kotas american dream usa rule 2011

American Dream Tournament - 2011 RULES

RULES: The following tournament rules shall apply to the American Dream Tournament operated by American Dream Realized, LLC except that; (1) rules for special tournaments may differ from those contained herein and (2) these rules may be changed by American Dream Realized, LLC (ADR,LLC) immediately upon notice by ADR,LLC to its participating teams; which notice will be published on the American Dream Tournament internet site at www.kotaamericandream.com/usa. Interpretation and enforcement of these rules shall be left exclusively to the Tournament Director or his/her designee at a tournament. In the event of a rule violation, the Tournament Director or a rules committee may impose such sanctions, as deemed appropriate by them, including, without limitation, disqualification, and forfeiture of prizes, entry fee and prohibition from participation in subsequent tournaments. The decision of the Tournament Director, his/her designee, or the rules committee shall be final in all matters. Rules violations must be reported to the Tournament Director on site within 15 minutes after the announcement; “The scales are now closed”.

1. PARTICIPANTS AND ELIGIBILITY: Participation is open to teams (one or two persons per boat) who are 14 years of age or older. Contestants under 18 years of age must have a parent or guardian signature prior to entering the tournament. Proof of age to the satisfaction of tournament officials is the responsibility of the competitor. Tournament officials reserve the right to refund any entry fee, if they choose for any reason not to accept the application and/or entry fee. During the competition days of any American Dream Tournament event, no competitor may operate a boat unless that contestant has documented proof of a minimum of $100,000 per occurrence boating liability insurance (see Participant Release of Liability and Official Entry Forms) covering the boat being used in the tournament. Proof of insurance must be with the boat being used and must cover the competitors using that boat. Random checks will be conducted and any competitor who does not have proof of in-force insurance with $100,000 coverage may be disqualified.

2. ANGLER CODE OF CONDUCT: Anglers participating in any American Dream Tournament sanctioned event shall observe this code of conduct and the applicable rules for the specific event in which he/she is participating. Anglers shall, at all times, conduct themselves in a manner that will not reflect unfavorably on American Dream Tournament and/or ADR, LLC, its members, officers or representatives, tournaments or sponsors.

To this end, anglers shall use their best efforts to demonstrate professionalism and integrity in support of the sport fishing. Any angler who violates any of the provisions of the Angler Code of Conduct may be subject to fines, forfeiture of tournament winnings, suspension from competing in American Dream Realized, LLC sanctioned events, permanent ban from competition, or any combination thereof deemed appropriate by ADR, LLC.

3. MEDIA COMMENTS, PUBLIC ATTACKS: The favorable public reputation of American Dream Tournament and/or ADR, LLC as a sanctioning organization in the sport of fishing, the integrity of its officials, and the reputation of its media properties are valuable assets and tangible benefits for ADR, LLC. Accordingly, it is an obligation of competitors to refrain from comments to the news media that unreasonably attack or disparage the integrity of tournaments, tournament officials, sponsors, fellow members, fellow anglers, American Dream Tournament or the ADR, LLC organization. Competitors are encouraged to express themselves and have the right to question the rules officials. Responsible expressions of legitimate disagreement with American Dream Tournament policies are encouraged as opposed to attacks upon the integrity of the rules or officials. However, public comments that an angler knows, or should reasonably know, will harm the reputation of American Dream Tournament, American Dream Tournament officials, ADR, LLC or sponsors shall be considered conduct unbecoming a professional and will result in disciplinary action.

4. PRACTICE AND COMPETITION: During regular season events, there will be no off-limits or official practice days.

i.) During competition a competitor can only have the assistance or advice of another competitor for the purposes of locating or catching bass on tournament waters.

ii.) During the tournament, a competitor may not "SKIN DIVE" OR "SCUBA DIVE" in the tournament waters.

iii.) Competitor may not buy or barter a fishing location from any person for use during any competition day.

iv.) During the official competition day of the tournament, a competitor may not use a CB radio, a VHF marine-band radio, a cellular phone, or any other type of communication device for the purpose of locating or catching fish. Competitors are permitted to transmit by radio or telephone only in the event of an emergency. If so equipped, competitors may listen to the marine-band weather information.

v.) A designated tournament official must be granted access to the competitor's boat at any time during competition. Failure to grant such access may result in immediate disqualification.

vi.) Each competitor agrees to report to the Tournament Director any violation or infraction of any Tournament Rules. Failure to report violations, or suggestions to another competitor that they violate these Rules, or false verification of weigh-in forms will be cause for disqualification.

5. POLYGRAPH: By his and her signature on the official tournament entry form and/or the liability release form, each competitor agrees to submit to a polygraph examination/truth verification method or any other type examination as determined by American Dream Tournament , and abide by its conclusion should he/she be accused of any rule violation. The American Dream Tournament Director or rules committee, or such person designated by the Tournament Director shall have the discretion to determine the need for a polygraph/truth verification method examination. The American Dream Tournament Director or his/her designee shall be responsible for selecting an independent expert to administer and interpret the results and establishing, in consultation with the expert administrator, the scope of the questions which may be asked during the polygraph/truth verification method examination. The American Dream Tournament Director or his/her designee shall attempt to have the location of such polygraph/truth verification method examination as close in proximity to the angler's permanent address or such other mutually convenient as possible. The competitor shall make himself/herself available at the location selected by the Tournament Director and shall cooperate in all respects with such examination. Anglers taking a polygraph/truth verification method examination may be responsible for any and all cost incurred.

6. PRE-REGISTERED ENTRIES: It is recommended that contestants pre-register. Contestants desiring to register at the registration must do so in person during the official registration period. Failure to attend the pre-tournament meeting of American Dream Tournament will result in forfeiture of entry fee and disqualification from the tournament in question. Teams may also register online at www.kotaamericandream.com/usa by mail at: American Dream Realized, LLC. P.O. Box 581. Moody, Alabama 35004.

7. SAFETY: Safety is paramount and anglers must recognize that; Fishing from an open boat in itself is inherently dangerous, and as a result American Dream Tournament seeks to limit those hazards with reasonable safety rules.

i.) Safe boat conduct must be observed at all times by competitors. During the practice and competition, each competitor must wear a US Coast Guard-approved chest-type life preserver. This preserver must be worn at all times the combustion engine is in gear. This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is no longer in gear. Violation of this rule shall be reason for disqualification.

ii.) Tournament officials have the right to delay, shorten, restrict tournament waters or cancel the start of an official tournament day because of bad weather or other factors that would endanger the safety of the competitors.

iii.) American Dream Tournament reserves the right to impose boat speed limits during any or all tournaments. Whether or not to impose a speed limit, the area covered by the speed limit and/or the actual speed limit imposed shall be left exclusively to the discretion of the tournament director.

iv.) IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, COMPETITORS SHOULD CALL 911 FIRST AND THEN NOTIFY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS.

v.) COMPETITORS ARE ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE BOAT AND SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN BAD WEATHER WHERE DANGER MAY BE IMMINENT, AT WHICH TIME ALL FISHING MUST CEASE.

8. SPORTSMANSHIP: Competitors in American Dream Tournaments are expected to follow high standards of sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and conservation. Any infraction of these fundamental sporting principles may be deemed cause for disqualification.

i.) Use of alcohol or drugs (other than those purchased over-the-counter or prescribed by a licensed physician) by any competitor during the tournament hours will not be tolerated and shall be cause for automatic disqualification from this and all future American Dream Tournaments. No alcoholic beverages, other stimulants or depressants or otherwise, shall be allowed in the boats during the practice or competition days.

ii.) Maximum courtesy must be practiced at all times, especially with regard to boating and angling in the vicinity of non-competitors who may be on tournament waters. Any act of a competitor which reflects unfavorably upon efforts to promote fisheries conservation, clean waters and courtesy, shall be reason for disqualification.

iii.) All competitors are bound by the prevailing statutes and regulations of the various states within which they fish.

iv.) Chemical substance addiction or abuse, conviction of a felony or other crimes involving moral turpitude, or other conduct reflecting unfavorably upon efforts to promote safety, sportsmanship, fair competition and compliance with tournament rules shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation and/or for disqualification after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director. Any disqualification, suspension from, or other disciplinary action regarding any tournament or fishing organization shall be grounds for rejecting any application for participation in an ABA tournament and/or disqualification from an American Dream Tournament after circumstances are reviewed by the Tournament Director.

9. SAFETY/BOAT CHECK: Safe boating will be observed at all times. Contestants understand that participating in fishing tournaments in an open boat is inherently dangerous. Safe boating conduct will be observed at all times. During the competition, each competitor is required to wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved chest-type life preserver (PFD). This preserver must be worn any time the combustion engine is in gear. This preserver must be strapped, snapped or zippered securely and maintained in that condition until the combustion engine is no longer in gear. The boat operator must have a safety-stop switch attached to his/her person when the combustion engine is in gear. During practice and tournament hours extreme caution must be exercised by boat operator during bad weather. In addition extreme caution must be exercised and boat operator must be aware that there could be large cruisers and/or barges operating on tournament lakes that displace extremely large volumes of water which create unusually large wakes and turbulence. Weather and water turbulence can be extremely hazardous and extreme caution should be exercised at all times. Violation of either the PFD or safety-stop switch portion of this rule will result in disqualification.

10. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: The use of grippers in landing bass is prohibited. Only artificial and biodegradable lures may be used. No “live bait” or “prepared bait” will be permitted during competition, with the exception of pork strips or rinds. Only one casting, spin casting or spinning rod (8 foot maximum length from butt of handle to rod tip) and reel may be used at any one time. Other rigs as specified above may be in boat ready for use; however, only one is permitted in use at any given time. All bass must be caught live and in a conventional sporting manner. Anyone guilty of snatching or snagging visible fish will have their catch disqualified. When visually fishing a bed or for bedding bass to be counted as a legal fish, all bass must be hooked inside the mouth and must be verified by your partner before being unhooked.

11. HORSEPOWER REGULATIONS: The horsepower of the outboard engine cannot exceed the rating specified on the U.S. Coast Guard rating plate nor the horsepower maximum set by American Dream Tournament. Each competitor agrees to submit, by their signature on the official entry form, the boat and outboard motor used in the tournament, to an inspection by factory-trained personnel, if there is any reason to suspect the horsepower is in excess of the rating. Changing or altering standard factory parts of a competitor's engine to increase the horsepower over the factory horsepower rating is forbidden, and will result in disqualification. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower-rating numbers on the engine is also cause for immediate disqualification from American Dream tournaments. Posted speed limits must be observed and all boats must be operated in a safe manner.

12. BOAT AND MOTOR: For the safety of all competitors, during competition all boats must be equipped with an approved type of operable ignition kill switch and lanyard. Only one manufactured lanyard may be used and must be attached to the driver's body any time the combustion engine is in gear. Any time the combustion engine is operating and in gear there must be a driver in the driver's seat in full control of the boat. Fishing boats that are less than 14 feet in length may not be used. Any raised platforms or decks cannot be higher than the gunnels of the boat. Fishing, while standing on the outboard motor or boat seats is not allowed. An electric trolling motor may be used for slow maneuvering. However, trolling as a method of fishing is prohibited. All bladder tanks and any other type of auxiliary gas tanks that are not installed by the boat manufacturer are prohibited. Additional gas tanks that are factory options and installed by a manufacturer's authorized dealer are permitted. Boats that do not have factory-installed gas tanks are restricted to a maximum of 18 gallons of gasoline in tanks that meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations. Gas tanks must be properly secured or strapped in a boat. No portable gas tanks or containers capable of holding gasoline can be placed anywhere on the tournament waters or shoreline for use by any tournament competitor. No “barges” or similar craft will be permitted. No boat equipped with “Stick Steering” shall be permitted to be used during official practice or during the tournament by any competitor. “Stick steering” shall be as defined by the Tournament Director.

13. BASIC BOAT EQUIPMENT: During competition every boat must have all required US Coast Guard safety equipment as well as a functional bilge pump. During competition every boat must have live-well space, properly aerated, to adequately maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both competitors using the boat. American Dream Tournament recommends live-wells are maintained at full level and aerators/re-circulators on manual. Tournament officials shall have the sole responsibility for determining whether aeration and capacity is proper and adequate.

14. BOAT IDENTIFICATION: Prior to the day’s start, each boat must be given an inspection check by a tournament official. Each day, each boat will be given a number, which must remain with the boat until turned in each day at the check-in. This number must be displayed upon the request of tournament officials, and turned in to the officials at each check-in.

15. PERMITTED FISHING LOCATIONS: Tournament waters shall be established by the Tournament Director for each tournament. Any water within these boundaries posted “Off-Limits” or “No Fishing” by state or federal agencies as well as the live-bass-release area established by the Tournament Director will be OFF-LIMITS and will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. Only that water open to all public fishing will be considered tournament waters. At no time may a member of a team leave the boat to land a fish or to make the boat more accessible to fishing waters. All contestants must leave and return to the official checkpoint by boat and the boat must remain in tournament waters during the tournament. In the case of a breakdown or emergency contestants have only two ways to return to the check-in and have their days catch counted. 1) Both members of the team remain in their boat and are towed in by water; 2) A member of a team may enter another contestant’s boat with their fish and ride back to the checkpoint.

16. OFFICIAL CHECKPOINT: There shall be only one official point for check-out in the morning and check-in in the afternoon, this point shall be designated at the tournament briefing. At the time of check-out, all competitors and their boats shall be in full conformity with all rules set forth by the Tournament Director. At check-in, all boats shall identify themselves by means of the numbers described herein and proceed immediately to the designated weigh-in area. Angler’s not weighing bass may trailer their boat.

17. TOURNAMENT HOURS: Official start and weigh-in times for each flight will be announced at the pre-tournament briefing. Our best effort will be given to allow at least 8 hours fishing time. In the case of adverse weather conditions, the tournament director will open weigh-in at 12 Noon for safety.

18. SCORING: Tournament standings, auxiliary awards and final winners shall be determined by the pound-and-hundredths weight of each teams catch during the competition days of the tournament. Only Largemouth, Smallmouth, Spotted, Redeye or Shoal bass will be weighed. The limit per team shall be 5 of the above species and varieties per day, unless otherwise specified by tournament officials. At no time shall a team have in their possession more than the tournament limit. Tournament officials will conduct checks for violations of this provision, and in the event a team has in its possession more than the above-described limits, the team will be immediately disqualified. The official length for bass shall be determined by the Tournament Director and announced at the Tournament Briefing. The minimum length shall be 12 inches or will be the longest state limit covering the tournament waters. Only bass as described above which measure the official length or more on the longest straight line, shall be weighed. Bass presented for weigh-in, which fail to measure the official length, shall result in a penalty of 1 pound for each such bass and short bass will not be weighted. This penalty shall be deducted from the total score of the team. Any bass that appears to have been mangled, mashed, mauled or otherwise altered will be weighed and credited only at the discretion of tournament officials. After competitors check in at the official checkpoint they must present all legal fish in their possession to a tournament official to be counted, measured and weighed. Once a team’s catch is measured, counted and verified by a tournament official, that team may not return to the boat until their catch has been weighed and recorded. Bass must not be placed on a stringer at any time during the tournament. Culling tags or clips are allowed. Specially designed bags which increase survival rate will be furnished by the Tournament Director and must be used for the weigh-in.

19. CATCH AND RELEASE: CULLING OF DEAD BASS IS PROHIBITED. A penalty of 8 ounces (.50 pounds) will be deducted from the total weight for each dead fish. In the event the anglers' big fish is dead a penalty of .8 ounces (.50 pounds) will be deducted from the big fish total weight. The Tournament Director or his/her designees shall have sole authority for assessing penalty weight. For fish care American Dream Tournament recommends the use of Rejuvenade and suggests that in warm weather tournaments anglers keep extra ice.

20. LATE PENALTY: Competitors who are not in the official checkpoint area as described in Rule 18 at the appointed time shall be penalized at the rate of one pound per minute; to be deducted from the total weight of their catch that day, including any weight to be counted toward a “big bass award”. No points are awarded if the net weight after penalties is zero or less. Any competitor more than 15 minutes late shall lose all credit for that day's catch. Exact starting and check-in times will be announced at the Tournament Briefing. It is the angler's responsibility to confirm check-in times each day on the daily pairings.

21. TIES: In case of a tie, combining awards and dividing them equally among the tied contestants shall resolve positions. A form of lottery will determine trophies for those positions tied. The tournament director may decide to break first place ties with a fish-off.

22. TRANSFERS/REFUNDS: Entry fees may be transferred or refunded provided American Dream Realized, LLC. receives notification prior to entry deadline. Those entries on the waiting list that are not accepted into the tournament will receive a full refund after the tournament. There will be no charge for transfers however, all refunds will be assessed a $20 fee.

23. WAIVER AND RELEASE: As a condition of participation in each tournament, competitors must execute a waiver, release of liability and a name and likeness release.