INDIANA DIVISION OF THE NATIONAL
HORSESHOE PITCHERS ASSOCIATION
BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Indiana Division of the National
Horseshoe Pitchers Association of America, hereinafter known as INHPA.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE
The purpose of the INHPA shall be to foster, develop, and promote the sport of
horseshoe pitching in the state of Indiana both as recreational pastime and a
competitive sport.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1 : Any reputable person who maintains legal Indiana residence as
determined by voting, tax and/or driver’s license laws may become a member
upon payment of the annual dues as designated in these bylaws. Annual dues
include NHPA liability insurance.
SECTION 2 : Juniors may join at a reduced fee as designatedin these bylaws.
Boys and Girls are eligible to compete as Juniors up to and including the
entire calendar year in which they turn 18 years of age.
SECTION 3: The dues for adult members are the National dues of twenty five
($25.00) plus fifteen ($15.00) for Indiana dues for a total of forty ($40.00).
SECTION 4: Dues for Junior members are National dues of five dollars ($5.00).
SECTION 5: Dues for Provisional Adult members are Twenty ($20) with $10 going
to NHPA and $10 to INHPA. Dues for Trial members are waived. If Provisional
members wish to enter into state and or world tournaments they can pay the rest of the
cost of full membership and become full members at any time during the first year.
Provisional and trial members do not have a vote until they become full members.
Trial members are allowed to enter one regular tournament (pay entry fee). They
may become full members any time during the year by paying full membership.
SECTION 6: Dues are due and payable January 1 or upon joining, and last
until December 31st of the current year.
SECTION 7: Any member may be suspended for:
a. willfully violating any official playing rule or bylaw of the NHPA/INHPA.
b. fixing games, cheating, or any other conduct unbecoming a member.
c. placing a monetary bet of a contestant, or self, when participation in competition.
d. using unsanctioned horseshoes in a tournament.
e. forfeiting in a tournament for an unapproved reason.
SECTION 8: For any of the reasons above, a member may be suspended for one (1) year.
SECTION 9: No member shall be suspended until given a fair hearing before
the NHPA/INHPA Executive Council or a Board appointed by the same.
SECTION 10: Members who have been suspended for one (1) year may be reinstated
after the year has elapsed by a majority vote of the NHPA/INHPA Executive Council.
ARTICLE IV: INHPA EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
SECTION 1: Members
The Executive Council shall be made up of the officers of the INHPA.
SECTION 2: Authority
a. The INHPA Executive Council shall have full power to conduct the business of the INHPA between annual meetings provided such business
is not contrary to the bylaws of the NHPA/INHPA.
b. The INHPA Executive Council shall define and interpret these by-laws and its ruling shall be official unless overturned by the members assembled at the
annual meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) vote.
SECTION 3: Meeting
a. The INHPA Executive Council shall meet at the call of the President
or any three (3) members of the INHPA Committee.
b. A quorum for any meeting of the INHPA Executive Council shall be
four (4) members.
c. The INHPA Executive Council may conduct business by e-mail, telephone, or US Mail when necessary.
d. Official decisions made by the INHPA Executive Council that effect the
general membership shall be made known to members within three (3)
months of said decisions.
ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
SECTION 1: The officers of the INHPA shall be
a. President
b. 1st Vice-President
c. Four (4) Area Vice Presidents each representing a geographical area
of the state. Northeast, Northwest, Central, and South.
d. Secretary/Treasurer
e. Regional Director
. f. Statistician
SECTION 2: Duties of Officers
a. The President shall:
1. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the INHPA.
2. Preside at all meetings of the INHPA.
3. Have power to assign specific duties to other officers.
4. Appoint a web site manager, any committees, standing or special, name its chair, change the make up of the committee, fill any vacancies or discharge
the committee as is deemed necessary for the good of the organization.
b. The lst Vice-President shall:
1. have the same duties as the President but will assume them only
in the absence of or disability of the President.
2. assist the President, when requested.
c. The Area Vice-Presidents shall:
1. carry out any specific duties assigned to them by the President or the
1st Vice-President in the absence or disability of the President.
d. The Secretary/Treasurer shall:
1. keep a true record of all proceedings of the meetings of the INHPA.
2. receive and collect dues and other money or property paid or donated to the
INHPA, which shall be recorded as a complete statement.
3. make a report as necessary to the NHPA Secretary and remit monies for each
card issued during the current quarter.
4. keep records of all monies received and disbursed.
5. pay all bills for routine supplies and all other special purchases that
have been approved by the Executive Council.
6. submit annually books and records of the previous fiscal year
(October 1 to September 30th) to an INHPA Audit Committee for a
year end report by October 31st.
e. The Regional Director shall:
1. Enter and update INHPA tournament information in to e-shoe for each year.
2. Provide Tournament data to each Tournament Director for each tournament.
3. Sanction all INHPA courts as required.
4. Be an advisor, promoter, recruiter and informer of the sport.
f. The Statistician shall:
1. keep a true record of all stats made in INHPA tournaments.
2. report to website and e-stats as required.
SECTION 3: Eligibility of Officers:
All INHPA Officers shall be NHPA/INHPA members in good standing (dues paid
and not in suspension) and have access to the NHPA Magazine NEWSLINE.
SECTION 4: Terms of Office:
a. All officers shall serve a two-year term.
b. The President, South Vice-President, Northeast Vice-President and Statistician
shall be elected in odd numbered years.
c. The lst Vice-President, Northwest Vice-President, Central Vice-President and
Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected in the even numbered years.
d. The newly elected officers shall take office thirty (30) days following their elections.
e. The Regional Director Is an INHPA Presidential appointed office.
SECTION 5: Removal from Office:
a. Any officer may be removed from office upon failure to perform the duties of
the office or for any reason that brings discredit to the INHPA.
b. Removal from office shall be by majority vote of the remaining members of
the INHPA Executive Committee.
SECTION 6: Vacancies in Office:
Any vacancies in office except that of the President shall be filled within thirty (30) days by the President with the approval of the INHPA Executive Council.
SECTION 7: Records and Property held by Officers:
Within thirty (30) days of leaving office, all outgoing officers and committee chairs shall
deliver to their successors all records and property of the INHPA in their possession.
ARTICLE VI: STANDING COMMITTEES
SECTION 1: The Standing Committees of the INHPA shall be: Bylaws, Audit,
Hall of Fame, and State Tournament.
ARTICLE VII: MEMBERSHIP MEETINGMM
SECTION 1: Annual Meeting
a. The Annual INHPA Meeting is the meeting where the business of the
organization is undertaken. The location and the time will be determined
by the INHPA Executive Council.
b. Minimum agenda items of the annual meeting are: Secretary report, Treasurer report, Report of officers and committee chairs, Unfinished or old business, New business, Election of officers, and Adjournment.
c. Items such as the twenty-five ($.25) per tournament entry added annually to
the World Tournament Fund, large cash prizes, and extra large trophies will be
voted on at the annual meeting.
SECTION 2: Special Meetings
a. A Special Meeting may be called by the President when approved by the
Executive Council.
b. All INHPA members must be notified of this Special Meeting in writing at least
thirty (30) days before the meeting and be given the reason for the meeting.
c. No business except that specified in the notice may be taken up.
SECTION 3: Quorum
A quorum for any meeting shall be at least 51% of the total number of
NHPA/INHPA members in attendance, with a minimum of six attending.
SECTION 4: Voting
a. Only current NHPA/INHPA card holders are eligible to vote on matters
pertaining to the election of Charter officers, a sanctioned tournament schedule
or anything else that may directly or indirectly involve INHPA business,
by-laws, or official playing rules.
b. The President may decide on the method of voting except that there shall be no
voting by mail.
ARTICLE VIII: STATE TOURNAMENT
SECTION 1: The INHPA will hold a NHPA sanctioned State Championship yearly.
SECTION 2 : The State Championship Tournament must advertise and provide an
entry form stating the intent to crown champions in at least Men, Women, Junior,
and Elder Divisions. Other Divisions are an option left to the discretion of the State Tournament Committee. Any Division not receiving at least four (4) entrants can be cancelled but the entrants must be given the opportunity of pitching in another division. All age limitations for Divisions shall be in accordance with Article IX, Section 5.
SECTION 3: The Championship Class of the State Tournament cannot be mixed
play. Other classes below the championship can be mixed at the discretion of
the State Tournament Committee. Handicap percentage systems cannot be used in the State Championship play where a Division Title is involved.
SECTION 4 : The INHPA State Championship Tournament is open only to those
NHPA/INHPA members who legally reside in Indiana. An exception to this shall
be members of the US Armed Forces and their families who are stationed/reside in
Indiana. No one will be allowed to pitch in more than one State Championship per year.
SECTION 5: In State Championships, all ties for first place must be broken by play-
off game(s). Ties for other places may be settled by play-off, percentage, or who beat whom announced prior to starting the tournament.
SECTION 6: No championship tournament shall be played in the rain. The State
Tournament Committee will decide whether it is raining sufficiently to justify calling the game. In the event of games being called on account of weather, the games are to resume where left off with the State Tournament Committee to decide when the courts are in shape.
SECTION 7: Adult INHPA members must play in at least three (3) separate
sanctioned events. A member is allowed to count one tournament from out of state,
one sanctioned league, or one out of state sanctioned league and the previous years
state tournament to qualify for the State Tournament. Junior members need
one (1) sanctioned event in Indiana during the year to be eligible to play in
the State Tournament. The previous years State Tournament does count
as one of the required events.
SECTION 8: Men, Women and Elder’s champions will each be given $150.00
towards their expenses at the next World Tournament provided they pitch as
an INHPA member.
ARTICLE IX : ALL OTHER INHPA TOURNAMENTS
SECTION 1: All INHPA tournaments shall be sanctioned in accord with the published
guidelines and/or directives for NHPA Regional Directors
SECTION 2: Entry is restricted to players holding a current NHPA/INHPA membership
and meeting any imposed eligibility requirements.
SECTION 3:
a. All pitcher’s averages shall be obtained from the latest posting on the e-Shoes
web site which is based on the three (3) highest NHPA sanctioned tournaments
pitched in the preceding twelve (12) months or the last ten (10) tournaments
during the same period, whichever occurs first.
b. Any member without an average will pitch a minimum of l00 consecutive shoes
to establish their tournament seeding percentage. This qualifying must be scored
in writing and witnessed by two (2) sanctioned club members prior to entering
a tournament. Alternately, an NHPA sanctioned club or league average may
be used if it covers 400 or more shoes.
c. Members with less than three (3) tournaments shall use the combined average of
the one or two they have pitched.
SECTION 4: Tournament fees will be $16 for outdoor and $20 for indoor
tournaments. Indoor tournaments will pay $1 per pitcher to the tournament director and $5 to the indoor facility to cover expenses. Outdoor tournaments will pay $1 to the tournament site and $1 to the tournament director. The remaining $14 will be distributed as shown in the following table:
place
Amount class 1 2 3 4
56 4 36 20 x x
70 5 47 23 x x
84 6 50 24 10 x
98 7 50 28 20 x
112 8 50 30 22 10
The scorekeeping fee is $1 per game to be collected and paid to the scorekeepers.
Tournament classes should be even numbered—8,6,4, as much as possible.
SECTION 5: Tournament entry: Division and age restrictions are recognized
where applicable for entry to NHPA/INHPA sanction tournament play.
a. OPEN MEN – no restrictions
b. SENIOR MEN - at least 60 years old any time during the calendar year.
c. ELDERS – at least 70 years old anytime during the calendar year. The Elder’s
Division may include any age man with a verified physical handicap.
d. OPEN WOMEN –no restrictions.
e. SENIOR WOMEN – at least 60 years old anytime during the calendar year.
f. JUNIOR BOYS AND GIRLS – any who will be 18 years old or less for the
entire calendar year in which the tournament is played.
SECTION 6: All sanctioned tournaments shall provide a playing opportunity for all
eligible pitchers. Exceptions for special tournaments such as invitational, Juniors
Only, Women Only, etc., can be authorized by the INHPA Executive Council.
SECTION 7: All INHPA Sanctioned Tournaments shall be either shoe cancellation
or point cancellation.
SECTION 8: All tournament play-offs in all classes are to be included in the totals of Sanctioned Tournament statistics.
SECTION 9: Junior pitchers may compete in an adult division of a mixed tournament
without harm to their junior standing provided no separate Junior division is offered
in the same tournament. When a junior division is offered in a non-handicapped
tournament, a junior may pitch with the adults without harm to their junior standing,
only when their average is at least 10% higher than the next junior.
SECTION 10: Junior pitchers who request admittance and are accepted to an adult class
outside the conditions set forth in Section 9 above will forever forfeit their junior
eligibility. A junior boy who forfeits his junior status must pitch 40 feet.
SECTION 11: All junior play, mixed class or otherwise will be conducted the same as all
other classes. It is the responsibility of the youth participant and their parent/guardian
to check state scholastic sport association regulations/restrictions when determining
whether or not to accept an award with any monetary value. The INHPA and/or the
NHPA assumes no responsibility for any adverse effect which horseshoe pitching
Awards may have on the amateur status of any youth participant.
SECTION 12: Forfeits: In tournament competition, the wins and losses and all statistics
accumulated shall remain in the books for a pitcher who has to forfeit one or more
games for any reason. A pitcher may miss any number of games due to illnessor
other legitimate reason approved by the Tournament Director or Committee and still
be permitted to return to competition only in multi-day tournaments. If a pitcher
forfeits for an unapproved reason, the pitcher will not be allowed to return to the
competition and will forfeit all prize money and/or awards. Any person who forfeits
games shall finish wherever his record puts him in the standings unless he forfeits
for unapproved reasons, then he finishes last
SECTION 13: Entry fees must be paid in advance for all bid tournaments.
SECTION 14: All pitchers must wear shoes and shirts with their last name on the back
of their shirts. Said shirts cannot be sleeveless
SECTION 15: A player arriving late for a tournament before the first game ends may
proceed playing the rest of the tournament but must forfeit the first game. No
warm-up time will be permitted. A player, who arrives after the second game
begins, must forfeit all games.
SECTION 16: Any player substituting for another must also pay the entry fee and
have the approval of all members of the class to be accepted. No shows are to
pay their entry fee unless an emergency prevented their participation.
SECTION 17: INHPA must comply in all ways with the Official Playing Rules of the
NHPA. Anything not covered in the INHPA Bylaws shall be referred to the NHPA
Bylaws. Deliberate violation of same will be cause for possible NHPA suspension
of Charter Officers, the revocation of the Charter, or both
ARTICLE X: HOST TOURNAMENT SITES
SECTION 1 : Host clubs or sponsors may bid for “Money” tournaments.
SECTION 2: It is the responsibility of the tournament host to :
a. see that each stake extends 14 inches above the level of the pitchers platform on
each side of the stake, with a 3 inch incline towards each other.
b. have enough scorekeepers for the classes scheduled.
c. have foul line judges at their tournament. These judges are to be instructed
to know the rules and to strictly enforce them.
SECTION 3: The host site will receive one dollar ($1) per adult entry for hosting
a tournament.
ARTICLE XI: COMPLETELY ENCLOSED FACILITIES AND
SANCTIONED SELF-SUFFICIENT TOURNAMENTS
SECTION 1: One dollar ($1.00) will be added to tournament entry fees to
cover utility costs at indoor tournament sites; two dollars($2.00) for the State
Championship Tournament.
SECTION 2: One dollar ($1.00) per each pitcher (junior and adult) will be returned to the indoor site; two dollars ($2.00) for the State Championship Tournament.
SECTION 3: The utility fee for the juniors at enclosed facilities will be paid
by the INHPA from the World Tournament Fund.
ARTICLE XII: SANCTIONED TOURNAMENTS
SECTION 1: Tournament Director for the site will be responsible for taking entries, taking entry fees, scheduling players, running the tournament, and giving awards
SECTION 2: The Regional Director will provide tournament sanction certificates and patches. Score sheets and pitching percentages can be downloaded/obtained from the NHPA website.
SECTION 3: Statistics (Results summary from HSmaster) will be returned to the INHPA Statistician and Regional Director immediately following the
tournament.
ARTICLE XIII : MONEY TOURNAMENTS (BID)
SECTION 1 : Host club shall pay twenty five ($25.00) dollars to the INHPA.(Bid)
SECTION 2: Tournament Director for the site will be responsiblefor taking entry
fees, scheduling players, running the tournament and giving awards.
ARTICLE XIV: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
SECTION 1.The rules contained in the current edition of ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER
NEWLY REVISED shall govern the proceedings of the INHPA in all cases to which
they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.
ARTICLE XV: AMENDMENTS
SECTION 1: All amendments to the INHPA bylaws must be presented in writing at
the annual fall meeting. Amendments to be incorporated will be by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of all INHPA members present.
SECTION 2: These bylaws may be revised at any fall meeting provided a
Revision has been ordered at the previous fall meeting by a two-thirds (2/3) vote.
2021 BY-LAWS COMMITTEE:
Dwight Silvers Chairman
Sharon Chiddister
Harlan McClellan
Date submitted: 2022 EFFECTIVE FOR 2023
AMENDMENTS MADE SINCE ADOPTION
Copyright © 2021 Indiana Horseshoe Pitchers Association - All Rights Reserved.
Designed & Maintained by
Johnathon Hughes
https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnathonhughes/
Dwight Silvers
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