARTICLE VII -
MEETINGS
The General Meeting of the Association
shall be held at the call of the President. The date and location of
the meeting will normally coincide with the location of the
International Tournament. The election of officers shall be held
every two years and the election will take place at the General
(Should be “Board Meeting”
each nation gets one vote) Meeting of the Association.
Special meetings of the Board of
Directors may be called at any time by the President or by request to
the President by a number of Directors equal to or greater than one
half of the Board of Directors. In order to transact business, a
majority of the voting members of the Board must be involved in the
decision making process, i.e. more than half.
ARTICLE VIII -
MEMBERSHIP PERIOD
A Member Nation remains a Member
indefinitely unless it is either expelled or submits a letter of
resignation.
ARTICLE IX -
AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Constitution and/or
By-laws shall require a two thirds majority vote of the Board of
Directors, present and voting, in order for the said amendments to be
adopted. A dated copy of any proposed amendment shall be sent to
each Board Member for consideration. When the Secretary is satisfied
that each Voting Board Member has had the proposed Amendment for a
period of 10 working days, the President shall call for a vote by
mail. The use of the word “mail” in this Article includes
electronic mail, i.e. e-mail.
***
BY-LAWS
BY-LAW ARTICLE I - GENERAL MEETING (Should be “Board Meeting”) ORDER OF BUSINESS
-
READING
OF MINUTES
-
TREASURER'S
REPORT
-
COMMUNICATIONS
-
REPORT
OF STANDING COMMITTEES
-
REPORT
OF SPECIAL COMMITTEES
-
APPLICATIONS
FOR MEMBERSHIP
-
UNFINISHED
BUSINESS
-
ELECTION
OF OFFICERS
-
REQUEST
TO HOST INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
-
NEW
BUSINESS
-
ADJOURNMENT
BY-LAW ARTICLE II - APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
The National Shuffleboard Association
of a nation desiring membership in the International Shuffleboard
Association shall make application to the Association by addressing
their completed Application to the President or the Secretary of the
International Shuffleboard Association. The President may accept
said Application conditional upon approval of the Board at their next
regular meeting.
BY-LAW ARTICLE
III - MEMBERSHIP DUES
There shall be no membership dues.
BY-LAW ARTICLE
IV - ELECTION OF OFFICERS
At the AGM(Should
be Board Meeting) of the year preceding elections, a
Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the President subject to
the approval of the Voting Members of the Board. As the positions of
Secretary, Keeper of Records and Historian are Presidential
appointments subject to ratification by the Voting Members of the
Board, it is the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to submit
the names of nominees for the office of President, 1st
Vice President and Treasurer. The Chair of the Nominating Committee
shall make their findings known to the President and voting members
of the Board at least 30 days in advance of the AGM(Should
be Board Meeting) where the decision will be made with regard
to the election of Officers. Where no willing nominees for these
positions have been identified, the Chair of the Nominating Committee
shall so notify the President and the voting Members of the Board.
The President will cause notice to be given soliciting nominations
first from the Board Members and should this prove unsuccessful,
general notice to all Members shall be given. Such general notice
will normally be given on the Website used by the ISA for
disseminating information
A vote shall be taken vis-à-vis the
positions to be filled ONLY IF more than 1 nominee has been
identified by the Nominating Committee for any position to be filled.
The election of the Association officers shall take place at the time
of and at the place of the Annual Meeting of the Association.
Currently serving officers may be nominated to succeed themselves. If
there is more than one nominee for an office, then, and only then,
shall the voting be by secret ballot; otherwise: the secretary shall
be directed by the President to cast a single vote for the single
nominee for each office. Each nominee must receive a majority of the
total votes cast to be elected. In the event there are more than two
(2) candidates for any office, a run-off vote shall be held between
the two (2) candidates receiving the greatest number of votes on the
first ballot. Each official elected shall hold office for two years
or until his successor in office has been elected. This Article shall
apply to all officers and directors of the Association. Nothing in
this article or any other article precludes nominations from the
floor.
If a vote is required: ballots
submitted by normal Post must be in a plain envelope with the word
CONFIDENTAIL NOMINATION on the envelope and must be received by the
President at least ten (10) days before the Annual Meeting. Votes
sent by Electronic Mail must be marked CONFIDENTAIL ISA VOTE (in
the subject line), sent to the President, and will be opened at
the time of the election. The actual Electronic Vote (THE DECISION)
is to be in an attachment to the E-Mail, and the title of the
attachment must read: “CONFIDENTIAL VOTE: open only at the AGM
(Should be Board
Meeting)”
BY-LAW ARTICLE V - VOTING QUALIFICATIONS
Each Member Nation of the Association
shall have one vote at all meetings and mail* votes of the
Association. Any National Voting Member unable to attend will be
allowed to vote on any issue affecting changes in the Constitution,
Bylaws, Rules, and election of Officers, by Absentee Ballot OR by
assigning his voting privilege in writing to the person representing
him/her. Should he/she choose the Absentee Ballot method, the ballot
is to be mailed in a sealed envelope to the President, plainly marked
on the outside, stating which matter the vote affects; said envelope
not to be opened until the vote is taken by the members present at
the Annual Meeting of the Association. When using Electronic Mail,
e-mail, the procedure as set down in ARTICLE IV, above, shall be
followed.
* Wherever the word “mail” is used
in this Constitution and BY-LAWS, it includes traditional mail by
Post as well as Electronic Mail, e-mail.
BY-LAW ARTICLE VI - FILLING OFFICER VACANCIES
If, for any reason, an office becomes
vacant between the regular Annual General Meetings, such vacancy or
vacancies shall be filled for the unexpired portion of the regular
term of such office or offices by the President with the approval of
a majority of the members of the voting members of the Board of
Directors. In the event of a vacancy of the office of President, the
First Vice-President shall assume the office of President on an
Acting Basis. The Board, after consulting with the First Vice
President, will decide if they wish to confirm the Acting Appointment
for the remainder of the term, OR to proceed with an election of a
President. In such a situation, it will be the responsibility of
the Chair of the previous Nominating Committee to ascertain the
wishes of the Board. Should the First Vice President be required to
assume the duties of the ISA President his/her National Vice
President will then become the Voting member of their National
Membership.
BY-LAW ARTICLE
VII - DUTIES OF OFFICERS
The President shall preside at all
meetings of the Association regular and special - and shall
conduct the meetings in accordance with parliamentary procedure,
using the latest edition of "Robert's Rules of Order Newly
Revised" as a guide in conducting its meetings. However; the
Board members by majority vote, shall make their own final decision
on any question of procedure and shall not be held to the wording or
interpretation of the wording in Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised.
As promptly as possible following his
election, the President shall appoint all committees and become an
ex-officio member of each, except the audit committee. The
Committees are:
-
PROMOTION/PUBLICITY COMMITTEE
-
NOMINATING COMMITTEE
-
CONSTITUTIION COMMITTEE
-
HALL OF FAME COMMITTEE
-
OTHER AS IDENTIFIED BY THE BOARD:
e.g. SINGLES COMMITTEE
The President shall perform all duties
of the office deemed to be required of the office, or as may be
specifically directed by the Board of Directors. The President is
expected to delegate authority to carry out projects deemed in the
best interest of the organization
For each ISA event, the President shall
consult with the host nation with regard to the appointment of a
Tournament Director for the event. In the event that agreement
cannot be reached on the Tournament Director, the full Board will be
seized with the unresolved situation. The Tournament Director has
the authority to appoint Assistant Tournament Directors as required.
Whenever
the Incumbent ISA President is accepted to play in an ISA Tournament,
he/she will nominate another ISA board member not playing but present
throughout the event, to fulfill the Presidential role vis-à-vis
the playing portion of the tournament. In any disputable decisions
that may occur during the Tournament, the Tournament Director's
decisions shall be directed to the nominated official and the call is
final and never be overridden by the ISA President. The President
shall agree in writing to relinquish
any control to reverse or
otherwise become involved in decisions made by the Tournament
Director and or his nominated representative.
The Secretary shall fully and
accurately record the proceedings of all regular and special meetings
of the Association, shall attend to all correspondence, and be in
charge of the files of the Association. The Secretary will notify all
voting members of the Board at least fifteen (15) days prior to the
Annual Meeting, of any suggested changes in the Constitution, Bylaws,
or Rules, and the names of those who have been nominated for office
for the ensuing year received to date. The Secretary will explain to
those who will not be present to vote, the procedure for voting by
Absentee Ballot should such a vote be required.
The Treasurer shall be the sole
custodian of the corporate seal, and of all funds of the Association.
Annually, the Treasurer shall file the NOT-FOR-PROFIT CORPORATION
ANNUAL REPORT. Said report is to be filed with the Secretary of
State for Florida. The Treasurer will report on the Corporate Status
at each Board Meeting.
Checks drawn on the Association’s bank account(s) shall be signed
by the Treasurer. The Board of Directors shall arrange for an annual
audit of the financial records of the Association, and shall decide
if and when the Treasurer shall be bonded, and shall effectuate such
bond.
BY-LAW ARTICLE
VIII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors shall hold a
General Meeting to coincide with each International Tournament. On
Line and Post Mail voting should be used to resolve matters between
General Meetings or in preparation for such General Meetings.
Although In Person meetings between the dates of the General Meeting
are in accord with the Constitution, such meetings should be kept to
an absolute minimum. By utilizing the computer, the efficient
functioning of the Association in accordance with the Constitution
and Bylaws of the Association, can be achieved expeditiously.
Any suggested change in the Rules of
the Association must be mailed to the Board Members at least fifteen
(15) days prior to the General Meeting. These changes will then be
presented to the Board at the General Meeting, discussed, placed on
the Agenda, and voted on.
BY-LAW
ARTICLE IX – TEAM SIZE
National teams will normally have
six (6) men or six (6) women. No more than Four (4) of the six (6)
will normally play at any given time while normally two (2) will sit
out. A National Organization may enter two (2) male teams of six (6)
and two (2) female teams of six (6).
All National Teams must have a minimum of 50% of their
players resident in the nation whose name they carry. Said National
Team may be augmented by non-resident players who are able to produce
a birth certificate, a passport or permanent residence documentation
of the country they wish to represent.
-
The ISA President, acting in
the best interest of the ISA, upon request by any National
President, may add one player at large to any countries’ team that
loses a player due to situations that are beyond the National
President’s control. This added player is subject to the
approval of the National President of the country in which they
reside.
BY-LAW
ARTICLE X – ELIGIBILITY & RULES REGARDING UN TEAM
Should a Nation express an interest
in competing but is unable to meet the minimum number of four (4) to
form either a male or female team, the ISA will sanction a team or
teams called “United Nations” hereafter known as “UN” Teams.
The norm will be that UN Teams will be brought up to 6 Players. Let
no country ever be excluded from participation in International
Shuffleboard Competition. The ISA President will select, from
his/her official administration, volunteers, which include all
National Presidents, to be the Captains for any “UN” Team(s). As
this is an International Event and has the potential to adversely
affect the image of the ISA, it is imperative that the best attention
and treatment be given to all players representing these new
countries seeking entrance into the World of Competitive
Shuffleboard.
-
Nominations to compete on the “UN”
Team(s) are required, in all circumstances, to come directly from
the National Shuffleboard President of the respective country and in
turn, be submitted in writing, directly to the ISA President. In
cases where no National Shuffleboard Association exists, applicants
may then petition, in writing, directly to the ISA President, for
eligibility determination and permission to compete on the “UN”
Team at an upcoming ISA Tournament. (Where the phrase “in writing”
in this paragraph is used, with the express agreement of the
concerned National President and the ISA President, information may
be exchanged by e-mail)
-
Once the ISA had been contacted,
by any country wishing to send players to compete in an ISA
Tournament, the ISA President will immediately select a “UN”
Team Captain or Captains who will assist in reviewing all of these
nominees with the aim of completing “UN” MEN and WOMEN teams of
up to the maximum 6 players each.
-
The ISA President and his selected
“UN” Team Captain(s) will consider all names submitted to them
for inclusion on the “UN” team(s) without prejudice of any kind.
They have complete and total responsibility for the approval and
selection of any players for these “UN” team(s). The selected
Team Captain(s) may also compete as players of their UN team(s) and
shall count as a nomination(s) from their country(s). There shall,
as a general rule, not be more than one player chosen from
any country that is already fielding a full team of 4 or
more. Should it be necessary to select more than one, in
order to meet the minimum team requirement of 4, it must be
on an exception basis and the decision to select more than 1 must
be approved by all National Presidents.
-
Players selected to compete on the
“UN” team(s) will be judged according to their ability to be a
team player, provide inspiration to their team, demonstrate good
sportsmanship, possess some degree of knowledge of the game and most
of all, have a positive attitude towards the promotion of
Shuffleboard around the world.
-
Players of the “UN” Team(s)
cannot be removed at any time to play on any other National Team
should an unpredicted vacancy occur. It is possible and quite
probable that players on the “UN” team will be required to
compete against players from their own National Team and they are
expected to perform in a professional manner and not show any
favoritism during play. Throwing a game or questionable behavior*
on the court, is grounds for dismissal from the “UN” Team. The
ISA President has the authority to dismiss a member of the “UN”
Team. All players selected for the “UN” Team(s) will be required
to pay the standard ISA Tournament fee as well as all other
associated tournament fees.
-
The ISA will provide 3 “UN”
uniform T- shirts to each of the “UN” players at the ISA
Tournament with the money received from the ISA tournament fees of
these same players. The “UN” Team shirt is required during
play; and UN Players will wear the Team Cap representing his/her
Nation. No funds shall come from the ISA treasury to support the
“UN” Team(s).
-
Pertinent to the established Rules
of the ISA tournament, it shall be known that, a “United Nations”
team could possibly be the winner of the ISA Tournament and
therefore shall be accorded all the rights and honors of such
victory.
BY-LAW ARTICLE
XI - HALL OF FAME
Two candidates per year will normally
be nominated pursuant to the criteria below.
SPECIAL
AWARD:
-
Minimum of two years service on
the ISA Board.
-
Quality contribution to ISA Board
and its goals.
-
Major contribution in hosting
tournaments.
PLAYER’S
AWARD
In order to be nominated to the Hall of
Fame, Player’s Award;
-
Player must have competed in at
least 3 ISA Events;
-
Player must have played with
distinction; (with regard to this sub-section, Perfect Record or
Best Finish will be considered as will the Sportsmanship Award or
other similar award of merit received by the Player.
Nominations to the Hall of Fame may be
made by any member of the Board of Directors. Such nominations are
limited to two names and must be submitted to the Chair of the Hall
of Fame Nominating Committee to ensure thoughtful deliberation and
research prior to the next AGM (Annual General Meeting).
The Hall-of-Fame Nominating Committee
in closed session shall consider all nominations received. The
decision of the Committee shall be presented to the Board of
Directors at the next Board Meeting, and a final vote taken.
Individuals accepted will normally be inducted at the next ISA
Tournament.
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