BCA Revises Dress Code, Bans Ipods

Most of organized sports (all team sports, golfers, tennis players, etc.) have dress codes. Even the beer guzzling bowlers tend to have dress codes!
I don't see what's wrong with promoting a little class among the pool players. If we want to promote the game, we MUST make the game respectible. Unfortunately, too many of our players don't appear to respect the game, their opponents or themselves!

rlw said:

but what's the penalty if you are using ipods, cell phones or whatever??

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Don't know about the BCA but on the Kings Bay Amateur Tour they can use the IPOD but cell phones and pagers are out unless they can prove they are emergency personnel and live in that area. The penalty is first a warning, then lost of game then lost of match. I had some problems with people texting each other in between their time at the table from other tables and it was interference since they were coaching each other. One got smart as I was walking away and said I couldn't do anything about it and he was losing anyway so I turned and said fine then I forfeith you for unsportsman like conduct.
Kay

My fellow league players saying you must wear team shirts when playing in vegas... Does it mean everyday? Or you can just wear casual shirts and etc. when you run out of your team shirts?

Viet.

It's the same

shinyballs said:

As far as I know, in past years all team member must have matching shirts and must wear then for every match. Someone correct me if this has changed.

I'm not there this year

...and why am I replying to such an old thread?? And who hijacked this thread with dress code b.s.?

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All team members must have matching shirts....no different this year

Basically that rules page says "DON'T DRESS LIKE A SLOB" it's as simple as that. Only problem is that there are a lot of slobs in pool. I saw an accustats match with a guy wearing jeans hanging off his ass, a faded t-shirt and an open flannel over it. If you dress like Earl you're not allowed in.

I've never been a big fan of big Japanese tournament dress codes but I gotta admit that everyone looks nice.

For the all Japan tournament the dress code was white shirt, tie, vest, slacks, and no tennis shoes. Yes, slacks means no jeans. They turned their head the other way if you wore all black sneakers but if they had any color on them at all they wouldn't allow you in the tournament room, as a player that is.

Extremely uncomfortable but we sure looked nice. No one could walk into that room and say "Man, look at these sloppy pool players"
MULLY

The electronic device ban is a good idea.

rlw said:

but what's the penalty if you are using ipods, cell phones or whatever??

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The penalty: I'm shooting the 8 straight toward a pocket and it misses and goes 3 rails in another pocket. Without blinking an eye, I say that's where I called it. You must not have heard with that IPod in your ear.
Or, I plan on banking a ball and it misses and double banks in another pocket, same answer.
How can you hear your opponent call his shot while wearing something that plays music in your ear?

"Shoes with laces must have the laces tied properly."

Why in the HELL do they care about this? Seriously? I never tie my shoes (unless I'm wearing dress shoes). My feet are a little wider set, and I find it much more comfortable to leave my shoes untied. Always have. And while I'm completely spazzing out, what does it mean to have your laces tied "properly?" Can you tie them improperly? Is there really more than one way to tie your shoes?

Whatever...I'm showing up at the first match in a Pink Spandex Speedo and a torn Wife Beater....

UWPoolGod1 said:

Whatever...I'm showing up at the first match in a Pink Spandex Speedo and a torn Wife Beater....

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Tell me what table - I want to take some pictures :thumbup:....lol

9BallMarksman said:

"Shoes with laces must have the laces tied properly."

Why in the HELL do they care about this? Seriously? I never tie my shoes (unless I'm wearing dress shoes). My feet are a little wider set, and I find it much more comfortable to leave my shoes untied. Always have. And while I'm completely spazzing out, what does it mean to have your laces tied "properly?" Can you tie them improperly? Is there really more than one way to tie your shoes?

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appearances and safety. While you may not have ever tripped on your own shoelaces, and hit your head on something, doesn't mean no one has...so we have to think about it from the perspective of thousands of people not just a few. Thanks, Holly

Holly said:

appearances and safety. While you may not have ever tripped on your own shoelaces, and hit your head on something, doesn't mean no one has...so we have to think about it from the perspective of thousands of people not just a few. Thanks, Holly

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I leave my shoes untied, but tie a knot in the end of each lace so the shoes fit loose, but the laces aren't dangling. What's the ruling there?

A little common sense please...

We don't care how loosely your shoes fit, as long as they stay on without dangling from your toes. Just don't leave the ends of the laces dragging on the floor. There is no reason you cant tie a perfunctory bow on the shoes, no matter how loose they are. If you can't, get longer laces and you will be able to tie a bow that still leaves the shoes fitting as loosely as you like.

Sorry - I don't mean to be testy, but most of the complaining about the dress code is ridiculous. It has, in principle, been in place for at least 15 years with no ill effects of any import.

It is just since the inception of the BCAPL that the fine details have been codified, and now a few people seem to want to bash them. It is for your protection, not our benefit, that we have properly placed everything in writing. Before that, it was only upon the whim of whatever head referee was on duty that your fate depended. Now it is far more clear. All you have to do is take the time to read the Tournament Regulations - just a few minutes - and you will know where you stand. There is still a small portion of referee/BCAPL Administration judgment allowed, but it is minimal.

It is true that many of the tiny details may seem overbearing, but you may rest assured that every one of them is either an answer to a question/situation that has already occurred in past years, or a response to an individual effort to push the limits of reason over the edge, such as the gentleman that wore - and was approved to wear by a senior tournament official - clown's pants in 2003. Or the ridiculous policy of 2004 that allowed you to wear a jacket over your team shirt if you were cold, but not while you were shooting.

We don't have to worry about such absurdities any more. As for the rest of it, if you are displeased by any facet of the dress code, please address your comments by e-mail to the BCAPL National Office. I assure you - and I do not mean this lightly - that every comment will be read and considered by Mr. Stock and his staff. However, it is my educated guess that you should not, any time soon, look for a significant relaxing of the general tone of a nice, clean, upscaled appearance, or for the dispensing of the collared/sleeved shirt requirements or matching team shirt requirements. As I said earlier, this code has a long and very successful history.

You will notice a few changes in the dress code enforcement procedures for 2010, particularly in team play. For details, please refer to the Tournament Regulations at:

http://www.playbca.com/portals/0/2010_8-ball/10_Regs_NDC.pdf

I am also going to bump all of this information to a new thread, since a good portion of the earlier posts in this thread are either no longer accurate or OBE.

Buddy Eick
BCAPL National Head Referee
BCAPL Director of Referee Training
Technical Editor, BCAPL Rule Book
bcapl_referee@cox.net

Find the Official Rules of the BCA Pool League here:

http://www.playbca.com/Downloads/Rulebook/CompleteRulebook/tabid/372/Default.aspx

* The contents of this post refer to BCA Pool League (BCAPL) Rules only. The BCAPL National Office has authorized me to act in an official capacity regarding questions about BCAPL Rules matters in public forums.
* Neither I nor any BCAPL referee make any policy decisions regarding BCAPL Rules. Any and all decisions, interpretations, or Applied Rulings are made by the BCAPL National Office and are solely their responsibility. BCAPL referees are enforcers of rules, not legislators. BCAPL Rules 9.5.3 and 9.5.4 apply.
* No reference to, inference concerning, or comment on any other set of rules (WPA, APA, VNEA, TAP, or any other set of rules, public or private) is intended or should be derived from this post unless specifically stated.
* For General Rules, 8-Ball, 9-Ball, 10-Ball, and 14.1 Continuous: there is no such thing as "BCA Rules" other than in the sense that the Billiard Congress of America (BCA) publishes various rules, including the World Pool-Billiard Association's "World Standardized Rules" for those games. The BCA does not edit, nor is responsible for the content of, the World Standardized Rules. The Official Rules of the BCAPL is a separate and independent set of rules and, to avoid confusion, should not be referred to as "BCA Rules".
* Since 2004, there is no such thing as a "BCA Referee". The BCA no longer has any program to train, certify or sanction billiards referees or officials.
* The BCAPL has no association with the Billiard Congress of America other than in their capacity as a member of the BCA.
* The BCAPL has not addressed every imaginable rules issue, nor will it ever likely be able to, as evidenced by the seemingly endless situations that people dream up or that (more frequently) actually happen. If I do not have the answer to a question I will tell you so, then I will get a ruling from the BCAPL National Office and get back to you as soon as I can. If deemed necessary, the BCAPL will then add the ruling to the "Applied Rulings" section of The Official Rules of the BCA Pool League.

Can we please put this particular thread to rest...

...and address your current concerns in the new thread I have started. Many of the posts here are over three years old, and not all of the information in it is still completely accurate.

Thanks!!

Buddy