USWCA RULES AND REGULATIONS

SENIOR WOMEN’S BONSPIEL

The USWCA Rules are the Governing RULES for all USWCA Sanctioned events. All games shall be played under the current USCA Rules of Play with USWCA exceptions. (The host club shall not make any changes, additions, or deletions to the USCA Rules of Play, or to these Regulations.)

I. Annual Bonspiels:

It shall be the responsibility of the Board of Directors to hold an annual Senior Women’s Bonspiel in a different geographical region each year, rotating among the West, Wisconsin, East, and Central regions. The Bonspiel shall not conflict in location or date with the National Women’s Bonspiel or with the US Women’s Championship

II. Size:

It is the intent of the USWCA to produce an annual Senior Women’s Bonspiel of 24 teams (or 16 teams if the host club has only two sheets of ice).  The USWCA Board of Directors must approve any changes to this format.

III. Bonspiel Site:

Member clubs wishing to hold the Senior Women’s Bonspiel must submit invitations to the USWCA Second Vice-President not later than February 1 of the previous year. Such invitations will be acted upon at the Board Meeting preceding the Annual Meeting, but no date will be accepted more than four years in advance.

IV: Eligibility:

A. An entrant must be at least 55 years old before January 1 of the year of the current curling season.

B. Participation in the bonspiel shall be limited to women’s teams from member Clubs of the USWCA. A Member Club is one that has complied with the following requirements:

1. The Club has been duly notified of its election to membership in the USWCA.
2. The Club has submitted its current dues to the USWCA Treasurer, along with a complete roster of current curling members.
3. The Club must be a current member of the USWCA

C. All entrants must be full dues-paying, league-playing members of a USWCA club. Three team members must be members of the same club and all must be from the same geographical region.

The USWCA has not adopted a strict definition for a league- playing member of a club. Each club should determine who is acting in good faith in claiming to be a league-playing member and each qualifying entrant must comply with her club's ruling.

D. Use of a delivery stick is permitted as stated in the USCA Rules of Play.

E. If a host club is unable to provide an eligible substitute (above age), it is permissible to use a woman who has reached the age of 50 before January 1 of the current curling season.

V. Procedure:

A. All Procedures are specifically detailed in the SWBP (Senior Women’s Bonspiel Procedure) Manual.

B. The Senior Women’s Bonspiel has an equal number of teams from each region as per the allocation process.

C. A composite team made up of members within a USWCA designated region shall have the same status in the draw as a Club team.

D. Until all clubs have an equal representation in their region, no second team from the same club will be allowed. Should any region be short of its allocation, the lowest numbered standby team drawn will be given the slot, unless its club is already represented.

E. There shall be no playdowns at any level for this Bonspiel.

VI. Official Draw: The official draw is determined as outlined in the SWBP (Senior Women’s Bonspiel Procedure) Manual.

Vll. Regulation of Play:

A. At the start of competition, every team shall be composed of four eligible curlers, and they must be registered at the bonspiel site.

B. All games are scheduled eight ends, ties are full extra ends, no minimum number of ends required.

C. Chief Umpire:

1. The Chief Umpire shall have general supervision of all games.

2. The Chief Umpire, when requested to do so, shall determine any matter in dispute between opposing skips. Umpire’s decision is final.

3. The Chief Umpire may appoint others to assist with supervision and any necessary measurements to determine scoring stones.

4. Chief Umpire or anyone acting in that capacity for that event may not participate as a curler, at any time, during that event.

5. The supervision of the bonspiel shall be the responsibility of the host club under the USWCA regulations set forth herein. It shall be the duty of the Chief Umpire to determine the playability of the ice during the competition.

D. No change in the order of play may be made during an event, unless a substitute is necessary. The order of play may be changed upon entering a new event.

E. Substitutions:

1. If at any time after registration a substitute is required to complete a team, the substitute may be provided by the home club of the team involved, time permitting, or by the On- Site Rules Chairman. Such substitutions shall be reported to the Chief Umpire before the game and noted on the score card. Only one substitute is allowed on a team during a game.
2. When, during a game, a player is unable to continue because of illness, accident, or any other valid reason, her team may either finish that game with the remaining three players (the first two players throwing three stones each) or bring in any qualified substitute for the remainder of the game. The substitute must play in the position of the replaced player, when entering a game in progress.
3. A player who has left the game for illness, accident, or any other valid reason may rejoin her team during any game in the competition. If a substitute was selected, the player may rejoin her team for the next game.
4. A team shall start all games with four players, unless substitutes are not available.
5. A team shall not play under any circumstance with fewer than 2 members of the original team.

F. Working Media and Spectators: No spectators shall be allowed within the confines of the ice or playing area during the progress of a game. Members of the press, camera operators, including television, with permission from the On-Site Chair may film any game in progress provided that they do not interfere with the play, and NO flashbulbs or other intense lighting is used.

G. Game Timing:

1. All games will begin promptly at the scheduled time. Players will be signaled verbally at one- minute prior and with a whistle or horn to start the game.

2 (a) Each team shall receive 30 minutes of thinking time for an eight-end game. This time shall be recorded and visible to teams throughout the game

2 (b) When a team delays the start of the game, the thinking time allotted to each team is reduced by 3 minutes 45 seconds for each end, which is considered completed.

2 (c) When extra ends are required, the game clocks are reset and each team receives 4 minutes 30 seconds of thinking time for each extra end.

2 (d) The game and each end starts when the allotted break time expires. The delivering team’s game clock will not run during the start of the game/end unless the team is delaying the start, then its game clock will be started. If there is no delay, the first game clock to start in each end will be that of the team delivering the second stone.

2 (e) Once all criteria below are met, the non-delivering team becomes the delivering team, and its game clock is started:

1. all stones have come to rest or have crossed the back line and
2. stones that are displaced due to violations by the delivering team, and require repositioning, are returned to their positions prior to the violation and
3. the playing area has been relinquished to the other team, the person in charge of house has moved behind the back line, and the deliverer and sweepers have moved to the sides of the sheet.

3. A team’s game clock stops once the stone has reached the tee line at the delivery end.
4. A team delivers stones only when its game clock is running or scheduled to be running. Any violation results in the stone being redelivered after any displaced stone(s) have been returned, by the non-offending team, to their position(s) prior to the violation. The offending team’s game clock runs during the replacement of the stones and the redelivery.
5. If stones need to be repositioned due to a violation caused by an external force, both game clocks are stopped.
6. Game clocks are stopped any time an Umpire intervenes. No time out is allowed for team discussion/consultation. Interpretation: In rare instances a team may request a time-out with a traditional “T” using the hands (an example would be for an injured player). This time out will be granted as long as the practice is not abused.
7. After teams have agreed on the score for an end, a 1 minute break will occur, when neither game clock is running. If a measurement is required, the break begins at the completion of that measurement.
8. If a player is allowed to redeliver a stone, the Umpire decides if the time required is to be deducted from the game time for that team.
9. If an Umpire determines that a team is unnecessarily delaying the game, the Umpire notifies the Skip of the offending team and, after that notification, if the next stone to be delivered has not reached the tee line at the delivery end within 45 seconds, the stone is removed from play immediately.
10. Each team must complete its part of a game within the time given, or forfeit the game. If a stone reaches the tee line at the delivery end before time expires, the stone is considered delivered on time.
11. A game is completed when one team is mathematically eliminated (i.e. fewer stones remain in play and/or left to deliver than are needed to tie or win.)

H. Equipment:

The USWCA recommendation regarding brush heads is that all types and styles of commercially available curling brooms be allowed for use. The regulation of sweeping equipment at the recreational level is ultimately at the discretion of clubs, leagues and event organizers. Curlers are encouraged to follow the spirit of curling when deciding which equipment to use. Equipment that does not harm the ice surface should be used at all time.

I. Throughout the duration of the Bonspiel, should a team forfeit for any reason other than medical or family emergencies; all team members will not be eligible to compete in USWCA National Women’s and Senior Women’s Bonspiels for the next 2 consecutive seasons.

Vlll. Supervision:

The supervision of the bonspiel shall be the responsibility of the hostess club under the USWCA regulations set forth herein. It shall be the duty of the Bonspiel Chairman to determine the playability of the ice during the competition.

lX.  Waiver of Regulations:

The Bonspiel Chair, in consultation with the President of the USWCA, and the Bonspiel Procedure Chair, has the right to waive any Regulation under extreme circumstances.