Shenandoah Christian Bass Club

Shenandoah Christian B= ass Club

Policies and Bylaws

Revised last = May 2008 =

&nbs= p; The purpose of this club is to promote Christian fellowship, witness, and impro= ve church attendance while creating an air of friendly competition in the spor= t of black bass fishing. All club tournaments will be held on Saturday to insure member attendance in church = on Sunday. Catch and release will be the club policy.

&nbs= p; THERE WILL BE NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ALLOWED BEFORE OR DURING CLUB RELATED FUNCTIONS. FAILURE TO ABIDE B= Y THIS RULE WILL BE GROUNDS FOR AUTOMATIC REMOVAL FROM THE SHENANDOAH CHRISTIAN BA= SS CLUB.

I. &n= bsp; General Club Policies

A. Meetings and tournaments will be started and ended with a time for prayer and thanksgiving. This means before a tournament, you are required to begin with a prayer before you begin fishin= g. Meetings will start at 7:00 PM for regular stated meetings.

&nbs= p; B. = The policies of the Shenandoah Christian Bass Club (SCBC) may be amended at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting. At the last meeting of each year, = the two-thirds will be reduced to a simple majority. Proposed amendments to policies and bylaws must be submitted in writing before the beginning of any regular meeting, except the last meeting of each year.

&nbs= p; C. Membership: &= nbsp;

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 1. = Membership dues will be $34.00 per year with = $20.00 going to TABC annual dues, $10.00 to general club fund, and $4.00 to the outreach fund.

2. &n= bsp; Membership dues w= ill be pro-rated for any member joining after April 1^st. Club dues will be reduced by one dollar= per month after April 1^st. i.e.: April dues would be $10, May dues w= ould be $9, etc. December dues wou= ld be $2.

3. &n= bsp; A member may be d= ropped from the membership roster or be disciplined for the = following:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. Failure to pay dues by= the end of the first tournament in January.

b. Any action that w= ould reflect dishonor or disgrace to the club, including any profanity or abusive language during any club tournament, club meeting or function. It = will be the responsibility of the advisory board to determine the action taken u= pon that member.

c. Failure to join T= ABC. All members must join TABC. After April 1^st, any new member will have the option of joining TABC. If a new member does not join TABC= ($20) they will be ineligible for, the TABC Top Eight State Tournament Team the following year.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 4. = If anyone has a reason for disallowing someone to join SCBC, the President sha= ll appoint a five (5)-member committee to investigate the problem and report i= ts findings to the club. A heari= ng will be granted upon the request of the individual involved with continuing membership contingent upon approval of the club.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 5. = All matters of disqualification or dismissal from the club or any other personal issues must be voted on by secret ballot.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 6. = The Secretary shall provide TABC with a current member roster and updates throughout the year.

7. All members will = be responsible for providing their own fishing equipment, rods, reels, baits, weight bags, etc. All members= are NOT required to own their own boat.

8. The advisory board shall consist of the following officers only: President, Vice President, Secreta= ry, Treasurer, and Tournament Director. During any protest or membership problems, these are the only people allowed at or around the meeting.

<= span class=3DInitialStyle>II. &= nbsp; Tournament Structure and Rules

&nbs= p; A. Tournament Structure

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 1. = Dates for each of the twelve points tournaments will be recommended by the SCBC officers as the 2^nd Saturday of each month and voted on by the c= lub no later than the first meeting in March.&= nbsp; There shall be one draw event each year and designated on the schedu= le in April.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = Tournament dates shall not be changed by any member for personal reasons, but may be changed for church sponsored events that require the attendance of club members.

b. If a change of da= tes is required, it shall be voted on by members of the present meeting when broug= ht to the floor and will require a majority vote.

c. No SCBC tournament may be held on the same weekend as Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

d. One tournament po= ints total will be dropped for each member during the year. The lowest tournament total or a z= ero if a tournament was not fished for the year end standings.

2. Club tournaments = will be held on Saturdays for no more than a ten-hour per tournament duration.

a. There can be up to two night tournaments. These tournaments can be longer th= an 10 hours and may be held in July and August. = &nb= sp;

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 3. = Lakes to be fished for each club point’s tournament will be voted on at any meeting following the previous points tournament. Lakes shall be nominated from the = floor and put to a vote. The top tw= o vote receiving lakes will be put to a second vote to decide the lake to be fished. No more than four poi= nts tournaments may be held on any lake during the year. No absentee or proxy voting will be allowed.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = The president of the club shall not be allowed to nominate or vote on a lake fo= r a points tournament. However, t= he president will be allowed to nominate and vote for the ramp and times for a points tournament. If there i= s a tie on the ramp or time, it will be decided by the flip of a coin.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 4. = All lakes to be fished in a SCBC point’s tournament must be within a 125-= mile radius of Shenandoah Baptist Church.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = An exception to the above may be made twice during a year with the approval of= a majority of members present at the meeting to vote in the lake.<= /span>

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 5. = All tournament sign-ups and fees may be made at the meeting preceding the point’s tournament or at the weigh-in site the day of the tournament.= It is the team’s responsibi= lity to find the Treasurer and pay the fees. In the event they cannot be made, t= he following shall apply:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = In cases where a member cannot sign-up before the tournament, he shall call the President, Secretary, or member of the advisory committee no later than 10:= 00pm the night before the tournament stating his intention of fishing the tourna= ment with entry fee payable at weigh-in.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; b. = If a person signs-up to fish a tournament and an emergency arises prohibiting = them from fishing, they shall notify the President, Secretary, or member or the advisory board by 10:00pm the night before the tournament and entry fee wil= l be refunded.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; c. = Any member who signs-up to fish a tournament but does not attend weigh-in must = call the President, Secretary, or member of the advisory board by 10:00pm the ni= ght of the tournament to report the status of his team, whether they fished or not. This is necessary for aw= arding points.

d. Any members who f= ail to abide by the above shall be disqualified from the tournament and will not receive points for the event.

e. It is the responsibility of the club Secretary to provide the Treasurer with a comple= te copy of the tournament sign up sheet before weigh-in begins so he can use i= t to check off those who have and have not paid.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 6. = No two members of the current tournament year’s top eight may fish toget= her during a point= 217;s tournament MORE THAN TWICE after the March tournament. This includes father= and sons who are in the Top 8.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 7. = A member may fish with a guest at any point’s tournament within the following guidelines:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = The guest will pay a regular entry fee and share in any prize money won by his team.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; b. = If the guest wins the big bass pot, it will be the pot for that tournament onl= y.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; c. = The same person may only be a guest three times per year.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 8. = It is permissible for a member to fish without a partner if he has tried unsuccessfully to find a partner within the following guidelines:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = Member will be eligible for only one-half of the prize money for placing in the tournament.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; b. = If non-boating member has no partner, then he may fish with another member and their partner and will be considered one-half of a team.<= /p>

c. If two non-boating members are without a partner, then they will constitute a team while fishi= ng with other team members in separate boats with the weights for each individ= ual being added together for the team weight.

d. It is the responsibility of the non-boater to attempt to find a partner before the tournament. If unable to find= a partner, the tournament director or secretary will assist.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 9. = Any person 18 years old or younger must sign and date a SCBC Release Form before fishing any SCBC tournament. Failure to do so will result in disqualification and refund of entry= . SCBC will not acknowledge the indi= vidual ever fished said tournament.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 10. All point’s tournaments held by the SCBC will be self-sustaining on a yea= rly basis and any funds advanced by the Treasurer will be repaid from the proce= eds of future tournaments.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 11. Points tournament entry fees will be $10.00 per person, to be paid before weighing= of fish, with proceeds being distributed as follows:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = $1.00 will go into Big Bass Pot.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; b. = $2.00 will go into Awards Banquet Fund.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; c. = 35% (after big bass and awards banquet withheld) will be placed into the club treasury.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; d. = 65% (after big bass and awards banquet withheld) will be paid out to tournament winners as follows:

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; (1) 50% for first place.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; (2) 30% for second place.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; (3) 20% for third place.

12. Any S= CBC member catching a bass in a points tournament which weighs on club scales 5= lbs or more will win the Bi= g Bass Pot, trophy, plaque, or gift certificate (winner’s choice) not to exc= eed $25.00. If two or more members catch a bass 5 lbs or larger in the same tournament, the heaviest bass will= win the prize. On slot limit lakes Big Bass may apply if brought to the scales = and weighed. (If over slot limit)

&nb= sp; = 13. &n= bsp; All funds in the Big Bass Pot not won in December of each year will be transfer= red to the “Out= Reach Fund.”

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 14. All p= rize money not paid out at any tournament will be transferred to the “Out Reach Fund.”

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 15. Judge= s may be appointed by the Tournament Director to supervise any tournament during = the year.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 16. A tra= veling trophy, inscribed with the winners name, date of tournament, and name of la= ke, shall be awarded to the individual club member with the heaviest stringer of fish during the December points tournament.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; a. = The winner of the traveling trophy shall keep the trophy until the December point’s tournament of the following year.

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; b. = Should a club member win the traveling trophy for three consecutive years that mem= ber will be awarded the trophy indefinitely, and a new trophy will be purchased= by the club?

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; 17. A tro= phy or plaque shall be awarded at the end of the tournament season for the

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; “Angler of the Year” title. The Angler of the Year= title will be awarded to the

&nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Person with the most accumulated weight at the end of the tournament season.<= /o:p>

&nbs= p; 18. All contestants must be present at the weigh-in site or at the boat loading area preparing to load their boat at the official end time of the tournament. =

   &nbs= p; &n= bsp;         19.       The Tournament Director, based on weather conditions, after consultation with officers can call or alter tournament times for safety. In the event of bad weather, all boaters are to check in at the weigh-in ramp by tournament tim= e.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       20.       A tra= veling tourney to the Top Eight Lake one month before the Top Eight Tournament wil= l be voted on each year. This is an effort to familiarize the club with the Top Eight State Tournament Lake each year.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       21.       The M= ay tournament, every year, shall be dedicated to and in memory of Gene Greenberg. The tournament wil= l be held on Stillhouse Hollow Lake. The only votes necessary for this tournament will be for time and weigh-in site= .

   &nbs= p;        B.         = Tournament Rules

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       1.         = All federal/state laws and lake rules shall be observed at all times.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = A violation of federal/state game laws or lake rules will result in disqualification of all fish by that member for that tournament. The member will still receive thei= r 10 points for fishing the tournament.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       2.         = Special rules for any tournament must be followed by all participants.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       3.         = All SCBC members will use a live release for all fish caught during a pointR= 17;s tournament.

a.        &n= bsp;          The above rule do= es not apply to dead fish or trophy bass.

b.        &n= bsp;         Any dead fish bro= ught to weigh in will cause the angler to be penalized 4 ounces per dead fish. <= o:p>

c.        &n= bsp;          All dead fish wil= l be kept at the weigh-in site in a container and given to anyone who wants to t= ake them. Any fish that cannot be revived will also be added to container.=

d.        &n= bsp;         As recommended by= Parks and Wildlife a club member may keep fish under the slots limit of a slot li= mit lake to eat not to exceed state law on number.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       4.         = Pre-fishing for a points tournament shall be limited to one (1) day before a one-day tournament beginning the Monday prior to the tournament and must end eight = (8) hours before the start time of the tournament.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       5.         = Any team that starts before the tournament starting time or is late to weigh-in will not have their catch weighed.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       6.         = All fishing during a point’s tournament must be done from a two-person boat. No wading, bank fishing, inner tubes, or one-person rafts.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       7.         = Any fish found in a live well before a point’s tournament would result in automatic disqualification of the contestants in that boat.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       8.         = Points tournaments shall have a five (5) fish limit per contestant.

a.       A person bringing= to weigh-in more than a legal limit of fish in their boat or vehicle will be automatically disqualified from the tournament. The member will still recei= ve their 10 points for fishing the tournament but receive no points for their fish.

b.      There will be no protest of the above rule, a. It is the Tournament Directors responsibility to handle the disqualification once= the rule is broken. This will be = done before the member’s fish are weighed.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       9.         = Only black bass or small mouth bass with a minimum length of 14 inches and spott= ed or Guadalupe bass with a minimum length limit of 12 inches may be kept unle= ss where superseded by lake rules.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = Any fish brought to weigh-in that is under the above length limits shall result= in disqualification of the entire stringer.&n= bsp; The member will still receive their 10 points for fishing the tourna= ment but receive no points for their fish

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       10.       Any f= ish that shows evidence of being stretched (broken neck, cut, or otherwise mutilated) shall be disqualified before weigh-in.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       11.       Fish = caught on natural bait (minnows, crawfish, live or dead earthworms, chubs, hellgrammites, slugs, pin worms, grubs, eels, and in general any other live bait) are not eligible for presentation at weigh-ins. FISH MUST BE CAUGHT ON ARTIFICIAL = BAIT TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR WEIGH-IN.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = Fishing with pork baits (pork rinds, pork eels, pork frogs, or pork salamanders) is permitted.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       b.         = If the nature of any specific bait is questioned by a club member, the final decision of its acceptability will be made by the advisory board.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       12.       Troll= ing is not permitted during a point’s tournament and will result in disqualification.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       13.       Only = one rod may be in use per member at any one time during a point’s tournam= ent.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = An exception to the above may be made if the one-rod is clearly hung up and unusable. At that time the contestant may choose to use another rod, until such time that the other rod becomes usable.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       14.       A cas= ting distance between two boats involved in a SCBC points tournament shall be maintained at all times during tournament hours.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       15.       Life preservers AND kill switch devices, if boat is manufactured with such, shal= l be worn by all contestants during a points tournament anytime the outboard mot= or is running except when loading or unloading the boat.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       16.       All protests must be lodged with a club officer at weigh-in.<= /p>
   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = Any SCBC member has the right to lodge a protest.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       b.         = If a protest is lodged, a decision involving tournament disqualification or any other dispute will be made by the advisory board members present within one hour.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       c.         = Weigh-in will officially be over immediately after the Secretary has announced the results of the tournament. No protests may be lodged after this time.

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<= span class=3DInitialStyle>III.   =     Points and Standings

   &nbs= p;        A.        Points

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       1.         = One (1) point shall be awarded to each member’s point total for each meet= ing attended beginning the last meeting in December.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = Member must sign the meeting attendance sheet at the meeting to qualify for the po= int.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       b.         = Meeting attendance points shall be shown separately from the tournament points in t= he Club Standings Bulletin.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       2.         = Tournaments shall rank individuals by points and weights (lbs. and oz.).

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       a.         = Every member participating in a tournament will be awarded 10 points.<= /span>

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       b.         = Heaviest individual stringer shall be awarded 50 points with the next heaviest recei= ving 49 points and so forth.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;       c.         = Club rankings, including Top Eight rankings, will be decided on the points syste= m.

   &nbs= p;

B.   &n= bsp;     Standings

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       1.         = All tournament results, point’s standings, and weights shall be reported = by the Secretary following the previous points tournament.            =

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       2.         = A tie in the top eight standings at the end of the year shall be decided by t= he flip of a coin.

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       3.         = The “Top Sixteen AnglersR= 21; at the end of the tournament year will have their entry fee paid for by Shenan= doah Christian Bass club to the TABC= Top Eight Tournament. All other expenses such as traveling and lodging fees, and any other expenses associa= ted with participation in the TABC Top Eight Tournament will be the responsibil= ity of the contestants and will not be paid for by Shenandoah Christian Bass cl= ub. With the following provisions: 1: The= Club has the funds available for the entry fee.

        =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp; 2: There are enough members with boats wanting to fish.

                =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =        3. That there are at least 14 members who want to go.
        =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;      (The initial team must consist of 8 members.)            =

   &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;       4.         = Any member who finished the previous year in the top Eight must have dues paid = by the first tournament in January and be a continuous active member the follo= wing year to be eligible to represent the SCBC in the top eight tournaments put = on by TABC or any other organization SCBC is affiliated with.

<= span class=3DInitialStyle>   &nbs= p;