PRINCIPLE: When a pitcher withdraws from a tournament and gives advance notice of not being there, any entry fees paid should be refunded.

23 Jan 08: Received 2009 membership card from Stallings. No apology or explanation. Talked with Morgan Thursday evening, said that Helton received call from Paul Stewart, NHPA President, and was told that the THPA had to issue the card. This is the second time that the NHPA has had to "correct" actions taken by Helton towards Hassan. Morgan also said that at the Nov/Dec meeting, the THPA executive committee made a rule that no refunds for no shows to the State Singles tournament. This issue should be something that the whole membership should vote on, not just the Executive committee.

15 Jan 09: Received letter from Helton. "The Executive Committe has decided it would be in the best interest of horseshoe pitching in TN to remove you as Tournament Director at the Crossville site."

11 Jan 09: Hassan spoke with Stallings. The THPA will not issue 2009 card until Hassan sends $45 to Stallings. Hassan will elevate the issue to the NHPA/Paul Stewart

16 Dec 08: Hassan spoke with Stallings (TN Regional Director & Sect/Treas). Stallings said that by tradition the THPA does not refund entry fees. However, there are no written rules to that effect. Stallings believes Hassan should give $45 to the THPA. Hassan's tradition is that he has refunded entry fees at all 3 Volunteer State Opens and to State Singles tournaments which he has run at Crossville, even to folks who walked out last year after that annual membeship meeting.

13 Dec 08 - Hassan received register letter from Helton. "Refunds that you have given are unauthorized. Refunds must be authorized by the Secretary/Treas with approval from the Executive Board. The THPA will not issue your 2009 NHPA card until this matter is cleared up." Question??? What THPA or NHPA rule states that refunds can not be made when an individual gives advance notice that he/she is withdrawing from a tournament. Answer: there is no such rule.

From Harold Morgan - Helton called meeting of Exec Comm about a month ago. Helton, Morgan, Joan Elmore and Stallings were in attendance. This is when the committee decided to withhold Hassan's 2009 NHPA card.

6 Sep 08: TN Singles Tournament held at Rock Springs - Hassan, Detweiler, Mulligan and Schadler did not participate.

28 Aug 08: Hassan spoke with Detweiler, Mulligan and Schadler - each of these folks withdrew from the tournament - Helton was advised by email of this and that the 15 dollar entry fee had been returned to Mulligan and Detweiler.

23 Aug 08: Hassan spoke with Helton. Helton advised Hassan that he would be #8 seed in Men's Championship Class. Hassan told Helton at this time he was withdrawing from the tournament. Hassan also advised Helton that he had convinced several others to car pool and that they may also withdraw. (This is 2 weeks before the tournament and before the  classes were finalized)

PRINCIPLE: Members in one portion of the State should not force their beliefs on how tournaments should be run on other areas of the  State as long as all THPA/NHPA rules are being followed. Examples are handicapping or number of persons in a class or number of games pitched.

1. Handicap issue: Folks in East TN do not like tournaments handicapped. When I began running tournaments I realized that when 8 to 16  people show for a tournament, it's difficult to set fair classes and that handicap helps make classes more fair. At the 2004 annual state meeting I asked that tournaments be allowed to be handicapped at the Tournament Director's discretion. Before the meeting I wrote an article for our newsletter concerning the benefits of handicap and had it on the meeting's agenda. This proposal passed.

At the 2005 annual meeting, the Elmores made a motion to eliminate handicap - not on the agenda, no discussion in the newsletter. This motion passed by a few votes.

At the 2006 annual meeting, I again proposed handicapping at the tournament director's discretion (again I had it on the agenda and had written an article for the newsletter). This passed and for the 2007 season handicapping was allowed.

At the 2007 annual meeting, Helton brought up the issue again, saying I was abusing handicapping. James Elmore made a motion that handciapping not be allowed for 5 years. Again this was not on the agenda or discussed in the newsletter. Several people who support handicap were not at the meeting. The motion passed by a few votes with most of the yes votes coming from East TN folks.

Oct 2007 - Great Pumpkin Open in Crossville. I sent out notification by postcard at my expense of a membership meeting to discuss and vote again on handicap. This meeting was approved by 3 of the 5 Executive Board members and also coincided with the Executive Board's meeting to set the 2008 schedule. 26 folks attended the meeting with 24 voting in favor of allowing Handicap. Helton and James Elmore voted no. They also said this was an invalid meeting or vote because the NHPA RGS Book says that Robert's Rules of Order must be followed which says that meetings such as this reguire 50% of members to be present. So Helton, the THPA President, ruled this vote and meeting to be invalid and non binding. Now reviewing the NHPA Bylaws, this rule concerning Robert's Rules is mentioned when talking about NHPA special meetings, not State meetings.

After this I decided to set up a winter schedule of tournaments using the sanctioning of the NHPA thru the Crossville Horseshoe Club league.

Nov 2007 - I reviewed the RGS Book and found on page 19 the following. "Handicapping may be used in open tournaments and in leagues." I wrote to the NHPA about this and was told the State organiztions can NOT change this rule. The NHPA rule is that handicapping is per the local tournament director's discretion. I sent a copy of this email to Helton. In the Jan newsletter Helton said that he got a call from NHPA President saying that the THPA couldn't make a rule against handicap. However, Helton still encouraged folks to encourage the tournament directors to avoid handicap. In my opinion, Stallings (TN Regional Director, the Elmores, Paula Hunsicker and Helton should have been aware of this rule before allowing such votes. At this point I converted all the Crossville Winter tournaments to THPA sanctioned tournaments, but the THPA never gave any help on publishing the schedule in the newsletter.

Principle: The THPA President should promote the game  in TN as well as develop new sites particularly in west TN

Clarksville THPA Expansion: Bill Drinnon from Clarksville has begun pitching with the THPA in the last year. Hassan convinced Drinnon along with Tommy Wahl to start running tournaments in Clarksville at a site where the TN Senior Olympics had been held in the past. A tournament was scheduled for July 2008. When Hassan informed Helton of the plan, Helton said we can't do that because it's not on the schedule. Note that the TN Executive committee and regional director had agreed to the tournament. At this point Hassan gave the project to Helton. This planned tournament didn't happen.

On 9 Aug 2008 9 pitchers pitched in a tournament in Clarksville. The week before Drinnon came to Crossville and spent a great deal of time with Hassan learning the HS Master program. In fact Drinnon and his wife helped run the Crossville tournament that weekend. Paula Hunsicker came to this tournament and helped woth running the HS Master Program. They began 90 minutes late, which lead to a couple pitchers having to leave without pitching all the scheduled games. Drinnon sent results and Natstat data to Hassan, who had to fix the data before sending in the results. Help from President Helton - very little.

None of these folks who joined the THPA at this tournament have pitched in a THPA tournament since.

Jackson, TN expansion. Hassan has provided Helton with the name of a person working to build courts in Jackson and has asked Helton to pursue helping this individual. Not sure what he's done about this.

PRINCIPLE: The THPA President should comply with the vote of the Executive committee:

Oct 2007 - Following the last tournament of the 2007 year, the Executive Committee met at Hassan's home. In attendance were Hassan, Foster, Morgan and Helton - Stallings not in attendance. The purpose was to prepare the pitching schedule for the 2008 year. However, it was decided that the THPA constitution needed significant updating. No one is real sure what is current for our constitution or ByLaws.

All available copies of this constitution say in Article VI - "The elected officers shall constitute the Executive Board and may act on behalf of the organization it all matters."  This was discussed and finally decided that this Executive Board would enact a revised constitution by a 3 to 1 (Helton) vote. These changes including allowing handicapping at the discretion of the tournament director and a change in the Executive Committee to 3 elected officers and one individual from each pitching site. Many further refinements in the constitution were also written.

Helton agreed to prepare this new constitution and send it to each member in the December 2007 newsletter. However, this never happened as Helton decided on his own that this was not proper - must wait for the 2008 annual meeting for a vote of the membership.

Feb 2008 - Hassan, Foster, Morgan and Stallings agreed to have another meeting at Stalling's home. Initially Helton refused, but eventually attended. At this meeting the changes were reviewed and again approved by a 4 to 1 vote. It was decided to send the new constitution to the membership for a mail in vote to be concluded by 1 April 2008. Helton agrred to send the purposed new constiution by newsletter. Again Helton decided not to do this.

Helton bought some of these changes to the 2008 annual meeting. The changes were not enacted. The constitution still remains with many problems not fixed.

THPA Horseshoe Pitcher of the Year (POY): At the 2007 annual State meeting Hassan suggested several changes in the criteria for selection of the POY so that just attendance at tournament didn't determine who won. These changes were published in the newsletter prior to the meeting and included more weight to winning a tournament as well as finding new members and involvement to the Senior Olympics. None of these changes were approved - "Keep it rules for selection the same".

Hassan won the 2008 POY by pitching in the most tournaments. He came in second in 2007 and won in 2006. At the 2008 annual meeting the award was discontinued.

Absentee Voting: At the 2007 annual meeting Hassan purposed that the THPA institute absentee voting on officer elections and other issues. This was on the agenda and written up in the newsletter prior to the meeting. This issue was voted down with the comment "if it's important to you, you can make the meeting."

I do not like this idealogy. There are times people have to work or are away dealing with family issues. They should have the opportunity to express their views with their vote.

PAST HISTORY OF THPA DISPUTES:

Dr. Jack Freeman loved the sport of horseshoes. In the 1990's he built THE BEST PITCHING FACILITY in the US in Joelton, TN.. He also built an Horseshoe National Hall of Fame at this site. There were 38 courts under roof with 18 being full weather - enclosed.

Freeman founded the NHPF, a tax exempt TN foundation to help him with tax issues. He had donated a portion of the Joelton Facility. But about 6 years ago, Freeman suddenly died from a massive heart attack. He written no directions in his will on what to do with his estate's remaining interest in the Joelton Property. The NHPF purchased the reamining courts from his estate and decided to sell the entire facilty and move the hall of fame to New Melle, MS.

Why did the NHPF move this facility? Because there was a "minimal horseshoe pitching base in that area". Please note that this facility was 10 miles NW of Nashville, a city of about a million folks and the State Capital and about 25 SE of Clarksville, the 5th largest city in TN.

I believe that there was much more that caused the NHPF/NHPA to close this facility. Dr. Freeman had become very frustrated with actions of  many  TN pitchers. I have copies of some letters written to the NHPA about these issues. Several other folks  have confirmed to me these "problems". I believe this "Bad Blood" led to decreased useage of the Joelton facility and to the NHPF's decision to close the place.

The loss of this facility has hurt TN horseshoes significantly. The closest active sanctioned courts are 70 miles east of Nashville, at Algood, just outside of Cookeville. There are no courts west of Nashville. I believe an actice and motivated Regional Director and THPA President might have been able to make this facility used significantly and have kept it open for TN pitchers.

Why have I brought this issue back up - after all these courts are long gone. Because the same things is happening all over again with me. I'm hoping that those folks will finally realize this and quit with  their actions.

2009 Volunteer State Open
Horseshoe Tournament
5-7 June 2009
(Always the first full weekend in June)