Charter of the Southwest Sectional Circuit Cup

The Southwest Sectional Circuit Cup (SSCC) is a collective effort of the member Divisions of the Southwest Section, USFA. Its purpose is to promote increased participation among all levels of fencers in tournaments outside their home Divisions, to provide elite athletes with serious fencing at Regional competitions, to increase the size and strength of tournaments throughout the Section, to better prepare fencers for competition on the National level, and to promote fencing in general across the Section.

Section I.           Management of the SSCC

Article 1.01           The SSCC Commission, composed of seven Directors, will oversee operation and management of the Southwest Sectional Circuit Cup (SSCC). All directors must be at least 18 years of age when they assume office, reside within the boundaries of the Southwest Section, maintain USFA membership throughout their term of office and take office immediately upon election.

Article 1.02           Six directors will be selected from the members of the Section by the Southwest Section Executive Committee.

(a)      Each year by September 1st the Southwest Section Executive Committee will select two Directors to serve on the SSCC. Directors will serve three-year terms; taking office September 2nd in the year they are selected to September 1st of the end of their term unless a replacement has not been selected by the EC in which case their term will be extended until replaced. Non-full term vacancies will be selected by the SWS EC to fill the remainder of the term of office.

1)        The SWS EC will appoint all six Directors the first year, designating which will serve for three years, which for two years and which for one year.

(b)      The composition of the SSCC Commission will reflect the geographic diversity of the Divisions that participate in the SSCC. No more than two Directors appointed by the Southwest Section Executive Committee may be from the same division. At least four Divisions must be represented on the Commission at all times.

Article 1.03           The SSCC Athlete Advisory Group will serve as an advisory group to the SSCC Commission, and elect one member to serve as full voting Director of the SSCC Commission. The SSCC Athlete Advisory Group will be composed of athletes appointed by their respective Divisions. Each Division that has ratified the SSCC Charter for that season may appoint up to two athletes (one male and one female) to the SSCC Athlete Advisory Group by September 1st. Athletes must be at least 18 year of age, reside within the boundaries of the Division by which they are appointed and maintain USFA membership throughout their term of service. The Athlete Director will serve until replaced by the Athlete Advisory Group.

Article 1.04           The immediate past Managing Director of the SSCC Commission, if not currently serving in another capacity on the Commission, will be an ex-officio (non-voting) Director of the SSCC Commission.

Article 1.05           Any Commissioner may resign at any time, provided that any resignation must be in writing, and will be effective on delivery to the Southwest Section Chairperson unless the resignation provides for a later effective date. Any member of the SSCC Commission may be removed from Office by a two-thirds vote of those voting members present at a Special Meeting of the Southwest Section or the Annual General Meeting. The members of the SSCC Commission are responsible to the Executive Committee of the Southwest Section and may be removed from Office by a two-thirds vote of the Southwest Section Executive Committee if such an action is found to be in the best interests of the SSCC or of the athletes of the Southwest Section.

Article 1.06           The SSCC Commission will be solely responsible for the management of the SSCC. The SSCC Commission will publish yearly by September 1st an Operations Manual detailing the organizational structure of the SSCC Commission, protocols for designation of SSCC tournaments, tournament organization and operations, and protocols for point standings and awards in each weapon. The Operations Manual may be amended in mid-season as operational circumstances dictate.

Article 1.07           No Commissioner shall receive a salary or other compensation in their capacity as a Commissioner, except a return for expenses incurred for the benefit of the organization and only to the extent provided for in the adopted SSCC budget.

Section II.        Ratification of the SSCC Charter

Article 2.01           The Charter of the Southwest Section Circuit Cup will take effect when ratified by 4 divisions of the Southwest Section that have SSCC events designated for the 2006-2007 season. Ratification will be by majority vote of the Executive Committee of the Division. The Divisions that ratify the charter by the initial deadline set by the Southwest Section EC will be considered the initial members of the SSCC. Other Divisions may join the SSCC under the protocols outlined in Section IV.

Article 2.02           Each year, by September 1st, the Executive Committee of each member division will re-ratify the Charter. At least four divisions must re-ratify the Charter each year in order to continue the SSCC. Divisions ratifying the SSCC charter each year agree to grant sanction as official USFA events to proposed SSCC events within their jurisdiction and designate representatives to the Athlete Advisory Group. Failure to ratify the Charter or sanction a proposed SSCC event within its jurisdiction by a member division will be equivalent to withdrawing from the SSCC.

Section III.    Divisional Operations under the SSCC Charter

Article 3.01       Only divisions that have ratified the Charter of the SSCC will have designated SSCC events within their jurisdiction.

Article 3.02       Each Division ratifying the SSCC Charter commits to following the tournament designation process as directed by the SSCC Commission. The SSCC Commission will communicate in a timely manner to the Divisions the deadline for tournament designations.

Article 3.03           An LOC which is not itself Division will be responsible for having the tournament sanctioned by the appropriate Division and have the Division contact the SSCC Commission confirming the sanctioning. Until confirmed as a sanctioned official USFA event, the tournament will be listed as ‘proposed.’

Article 3.04           Divisions ratifying the SSCC Charter agree not to sanction as official USFA events Senior/Open/DivIA (or equivalent), Division II (or equivalent), Division III (or equivalent), Veteran, Junior, Cadet, or Youth-14 events the same weekend as an SSCC event with an event in that weapon, where Men’s/Women’s/Mixed Epee is one weapon, Men’s/Women’s/Mixed Foil is one weapon and Men’s/Women’s/Mixed Sabre is one weapon. Unrated (or equivalent), Youth-10 and Youth-12 events are explicitly permitted.

Section IV.     Addition of New Divisions

Article 4.01           Divisions that are components of the Southwest Section, USFA, but are not currently members of the SSCC, may be added to the SSSC by applying to the SSCC Commission by December 1st of the preceding season.

Article 4.02           Divisions applying to become members must ratify the SSCC Charter, and have their membership ratified by a majority of the current member Divisions of the SSCC.

Section V.        Future Modifications to the SSCC Charter

Article 5.01           The General Membership of the Southwest Section at the Annual Meeting, upon a two-thirds majority vote of those present, may propose amendments or modifications to this charter, to be submitted to the member Divisions for ratification. Proposed amendments or modifications to the SSCC Charter from the General Membership must be submitted in a manner identical to amendments to the Southwest Section Bylaws.

Article 5.02           The Southwest Section Executive Committee, upon a two-thirds majority vote, may propose amendments or modifications to this Charter, to be submitted to the member divisions for ratification. Proposed amendments or modifications to the SSCC Charter from the Executive Committee must be submitted by June 1st.

Article 5.03           If ratified by two-thirds of the member Divisions of the SSCC by September 1st, the proposed amendments or modifications shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of this Charter.

 

Operations Manual of the Southwest Sectional Circuit Cup

The Operations Manual of the Southwest Sectional Circuit Cup functions as a guide for the organization of the SSCC Commission, details the support of the member divisions for the SSCC and contains the manual for the functional running of events. It is compiled by the SSCC Commission, and subject to revision thereby at any time. No parts of this manual should be construed to be in conflict with the SSCC Charter.

Section I.           SSCC Commission Operations

Article 1.01           The SSCC Commission will designate the following positions from within its own composition:

(a)      Managing Director – Must have served on the SSCC Commission for a minimum of 12 months. In the event no suitably qualified members of the SSCC Commission have served for 12 months, this provision may be waived.

 (1)             Acts as the Chair of the Committee and as such votes only in case of a tie, and keeps records of all actions and correspondence of the Commission.

 (2)             Primary point of contact between the designated Local Organizing Committees and Divisions, and the SSCC Commission.

 (3)             Prepares and delivers reports as required by the Southwest Section Executive Committee.

 (4)             Delivers a written and oral report each year at the Southwest Section General Membership meeting on the status of the SSCC, detailing results of the current season, growth and development of various events, financial picture and broad outline of future planning.

 (5)             Other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

(b)      Assistant Managing Director – Must have served on the SSCC Commission for a minimum of 12 months. In the event no suitably qualified members of the SSCC Commission have served for 12 months, this provision may be waived.

 (1)             Coordinates scheduling and designation of the following season’s events, by working with the member divisions and prospective Local Organizing Committees.

 (2)             Coordinates equipment sharing operations among the component Divisions and LOCs.

 (3)             Maintains records of meetings of the SSCC Commission and other activities pursuant to the activities of the SSCC Commission.

 (4)             Acts in the place of the Managing Director when the Managing Director is unavailable.

 (5)             Other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

(c)      Director in charge of Records

 (1)             Responsible for maintaining accurate lists and contact information for referees, armourers, Technical Committee personnel, and information about arranging the presence of a trainer, and providing these lists to designated LOCs.

 (2)             Facilitates the preparation of a record of each SSCC tournament detailing the referees, bout committee and armoury personnel utilized.

 (3)             Maintain the SSCC Rolling Point Standings according to the requirements in Section V, including facilitating the arbitration of ties as necessary, and publish an updated list no later than one week after the conclusion of each event having an SSCC designation.

 (4)             Other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

(d)      Athlete Recognition Chair – May be a first year Director.

 (1)             Collects feedback from LOCs, athletes, coaches and referees (both positive and negative) and forwards to FOC representatives concerning referee performance.

 (2)             Responsible for verifying the accuracy of the points lists before and after each SSCC event.

 (3)             Works with Managing Director to ensure end-of-year awards are arranged appropriately.

 (4)             Obtains corporate sponsors for awards.

 (5)             Other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

(e)      Athlete Advisory Group Representative

 (1)             Elected by the members of the Athlete Advisory Group

 (2)             Provides feedback to the Commission on topics such as the perceived quality of events, fencer and coach goals and priorities for the SSCC, and ways to develop the quality of fencing in the SWS.

 (3)             Works with the Athlete Recognition Chair to brainstorm end-of-season awards for the competitors.

 (4)             Other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

(f)        Other voting members of the SSCC Commission shall be referred to as Associate Directors and shall assist and advise the Managing Director, Assistant Managing Director, Director in charge of Records, Athlete Recognition Chair, and Athlete Advisory Group Representative with their responsibilities, and assume other duties as directed by the Commission as a whole.

Article 1.02           The SSCC Commission shall maintain the following lists:

(a)      One of competent, skilled Technical Committee personnel, who posses the necessary skills and experience to oversee the registration, seeding, pool construction and tableau progressions at an SSCC event

(b)      One of capable and competent armourers

(c)      One of qualified FOC examiners/assigners

(d)      One of persons capable of assuming Head Referee duties

(e)      One containing information about arranging the presence of a Trainer

(f)        One of rated and developing referees available within the Section.

Article 1.03           Applications submitted to the SSCC Commission by new Divisions seeking membership for the following fencing season shall either be approved or rejected by the SSCC Commission by January 15th of the current one. If approved by the SSCC Commission, the application must be ratified by two-thirds of the current member divisions by February 1st. The petitioning division must ratify the Charter of the SSCC by March 1st. Prospective Divisions will be allowed to submit prospective designations for an SSCC event for the following season while their application is under consideration.

Section II.        Tournament Designation

Article 2.01           Point events will be held in the following categories: Senior Men’s Epee, Senior Women’s Epee, Senior Men’s Foil, Senior Women’s Foil, Senior Men’s Sabre, and Senior Women’s Sabre.

Article 2.02           Each Division of the Southwest Section that has ratified the SSCC Charter will be eligible to have one of each SSCC point event designated at a tournament or tournaments within its jurisdiction.

Article 2.03           No more events than participating divisions will be designated for each category as SSCC point events.

Article 2.04           The Voting Executive Board of each Division that has ratified the SSCC Charter will designate one tournament to be held that season as that Division’s SSCC Competition. The Chair or Secretary of each Division is responsible for communicating to the SSCC Commission the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) responsible for hosting its Designated Competition.  An LOC may be composed of a single fencing club, a partnership of clubs, a Division, or any combination thereof within a single Division. The SSCC Commission reserves the right to overrule a Division’s designation if it does not feel that the LOC is capable of hosting an SSCC, and may request that the Division designate a different LOC.

Article 2.05           Each Division will designate its LOC by February 1st of the preceding season. The Assistant Managing Director will then work with the designated LOCs on scheduling and other planning matters for the next season.  If a division demonstrates that it is unwilling or unable to make a designation by this deadline, the SSCC commission will accept tournament bids until March 1st of the preceding season and release a decision by that April 1st.

Article 2.06           Divisions are encouraged to consider LOCs with the proven ability to organize and efficiently operate large tournaments, and consider clubs that have a proven history of supporting SSCC events both within and outside their home divisions by sending athletes, referees, and equipment.

Article 2.07           Each Division in which an SSCC event is scheduled pledges to supply at a minimum 2 complete, non-grounded three-weapon scoring systems, including scoring box, power source, reels, and floor cords, to the Organizing Committee of each SSCC Competition, should they be necessary, and is responsible for transport of their equipment to and from each tournament. The required equipment may be supplied from Divisional Equipment, may belong to a club in that Division or another Division or be supplied out of the Divisional Equipment of another Division.  All required equipment must be in good working order and in compliance with USFA rules. If a division’s equipment is faulty or not present, the cost of rental of replacement equipment may be charged to the division in default.  No compensation for the required equipment is expected, but compensation may be given for the use of further equipment, at the discretion of the LOC.

Section III.    Roles of the LOC and Tournament Organization

Article 3.01           Each LOC that is designated by its Division will be required to sign a contract of participation by August 1st, or will be considered as having waived its opportunity to host an SSCC event that season. In this case, the Division will name a new prospective LOC by August 15th, which shall be required to submit the contract at that time. At the conclusion of the tournament, the LOC will submit along with its tournament report an Operation Fee of $2 per entry for each SSCC category event hosted.

Article 3.02           As part of the contract of participation, the LOC will communicate the proposed schedule of events, name of the Head Referee, Technical Committee personnel and Armourers to the SSCC Commission.

(a)      The Head Referee should be an official with a 4 or better rating, capable of assisting with the hiring of a referee cadre and providing them with direction at the tournament.

(b)      The Technical Committee personnel should include at least one person on the list supplied by the SSCC Commission as persons capable of overseeing the operations of an SSCC event, and should be assisted as fencer numbers dictate by others on that list.

(c)      No less than two Armourers, one of whom shall be selected from the list maintained by the SSCC Commission, should be designated, capable of overseeing the inspection of competitors’ equipment (masks, body cords, and lames) as well as certifying the competition equipment and conducting strip calls. More armourers may be designated later, but at least two should be on call and in the venue for the entire time fencing is occurring.

Article 3.03           LOCs may hold additional events that are not designated SSCC events, provided they do not interfere with the smooth running of SSCC events in the judgment of the SSCC Commission. Such events should be communicated as part of the contract of participation.

Article 3.04           The LOC is free to set the competition schedule for the tournament, provided it is limited to 2 days of competition, fencing is scheduled to be completed by 7pm on Saturday and 5 pm on Sunday, and the required events are held.

Article 3.05           Grounded pistes, while not required for SSCC events, are highly encouraged. At least two grounded pistes and two scoring machines with integrated time and score displays are suggested as a minimum.

Article 3.06           Each LOC is free to set the entry fees for Competition. It is suggested that the LOC bear in mind when setting fees that an SSCC Competition is likely to draw large numbers of fencers, such that a significant number of well trained, competent referees will be necessary to officiate.  Proposed registration and entry fee information will be communicated as part of the contract of participation.

Article 3.07           Pre-paid registration on either the AskFred.net system or an equivalent system must be used.

Article 3.08           SSCC events will provide free entry to the top 3 point holders from the previous season in each event (but only in the categories in which they hold that standing). The SSCC Commission will provide funding to partially rebate up to half of the single-weapon entry cost, including registration fee and single-weapon event fee, to a maximum of $25 per free entry.  Any fees added after an early registration period is closed are the responsibility of the fencer.

Article 3.09           At the conclusion of each SSCC event, the LOC will submit a report to the Managing Director of the SSCC Commission detailing the Technical Committee personnel, armoury personnel, and referees utilized in each event, the numbers of entries in each category, the close of registration, initial pool posting and finishing time of all events held and the names of any athletes from the top 3 point standings from the previous year for whom the LOC should receive compensation. Once this tournament report has been received along with the Operation Fee, the SSCC Managing Director will authorize the Treasurer of the SWS to pay the appropriate entry rebates to the LOC.

Section IV.     Tournament Operations

Article 4.01           Each point event held at a SSCC Competition in which points are earned will be age limited. Each competitor must meet the same minimum age requirements as for a Senior North American Cup tournament held in that same fencing season.

Article 4.02           All SSCC events will be run in accordance with the USFA Tournament Operations Manual, with 1 round of pools (standard pool compositions of 6-7, as appropriate), and  100% of competitors promoted to a single direct elimination bracket. Should the Bout Committee feel that it is in the best interest of the tournament, the tournament format may be changed to another recognized USFA format, provided such a change is made prior to the start of fencing, and competitors are notified by verbal announcement and posting.

Article 4.03           At all SSCC competitions the Technical Committee shall perform a seeded draw in the first round of competition. Fencers will be seeded as Ranked fencers and Classified fencers.

(a)      Ranked Fencers

 (1)             Nationally Ranked fencers in a particular weapon who have achieved a ranking in the Top 32 in Senior Points will be entitled to a seeded draw ahead of all other fencers in that weapon in the order of their placement on the list.

 (2)             Other Nationally ranked fencers who have points in the Senior National Rolling Points will be seeded ahead of all other fencers with the same letter classification in that weapon in the order of their placement on the list.

 (3)             Other SSCC Ranked fencers who have points in the from places 1-32 in SSCC points will be seeded ahead of fencers with the same classification and year but behind those in Category 2 in that weapon in the order of their placement on the list.

(b)      Classified, Unranked fencers

 (1)             Fencers holding a classification in the weapon being fenced, but not having a ranking under the current national point system or the top 32 of SSCC points in the weapon in question will be randomly seeded within their classification and year.

(c)      Unclassified, Unranked fencers

 (1)             Fencers without a classification in the weapon being fenced and not being in the top 32 of SSCC points in the weapon in question will be seeded by random lot.

Article 4.04           SSCC events will follow National Tournament guidelines for reseeding of competitions, e.g. all errors that affect placement in the seeding or pools will cause a reseed (i.e. club/division errors, classification, points etc.), even if fencing has already commenced. It is the fencers’ obligation to report a seeding information error to the Technical Committee in a timely manner. If the information is incorrect in a fencer’s favor, it is still that fencer’s obligation to have this corrected. Critical information for accurate and fair separation in pools is primary/secondary club affiliation, classification and year, national ranking and SSCC Ranking. Spelling is NOT considered critical information, but should still be addressed immediately. Spelling errors are not grounds for reseeding. Therefore:

(a)      Fencers are required to report any critical error to the bout committee within 5 minutes of a revised posting.

(b)      If a fencer fails to report an error in his or her information that affects seeding within the allowed time, regardless of whether that fencer believes it will affect the seeding, the fencer will be fined $25 or allowed to withdraw from the event. No refunds for entry fees will be given in this case.

Article 4.05            The majority of the referees at an SSCC tournament should have a USFA rating of 8 or better. Top 8 bouts should be refereed by persons rated at least 6 in the weapon in being fenced, or be directly supervised by an FOC Examiner. Gold Medal bout should be refereed by persons rated at least 5 in the weapon being fenced, or be directly supervised by an FOC Examiner.  If it may be in the best interests of the tournament to do so, this requirement may be waived ONLY with the consent of the fencers.

Article 4.06           For the purposes of tournament format decisions and appeals, the Bout Committee will consist of one person from the LOC, the Head Referee, the Chair of the Technical Committee, any members of the USFA FOC, National or Sectional Officers, any members of the SSCC Commission, and sufficient other personnel to ensure a representative of each division present. Additional persons may be included if required by the by-laws of the hosting division.  Persons with a conflict of interest (as determined by themselves or a majority of the other members of the Bout Committee) should recuse themselves, and an alternate should be selected in their place.

Section V.        SSCC Point Standings and Prizes

Article 5.01           Points will be awarded in each category (Men’s Foil, Epee, and Sabre and Women’s Foil, Epee and Sabre) as in the current table of points awarded at a Division I NAC, for participants completing or having a bye past the first round of direct eliminations (e.g. promoted to Tableau B), with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 32 fencers earning points. The rolling point standings will be posted utilizing a web-based mechanism as soon as possible following SSCC Competitions. Tie breaking factors shall be as follows:

(a)      Top 5 finishes

(b)      Top 6 finishes

(c)      Highest number of 1st place finishes, then 2nd place finishes, 3rd place finishes and so on, until the tie is broken or all results have been tallied.

(d)      In the event of a tie among the finalists after all tiebreaking factors have been published, athletes in the top 3 places will have the choice of either sharing the championship, or scheduling a fence-off competition, with the format decided by themselves and the SSCC Commission, to take place before the awarding of prizes at the annual Sectional competition.  In this case a coin flip may also be allowed only with the written consent of both fencers.

(e)      Remaining ties for subsequent places will not be resolved.

Article 5.02           Each LOC is free to give its own awards to individuals placing in its own tournament. However, the SSCC will not be involved or expected to contribute to the awards for individual tournaments. It is preferred that a medal, trophy, plaque or other form of award be given to the top 8 places in each SSCC event. Final end of season awards will be distributed at Sectional Qualifiers at the end of the fencing season.

Article 5.03           Only competitors whose USFA Division is within the boundaries of the Southwest Section are eligible for SSCC end-of-season prizes. USFA members whose competitive division is listed as “foreign” due to citizenship of another country but who reside within the Southwest Section are also eligible. However, the SSCC point standings will include out-of-section competitors who are not eligible to receive end-of-season prizes for the purposes of equalizing seeding.

Article 5.04           The top three Southwest Section athletes on the point standings in each event will receive free entry into the next season’s SSCC events.