ARTICLE
I. NAME AND OBJECTIVES
The
association name is the Virginia Skeet Shooting Association (VSSA) and has
the following objectives:
A. To
support the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA);
B. To promote skeet shooting in Virginia;
C. To encourage and assist the organization of
skeet clubs in Virginia;
D. To coordinate the annual schedule of registered
skeet shoots in Virginia;
E. To coordinate and conduct the annual Virginia
State Skeet Shooting Championships (State Shoot); and
F. To select the Virginia All-State Skeet Teams
(State Teams).
G. To carry out any and all activities in the furtherance
of these objectives, either directly or as agent, which may be lawful and
not inconsistent with the purposes stated in the Articles of Incorporation
and these By-laws, or any other limitations as are prescribed by law and provided
that no activity shall be undertaken which is not permitted for a corporation
which is exempt from Federal Income Tax under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code as presently in effect or as amended, and that the VSSA shall
not attempt to influence legislation, nor intervene in or participate in,
any political campaign, and provided further that no part of the net earnings
shall inure to the benefit of any private individual, Director or Officer
of the VSSA.
ARTICLE II.
MEMBERSHIP
A. Individuals. Individual membership in VSSA is extended to
all Virginia residents, including military
personnel on permanent assignment in Virginia,
who are members of NSSA in good standing.
B. Clubs.
Club membership in VSSA is extended to all regularly organized skeet
clubs situated in Virginia
that are members of NSSA in good standing.
Clubs are required to schedule at least one registered shoot each year
in order to maintain membership in VSSA. For
the purposes of VSSA Club membership, Open, Closed and Other category shoots
(see ARTICLE X-A.5) will satisfy this requirement. Club membership is subject to VSSA approval.
1. An Application for VSSA Club Membership and
Registered Shoot Request (form available on the website or from the Secretary)
is to be submitted annually prior to 31 October (for the following skeet year)
to the Secretary with the required dues (see ARTICLE VI-B.1).
2. Clubs may choose their Director by any appropriate
means. All communications with the
club will be through the club's Director.
3. If neither the primary or alternate club Director
is able to attend a scheduled VSSA Board meeting, another club member may
be designated to substitute. The designation
must be in writing, signed by either the primary or alternate Director, and
submitted to the Secretary prior to or at the scheduled meeting.
Representation by proxy is otherwise prohibited.
A club’s representative who is also a VSSA Officer and who is present
at any meeting represents his/her club. In
such circumstances, neither an alternate nor a substitute may represent that
club, and such officer/primary representative is entitled to only one vote.
ARTICLE III.
OFFICERS, DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A. Officers. The VSSA Officers (the Officers) are the President,
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. The Officers serve the general membership, the
Board of Directors (the Board) and the Executive Committee of the Board (the
Executive Committee or EC) in the same capacity. All elected VSSA officials (including the Chief
Referee) serve without compensation.
B. Board of Directors. The Board is the governing body of the VSSA.
It is composed of the VSSA Officers and one Director from each club
in good standing. However, an individual may only be counted once
for quorum or voting. Except in executive
session, Board meetings are open. Of
a club's primary and alternate (or substitute) Directors, only one will be
recognized for voting at a meeting. The
presence of a majority of the Board constitutes a quorum.
C. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee is responsible for conducting
the day-to-day business of the VSSA in accordance with these By-laws.
The Executive Committee is composed of the Officers and four additional
EC Members elected by the Board. The presence of a majority of the Executive
Committee constitutes a quorum at meetings.
The Executive Committee may also conduct business out-of-meeting; in
which case, all Officers and EC Members constitute a quorum.
D. Elections. The Officers and EC Members serve two year terms,
or until their elected successors take office. No Officer or EC Member may serve more than
two consecutive terms in the same office.
An election for President, Vice President and two EC Members will be
held during odd years; an election for Secretary, Treasurer and two EC Members
will be held during even years.
1. The
nominating committee slate of candidates will be reported to the Secretary
by 15 July for further dissemination to the Directors by 1 August.
The slate will also be announced at the State Shoot general membership
meeting; additional candidates will be accepted from the floor at the State
Shoot Board meeting prior to the election.
2. Candidates
receiving a plurality will be elected and take office at completion of the
November Board meeting. In the event
of a tie for a position and where the balloting for the position involved
more than just the tied candidates, a run-off ballot will be conducted between
the tied candidates.
3. In
the event of a deadlocked ballot by the Board, the Executive Committee will
elect. In the event of a further deadlocked
ballot by the Executive Committee, the President will elect.
E. Vacancies. If a vacancy occurs among the Officers, EC Members
or Chief Referee the Executive Committee will fill the vacancy for the unexpired
term by any appropriate method (see ARTICLE IV-B).
ARTICLE IV.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS AND CHIEF REFEREE
A. President. The President is responsible for the overall
functioning of the VSSA. He will:
1. Execute
documents (sign) for the VSSA;
2. Specify
the time and location, promulgate the agenda, and preside at all VSSA meetings;
3. Appoint
a VSSA member to conduct an audit/review of the Treasurer's records for the
current fiscal year (1 November to 31 October) and prepare a report for presentation
at the State Shoot general membership meeting;
4. Appoint
a State Shoot Committee with a Chairman and members to include the Chief Referee,
the Skeet Chairman of the host club, and others;
5. Appoint
selection committee(s) for the State Teams, Sportsman of the Year and Referee
of the Year awards to be presented at the State Shoot; and
6. Appoint
other committees, as necessary.
B. Vice-President. The Vice-President will exercise all the powers
of the President in his absence. If
the office of President becomes vacant, then the Vice-President succeeds to
that office.
C. Secretary. The Secretary is responsible for the maintenance
of all official correspondence of VSSA. He will:
1. Maintain
a list of all VSSA member clubs in good standing, to include the club's primary
and alternate Directors, and if a substitute Director has been designated
in writing for a specific meeting;
2. Notify
the Directors and/or EC Members of special meetings called by the President;
3. Attend
all VSSA meetings, ascertain the existence of a quorum, keep the minutes of
the proceedings, and provide copies of the minutes within 15 days to the meeting
principals (Officers and Directors or EC Members);
4. Notify
the Directors of the Nominating Committee's slate of candidates prior to the
State Shoot meeting;
5. Notify
VSSA officials of their election or removal from office;
6. Notify
clubs/members of their expulsion/suspension or reinstatement in the VSSA;
7. Keep
the VSSA By-laws current and provide copies on request.
8. In
concert with the President, publish the annual Newsletter in January and at
other times when deemed appropriate.
D. Treasurer. The Treasurer maintains the VSSA monetary assets.
He will:
1. Collect
revenue and pay bills for the VSSA; a separate bank account will be maintained
for this purpose;
2. Keep
financial records on an accrual basis using generally accepted accounting
practices;
3. Present
a financial report at each regular VSSA meeting;
4. Present
an annual budget for adoption at the November Board meeting.
E. Chief Referee. The Chief Referee is an annually elected official
of VSSA. He will:
1. Act
as final approval authority for the VSSA on all referee applicants seeking
NSSA licensing;
2. Serve
on the State Shoot Committee and as Chief Referee for the shoot;
3. Serve
as Chief Referee at any registered shoot on request of the club and as convenient
to him. In this capacity, he will provide
field referees, coordinate their squading with shoot management, and assist
management in ensuring compliance with official NSSA rules for registered
shooting;
4. Be
the final judge as to the qualification and/or suitability of a referee in
the event shoot management objects to the use of a particular field referee.
ARTICLE V.
REMOVAL FROM OFFICE OR EXPULSION FROM MEMBERSHIP
A. Officials. The Board may remove any elected VSSA official
from office for good and sufficient cause by a two-thirds vote of those voting
in the presence of a quorum.
B. Clubs.
The Board may expel, suspend for a specified time, or discipline any
club for non-payment of daily VSSA target fees, or for other good and sufficient
cause, by a two-thirds vote of those voting in the presence of a quorum.
C. Members. The Board may expel, suspend for a specified
time, or discipline any member for good and sufficient cause by a two-thirds
vote of those voting in the presence of a quorum.
D.
Reinstatement. The Board may
reinstate any expelled club or member by a majority vote of those voting in
the presence of a quorum.
ARTICLE VI.
ASSETS, FEES AND EXPENDITURES
A. Assets. VSSA assets are limited to incidental shoot
supplies and, occasionally, small items for sale. Financial activities will be minimized; funds
will neither be expended nor indebtedness incurred without authority of the
Executive Committee or as herein provided.
All financial transactions will be through the Treasurer and duly recorded
by him.
B. Dues and Fees. The following dues and fees are established:
1. Annual
VSSA club membership dues are $10.00. Annual club dues must be paid by 31 October
in order for a club to be eligible to vote at the annual November Board meeting.
2. Daily
VSSA target fees are $0.01 per target at all registered shoots (State Shoot
excepted). They are levied on all shooters
(including out-of-state) and payable by shoot management.
C. Budget. The Treasurer will present an annual budget
for approval at the November Board meeting.
Once adopted, the Executive Committee or Board may effect line item
changes by a two-thirds vote of those voting in the presence of a quorum.
D. Reimbursements. All requests submitted to the Treasurer for
payment or reimbursement must have annotated invoices/receipts attached that
clearly identify the purpose of the expenditure.
ARTICLE VII.
MEETINGS
A. General. The annual meeting of the general membership
will be held during the State Shoot. It
will include a report by the Treasurer of the current financial status of
the VSSA, a presentation of awards, and the conduct of any other business,
as appropriate. Since official business,
per se, may not be conducted, there is no quorum requirement.
B. Board.
There will be two annual meetings of the Board. The first meeting will be held on the second
Sunday in November at a central location in the state, and will be the main
business meeting of the VSSA. The second
meeting will be held during the State Shoot and will be restricted to the
election of VSSA officials, selection of next year's State Shoot site, the
resolution/deferral of issues raised at the annual general membership meeting,
and urgent business only. The order
of business at Board meetings is as follows:
1. Roll call and acceptance of eligible Directors;
2. Reading
and acceptance of minutes from the previous Board meeting;
3. Treasurer's report of the current financial
status of the VSSA, and for the November meeting, a report by the VSSA member
appointed to conduct the financial audit/review of the VSSA books.
4. President's report (to include Executive Committee
activity);
5. Other reports;
6. Old business;
7a. New
business at November meeting:
a. Adoption of annual budget;
b. Formulation of next year's open shoot schedule;
c. Selection of the nominating committee for next
year's election;
7b. New
business at State Shoot meeting:
a. Election of next year's VSSA officials;
b. Selection of next year's State Shoot site;
7c. Other
new business;
8. Committee appointments by President; and
9. Adjournment.
C. Special. Special
meetings of the Board may be called at the President's discretion or on request
of five Directors. At such meetings,
business will be restricted to that stated in the call.
D. Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will meet at the call
of the President. In the case of business
out-of-meeting (phone, fax, mail, etc.), the record must show the result of
all votes and that all Officers and EC Members were contacted and afforded
an opportunity to vote.
E. Robert's Rules. Robert's Rules of Order will be used in the
conduct of meetings of the VSSA except where otherwise provided for in these
By-laws.
ARTICLE VIII. DISSOLUTION
A. Dissolution. On dissolution or final liquidation of the VSSA,
any assets shall be contributed to the NSSA College Scholarship Fund.
B. Contingency. If the NSSA College Scholarship Fund is not
in existence or not qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code at the time of dissolution of the VSSA, any assets shall be distributed
to a duly qualified 501(c)(3) organization in existence at the time of such
dissolution.
ARTICLE IX.
AMENDMENTS
A. Adoption. Only the Board may amend the VSSA By-laws.
A vote of two-thirds of those voting in the presence of a quorum is
required for adoption of an amendment. The
Secretary shall ensure all Directors are notified of all approved amendments. Major amendments will cause the By-laws to be
reissued in their entirety.
B. Submission. All proposed amendments must be submitted to
the Secretary in writing. If the proposal
is received 30 days in advance of a scheduled meeting and is disseminated
to the principals at least 15 days prior to the meeting, then final action
may be taken on the proposal at the meeting. Otherwise, action on the proposal is limited
to discussion with final action not permitted until the next meeting of the
Board.
C. Exempt Status. The VSSA By-laws shall be amended, as appropriate,
to maintain VSSA's exempt status under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code.
ARTICLE X.
REGISTERED SHOOTS
A. Rules.
VSSA imposes no modifications to NSSA rules and regulations for the
conduct of registered skeet shooting. However,
the following supplements NSSA rules regarding the administration of registered
skeet shoots:
1. All open shoots must be listed in the NSSA Skeet
Shooting Review (SSR) shoot register, or a minimum of 50 shoot programs mailed
to local shooters with a copy of the mailing list used forwarded to the Secretary.
The publishing lead-time for the SSR is approximately two months, and
subject to change;
2. Winners must be declared for all open shoots
and reported to NSSA for publication in the SSR;
3. All registered shoot documentation (registration
forms, scoreboards, squad sheets, referees list, etc.) must be retained for
one year following the shoot;
4. All registered targets shot in advance or after
a regularly scheduled shoot may only be reported as preliminary event targets;
and
5. Three types of shoots are recognized: Open, Closed and Other. Open shoots accept entries from all NSSA members
in good standing. Closed shoots have
restricted entries and include such shoots as closed club, invitational and
State and Zone Shoots. Other shoots
are those shot in a reduced competitive environment and include such shoots
as Monthly Targets, Targets Only, NSSA Sweepstakes
and Event 6 type shoots. (Note: Event 6 targets are included in NSSA lifetime
targets, but are excluded from averages/classifications.)
B. Reporting. A completed VSSA financial report form and daily
fees (see ARTICLE VI-B.2.) are to be submitted to the Treasurer within 15
days of the shoot for deposit. The
Host Club will be responsible for retaining shoot records (scores and squad
sheets) for 90 days after the beginning of the next new shooting year for
reference as needed by the shooters and/or NSSA.
Non-receipt of said reports and fees (more than 30 days delinquent)
will be reported to the President for Board action under the By-laws.
C. Schedule. The annual schedule of open shoots from April
through the World Shoot in October will be resolved at the November Board
meeting. Each club in good standing
may have one or two protected dates (weekends), depending on availability,
during this period. The following are
pertinent to the schedule:
1. The Secretary will prepare a draft schedule
from the date requests on all applications received for presentation at the
November Board meeting (see ARTICLE II-B.1.).
Open weekends (no shoots requested for those dates) may be requested
for shoots by those clubs represented at the meeting.
2. Clubs that wish to schedule a shoot on the same
date as another Club’s protected date must have permission from the “protected”
Club Director. However, as Virginia is a large state
geographically with over 300 active shooters and can normally support more
than one shoot per weekend, “protected clubs” are encouraged to allow clubs
that are at least 100 miles away to schedule shoots on the same weekend.
3. Protected dates are limited to the first through
the fourth full weekend of a month. Full
weekends start on Saturday; months occasionally have five full weekends.
Protected dates cannot be “shared” by clubs but may be traded between
clubs on a temporary or permanent basis. The
Secretary will maintain a list of all protected date assignments.
4. Closed and Other type (see Article X-A.5.) shoots
may be requested and shot on any date(s) regardless of any other scheduled
shoot.
5. Once the schedule is finalized
by the Board at the November meeting, the Secretary will prepare and submit
all shoot applications to NSSA. All
requests for additions, deletions, or changes must be submitted to the Secretary
for coordination and approval. The
Secretary will inform NSSA, the Treasurer, and the VSSA Webmaster of all approved
schedule changes.
ARTICLE XI.
STATE SHOOT
A. Closed. The State Shoot is a closed shoot, open only
to individual VSSA members. Out-of-state
shooters may be accommodated on a space available, targets only basis. The State Shoot will be scheduled to coincide
with the third full weekend in August.
B. Host Club. To be eligible to host the State Shoot, a club
must have:
1. At
least one registered, four-gun open shoot prior to 1 July of the same year
as the State Shoot;
2. Shooting
facilities to accommodate at least 175 four-gun shooters and a majority of
the doubles competition over a three-day period;
3. Hotels/motels
within 30 miles with at least 50 available rooms, and on site facilities for
25 campers with water and sufficient electrical power to run air conditioners;
4. Facilities
to provide daily food service and accommodations for 200 people for dinner;
and
5. A
listed public telephone.
C. Selection. At the State Shoot Directors meeting, the Board
will select a starting bid amount for the following year's State Shoot and
offer it to the primary club. The bid
amount, at a minimum, is to cover club profit, the Saturday night dinner,
and power to and maintenance of the traps.
If the primary club does not accept the bid amount, it will be offered
to the next club in sequence, etc. If
no club accepts, 25 cents will be added to the bid amount and the process
repeated until a bid is accepted. The
first club to accept a bid amount will be awarded the following year's State
Shoot.
1. Sequence. Of those clubs qualified to host the State Shoot,
the primary club in the bidding sequence is the club that has not held the
State Shoot for the longest period of time (this would include a club newly
meeting the criteria for host club). The
club with the next longest period is secondary, and so on.
E. Responsibilities. The following depicts the division of management
responsibilities between the host club and VSSA for the shoot.
1. Host club.
a. Grounds. Preparation
and appearance (includes trash).
b. Traps. Operation
and maintenance (includes spare traps).
c. Targets. Order
and stock houses; provide target count for shoot.
d. Trapboys. Supervise;
coordinate hiring with VSSA.
e. Port-a-pots.
Rent; coordinate quantity with VSSA.
f. Practice. Operate
field(s), as available.
g. Ammunition.
Order and coordinate sales.
h. Food Service.
Provide service at least during main events.
i. Cocktail Party. Set up only Saturday night.
j. Dinner. Prepare
and serve Saturday night.
2. VSSA (through the State Shoot Committee).
a. Program. Preparation
and distribution.
b. Awards/Pins.
Design, procurement and distribution.
c. Reservations.
In advance and squading.
d. Supplies. Scoreboards,
squad sheets, pencils, etc., as needed.
e. Registrants and Scorekeepers. Provide and coordinate.
f. Chief Referee and Field Referees. Option to fill traps.
g. Shoot-offs.
Determination and conduct.
h. Targets. Reimburse
host at cost (less paid practice rounds).
i. Payouts. At
registration desk and/or mailings.
j. Reports. Results
and financial with fees to NSSA.
k. Write-up. With
reports to NSSA for SSR within 15 days.
l. Cocktail Party. Provide beverages and snacks Saturday night.
F. Payments. VSSA will pay all State Shoot expenses not covered
in the host club's bid. The host club
will submit a detailed reimbursement request with receipts to the Treasurer
within 15 days after the shoot for all expenses paid directly.
l. VSSA
will pay the host club up to $300 for field clean-up (target boxes, spent shells, related items). Any
additional costs will be the responsibility of the host club.
2. VSSA
will pay the host club for targets at cost plus 10% (for shoot-offs, broken
and setting/looking) based on the number of guns shot. Payment will not be made until an invoice showing
cost of the targets is received.
ARTICLE XII.
STATE TEAMS
A. Teams.
The State Team Selection Committee will select the following State
Teams for the current year (in order of precedence):
1. Open
First Team; Open Second Team;
2. Ladies
Team;
3. Sub-Junior
Team; Junior Team; Tri-Sub Team; Sub-Sub-Senior Team; Sub-Senior Team; Senior
Team; Veteran Team; Senior Veteran Team;
4. Military
Team; and Retired Military Team.
Teams
will be composed of five members maximum; individuals may be selected to one
team only. Selection to the several teams will be based
on the average of the individual's end-of-year four gun averages (doubles
excluded) as compiled by NSSA. The
team member having the highest average will be designated team captain with
the remainder ranked in descending order.
In case of ties, the smallest gun average will be used for the tie-breaker,
then the next larger, etc., until the tie is broken.
B. Eligibility. At least a minimum number of qualifying
Virginia
targets must be shot in each gun to establish eligibility. Shooters
who have changed their state of residence during the shooting year remain
eligible for Virginia State Team consideration if they meet all other eligibility
criteria contained herein and notify the Secretary or State Team Selection
Committee Chairman of their desire to be considered for a Virginia State Team. The
shooter must provide data to support his/her request. No shooter may allow him/herself to be considered
for any State Team selection in more than one state for any particular NSSA shooting year."
1. Qualifying
Targets. Qualifying registered
targets include those:
a. Shot in main events at open shoots in Virginia; and
b. Shot in any event at the World (less Mini),
Junior World (by Juniors, Sub-Juniors, and Collegiate shooters), Zone II,
or Virginia State Shoot.
Junior
World targets that qualify an individual for a team qualify the same individual
for any team.
c. Shot in any event at the Armed Services Skeet
Championships (for Military and Retired Military Teams only).
Non-qualifying targets include those shot as targets only, or in preliminary
events and closed shoots not specified above.
2. Target Minimums. A minimum of at least 600 qualifying targets
must be shot in each of the four guns to establish eligibility. The following are exceptions:
a. Ladies Team minimums are 400 qualifying targets
in each gun.
b. Sub-Junior, Junior, Veteran and Senior Veteran
Teams are selected based on the individual's average for his largest gun wherein
he shot a minimum of 400 qualifying targets, rather than on his 4-gun average.
3. Averages. All registered targets shot in Open and Closed
type shoots will be used in determining a shooter's four gun averages; those
shot in Other type shoots are to be excluded (see ARTICLE X-A.5).
C. Procedure. The Secretary will request a listing from NSSA
of the shoot histories of those individuals eligible for the teams and forward
the listing to the State Team Selection Committee Chairman for processing.
The list of selected teams will be submitted to the Secretary for reporting
to NSSA for publication in the SSR. Team
members will be recognized in the State Shoot program and awards presented
at the State Shoot general membership meeting in August.
D. Exclusion. Individuals may request exclusion from State
Team eligibility by writing or e-mailing the Secretary. Such exclusions may be for one or more years,
and may be rescinded at any time by again writing the Secretary. To rescind exclusion for the current year, the
request must be received by the Secretary prior to 1 January.
