Article I: Name and Address

The name of the organization shall be the Green Mountain Division of the US Fencing Association (USFA). The official business address of the division shall be that of its serving President. The geographic boundaries of the division shall comprise the state of Vermont. The fiscal year of the Division shall run from Aug. 1 through July 31.

Article II: Statement of Purpose

The mission of the Green Mt. Division is as follows.

1) To provide Vermont fencers with regular opportunities to participate in competition.

2) To administer Sectional and National qualifying tournaments as required by the USFA.

3) To promote the sport of fencing in Vermont and increase the public awareness of fencing.

4) To promote the growth of individual and club membership in the USFA.

Article III: Membership and Organizational Structure

1) Nondiscrimination: The Green Mt. Division shall operate without discrimination with respect to race, national origin, religion, gender or sexual preference in regard to membership, selection of Executive Commitee members and running of tournaments.

2) Definition of membership: All individual USFA members in good standing, including associate members, who elect to affiliate with the Green Mt. Division when applying for USFA membership are considered members of the Division.

3) Means of organizational decision making: The primary responsibility for organizational decisions and management of the Division shall lie with the Division's Executive Commitee (E.C.), whose make-up and duties are described in Article IV. Any Division member may at any time submit a proposal for the E.C. to consider. Any Division member who feels the E.C. is not responding to the desires of the majority of the membership may at any time call for a referendum on any issue by presenting the Executive Commitee with a petition containing 20 or more voting members' signatures. If a referendum is called for, the Division Secretary shall notify the general membership (by e-mail, website and/or designated club contact people) of the question to be decided and the time, place and means of voting. If at all possible, the referendum vote shall be scheduled to take place at a Division tournament between 2 and 6 weeks following the presentation of the petition. A means of proxy voting for those who can not make it to a referendum vote shall be determined and the membership notified. A simple majority of those voting in person or by proxy decides the question in a referendum vote, regardless of any past decisions on the issue by the E.C.. Once a referendum has been taken, the same question may not be voted on again for 2 months.

4) Voting rights: All Green Mt. Division members aged 14 years or older are eligible to vote in Division elections and referenda. All members aged 18 years or older are eligible to serve on the Executive Commitee.

Article IV: Executive Commitee

1) Officers and elections: The Green Mt. Division Executive Commitee shall be made up of four Division officers, the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and possible additional club representatives as described below. The Division officers shall be elected by the general membership in April or May of each year for the following fencing season, running from August 1 through July 31 of the following year. The incoming and outgoing E.C. members shall work together from the election through July 31 to ensure a smooth transition.

2) Additional Executive Commitee members: Every USFA member club in the Green Mt. Division is entitled to have at least one representative on the E.C.. Following the election of Division officers, any member club that finds itself not represented by one of the regular officers (President, Vice-President, Secretary or Treasurer) may name a representative to sit on the E.C.. Fencers affiliated with clubs which are not member clubs of the USFA may be elected to to Division offices in a general election, but non-member clubs are not automatically entitled to representation on the E.C..

3) Duties of Division Officers: The duty of the President is to chair meetings of the E.C. and general membership, to oversee management of the Division, to delegate responsibilities and to help the other officers fulfill their duties as needed.

The duty of the Vice-President is to help clubs and meet managers organize tournaments, to ensure compliance with USFA rules and requirements regarding competitions, and to report to the USFA and/or North Atlantic Section ratings changes, qualifiers, etc. that happen at Division tournaments.

The duty of the Secretary is to facilitate two-way communication between the E.C. and the general membership, including maintaining a Division website and e-mail list to keep the members up to date on the Division's activities and business, forwarding proposals and petitions to the E.C., and editing the Division Newsletter.

The duty of the Treasurer is to keep the Division's books, manage its bank account, inventory and order materiel as needed, and oversee the maintenance of its equipment.

4) Term limits: No individual may serve on the Executive Commitee, in any capacity, for more than 3 consecutive fencing seasons.

5) Executive Commitee Meetings: All E.C. meetings are open to the general membership (who shall be notified of their time, place and agenda by e-mail, website, and/or designated club contact people), and any Division member may speak at an E.C. meeting, although only E.C. members may vote at such a meeting. At any meeting of the E.C., the President plus two thirds of the other E.C. members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. When the Executive Commitee can not reach consensus on an issue, the E.C. members will vote on it and a simple majority will carry the decision. If the vote is evenly split, the question will be put before the general membership in a referendum, following the procedures descibed in Article III.

6) Should a member of the E.C. resign their position before the end of their term, that person‚s club will be offered the opportunity to appoint an interim representative to serve out the remainder of the term. If that club declines to nominate someone, the remaining E.C. members will ask for volunteers from among the general membership without regard to club affiliation. If more than one person volunteers for the position, an election will be held at the next scheduled Champlain Cup tournament.

Article V: Organization of Tournaments

1) Champlain Cup: The Green Mt. Division shall take over and continue the Champlain Cup league and perpetual trophy established in 1999 by the Vermont Fencing Alliance. The Division shall schedule a minimum of one tournament per month from September through May at which competitors may earn points toward Champlain Cup awards. The Division shall make every effort to offer a reasonable variety of events over the course of each season reflecting the diversity of skill levels, ages and weapon preferences in the Division. At the start of each season, the Division Secretary shall notify the membership (using e-mail, website and/or printed newsletter) of the scheduled Champlain Cup tournament dates for that season, the point system to be used and the awards to be given out at the end of the season. At the end of each season, the E.C. shall review the tournament schedule and awards system and recommend any changes for the following season.

2) Scheduling of events: The Green Mt. Division shall function as an association of USFA member clubs. Each member club within the geographic boundaries of the Division has the right to host at least one Division tournament per season if it wishes. Clubs wishing to host tournaments shall notify the E.C. by July 1 of the number of tournaments they would like to host, and any preferences regarding dates and/or types of events. The E.C. shall work on scheduling over the summer and make every effort to have a complete Champlain Cup schedule in place by September 1. The E.C. will do its best to facilitate consensus among the Division's member clubs and come up with a tournament schedule that honors member club requests and preferences whenever possible, although they are not bound to grant every club the dates and/or events it requested. After every club has been granted one tournament to host, if more than one club has requested the same date and/or event, the host club for each tournament in contention shall be chosen by drawing lots. Dates/events which are not in contention will simply be assigned to the club that wishes to host them, regardless of how many other events that club is also hosting. Clubs which are not member clubs of the USFA may be permitted to host Champlain Cup tournaments at the discretion of the E.C., but are not automatically entitled to do so.

3) Duties of host clubs and the Division in running tournaments: In contracting with the Green Mt. Division to host a Champlain Cup tournament, a member club must agree to secure an appropriate venue well in advance of the tournament date, liase with the owner of the venue, contact the Division Vice-President to arrange for needed equipment and supplies, organize its fencers to help set up and clean up, and supply at least one experienced meet manager for the day. If the club can not supply an experienced meet manager, it must supply at least one meet manager trainee and notify the Vice-President of this. The Vice-President will arrange for an experienced meet manager from another club to work with the trainee(s) and teach them the job, either at or in advance of the tournament. Clubs which wish to host tournaments are expected to share strip equipment with eachother during tournaments. The Vice-President will facilitate the sharing of private or club-owned scoring equipment on tournament dates. Within 10 days following a tournament, the host club must file all required paperwork with the Vice-President (Champlain Cup points, ratings earned, qualifiers, etc.) and must settle accounts with the Treasurer regarding the sharing of any profit or loss from that tournament as described below.

4) Income and expenditures related to tournaments: Before the start of each fencing season, the E.C. will review and set tournament entry fees for that season. Entry fees for each tournament will be collected by the host club, which must have a bank account or some other means of cashing or depositing checks made out to it. The host club will keep records of all expenditures for a tournament (facility rent, supplies, awards, etc.) and deduct them from the entry fees received to determine that tournament's net profit or loss. Before the start of each fencing season, the E.C. will review and set a "Division share" of tournament profits for the coming season, to be not less than 10% and not more than 50%. When a tournament turns a net profit, the host club will give the Division its percentage share, and may keep the remaining profit as long as it is used for the good of the club and does not go into private hands (except in the form of scholarships or financial aid as approved by that club's policies). In the case of a net loss by a tournament that runs as scheduled, the Division will split the burden of the loss 50-50 with the host club. In the case of a loss incurred due to the cancellation or rescheduling of a tournament, the E.C. will determine whether the host club was at fault (i.e. by failing to secure a venue) or whether it was due to circumstances beyond their control (i.e. bad weather). If the E.C. rules that the host club was at fault, that club shall bear the entire burden of the loss. If the host club was not at fault, the Division will pick up 50% or more of the loss (at the discretion of the E.C.). This system will be used for all Division USFA tournaments, including closed qualifiers, team events and championships.

5) Non-USFA events: Clubs may occasionally choose to host events not sanctioned by the USFA (novice events, novelty events, etc.). Such events are not covered by the Division's insurance and all liability for them falls with the host club and/or individual participants. Recognizing that such events may have value in attracting new competitors, boosting a club's morale, and offering a greater diversity of fencing events in our region, the Green Mt. Division may choose to advertise such events and include them in its Champlain Cup points scheme. If a host club would like the Division to advertise and offer Champlain Cup points for a non-USFA event, it may request inclusion as long as it is willing to pay the Division its percentage share of any profit from the event, it hosts at least as many USFA sanctioned events as non-sanctioned ones that season, and the proposed event is run in a manner which is safe and does not give fencing a bad image. If a non-USFA event runs at a loss, that loss is entirely the responsibility of the host club, and will not be shared by the Division.

Article VI: Approval of and amendments to the by-laws

These by-laws will take effect upon approval by a two thirds majority vote of the general voting membership at the inaugural meeting of the new Division. Amendments to these by-laws may be made by a two-thirds majority vote of the Division's general voting membership.

Article VII: Disbandment of the Division

Should the Green Mt. Division disband, the distribution of its assets shall be determined by the USFA national office.