Official BCAPL response
The White Diamond tip is not legal for a break shot in BCAPL play at BCAPL national or regional tournaments. It is possible that the Administrative Authorities of smaller tournamnents may make exceptions, but it is not recommended by the BCAPL National Office.
White Diamond tips fall into the category of not being all leather at the surface designed to contact the cue ball. The applicable rule is BCAPL Equipment Specification 9(d):
"The cue tip must be composed of leather, fibrous, or pliable material. The contacting surface of the cue tip of any cue used for a break shot must be made entirely of leather."
Exposed glue at the surface of the tip between layers of a tip has been ruled as legal. An applied ruling covering that issue will be published in January.
Please note that the rule makes no reference to types of cues (break, break/jump, whatever). The issue is the break shot. Tips for jump shots are not regulated any differently from other tips. If you want to play with a phenolic tip for other than break shots, it is legal.
As far as the OP's proposition, regulation of break tips is treated just like any other action on the table from an enforcement standpoint. That is, a referee will not become involved unless summoned by a player engaged in a match. If the referee has any doubt as to the composition of the tip, the match will be breifly suspended while a ruling is made by an expert, several of which are on notice to assist during the tournament.
:smile:
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 and the BCAPL Rules "Statement of Principles" 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 has no rules committee. 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 letters "BCA" in BCAPL do not stand for "Billiard Congress of America, nor for anything at all.
* 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.
* All BCAPL members are, as always, encouraged to e-mail Bill Stock at the BCAPL National Office, bill@playcsi.com, with any comments, concerns or suggestions about the BCAPL rules.
The White Diamond tip is not legal for a break shot in BCAPL play at BCAPL national or regional tournaments. It is possible that the Administrative Authorities of smaller tournamnents may make exceptions, but it is not recommended by the BCAPL National Office.
White Diamond tips fall into the category of not being all leather at the surface designed to contact the cue ball. The applicable rule is BCAPL Equipment Specification 9(d):
"The cue tip must be composed of leather, fibrous, or pliable material. The contacting surface of the cue tip of any cue used for a break shot must be made entirely of leather."
Exposed glue at the surface of the tip between layers of a tip has been ruled as legal. An applied ruling covering that issue will be published in January.
Please note that the rule makes no reference to types of cues (break, break/jump, whatever). The issue is the break shot. Tips for jump shots are not regulated any differently from other tips. If you want to play with a phenolic tip for other than break shots, it is legal.
As far as the OP's proposition, regulation of break tips is treated just like any other action on the table from an enforcement standpoint. That is, a referee will not become involved unless summoned by a player engaged in a match. If the referee has any doubt as to the composition of the tip, the match will be breifly suspended while a ruling is made by an expert, several of which are on notice to assist during the tournament.
:smile:
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 and the BCAPL Rules "Statement of Principles" 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 has no rules committee. 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 letters "BCA" in BCAPL do not stand for "Billiard Congress of America, nor for anything at all.
* 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.
* All BCAPL members are, as always, encouraged to e-mail Bill Stock at the BCAPL National Office, bill@playcsi.com, with any comments, concerns or suggestions about the BCAPL rules.
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