Constitution

Article 1. Name:

The name of our team shall be Nose to Nose Flyball Team, a member of North American Flyball Association (NAFA) and U-Fli.

Our fiscal year shall be in sync with NAFA’s fiscal year, which is from October 1^st through September 30^th.

Article 3. Purpose/ Goal:

Always remember that flyball is a fun sport for the dog. Treat your dog and teammates with kindness and loyalty. This team runs with fairness and fun as its goals.

Article 4. Voting:

A.     Members shall respect majority vote, realizing that 100% unanimous decisions are often impossible to reach. Majority is defined as 50%, or more, approval of said decision. Decisions that require 2/3 vote is disbanding the team, constitutional changes, and voting in new members.

B.     Topics that should be voted on are those that affect the future of the team, affect every team member, or may affect a team member negatively. Topics considered petty or insignificant need not be voted on as a team.

C.     Only current Nose to Nose team members may take place in voting. At least half the current members must be present in order to vote on topics affecting the whole team. Each team member’s voting rights shall be equal.

D.     Voting will be as anonymous as desired or possible, such as hand count, ballet style, etc.

E.      All voting topics, as well as all voting conclusions, must be announced to all team members no less than 3 days prior to voting on said topic(s) and within 7 days preceding the voting.

F.      Voting must take place at a team meeting as specified in Article 5, Meetings.

G.     In the event that a member cannot be present while voting is occurring, but wishes to have their opinion counted, only a signed letter or email from the person’s email address, within 10 days of the vote date, stating your opinion and decision may be counted. Having another member vote on your behalf is not acceptable.

Article 5. Meetings:

A.     Monthly meetings are held every first practice of the month unless announced otherwise. Meetings will take place at a scheduled practice. Only Nose to Nose team members shall be present at team meetings.

B.     Any team member can organize a team meeting. Team meetings, other than monthly meetings, must be announced to all members at least 3 days prior to the meeting date.

C.     Meetings do not have to be in a formal ‘Called to Order’ fashion, but it must be announced to all members present that the meeting is beginning and when it has ended.

D.     Tournaments may be considered a team meeting due to the amount of time the team spends together discussing important issues.

E.      If you opt not to attend a meeting, please respect decisions made in your absence. If there was a decision made in your absence that has not already been acted upon and simply can not be tolerated, within 7 days, please request a re-vote to take place at the next meeting. Re-voting on a single topic may take place only once.

Article 6. Membership Requests and Visitors:

A.     All visitors are allowed 4 courtesy practices where they will not be charged the monthly fee. After the 4 practices have concluded, the new member must either request a membership or stop coming to practices.

B.     Visitors must attend at least 2 Nose to Nose team practice, but do not have to attend all 4 courtesy practices, before requesting a team membership.

C.     All requested memberships requires 2/3 vote for approval.

Article 7. Membership Conflicts and Discontinuations:

A.     In the event of conflict between members, decisions regarding the continuation of both the conflicting memberships will be made as a team. Each person will be given opportunity to state their grievances at a meeting. Airing grievances is just as important as finding solutions - we will make every effort to do both.  A vote will take place at the following practice to allow for a ‘cool-down’ period. Each member will retain full access to the private team email on yahoo!©, as well as access to any other team-owned entities until your membership is discontinued.

B.     Once membership has been voluntarily or involuntarily discontinued, dues must be paid in full within 30 days of membership discontinuation. Furthermore, ALL team owned items and equipment are to be returned within 30 days, or within 7 days if the team requests prompt return of said materials.

C.     Members that do not come to practice for 6 consecutive months will have their membership automatically discontinued, as it will be assumed that you are no longer committed to the team.

D.     Renewing a voluntarily discontinued membership will require majority approval, but will require 50% of the membership fee for membership reinstatement and any previous balances paid in full within 30 days of membership reinstatement.

E.      Renewing an involuntarily discontinued membership will require two thirds vote approval, as well as payment of the full membership fee and all previous balances paid in full within 30 days of membership reinstatement.

Article 8. Team Members:

A.     Every member shall attend at least 2 full-day tournaments, as part of any team, before that member’s dogs are allowed to run on a racing team. This is to familiarize all members with the way tournaments are run.

B.     Committing to the team and being a full team member includes following The Nose To Nose Team Constitution, following NAFA and/or U-Fli rules, paying membership & monthly fees, attending practices, attending tournaments, and making every effort to be a part of fund raisers, demos, etc.

C.     If a disagreement arises between team members it is expected that it will be addressed immediately and calmly by members involved. If an agreement cannot be reached, a third party mediator will assist in reaching consensus. If there is a question concerning the team or a majority of members, that question will be raised and voted on at a team meeting.

D.     Under no circumstances are team members allowed to argue at a tournament or at any public function. Discuss issues before or after a public function, not during. There should be ample opportunity to voice your concerns with the team at any meeting or practice.

E.      Any display of physical violence against another person or animal is grounds for immediate dismissal from the team.

Article 9. Tournaments:

A.     All racing team dogs must attend at least 2 practices within 4 practices prior to each tournament. Few exceptions will be made, such as a legitimate emergency. If you attend fewer, your dog may not be on the racing team roster or your dog may race in a limited number of heats.

B.     No dog that is lame shall compete until the injury is resolved.  If the dog wakes up lame that morning, (s)he shall not run in the tournament that day.  Dogs get excited when they reach the tournament grounds and 'forget' they hurt.  We want our flyball dogs to run with us for a long time and do not want dogs injured.  The dog is more important than the tournament!

Article 10. Practices:

A.     Be on time for practice.  Everyone needs to help set up equipment. Also, some dogs are easily distracted by late arrivals hindering their performance. Please let the team know via email or phone if you may be late.

B.     If physically able, everyone shall help at practices.  If a fellow member asks for help, kindly do so. Even the most inexperienced person can shag balls or stand on the box during practice.

Article 11. Team Dogs:

A.     All dogs need to be in physically fit conditions. A physically fit condition means the dog is well muscled, not lame, not injured, and in good weight. Flyball is a very physically demanding sport in which injuries can occur; however injury is more likely to occur with dogs in poor condition.

B.     Under no circumstances will the team permit out of control aggressiveness of a dog. Aggressiveness should be immediately reprimanded and brought under control. Every team member is permitted to intervene in an instance of aggressiveness and reprimand any team member’s dog in an appropriate manner.

C.     In the event that concern arises about the condition, behavior, participation, etc. of a team dog and action needs to be taken, a future plan will be discussed and voted upon.

D.     Under no circumstances are team members allowed to abuse or otherwise mistreat their or any other team member’s dog.

E.      All dogs attending a practice must have some sort of restraint while not practicing. Crates or x-pens are preferred. The enthusiasm of the dog while watching others practice can sometimes lead to injury. Also, dogs practicing may act out of sorts when they are excited and may result in injury of another dog. Exceptions to crates shall be all visitors’ dog, however, restraint is still required and kennels will have to be used after the first four weeks.

A.     Every dog that has earned the right is allowed the opportunity to compete as part of the racing team, even in a win-or-lose situation. Amount of heats run by each dog, decided prior to that race, will not change once the team is on the floor. Immediate decisions can only be made by the owner of the dog(s) that will be affected. In the event of an injury or need to pull a dog, a previously discussed plan B should take action or an immediate decision is to be made by the current designated team captain.

B.     Thou shall give the team adequate time before quitting a racing team to find a replacement for your dog(s). This shall be no less than 4 weeks.

Article 14. Account limits:

Account limits for all non-racing members-$100, for racing members-$150. Any member with an account balance over the limit shall not practice and/or compete until balances are below the limit. 

Article 15. Fees:

A.     One-time membership fees are $50 for each new member or family.

B.     Team shirts shall be required to be worn by each member at tournaments, demonstrations, or any public appearance. It is best to order your shirt right after joining to have it available.

C.     Monthly practice fees are $5 per dog.

D.     Tournament fees will be divided fairly amongst the racing dogs based on amount of heats run per dog. All payments will be deposited into the team’s bank account.

Article 16. Team Bank Account:

Any withdrawals requires majority vote. Exceptions include monthly rent, tournament fees, and purchases under $20.

Article 17. Amendments:

All amendments to the Nose To Nose Flyball Team Constitution will be discussed in full detail at a meeting. After the proposed amendment has been discussed in full detail at a meeting and written as it will be posted, voting will take place the following scheduled practice.

A.     Team disbanding requires 2/3 of approval.

B.     If the team ‘captain’ feels the need to relinquish the role as captain, voting in a new ‘captain’ will be done in accordance with the ‘Voting’ bylaw. Official changing of the ‘captain’ position with NAFA, will be done when it will not affect the team’s racing ability.

C.     In the event the team disbands, all team-owned items will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Majority vote will rule on how this auction should proceed (private among members, on ebay, etc). All team members will receive notification of when & where the items will be auctioned off. All outstanding bills and rental commitments will be fulfilled with the proceeds. Any left over funds will be divided evenly among team members who have been with the team for at least 6 months. All balances will be subtracted from that member’s portion of the funds.

Team approved 03-07