Current Constitution and By Laws
Snohomish County Wrestling Officials Association
January
12, 2009
CONSTITUTION
ARTICLE 1: TITLES AND OBJECTIVES
SECTION A: This Organization shall be known as the Snohomish County Wrestling
Officials Association (SCWOA).
SECTION B: The purpose of this Association is:
1. To provide schools and other organizations with qualified wrestling officials
approved and certified by the SCWOA and the WOA.
2. To improve standards of officiating.
3. To provide for discussion and interpretation of interscholastic wrestling
rules.
4. To further the interest of wrestling and athletics in the state of
Washington.
5. To encourage enrollment and assist in developing competent wrestling
officials.
6. To work with the W.I.A.A. to make sure these objectives are accomplished.
ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP
SECTION A: New members shall meet the
following requirements:
1. Pass the National Federation of High School Athletics Association Wrestling
Rules Test with a grade that is acceptable to the W.I.A.A.
2. Pass the SCWOA Apprenticeship or Mentoring Program.
3. Transferring members from another certified Association should present a
letter of verification providing past wrestling officiating performance.
4. Must pay all state and SCWOA dues.
SECTION B: Members in good standing are the members who:
Have paid all state and SCWOA dues.(and pass the WSP background check)
Have cleared all other financial obligations as reported by the Secretary.
Have complied by the Constitution and By-Laws of the SCWOA.
Have attended the W.I.A.A. required number of SCWOA meetings.
Have completed the required on line state rules clinic and test
SECTION C: To be eligible to vote in all elections you shall have been a member
in good standing from November until April of the previous year.
SECTION D: Associate members are those who have paid all SCWOA dues. An
associate member does not have to officiate but must be a member in good
standing. If an associate member wants to be activated to officiate, the member
must fulfill the requirements of Section A.
SECTION E: Official Categories:
Senior Officials are those who have seven (7) years experience, three (3)
District assignments, have officiated ten (10) varsity assignments per year and
are qualified to officiate any assignment.
Varsity Officials are those who have three (3) years experience and a minimum of
thirty (30) assignments
Junior Varsity Officials are those who have one (1) year experience. No previous
assignments are required.
Apprentice Officials are those who are a first year apprentice and are capable
to officiate Junior High and middle School matches upon completion of the
Apprentice Program.
All promotions and or demotions and qualifications in ranking of the officials
are to be determined by the Executive Board.
SECTION F: Promotions and Demotions.
Members who seek a higher ranking must:
Submit a written application to the Executive Board.(prior to December 1st
Must be viewed a minimum of four (4) times while officiating by four (4) senior
officials. Each of these senior officials must turn in a written report on the
applicant seeking promotion.
A member being demoted by the Executive Board must be advised in writing by the
Board. The member has one (1) week after being notified to appeal the demotion
to the Executive Board.
SECTION G: Suspension of a member shall be interpreted as withdrawal of all
assignments and privileges to a member in good standing. A member may be
suspended for:
Non-payment of State or SCWOA dues or fines.
Conduct that is unbecoming of an official.
Officiating a High School or College wrestling match without receiving
permission from the Secretary or Executive Board or without properly being
assigned.
A membership in more than one such association without prior approval of the
Executive Board.
Any reason deemed justifiable by the Executive Board, including missing
assignments or missing SCWOA meetings.
SECTION H: Expulsion of a member of the SCWOA means termination of all
privileges in the SCWOA. A member expelled from the SCWOA may not:
Attend meetings.
Receive assignments.
Vote.
All cases involving expulsion or consideration for expulsion shall be referred
to the Executive Board. The Board shall notify the member involved in writing.
Upon notification the member has one (1) week to appeal to the Board if the
member so chooses. All cases of expulsion shall require a 75% majority vote by
the Executive Board.
SECTION I: Assignments shall be assigned by the Assigning Secretary of the SCWOA.
The ranking and qualifications of each official will be determined by the Board
and the Assigning Secretary will assign the matches according to the ranking
system. The Executive Board reserves the right to direct the Assigning
Secretary.
Members may not exchange assignments without the approval of the Assigning
Secretary or in his absence the President of the SCWOA.
Once an official has completed a State Finals assignment he will come back at
the bottom of the list.
ARTICLE 3: DUES AND FINES
SECTION A: Dues. All state and SCWOA dues will be deducted from the year end
payment that is given to the officials at the last general membership meeting of
each year. If an official does not officiate the following year, the official
will be reimbursed. New officials must pay all fees prior to any assignments.
Due fees for the SCWOA are determined by the Executive Board and may be voted
into effect at any general membership meeting with a majority vote. The state
fees are determined by the W.I.A.A. and will be explained to the membership at
the first general membership meeting each year.
Transfer officials will have to pay all state and SCWOA dues prior to receiving
any assignments. If a transfer officials from within the state and has paid the
state fee he will only have to pay the local fee.
Fines will be deducted from the year end payment. Appeals must be in writing to
the Executive Board and will be handled at the next Board meeting.
ARTICLE 4: OFFICERS
SECTION A: The Officers of the Association shall be:
President shall preside at all general and Executive Board meetings, shall have
the power to call special meetings to instruct the Secretary and other members
to perform essential duties, shall have all other powers generally attributed to
organization presidents, set meeting agendas and preside as Official Association
Spokesperson.
Vice President shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.
Shall automatically succeed the President in the event the latter is for any
reason unable to continue as President. Shall be a member of the Executive
Board. Shall chair the Grievance Committee and will be in charge of the
Apprenticeship Program.
Commissioners shall be individuals who will be members of the Executive Board
and comprise the Grievance Committee. They will be moderated by the Vice
President who shall have voting power. The President will chair the Committee if
a Commissioner is involved in the grievance.
Secretary shall record the minutes and keep the official records of the
Association. This person shall also be the Official Correspondent for the
Association.
Assigning Secretary Shall collect, hold and account for the Associationʼs
monies, shall be in charge of assigning all matches, tournaments as directed by
the Board and fulfill all W.I.A.A. requirements.
SECTION B: Eligibility. To be eligible for an office in the SCWOA the candidate
must be a member in good standing.
SECTION C: Order of elections of officers shall be:
President
Vice President
Commissioners
Secretary
Assigning Secretary
SECTION D: Nominations and elections of officers shall be held at the first
regular meeting of January. A newly elected officer takes office at the first
regular meeting of the next year.
SECTION E: Voting for officers shall be by a written secret ballot. A separate
ballot shall be cast for each office. A majority of votes shall be required for
election.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the candidate with the least
number of votes shall be dropped from the ballot and a new ballot shall be taken
until one candidate secures a majority of the votes cast.
SECTION F: Terms of office. All officers except the Assigning Sectary, who shall
serve a three-year term, shall hold office for two years. Commissioners shall
serve staggered two-year. This section shall not be interpreted to bar
re-election to the same office. Any vacant office, for any reason, during the
season shall be filled per the method of election as in sections D and E of
Article 4. The election shall be held at the first general meeting following any
such vacancy.
SECTION G: Impeachment. Any officer may be impeached for failure to fulfill
properly the duties of his office. The sole factor of such failure shall be in
the vote for impeachment. A minimum of 60% of all members in the SCWOA must be
present to hold a vote on impeachment. A 75% majority vote is requires to
impeach an officer.
ARTICLE 5: EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section A: Membership. The Executive Board (Hereinafter known as the Board)
shall consist of the President, Vice-President, Two (2) Commissioners,
Secretary, Assigning Secretary, and the past President as a nonvoting member.
Section B: Expansion of Board members. A Commissioner will be added when
membership reaches thirty (30) , and one (1) added for every ten (10) members
there after.
SECTION C: Powers. In additions to powers ascribed to the Board in other
articles, all policy-making powers are reserved to the Board. Subject to
provisions in Section D.
SECTION D: Exclusion of Powers. The general membership may overturn policy
decisions of the Board on a two-thirds vote of 60% of the total membership. The
members must be in good standing. The vote to overturn a policy made by the
Board may be voted on at any regular scheduled meeting. A secret ballot shall be
provided for such votes. The general membership retains the right to request
that the Board formulate official policy, the right to set local dues and
officiating fees, and to amend the Constitution and By-Laws as indicated
elsewhere in this SCWOA Constitution.
SECTION E: Board Meetings. The Executive Board shall meet prior to selecting the
tournament officials.
ARTICLE 6: MEETINGS
SECTION A: Number of meetings. The SCWOA shall have a minimum of six (6) annual
mandatory meetings as required by the W.I.A.A. Special meetings may be called by
the Board, President, and by the Assigning Secretary through the President.
SECTION B: Time and place of meetings. Members shall attend all meetings as
scheduled. For meetings unattended there will be a $5.00 fine assessed. For
unexcused absences there will be a $20.00 fine assessed.
ARTICLE 7: SPECIAL AWARDS
SECTION A.Gary Cease Memorial award
To any Referee, Coach, Wrestler or Fan or member of the wrestling Family that
represents Gary's outlook on Life.
SECTION B: W.I.A.A. Awards.
ARTICLE 8: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Amendments to the Constitution may be submitted at any general membership
meeting. There must be at least 60% of the membership in attendance. Two thirds
of the membership at meeting must vote in favor of the amendment before it can
come up for a vote at the next general meeting.
ARTICLE 9: EVALUATION OF THE OFFICIALS
SECTION A: Rating Procedure: The Executive Board of the SCWOA shall evaluate all
officials.
Those officials wishing to move to a higher rating must petition the Board in
writing,
The Board will approve or disapprove all applicants that apply for a rating
promotion according to Article 2 Section F.
State Tournament assignments will be rotated throughout the officials that have
a rating of #1.
SECTIONB: Rating Definitions: All Officials will be rated #1-4. The following
will define the four different categories of official ratings.
#1 Rated Official: Qualified to officiate state tournament. ( Senior Official)
#2 Rated Official: Qualified to officiate varsity matches. (Varsity Official)
#3 Rated Officials: Qualified to officiate junior varsity matches. (Junior
Varsity Official)
#4 Rated Officials: Qualified to officiate middle school matches. (Apprentice
Official)
SECTION C: Rating Criteria for Evaluations:
Has officiated four (4) consecutive years with a full varsity schedule.
Has officiated three (3) consecutive years with six (6) matches per year
Has completed W.I.A.A. clinic and attended SCWOA meetings.
Has registered with SCWOA and attended meetings.
ALL DEFINITIONS OF THE OFFICIALS ARE FOUND IN ARTICLE 2: SECTION D:
SECTION D: Special and Extenuating Circumstances:
1. The Board reserves the right to make changes for evaluation for special and
extenuating circumstances as deemed necessary by the board.
Revised 8/18/08
Snohomish County Wrestling Association
BY-LAWS
Article 1: RULES OF ORDER
The rules contained in Roberts Rules of Order shall govern this Association in
the transactions of all business to which they are applicable and in which they
are now inconsistent with the Constitution and by-laws of the Association. In
cases of dispute the President shall render a final ruling.
Article 2: FEES
SECTION A: All SCWOA fees will be determined by the Executive Board. All changes
in SCWOA fees must be presented to the general membership for approval. A vote
on fee changes or any disbursement of SCWOA funds may be voted on at any general
membership meeting. A majority vote is needed to put it into effect.
SECTION B: Assigning Secretary fees. The Schools will be charged a 15% per match
assigned, plus the Assigning Secretary will receive 7% of the gross of each
official, match fee only excluding travel and meals. There will be no fee for
State assignments.
SECTION C: Local dues are presently $8.00 per year. These dues are payable at
the first annual meeting of the new year or may be deducted from the year end
payment at the April meeting.
SECTION D: Fines will be assessed for the following:
All assignments cancelled without a minimum of 24 hours notice to the Secretary
will be fined $5.00
Any official late for an assignment including weight-in will be fined $5.00.
When the Secretary has to find a replacement for a late official, the late
official will be fined $5.00 for an assignment fee and $10.00 for travel for the
official who was called for replacement. If the replacement official arrives to
the match prior to the assigned official, the replacement shall work the match.
If the scheduled official arrives prior to the replacement , then the scheduled
official shall work the match and also absorb the designated fines and lose
travel pay to the replacement official. (Excluding weather conditions)
Unexcused absences at general meeting shall be fined $20.00
All fines shall be at the discretion of the Assigning Secretary.
SECTION E: ASSIGNING SECRETARY ERRORS
In the event of a Secretary error in scheduling two officials to the same match
or assigning an official to a match that is not scheduled, the Secretary will
pay the following fine:
Where two officials are both assigned to the same match the official who arrives
first shall work the match. The second official will be paid $5.00 plus $10.00
travel by the Secretary.
If an official is sent to a match that has been cancelled or assigned the wrong
date by the Assigning Secretary. The official will be paid $10.00 by the
Secretary.
If the error in scheduling has been made by the school, the Assigning Secretary
will bill the school for the amount of the fine and pay the official accordingly
if the money can be collected from the school.
NOTES: Some School Districts will pay and some School Districts will not without
a battle which could tie up the entire amount of money owed the SCWOA for quite
some time.
All fines will be deposited to the account of the SCWOA General Fund and will be
disbursed by the Executive Board.
