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Current as of 10/10/16

 

The Bylaws of the Georgia Men’s Gymnastics Judges Association

 

Article I. Name

 

Section A: The Name of This Organization

 

The name of this organization shall be the “Georgia Men’s Gymnastics Judges Association”, abbreviated GMGJA, and herein shall be referred to as “the Association”.

 

Section B: Laws Governing the Association

 

The Association shall be governed by the Bylaws of the National Gymnastics Judges Association, by these Bylaws, any Standing Resolutions, and any temporary enactments of the Executive Board, in order of decreasing authority.

 

Section C: Further Definitions

 

  1. Local Competitions shall be defined as those occurring within the Metro Atlanta Area.

  2. A Competition Season shall be defined as the period between one Georgia Judges Course and the following JO National Championship.

 

 

Article II. Membership

 

Section A: Requirements for Membership

 

  1. A Member

    1. will possess a valid and current Junior Olympic, National, or FIG (International) gymnastics judging certification.

    2. will possess a current and valid USAG Professional Membership, USAG Safety Certification, and will have submitted to and passed a current Background Check.

    3. shall pay national dues as set by the NGJA and local dues as set by the Executive Board.

    4. shall be present and help administer the annual “Judges Cup” competition, baring extenuating circumstances brought to the attention of the board. Failure to attend or present an approved reason for absence shall result in a fine for a missed assignment as defined in VI.A.1. 

  2. A Junior (Intern) Member

    1. must be at least 16 years of age.

    2. will attend the Georgia Judges Course or will make alternate arrangements for general education with the Executive Board.

    3. will pay local dues, but will not be required to pay national dues.

      1. Upon elevation to full member status, national dues must be paid.

    4. will receive a stipend of $25.00 per approved session spent on the floor side judging with a member. Said stipend will be paid through the general fund of the association. No mileage or additional fees will be assessed.

      1. The availability of funds must be established with the Treasurer before an intern assignment can be approved.

      2. will be compensated for a maximum of 2 weekends training on the floor. If deemed competent, the intern member will move on to full assignments. If not yet deemed competent, they will continue training but shall receive no compensation.

        1. assignments will start with Level 4’s and lower level assignments whenever possible.

    5. will be required to volunteer judge at the “Judges Cup”.

  3. Membership will be maintained in good faith until one of the following occurs:

    1. Notification to the Executive Board of a need for a sabbatical.

    2. Resignation or voluntary retirement as an official.

    3. Failure to obtain a current judging certification.

    4. Failure to pay annual dues.

    5. Removal by majority vote of the Executive Committee and two-thirds majority vote of all members present and voting.

  4. Any member who requires an extended sabbatical of one or more competition seasons will not be expected to conform to the requirements of an active member for the duration of their absence so long as the requirements are met beginning with their return.

 

 

Article III. Officers

 

Section A: Elected Offices

 

  1. President

    1. shall be the chief executive officer of the Association and shall have general and active management of the operation of the Association.

    2. shall be in charge of all official contact with other Associations, as well as the NGJA and USAG.

    3. shall preside at all meetings and conduct all negotiations on behalf of the Association, making every reasonable effort to further the policies adopted by the Association.

    4. Shall enforce the Bylaws of both the NGJA and the GMGJA.

    5. Shall appoint all committees that in his judgment shall be permanently or temporarily necessary or proper. He may also appoint temporary additional officers, not provided for in the Bylaws, subject to majority approval by the Executive Board.

  2. Vice President

    1. Shall, in the absence or incapacity of the President, be vested with all the powers of the President, and he shall perform such other duties as prescribed by the President.

    2. Shall oversee the operation of all officers and committees within the Association, and shall oversee the transition of officers as necessary after each election.

  1. Secretary

  1. Shall keep record of all meetings.

  2. Shall send out all notices, preserve all records, and have charge of the printing of all publications necessary to, and ordered by, the Association.

  3. Shall maintain the Association records, Bylaws, and other such documentation of the Association’s legal status. Said records shall be held for the inspection of the Officers and other persons who shall be deemed by law or by the Executive Board to have authority to inspect the same.

  4. Shall act as the Parliamentarian for the Association.

  5. Shall compile a contact list of Association members to be distributed to the membership before the first competition of the season.

  1. Treasurer

    1. Shall collect and have charge of all fees and dues, and shall place all receipts of the Association into one fund, form which all payments of expenses and disbursements shall be made.

    2. Shall make an annual financial report at the annual general membership meeting. A financial report shall be given at any meeting of the Association when the Executive Committee requests such report. All financial reports shall be subject to audit by the Executive Committee.

    3. Shall maintain the official Fee Structure and Bill for the Association, updating it and distributing it to the general membership as needed.

  1. Association Technical Director

    1. Shall ensure that all members are aware of current rule updates and interpretations.

    2. Shall act as the Meet Referee for Georgia State Championships.

 

Section B: Election Procedures

  1. Terms: All Officers shall serve a 2-year term.

  2. Restrictions:

    1. No member can hold the offices of President and Secretary/Treasurer concurrently.

    2. No one person may hold any given office for more than 3 consecutive terms.

  3. Nominations shall be taken in the first day of the Georgia Judges Course in the fist and third year of each Quadrinnium.

  4. Elections shall be decided by popular vote.

    1. In the event of a tie, the vote will be recast until the tie is broken.

  5. Before the end of the course, all dues paying members may cast a vote for each office.

  6. A member of the Executive Committee shall tally all votes.

  7. New Officers shall be announced before the end of the course.

 

Section C: Removal of Officers

  1. Resignations

    1. Any officer may resign from their position at any time.

    2. They must submit a formal letter of resignation to the remainder of the Executive Board. Additionally, they must present any pertinent materials relating to their office to at least one member of the Executive Board within 14 days of their resignation.

  2. Forced Removal

    1. In the event that an officer is not performing their assigned duties, they may be removed from their office.

    2. A motion for a vote of no confidence may be taken at any time, provided it has at least a second.

    3. The officer in question must be informed at least 2 weeks before any vote can take place.

    4. At the next general membership meeting, the vote will take place. If a 2/3 supermajority is achieved, the officer will be removed from the office in question.

 

Section D: Filling Vacancies

  1. In the even that an office is left vacant for any reason, the Executive Board will appoint a member to execute the office for the remainder of the competition season.

  2. At the next Georgia Judges Course, an election will be held to fill the vacancy, either as part of the standard election cycle or as a special election for off election years.

  3. In the event of a special election, the winner will hold office until the standard election the following year.

 

Section E: Appointed Offices

  1. The President shall have the authority to create other offices not specifically detailed here for the completion of specific goals. After the creation of such an office, the President shall appoint a member to fill the office. The new office shall be evaluated and approved or rejected at the next meeting of the Executive Board.

    1. Should the office be of a permanent nature, the Executive Board shall prepare an amendment to these Bylaws to be proposed to the general membership at the next general meeting.

 

 

Article IV. Executive and Other Committees

 

Section A: The Executive Committee

  1. The Executive Committee, also called the Executive Board, shall be composed of the following officers of the Association: President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, and the Association Technical Director.

  2. The Executive Committee shall meet to approve or reject all application for membership in the Association.

  3. The Executive Committee shall meet annually to propose members as candidates to be sent to Region 8 and National Championships. Additionally, every 2 years, the Executive Committee will be expected to propose 1-2 candidates for consideration as Regional Apparatus Leaders.

  4. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for arranging and hosting the annual Georgia Judges Course.

  5. The Executive Committee shall hear, and pronounce judgment on, all protests against members of the Association, as considered by the Secretary/Treasurer as deserving notice. Any action taken is subject to appeal and heard by the general membership, provided it is made within thirty days of the Executive Committee’s decision. A vote of two-thirds majority of members present and voting is necessary to repeal an Executive Committee decision.

  6. The Executive Committee shall impose all fines and suspensions as provided by these Bylaws against members of the Association.

  7. Shall offer to the membership judging assignments to competitions sponsored by organizations subscribing to the services of the Association; prepare and publish to the membership and subscribing organizations a schedule of judging assignments including the date, location, and times of competition for all events serviced by Association members.

  8. The Executive Committee will contain a Member at Large, selected from the active membership by popular vote at the time of elections, for the purpose of breaking any tied vote of the Executive Board. Additionally, this member may be assigned other duties to assist the administration of the Association at the Board’s discretion.

  9. The Executive Board retains the right to act in the best interest of the Association by use of any powers they deem necessary, unless said power is specifically accounted for and allotted elsewhere by these Bylaws.

  10. Each member of the Executive Board shall be allowed to cast one vote on Board business, regardless of the number of Executive Board positions held by said member.

 

Section B: Other Committees

  1. Other committees can be established at the discretion of the President and shall be overseen by the Vice President.

 

 

Article IV. Member Responsibilities

 

Section A: Before and During a Competition

 

  1. Dress

    1. Members shall be required to wear gray slacks with black dress shoes, a dress shirt with tie, and a blue blazer for all officially sponsored competitions unless otherwise indicated by the meet director.

  2. Travel

    1. Local Competitions

      1. Officials should plan travel to be present at the site of competition 30 minutes before competition is scheduled to start. 

      2. Judges will be compensated for travel based on the current IRS rate.

    2. Out-of-state Competitions

      1. Judging Swaps

        1. In the case of a documented Judging Swap with another Association, travel will be paid for by the Association by:

          1. Airplane: the Association will reimburse the traveling official the cost of one round trip airline ticket. The reimbursement rate will be based on the airline with the lowest fare 3 weeks before the date of departure. In the event of a last minute assignment, the official will have 1 week to obtain a ticket and the full rate will be reimbursed.

          2. Driving: the Association will reimburse the traveling official for their mileage based on the current IRS rate and their round trip mileage.

          3. Riding: in the event of multiple officials driving to a single competition, the association will reimburse any subsequent judges a rider’s fee of half the current IRS rate.

          4. The traveling Official will have the option to either drive or fly in any instance. The Association will only be responsible for reimbursement up to the cost of the less expensive option.

      2. Standard Assignments

        1. In the case of a regular assignment to an out-of-state competition through the Association, the individual officials will charge travel expenses to the competition as per the GMGJA Billing structure.

      3. In any case, hotel service will be provided by the hosting competition.

      4. Officials should arrange to be present at the site of competition 30 minutes before competition is scheduled to start.

 

Section B. During a Competition

 

  1. Meet Referee

    1. Unless otherwise requested, the highest member of the Executive Committee present will act as the Meet Referee. In the event that no Executive Board member is present, the member with the most experience shall act in this capacity.

    2. The Meet Referee shall be present at the Coaches Meeting for each session of the competition.

    3. At the end of each session, the Meet Referee shall confirm with the Meet Director that all scores have been entered.

    4. For each session within a competition in which they serve, the Meet Referee will be compensated $10.00, to be dispensed from the Association’s general fund.

  2. Emergency Action

    1. In the event that a situation arises at a competition, the Meet Referee will deal with the situation at their discretion. The issue will then be brought to the attention of the Executive Committee so that a permanent solution can be devised if necessary.

 

Section C. After a Competition

 

  1. Before discarding sheets, each official will confirm with the meet director that all scores have been entered and saved.

  2. Before leaving, each official will check with the lead official to confirm that nothing else is needed.

 

Article VI. Membership Meetings

 

Section A. Full Membership Meetings

 

  1. Meetings can be called at the discretion of the President, given 2 weeks notice. The location shall be provided for by the Executive Committee.

  2. Meetings will be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.

  3. A quorum will be constituted by the presence of a majority of the total membership during any vote.

    1. No vote may take place without quorum.

  4. The order of business shall be as follows:

    1. Call to order

    2. Roll Call (at the discretion of the President)

    3. Reading of minutes of the previous meeting and approval

    4. Treasurer’s report

    5. Reports from other officers

    6. Reports from committees

    7. Unfinished business

    8. New business

    9. Adjournment

 

Section B. Executive Committee Meetings

  1. Meetings of the Executive Committee may be called at the discretion of the Committee.

 

 

Article VI. Fines and Suspensions

 

Section A. Fines

 

  1. Missed Assignments: the fine for missed assignments shall be an amount equal to the contracted fee in addition to the contracted fee.

 

Section B. Suspensions

 

  1. A member shall be suspended from all future assignments if:

    1. The member has a delinquent fine.

    2. The member is delinquent in acquiring any requirements of active membership.

    3. The member has an active protest filed against them, which is being investigated by the Executive Committee.

 

 

Article VII. Fees and Expenses

 

Section A. Fees

 

  1. Officials of this Association shall be deemed for all purposes as independent contractors and shall be compensated according to a fee schedule decided on by the Executive Committee.

 

Section B. Expenses

 

  1. The Association shall incur the expense of having and maintaining a checking account in the name of the Association.

  2. The Association shall incur the expense of hosting the annual Georgia Judges Course for the education of its members.

  3. The Association shall incur the expense of providing a one-time scholarship to any High School Senior graduation from a gymnastics club in Georgia that intends to pursue the sort in College.

  4. The Association shall incur other expenses at the discretion of the Executive Committee for the advancement of our membership and Men’s Gymnastics in Georgia.

 

 

Article VIII. Amendments

 

The Bylaws of the Association may be altered or amended and new Bylaws adopted by a majority vote of the Executive Board and a two-thirds majority vote of the membership.

 

 

Article IX. Suspension of Bylaws

 

  1. The Membership may suspend any Bylaw that may cause the Association an extreme financial burden.

  2. No Bylaw may be suspended out of sheer inconvenience.

  3. Bylaws may be suspended by a 90% super-majority vote of members present.

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