I. Availability of Division Equipment
A. Division equipment (including scoring machines, reels and floor cords) is available to members of the Division for competitions and training purposes. The Division Competition Policy shall apply to requests of Division equipment for competitions. The following policy shall apply to all other requests of Division equipment.
B. Any Club or Team (hereafter termed host), located in the Division and which meets on a regular basis, may request Division equipment for up to one (1) year at a time for training purposes.
C. Requests for equipment will be prioritized on a "need" basis. That is, newly established clubs that have never requested equipment will receive a higher priority than an existing club that has used the equipment for several years. Priority will be given to hosts that have a history of proper care and use of Division equipment and property, hold a current USFA Club membership, and have members that are active competitors in USFA and Division-sponsored tournaments.
D. Equipment loans shall be reviewed annually by the Division Officers. The loan year shall be considered to be the DIVISION fencing year, beginning and ending with the Annual Business Meeting. Equipment loan extension requests shall be submitted annually, prior to 15 April. All equipment shall be inspected by the Division Armorer or Division Officer in charge of equipment prior to extension of the loan terms.
E. All loaned equipment shall be made available to the Division
for Division-sponsored events.
II. Procedures for Requesting Division Equipment
A. Written requests for equipment must be submitted to the Division Officer responsible for equipment inventory (currently the Division Vice-Chairperson). Requests shall contain the following information:
1. Name or description of the equipment requested
2. Name and location of requesting host
3. Contact information and signature of the individual who will be responsible for the equipment
4. The proposed sites of equipment use and storage
III. Host Responsibilities. Hosts shall be responsible for:
A. All maintenance and upkeep of equipment assigned to them.
B. Payment of deposits at time of securing equipment, or repair costs at time of service, required in paragraph IV below to the North Texas Division. Returned checks shall be subject to a $25.00 processing fee.
C. All expenses for the repair or damage due to abuse or neglect shall be paid by the host to which the equipment was assigned at the time of damage. Division Officers shall be the sole determinant of whether equipment damage was due to abuse or neglect.
D. Transportation of assigned equipment to and from Division competitions.
E. Transportation of assigned equipment at the end of each membership year to the Division Officer responsible for equipment inventory.
F. Transportation associated with repair of assigned equipment.
IV. Division Responsibilities.
A. To encourage proper and timely care of Division equipment, the Division Armorer and Officer responsible for equipment will assume responsibility for minor repairs to Division equipment as the result of normal use. Such repairs may include the replacement of light bulbs and plugs, and the repair of broken wires and connections.
B. The Division may impose nominal fees or deposits to defray repair costs and encourage responsible use of Division equipment.
It is the intent of North Texas Division to promote the growth and development of USFA member fencing clubs in North Texas. In order to support our member clubs, North Texas Division maintains a limited amount of electric strip equipment that is available for our member clubs to use in their facilities. With the growth in number of clubs and increase of geographic area coverage, it is necessary to outline procedures for the use of this equipment by our member clubs. To assure equal access to the North Texas Divisional scoring equipment for all member clubs of NTD, the following procedures were adopted by the Executive Committee 17 December 2000. This document outlines the procedures and serves as notice to our member clubs.
1. Clubs wishing to use Division fencing equipment must complete a written request form. Request forms are available from the Division Secretary.
2. Division electric strip equipment (reels, cords, and scoring box) is available to member clubs for use in their facility on a year-to-year basis. The year is based on the DIVISION fencing year, beginning and ending with the Annual Business Meeting.
a. Equipment may be requested and issued at anytime during the fencing year
b. Equipment must be RETURNED at the Annual Business Meeting
c. A subsequent request for equipment may be made at the Annual Business Meeting
d. Requests for equipment will be prioritized on a "need" basis. That is, newly established clubs that have never requested equipment will receive a higher priority than an existing club that has used the equipment for several years. It is expected that clubs will begin purchasing their own equipment within a year of their establishment.
3. Clubs are responsible for ensuring the borrowed equipment is available for use at all DIVISION SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED tournaments, or to any SECTION SPONSORED tournament at the request of a Division Officer. Clubs must bring the equipment or make arrangements for the equipment to arrive in a timely manner as to allow for setup of the strips. Clubs are responsible for collecting the equipment to take back to their club. Any equipment left at a tournament and collected by the Division Officers will be deemed no longer required by the club and returned to the Division storage facility. Clubs will be required to complete additional request forms for abandoned equipment.
4. Clubs may also use Division equipment for North Texas tournaments/events with the following stipulations:
a. Arrangement is made with the Division Equipment Manager or Division Chair to pick up the equipment and/or copper strips at the storage facility.
b. A U-Haul, truck or van is used for transporting, and a minimum of 4 people are available to carry, copper strips.
c. Arrangement is made with the Division Equipment Manager to return the equipment and/or copper strips to the storage facility WITHIN 72 HOURS after the end of the tournament. All keys must be returned at the time the equipment is returned. A $10 fee will apply to any lost key.
d. The Divisional Officers will make allowances for good faith attempts to return the equipment prevented by external circumstances, such as weather, provided the Equipment Manager or Division Chair is notified by telephone or e-mail within 24 hours, and the equipment is returned at a mutually agreed to time.
5. Clubs are responsible for returning equipment in good working order (that is, the same condition as it was issued). If any repairs must be made to the equipment or copper strips, the Club agrees to pay by check or cash an estimate of the repair costs in advance to the Division. Once the repairs are made, the Club will receive a refund of any overpayment or an invoice for amount due. Any amount due will be required by cash or check within 10 working days of notification.
6. North Texas Division reserves the right to impose penalties and restrictions on clubs or coaches who do not follow the above procedures. Division equipment is offered at no cost to member clubs. However, should a club fail to follow the procedures outlined in items 1 through 5, the Division shall impose the following:
a. First offense, written notification that privileges may be suspended.
b. Second offense, the club will be required to submit a deposit of $50 per strip (boxes, reels and cords) and/or $50 per copper strip prior to receiving such equipment. Such deposit must be made in cash or check. The Division reserves the right to delay the issue of equipment until such time as the check clears the bank for payment. The deposit shall be returned in total if all requirements are subsequently met. However, should requirements not be met (such as the equipment is not returned within 72 hours), the deposit shall be forfeit.
c. Third offense may result in suspension of privileges at the discretion of the Division Officers.