MID-MICHIGAN WRESTLING ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I. NAME:
The name of this organization shall be the Mid-Michigan Wrestling Association (M.M.W.A.), and
will here after be referred to as the Association.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES:
A. To provide competitive wrestling among wrestlers ages 5 through 14.
1. Age shall be determined as of DECEMBER 31st PRIOR TO THE START of the
current wrestling year, i.e., December 31, 2005 for the 2005-06 season (1/06-3/06).
2. Proof of age must be available at all tournaments if requested by the tournament director or
one of his/her representatives.
3. Copies of birth certificates are the only acceptable proof of age.
4. Challenges to age must be made through the tournament director or one of his/her
representatives, AND CAN BE CHALLENGED AT ANY TIME DURING THE
TOURNAMENT. WEIGHT CANNOT BE CHALLENGE PAST THE START
SECOND ROUND AND THE CHALLENGE IS ONLY ON THE WEIGHT
INDICATED ON THE WRESTLER'S WEIGH-IN SLIP.
5. To establish a wrestler's minimum weight class, they must weigh-in, enter, and wrestle
that weight in their own age group in two (2) complete MMWA Tournaments prior to
Regionals. A complete tournament consists of two round elimination.
6. WRESTLERS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
PROGRAM ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR M.M.W.A. COMPETITION.
B. To organize wrestling clubs in Mid-Michigan, so as to provide for consistency in wrestling.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP:
A. In order for a Club or non-affiliated individual to be eligible to participate in the Regionals and
League Finals, the Club must have a representative present in at least 75% of the Association meetings.
In the case of new Clubs, they must be represented in at least 75% of the meetings since becoming a member. MEMBERSHIP CONSIDERED VALID BEGINNING WITH FIRST MEETING ATTENDANCE.
REFER TO SECTION F IN THIS ARTICLE.
B. NO new Clubs will be accepted after the second meeting in January.
C. Membership IN GOOD STANDING will consist of those clubs and individuals who
have paid their dues by the FIRST MEETING of January each year.
New Clubs will have until the second meeting in January to join and pay their dues.
D. Membership dues for Clubs will be $50.00 per year.
E. Membership dues for individuals not affiliated with Clubs will be $50.00 per year and
will be considered an Individual Club..
F. Dues for Scales: Each new member Club or Individual Club shall pay an initial fee of $100.00 or use in purchase and maintenance of Association Digital Scales. This fee shall be an initial fee only and not annual. Only those Clubs that have paid their dues shall be permitted to use the scales for their tournaments. Exceptions to this may be made by the President or
Vice-President, if in their opinion, it is the best interest of the Association as a whole. In any circumstance, a Club having paid this scale fee shall have priority over a Club who has not.
ALL CLUBS WHO DROP OUT OF THE ASSOCIATION AND LATER RE-JOIN MUST
PAY THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SCALE FEES, IF THERE HAS BEEN AN INCREASE
FROM THE TIME THEY LEFT TO THE TIME THEY RE-JOINED.
G. Each Club shall have one vote in all matters brought before the membership. If votes
are taken at a regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting, only those Clubs
present or those having given previous proxy authority to someone present shall be
represented in the vote.
Each member Club will be allowed one (1) proxy per season. If proxy authority is
verbal, a member of the Executive Board must be notified in advance by the absent
Club as to the proxy situation.
In the event of a tie, the president shall cast the tie breaking vote, regardless of his/her
Club affiliation. At least 35% of the members must vote to constitute a quorum. Fifty-
one percent (51%) or more of the members voting shall constitute a majority and shall
be sufficient to pass or defeat any matter.
ARTICLE IV. EXECUTIVE BOARD AND DUTIES:
A. The Executive Board of this Association will consist of the following:
- President - Secretary - Head Pairer - Webmaster
- Vice-President - Treasurer - Head Referee
- Committee Chairperson as elected by the Club representatives
It shall be the responsibility of all members of the Executive Board to aid in preparing
the agenda for meetings.
The Executive Board shall be responsible for overseeing the proper operation of
Association sanctioned tournaments, in accordance with the M.M.W.A. BY-LAWS and Rulebook. At least one member of the Executive Board shall try to be present at all sanctioned tournaments. No member of the Executive Board shall have the authority to change any aspect of an invitational tournament; however, he/she may suggest changes and point out to the tournament director any possible conflicts with the Association rules. Any significant discrepancies in individual tournament operations should be noted by the Executive Board members and brought out at the next meeting.
The Executive Board shall, on a case by case basis, have the authority to make
exceptions to rules and By-Laws when a membership meeting is not feasible. This
authority is good except where specifically prohibited. Exceptions shall not be
construed as long term changes to rules or By-Laws.
1. PRESIDENT
The president of the Association shall preside at all Association and officers' meeting.
He/She shall, with the treasurer sign all vouchers authorized by the officers. He/She
shall be permitted to attend all committee meetings, although they will only vote on
those committees where he/she is an appointed or elected member. He/She shall have
authority to call special meetings of the membership and/or officers. He/She shall
approve the agenda for all meetings.
2. VICE-PRESIDENT
a. The vice-president shall act in the place of the president DURING HIS/HER absence.
The vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the event the president
can no longer serve.
b. The vice-president shall be responsible for maintaining the schedule of Association
tournaments and issuing sanctions.
c. The vice-president shall perform other duties as specified by the president.
3. SECRETARY
a. The secretary shall be responsible for taking and maintaining the minutes of Association
meetings.
b. The secretary shall be responsible for notifying all Club representatives of Association
meetings.
c. The secretary shall answer all correspondence directed to him/her, and shall present at the
regular meetings such correspondence vital to the Association.
d. The secretary shall prepare the agenda of all meetings for the president's approval.
4. HEAD PAIRER
a. THE HEAD PAIRER SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING ALL
FUNCTIONS OF EACH PAIRING ROOM.
b. THE HEAD PAIRER SHALL BE PRESENT IN EACH PAIRING ROOM UNLESS A DESIGNEE IS APPOINTED.
c. THE HEAD PAIRER WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHEDULING ALL
CERTIFIED PAIRERS FOR EACH PAIRING ROOM AT EACH TOURNAMENT.
5. HEAD REFEREE
a. THE HEAD REFEREE SHALL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERSEEING ALL
REFEREES.
b. THE HEAD REFEREE SHALL BE PRESENT AT ALL TOURNAMENTS UNLESS
A DESIGNEE IS APPOINTED.
c. THE HEAD REFEREE WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHEDULING ALL
TRAINED REFEREES FOR EACH TOURNAMENT.
6. WEBMASTER
a. The Webmaster will maintain the MMWA Website
THE HEAD PAIRER AND HEAD REFEREE WILL REPORT THEIR FUND BALANCE TO THE MEMBERSHIP AND THE TREASURER. ALL FUNDS, RECEIPTS, AND RECORD OF THESE ACCOUNTS MUST BE TURNED OVER TO THE ASSOCIATION TREASURER WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE FINAL MMWA SANCTION TOURNAMENT.
ARTICLE V. TERMS OF OFFICERS:
A. President: The president shall serve in his/her office for a two (2) year term. He/She may
be reelected once. In addition, if he/she wishes to run for a third or successive term, he/she
may do so only if there is no opposition.
B. Vice-President: The vice-president shall serve in office for the same duration as the
president, however, the vice-president's term will alternate from that of the president.
C. Secretary: The secretary shall serve in office for the same duration as the president and
Vice-president, however, the expiration of the secretary's term will concur with that of
president's.
D. Treasurer: The treasurer shall serve in office for the same duration as the president, vice
president, and secretary, however, the expiration of the treasurer's term will concur with
that of the vice-president's.
E. HEAD PAIRER: THE HEAD PAIRER SHALL SERVE IN OFFICE FOR THE SAME
DURATION AS THE PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, AND
TREASURER, HOWEVER, THE EXPIRATION OF THE HEAD PAIRER'S TERM WILL
CONCUR WITH THAT OF THE PRESIDENT'S AND SECRETARY'S.
F. HEAD REFEREE: THE HEAD REFEREE SHALL SERVE IN OFFICE FOR THE
SAME DURATION AS THE PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, AND
TREASURER, HOWEVER, THE EXPIRATION OF THE HEAD REFEREE'S TERM
WILL CONCUR WITH THAT OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT'S AND TREASURER'S.
G. WEBMASTER: THE WEBMASTER SHALL SERVE IN OFFICE FOR THE SAME
DURATION AS THE PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT, SECRETARY, AND
TREASURER, HOWEVER, THE EXPIRATION OF THE WEBMASTER'S TERM WILL
CONCUR WITH THAT OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT'S AND TREASURER'S.
ARTICLE VI. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS:
A. Nominations for officers shall be made during the second to last regularly scheduled
February meeting. Nominees need not be present to be nominated, however, if not present, verbal acceptance of the nomination must be provided at or prior to this meeting.
B. Election of officers will be on the final regularly scheduled meeting of the year. Newly
elected officers shall assume office the day following the League Finals.
C. Vacancies in Office: In case of a vacancy in an office, the president may appoint someone
to fill the position until the next membership meeting, at which time an election shall be
held to fill the vacancy.
ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS:
A. Regularly scheduled meetings shall be held the first and third Monday of each month. The
secretary shall prepare the agenda for each meeting, and as nearly as possible, include it in
the announcement. An adjustment to the scheduled meeting dates may need to be made
depending on the winter or holiday breaks for building availability.
B. Length of Meetings: There shall be a two hour limit on each meeting. Normally, meetings
shall be scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. The president may call the meeting to order anytime
after the schedule meeting time when he/she thinks there are enough representatives
present, however, he/she may not delay it more than 30 minutes.
C. Conduct of Meetings: Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Roberts' Rules of
Order. Normal order of business shall be:
1. Opening by President
2. Remarks by the Vice-President (if any)
3. Approval of Previous Meeting's Minutes
4. Committee Reports
5. Agenda Items
6. Discussion of Other Matters Brought Up
7. Close Meeting
D. Roll Call attendance will be taken at all membership meetings. Anyone representing a Club
not present must notify the president prior to the meeting that they will be carrying this
Club's proxy.
In the event of a roll call vote, only one member per Club shall be eligible to vote,
Regardless of the total members present from that Club.
ARTICLE VIII. CONDUCT OF TOURNAMENTS:
A. LENGTH OF SEASON:
1. The tournament season for this Association shall be scheduled to run for 10 weeks
including Regionals and League Finals, beginning in January. It is suggested that
Clubs do not begin practice prior to December 1st of the previous calendar year.
2. Clubs may sanction tournaments at any time between these dates, except for the 9th and
10th weekends of the schedule (Saturday & Sunday). These are reserved for Regionals
and League Final tournaments.
3. DOUBLING UP OF TOURNAMENTS WILL BE ALLOWED PROVIDED: ALLOW DOUBLING UP ON TOURNAMENTS BEFORE ALL DATES ARE TAKEN IF ONE
TOURNAMENT ON THE SAME DATE IS A "NOVICE" ONLY TOURNAMENT
AND THE OTHER TOURNAMENT DOES NOT UTILIZE "NOVICE" AGE &
WEIGHT DIVISIONS AT ALL
ALLOW 3 TOURNAMENTS PER WEEKEND:
1. NOVICE ONLY (EITHER DAY)
2. SATURDAY TOURNAMENT (WHERE NOVICE IS NOT WRESTLED SEPARATELY
FROM REGULAR DIVISIONS.)
3. SUNDAY TOURNAMENT (WHERE NOVICE IS NOT WRESTLED SEPARATELY
FROM REGULAR DIVISIONS.)
EXAMPLE: SAT. - HOLLY (NO NOVICE DIVISIONS)
SUN. - SWARTZ CREEK (NOVICE ONLY)
SUN. - MONTROSE (NO NOVICE DIVISIONS)
IF NO NOVICE ONLY TOURNAMENT IS HELD ON THE SAME WEEKEND, THE
HOST CLUB CAN ADD NOVICE DIVISIONS AT THEIR DISCRETION.
ON WEEKS TWO THROUGH FIVE, 4 TOURNAMENTS MAY BE ALLOWED WITH
THE ADDITIONAL SATURDAY TOURNAMENT BEING A "NOVICE" TOURNAMENT.
4. Clubs who have consistently held tournaments on a given weekend for 5 years
Retroactive to the 1996 season shall be granted priority status for the next tournament year, provided said Club is a member in good standing. If said Club does not confirm their date by January 30th of the previous year that date is then open for any Club to request. If a Club with an established date misses one year for whatever reason, then that Club can reclaim that date the following year. If a Club misses two years in a row then their date is now an open tournament date. To establish a new priority date, the same Club must hold that date for three (3) consecutive years.
B. There will be NO Club Jumping allowed.
1. Wrestlers will not be allowed to switch Clubs after January 31st of each season. If a
wrestler changes Clubs once during the season they cannot change again without
approval of the MMWA Board for just cause.
C. REGIONALS AND LEAGUE FINALS:
1. The Regional Meet for this Association shall be held the 9th weekend of the schedule. The
League Finals shall be held the 10th weekend of the schedule.
2. Clubs will be assigned Regionals at the second meeting of February. A list of which Clubs
belong to which Regional shall be compiled prior to the meeting by the Executive Board.
Objections to Regional assignments may be raised at this meeting. ALL
CONSIDERATIONS FOR REGIONAL DATE (SATURDAY OR SUNDAY) MUST BE
SUBMITTED IN WRITING TO THE EXECUTIVE BOARD BY THE FIRST MEETING
IN FEBRUARY.
3. To be eligible for participation in Regional and League Final Tournaments, participants
must have wrestled as a member of an Association Member Club in AT LEAST TWO (2)
COMPLETE INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENTS during the season. In the event a
wrestler has wrestled for more than one Association Member Club during the season, that
wrestler may participate in the Regional and League Final Tournaments with the member
Club he/she been with in the most invitational tournaments of the season. If the wrestler has
Participated equally with more than one Club, the most recent tournament will be the
determining factor.
4. Bids for three (3) Regional sites will be taken at/by the FIRST MEETING IN MARCH
for the next season. Voting for Regional sites will also take place at the first meeting in March. This bid must be confirmed by the FIRST MEETING IN DECEMBER OF THE NEXT SEASON. A building usage form must be presented at the first meeting in December as confirmation. An attempt shall be made to select one site in each of the geographical regionals most heavily represented in the membership.
5. When three (3) Regional Sites are selected, the top four (4) wrestlers will be taken from
each chart. However, if numbers do not warrant 3 regionals, we will drop back down to
two (2) Regional Sites and the previous chart for qualifiers will be used (Pairing Rules in
the Rulebook).
6. Bids and voting for the League Finals site shall be accepted and determined during the same
period of time as the Regional sites.
7. League Finals will be co-sponsored with the Association.
NOTE: Those who are voted to host Regionals and Finals will forfeit their regular
tournament date during the upcoming season only, providing they have one scheduled.
These Regular tournament dates will be double booked so as not to have a vacant date. If the request for Regionals or League Finals host site cannot be confirmed the original Club will maintain their original tournament date. If no one opts for the date(s) for a Regular/ Novice tournament a Club will be allowed to host two tournaments during the season.
D. If M.M.W.A. finds out that a wrestler has qualified in another
League's Regionals and then wrestles in the M.M.W.A. Regionals, qualifies, and then does not attend the M.M.W.A. Finals due to
participation in another League's Regionals and/or Finals, the wrestler's Club will be assessed a $50 fine per wrestler and the wrestler will not be allowed to participate in the next
seaSon's M.M.W.A. Regionals and League Finals when both Leauge's
Finals are on the same date.
E. Invitational Tournaments
1. All Clubs hosting invitational tournaments sanctioned by this Association shall abide by
Association Rules and By-Laws. Penalties for infractions may be considered.
2. Wrestling rules and rules for conducting tournaments shall be reviewed annually by the
respective committees. Recommendations for changes, if any, shall be made by these
committees to the membership. The membership shall adopt these rules annually. In
order for any of these rules to be changed during the season they must be reviewed and
recommendations made to the membership by the respective committee. The committee
may or may not require a petition from members to review rules. If the committee agrees to
review a rule during the wrestling season, it must make its recommendation to the
membership at the next regular membership meeting.
3. All Clubs shall pay for the number of wrestlers called in WITHIN THE GUIDELINES OF
CHART BELOW. Violations could result in ineligibility for Regional and League Finals.
CALL IN ALLOWANCE:
1-10 CALLED IN YOU GET "3" EITHER WAY
11-20 CALLED IN YOU GET "4" EITHER WAY
21+ CALLED IN YOU GET "5" EITHER WAY
PENALTIES:
GO UNDER YOUR CALL IN ALLOWANCE, PAY FOR LAST CALL IN NUMBER.
GO OVER YOUR CALL IN ALLOWANCE, PAY EXACT NUMBER PLUS $8.00 OR
THE CURRENT ENTRANCE FEE RATE PER WRESTLER FOR THOSE OVER
ALLOWANCE.
EXAMPLES:
CALLED IN NUMBER, NONE SHOW, PAY LAST NUMBER CALLED IN.
CALLED IN 10, BROUGHT 6, PAY FOR 10
CALLED IN 10 BROUGHT 14, PAY FOR 14 + $8.00 (1 OVER LIMIT PENALTY)
PENALTIES ARE SO WE GET CLUBS MORE COMMITTED TO EXACT
COUNTS SO TEAMS CAN MORE CLOSELY FILL THEIR TOURNAMENTS.
EXAMPLE: CALL IN BRING PAY
1-10 (+1-3) 9 5 9
11-20 (+1-4) 17 13 13
1-10 (+1-3) 9 13 13 + 1 OVER
1-10 (+1-3) 9 15 15 + 3 OVER
YOU CAN AVOID ALL HASSLES BY MAKING YOUR WRESTLERS MORE
ACCOUNTABLE FOR COMMITMENTS TO WRESTLE AND STILL ALLOW
SOME FLEXIBILITY.
4. Each host Club must not accept call-ins from any Club sooner than 13 days prior to their
tournament date. If a call-in Club is to reduce or increase the number of their wrestlers
for that tournament it must be done by the *4th day prior* to the tournament date (Tuesday
for Saturday and Wednesday for Sunday tournaments). At that number the calling-in Club has THEIR MORE OR LESS GRACE PER THE CHART ON THE PREVIOUS PAGE.
Calling-in Clubs must pay according to their last number called-in, with their GRACE
NUMBER PER THE CHART CONSIDERED. This will allow for host Clubs to notify shut
out Clubs in time to bring their wrestlers.
*Call-in number changes will fall inline with those used for actual tournament
attendance. (See Article VIII, Section E 3), i.e., call in 10 can only drop to 7 or raise to 13, call in 21 can only drop to 16 or raise to 26.
5. The registration fee per wrestler per tournament will be $8.00, with *Regionals, League
Finals, and the Non-Qualifiers being $9.00 each.
*ALL Regional qualifiers will be paid for by their Club regardless of whether they are attending League Finals or not.
Door admissions will be $4.00 PER ADULT, $1.00 PER STUDENT/CHILD (5-18
YEARS), $6.00 FULL FAMILY, PRESCHOOLERS FREE (0-5). FULL
FAMILY IS DEFINED AS FATHER, MOTHER, AND IMMEDIATE CHILDREN.
ALL COACHES WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY ADMISSION THE SAME AS ANY GENERAL TOURNAMENT ATTENDEE.
F. OPERATION OF TOURNAMENTS:
1. Qualified League referees will be used at each sanctioned tournament, with arrangements
being made through the Head Referee. $2.50 of each wrestler's entry fee and any penalties
charged will be paid to the Referee's fund to pay for these referees at the rate per the chart
below per referee per tournament.
A REFEREE MUST BE AT LEAST 15 YEARS OF AGE AS OF JANUARY 1ST,
HAVE ATTENDED A REFEREE CLINIC, AND WORKED TWO TOURNAMENTS
AS A TRAINEE. A REFEREE CANNOT BE A MMWA PARTICIPANT.
$55 0-2 years $60 3-4 years $65 5-5+ years
Working a minimum of 5 tournaments per season constitutes as a year of service.
MAT SET UP RECOMMENDATIONS
0-275 Wrestlers 6 Mats 8 Referees including Head Referee
275-350 Wrestlers 8 Mats 10 Referees including Head Referee
350-400 Wrestlers 10 Mats 12 Referees including Head Referee
400+ Wrestlers 12 Mats 14 Referees including Head Referee
2. Each sanctioned tournament will have a minimum number of qualified paid pairers in each
Pairing Room based on the chart below (Includes 1 Head Pairer). The chart below indicates
the total number of pairers needed to operate an efficient Pairing Room based on the
appropriate number of wrestlers. This number includes paid pairers and host Club supplied
and/or extra paid pairers required.
$2.00 of each wrestler's entry fee and any penalties charged will be paid to the Paring Fund
to pay for these pairers at the rate per the chart below per pairer per tournament OR THE
SAME AS A REFEREE per tournament. Any paid pairer required over and above the
number indicated below will be paid by the hosting Club at the rate on the chart below.
HIRED CHARTERS WILL BE PAID AT THE RATE OF $35.00 EACH..
$55 0-2 years $60 3-4 years $65 5-5+ years
Working a minimum of 5 tournaments per season constitutes as a year of service.
0 - 300 Wrestlers 8 Pairers: 6 Pairers (4 pd.), 2 Charters
300-375 Wrestlers 9 Pairers: 7 Pairers (4 pd.), 2 Charters
375-425 Wrestlers 10 Pairers: 8 Pairers (5 pd.), 2 Charters
425-Up Wrestlers 10 Pairers: 8 Pairers (6 pd.), 2 Charters
A CERTIFIED PAIRER MUST BE AT LEAST 15 YEARS OF AGE BY JANUARY
1ST, HAVE ATTENDED THE PAIRING CLASS, WORKED TWO TOURNAMENTS AS A TRAINEE, AND PASSED THE PAIRING TEST. A CERTIFIED PAIRER OR CHARTER CANNOT BE A MMWA PARTICIPANT.
2. All weigh-in times shall be posted on the Hosting Club's flyer/invitation. Any Club
weighing-in wrestlers other than the posted times will be fined $100 and lose their
tournament date for the next season.
ARTICLE X. "BRAGIL AWARD”
THIS IS A SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD THAT IS GIVEN ANNUALLY BY THE ASSOCIATION. VOTING FOR THIS AWARD WILL BE DONE BY THE HEAD REFEREE, ALL TRAINED REFEREES, THE HEAD PAIRER, AND ALL CERTIFIED PAIRERS.
Rev. 1/2006