Roster Changes: ADDING/DROPPINGPLAYERS – Page 30 & 31 of the OTM New players may be added to your roster at any time during the first 4 weeks of the session. For an added player to participate in a League match, the opposing Team Captain must be notified that you are adding or dropping a player before the team match begins. To add a player to your roster, simply write the word add and player’s name (next to the other names) on your copy of the weekly scoresheet. D831-860/D841-1876/D842-1984/D845-129/D8482019/D921-1430/D951-984.To drop a player from your roster put a line though their name and write DROP next to it. UpState APA Bylaws allow 6 weeks for roster changes for all teams in the Summer Session. New Players: - Page 33 of the OTM A membership application along with the annual APA membership fee must be received with the team scoresheet when a new (or returning) player shoots. Captains, have your new players fill out their applications and pay you their fees before they play. Any team that plays someone who has not paid their annual membership fee may have $25 charged to the team and risk’s losing bonus points for every week the fee remains unpaid. Patches – and how to claim them! If you have earned a patch and would like to receive it - please write the players name or number as well as the Patch that was earned on the front of the score sheet in the Message Center (writing it anywhere else may cause it to be missed). If the Patch request is not written on the front of the score sheet we assume the player does not want the Patch. If you want to know what Patches are available - check out the photo gallery on our web site. Team Fees – No Coins Allowed! We have received many envelopes recently with coins in them. Per our By-Laws - “Do not include ANY coins in the team envelope. We do not accept coins as payment. Any coins submitted with your team fees could be donated to a charity of our choice.” Up-Coming APA & Local Tournaments:      8 Ball MVP – June 21st - Premiuim Billiards, Syracuse. Brackets and schedule should be posted by 6/19. 9 Ball MVP – June 22nd - Salt City Billiards, N. Syracuse. Brackets and schedule should be posted by 6/19. 8 Ball Cash Cup – June 28th – Break & Run Billiards, Fulton. 9 Ball Cash Cup – June 29th – Break & Run Billiards, Fulton. Border Battle – Nov. 7th - 9th – Americana Resort & waterpark in Niagara Falls, Canada. Brad & Kim UpState APA UpStateAPApool.com facebook.com/UpStateAPA ANTI-SANDBAGGING MEASURES In any handicapped sport some degree of sandbagging is inevitable. Sandbagging is the unethical practice of keeping one’s skill level lower than it should be by missing balls or even by losing on purpose. This results in more innings(turns). The Equalizer® scoring and handicap system is probably the most protected handicap system in the sports world. The Equalizer® scoring and handicap system employs three types of safeguards against sandbagging: SYSTEM SAFEGUARDS System safeguards are built into the system and don’t require the implementation of any rules or judgments in order for them to be effective. System safeguards include: • Your handicap is based on a mathematical formula – This formula takes into account several factors when determining your skill level. A sophisticated computer software program has been developed to assist the League Operator and ensure skill levels are calculated accurately. • Deliberate misses (defensive shots) don’t count – If all deliberate misses were marked, there would be no successful sandbagging. It is usually quite obvious when a player is sandbagging. Occasionally, a coach can be heard telling his player to miss a few times to run the innings up. Report this type of activity to the League Office immediately. League Operators have been asked to raise every member of a team that engages in this practice at least one skill level. RULE SAFEGUARDS There are several rules in the APA Team Manual that help prevent sandbagging. These rule safeguards contrast with the system safeguards because they must be quoted to work. If you see a player or team in violation of any of these rules, you must notify the League Operator. The rule will be enforced which will maximize its effectiveness as a system safeguard. JUDGMENTAL SAFEGUARDS No matter how ingenious and complex anti-cheating systems are, there are always equally ingenious people who conspire to cheat the system. In the final analysis, a properly run “jury system” will get the job done. The APA has asked all League Operators to form a Handicap Advisory Committee (HAC). The HAC may be comprised of some members of the Board of Governors and should consist of the best players in your area. They are occasionally asked to review rosters and to move players both up or down whose skill levels do not reflect their true ability. Remember, in order for sandbagging to take place, BOTH players must fail to follow the rules. The shooter must deliberately cheat and his/her opponent must fail to mark the deliberate misses on the scoresheet. In actuality, every player on both teams must be negligent to some degree. It is hard to design a system more secure than one that requires the deliberate sabotaging by one team and the negligence of the other team in order for sandbagging to occur. The security and accuracy of the handicap system is in your hands. This doesn’t mean that it requires your constant attention. The system will work perfectly if none of the players pay any attention to how it works and just concentrate on playing the game. The APA is ever vigilant to new anti-sandbagging possibilities and will never evade responsibility for improving the system. But, in the final analysis, no system will work if the participants are constantly applying themselves to undermining it. If every player would simply play his or her game to the best of their ability and let the handicap system take care of itself, handicap problems would not exist. Brad & Kim UpState APA UpStateAPApool.com facebook.com/UpStateAPA