Code of Conduct By-Laws Umpires GBWAA Code of Conduct Managers/Coaches and Parents Behavior Let's please remember that we are dealing with kids who want to have fun. We are role models, and as such, GBWAA expects the adults to act like ladies and gentlemen, exhibiting appropriate decorum that sets a good example to our youth. Our umpires, some of whom are just kids themselves, may make "bad" calls, but, as long as they are not intentionally favoring one team over another, please keep your "call" to yourself. GBWAA will not tolerate any insults, criticism, harassment, or belittling of players or of umpires, managers, and coaches. Managers and coaches are of course expected to teach, but in a positive way. The Manager or his designee is the only person authorized to dispute an umpire's call, and he/she must do so in a calm and quiet, non-confrontational manner. Player Behavior GBWAA will not tolerate any insults, criticism, harassment, or belittling of players or of umpires, managers, and coaches. top of page By-Laws of SOUTH WHITEHALL ATHLETIC ASSOCATION (SWAA) also known as GREATER BALDWIN-WHITEHALL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (GBWAA) SWAA, aka GBWAA, was chartered on 5/19/1960. By-laws of 4/28/70 amended 9/28/76, 9/25/79, 2/25/86 & 5/29/01. ARTICLE I - NAME This organization shall be known as South Whitehall Athletic Assn. (SWAA), and also known as Greater Baldwin-Whitehall Athletic Assn. (GBWAA), of Whitehall Borough, Allegheny County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. SWAA (GBWAA) was chartered as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on May 19, 1960, and is so recorded in Allegheny Countyís Charter Book, Volume 77, pp. 720 & 721. It shall hereinafter be referred to in this document as the Association. ARTICLE II - OBJECTIVES The Association seeks to guide youth in building self-esteem and sportsmanship and to pass on the tradition of "Americaís favorite pastime." It looks to create a positive sports experience, one that will last a lifetime, on and off the playing field. Of primary importance is the Association's contribution to developing the youth of our community into responsible adults. This objective will be reached by providing supervised competitive athletic games. The supervisors will bear in mind at all times that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or the winning of games is secondary, and that the molding of future citizens is of prime importance. ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP Any participating adult, or parent or guardian of a participant, shall be considered a member of the Association. Any boy or girl meeting the requirements as to age and residence as set forth in Article VII hereof shall be eligible to participate in the Association's activities. The membership and eligibility rules of any other organization with which the Association may be affiliated (e.g. Colt, Senior Girls Slow-Pitch Softball, Fast-Pitch Softball) will govern with respect to that activity. ARTICLE IV - GOVERNING BODY The officers of the Association will be President, Director of Baseball, Second Director of Softball, Vice President of Baseball,Vice President of Softball, Secretary of Baseball, Secretary of Softball, and the Treasurer. The Executive Board shall be comprised of: - the officers (above). The Committee shall be comprised of: - the Commissioners of the various Leagues within the Association (e.g. Rookie, Powder Puff, Minor Boys, Junior Girls), appointed by the officers. - Committee Chairs, appointed by the officers. It is suggested that there be Committee Chairs for the following: Fundraising; Scheduling & Field Use; Uniforms & Equipment; Field Maintenance; Training & Development; Web Site; Tournaments; Concessions; Umpires. - other Committee Chairs at the discretion of a majority of the officers. The operations of the Association shall be under the direct supervision of the Executive Board. All matters of policy concerning the Association shall be decided by a majority vote of the Executive Board. In the event of a tie the President will be the deciding vote. ARTICLE V - DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD The Executive Board shall have the authority to suspend, discharge, or otherwise discipline any member, manager, coach, or player whose conduct is, in its opinion, considered detrimental to the best interests of the Association. The Executive Board shall authorize all expenditures of the Association. The Executive Board shall decide policy (Article IV) and shall perform such other functions as may from time to time be necessary or in the best interests of the Association. ARTICLE VI - DUTIES OF OFFICERS The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and of the Executive Committee and shall perform such other duties as may be prescribed herein. The First Vice President-Baseball shall assume presidential duties in the absence of the President and shall perform such other duties as may be necessary, at the direction of the President. The Second Vice President-Softball shall assume presidential duties in the absence of the President and First Vice President and shall perform such other duties as may be necessary, at the direction of the President. The Treasurer shall: - receive all monies of the Association and issue receipts in duplicate (one for the file). - deposit all Association funds in the Associationís bank account/s. - pay all bills as approved by the Executive Committee. Checks in payment of such bills shall be issued and signed by the Treasurer (or, in his absence, by the Secretary) and countersigned by the President (or, in his absence, by either Vice President). - keep a cumulative record of all Association receipts and disbursements. - be bonded in the sum of not less than $5,000. The Secretary shall: - handle general correspondence of the Association. - record the minutes of all Association meetings. - see that notice of general meetings is given to a local paper (e.g. South Hills Record Star) as set forth in Article VIII hereof. - notify the entire membership of the date, time, and place of annual nomination- and election-of-officers meetings, as prescribed in Article XIII hereof). - perform such other duties as may from time to time arise which are appropriate to a secretary or at the direction of the President. ARTICLE VII - ELIGIBILITY Except as otherwise provided by the Associationís officers, the age groupings of the various Leagues shall be as follows: Girls' Softball: Powder Puff - Ages 6 through 8 Junior Girls Slow-Pitch - Ages 9 & 10 Major Girls Slow-Pitch - Ages 11 & 12 Intermediate Girls Slow-Pitch - Ages 13 & 14 Senior Girls Slow-Pitch - Ages 15 through 18 Fast-Pitch Softball - Age 10 & younger, Age 12 & younger, Age 15 & younger, Age 18 & younger January 1st of the current year will determine eligibility age for the various levels. Boys' Baseball: Rookie - Ages 7 & 8 Minor Boys - Ages 9 & 10 Major Boys - Ages 11 & 12 Pony - Ages 13 & 14 Colt - Ages 15-17 July 31st of the current year will determine eligibility age for the various levels. Co-Ed Instructional Baseball for pre-Powder Puff and pre-Rookie - ages 5 & 6. Annually, a majority of the Association's officers shall determine residency requirements for participation in the Associationís activities. At the discretion of the officers, some Leagues may be more restricted than others. Any boy or girl meeting the requirements as to age and residence as set forth herein, and upon payment of the stipulated registration fees, shall be eligible to participate in the Associationís programs and activities. ARTICLE VIII - MEETINGS Regular meetings of the Association shall be held on the last Tuesday of each month or at such other time as may be designated by the President. Usually, there are no meetings in October, November, and December. The August meeting shall be for the purpose of nominating officers for the following year. The September meeting shall be for the purpose of electing officers for the following year. (See Article XIII hereof.) Special meetings may be called by the President, or upon request of any three members of the Executive Committee, as the interests of the Association may require. The Executive Committee shall meet prior to the regular meetings as deemed necessary by the President. A quorum shall be: - of the Executive Committee, at least five members, and - of the Association, at least five members, any or all of whom may also be members of the Executive Committee. A local paper (e.g. South Hills Record Star) will be requested by the Secretary to publish notice of regular meetings the week before the meetings of January through September, inclusive. The President is responsible for seeing that all Executive Committee members are notified in advance of Executive Committee meetings, notwithstanding that reasonable attempts to contact a member are made but are unsuccessful. If special meetings are called by at least three other members of the Executive Committee, one of whom is not the President, then one of those members must notify in advance all Executive Committee members, again notwith- standing unsuccessful reasonable attempts. The most recent revision of Roberts' Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of all meetings, unless otherwise specifically provided herein. ARTICLE IX - ORDER OF BUSINESS The order of business at all regular meetings of this Association shall be: - Call to order and (optional) pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States. - Reading of the minutes of the previous meeting/s. - Communications and correspondence. - Treasurerís/Financial Report. - Old and unfinished business. - Reports by Executive Committee members and League Commissioners. - New business, and good of the Association. ARTICLE X - LEAGUE COMMISSIONERS League Commissioners will be selected by a majority of the officers of this Assocation. Their duties and responsibilities are: - to recruit and assign necessary managers within their respective Leagues, subject to the approval of a majority of the officers. - to make up team rosters within their respective Leagues, subject to the approval of a majority of the officers. - to establish practice and playing schedules for their respective Leagues, subject to the approval of a majority of the officers, if there is no Executive Committee member to establish practice and playing schedules. - to establish playing rules within their respective Leagues, subject to the approval of a majority of the officers. - to enforce all rules as established by this Association or other organization whose rules prevail. - to rule on all protested decisions and/or games. - to call for and conduct special meetings before and during the season with the managers of their respective Leagues to explain rules, air complaints, etc. - to perform such other duties as may be directed by the Vice President of Baseball or of Softball, as the case may be, or by the President. ARTICLE XI - PLAYING RULES Teams are to follow the playing rules established by this Association or by such other organization in which we have team/s entered (e.g. Senior Girls Slow-Pitch, Fast-Pitch Softball, Pony, Colt). ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS These by-laws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Association membership present and voting at any regular or special meeting, provided that written notice has been published in a local newspaper (e.g. South Hills Record Star) or given to the entire membership at least ten days prior to the meeting ARTICLE XIII - NOMINATIONS & ELECTIONS An interested Association member may self-nominate or be nominated for office at the regular August meeting and elected at the regular September meeting of the Association. Term of office for all officers shall be October 1st of current calendar year for a period of 2 years. The Secretary shall be responsible for notification of the membership of the date, time, and place of nomination and election meetings. Such notice may be in writing, by phone, or published in a local paper (e.g. South Hills Record Star) at least five days prior to the meeting. About nominations: - Nominees must either be present to accept the nomination (in order to indicate a willingness to serve if elected) or send to the meeting a personally-signed note indicating their willingness to serve if elected. - Officers will be nominated in the following order: President, First Vice President-Baseball, Second Vice President-Softball, Treasurer, Secretary. - Shortly after the August meeting (within a few days), the Secretary will contact any nominees who were not personally in attendance at the August meeting to let themknow who all the nominees for all offices are. - Any nominees wishing to withdraw their names must so inform the Secretary at least two weeks prior to the scheduled election meeting. If there are any withdrawals, the Secretary will, within a few days, contact other nominees to inform them of said withdrawal/s. - If there is no nominee for a particular office, that office may be filled by nomination/s from the floor and election at the September meeting. About elections: - Eligible voting members are those who attended at least four of the regular meetings in January through and including August of the current fiscal year (10/1-9/30). - At the September meeting, officers shall be elected by ballot by a majority of the eligible voting membership present and voting, and in the following order: President, First Vice President-Baseball, Second Vice President-Softball, Treasurer, and Secretary. - Unsuccessful nominees: - for President - may run for First or Second Vice President. - for First Vice President - may run for Second Vice President. - for Second Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary - may not run for any other office. About vacancies: - If a vacancy exists or occurs in any office other than the Presidency after the September meeting, that office may be filled by appointment by the remaining officers. - If a vacancy exists or occurs in the Presidency, the First Vice President becomes President if he/she is willing. If not, the Second Vice President becomes President if he/she is willing. If neither Vice President is willing to assume the Presidency, then the remaining officers (usually 4) will select a President and fill any other vacancies that may occur (in case the Secretary or Treasurer is selected as President, and/or if the Second Vice President becomes First Vice President). ARTICLE XIV - COMMITTEES Committees and their members and duties will be established annually as deemed necessary by a majority of the officers of this Association. ARTICLE XV - FISCAL YEAR The fiscal year of this Association is October 1 through the following September 30. top of page Umpires Powder Puff Girls Umpire Schedule. Umpire Coordinators for Girls Lori Spegar 8 & Under Umpire Coordinator 412-885-6051 bespegar@comcast.net Umpire Coordinators for Boys Minors and Majors  Ken Thompson 412-884-3393 (home) 724-776-8916 (work) ken.thompson@msanet.com Rookies Mike Iannitto 412-881-4057 Pay Schedule Rookie Umpire = $10.00 Minor Umpire = $15.00 Major Home Plate Umpire = $20.00 Major Base Umpire = $15.00 Rules - Umpire equipment and pay should be available from the home team manager. - Umpires receive full-fee after the end of two innings of play. - Umpires receive half-fee if game is called before two full innings. - Umpires receive half-fee if not contacted at least 1 hour before a game is cancelled.
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