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National Birmingham Roller Association

Constitution and Flying Rules 2010

ELECTION OF OFFICERS.
The following will be elected at the AGM:

  • President every Three Years
  • Chairperson every Two Years
  • Secretary/Treasurer Annually

The chairperson shall be responsible for the smooth running of the AGM. The chairperson shall have NO vote, but retains a casting vote to decide votes without a clear majority.


FREQUENCY
There will be three National Championship competitions held each year. This will normally commence the last week of September each year. To determine, using the current best standards available, the National Championship Kit for Old, Yearling and Young birds from within the affiliated clubs. To nominate the best individual Old and Young bird champion.


ELIGIBILTIY
All Bona fide Roller Clubs affiliated to the NBRA will be eligible. Each club shall be allowed to nominate their entrant BUT clubs are respectfully advised that NORMALLY the club winner will be the automatic nominee. Any club wishing to be affiliated to the NBRA shall be scrutinised and vetted by a representative of the association who will draw up rules guaranteeing that only Bona fide clubs and no single individuals are affiliated.

The NBRA definition of a bona fide club is as follows:

  • The club will agree to abide by the NBRA Constitution
  • Hold 3 flying competitions a year
  • Hold an annual general meeting of which the minutes must be sent to the secretary before the National Championship take place (names and addresses of qualifiers only, NOT full memberships)
  • The fly validation sheets must be completed and returned to the NBRA secretary
  • The results of these competitions will be sent to NBRA secretary and then forwarded on to the NBRA website
  • At least 5 members of the club must be flying in the club competition for the Old Bird and Young Bird, 3 members for the Yearling, one of which can be a guest flyer
  • Demonstrate that the club is of a nature and standard suitable for entry into the association and the national competition
  • Initially, and if necessary, subsequently, the club will be vetted and supported in a report submitted by a committee member to the NBRA AGM

Non compliance to any of the above will result in an instant disqualification into the National Championships


EXPENSES
Each club shall be responsible for the expenses of the National Judge. All clubs must pay  a cash deposit to the NBRA on entering the competition and the remainder promptly upon receipt of a bill from the NBRA secretary. The NBRA allocate a judges fee of £300.00 plus expenses to allow the National Flies to be judged over a one week period. A time keeper/score may accompany the judge on the fly and if the judge wishes to do so they may share the judge’s fee.

N.B AN AFFILIATED CLUB IS A CLUB THAT PAYS MONEY TO THE N.B.R.A


TROPHIES
The NBRA will be responsible for the presentation of a trophy for 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in the competition for old, young and yearling kits. Additionally a trophy will be presented for the champion young and old bird individual performer. If they are a joint scores, then trophies will be awarded to both flyers. The judge, at his discretion may award runners up trophies in exceptional circumstances. The cost of engraving, insuring and replacing the main trophy is the responsibility of the NBRA.


JUDGING
The secretary of the NBRA is responsible for supplying proposal forms for clubs to nominate persons who they consider capable and willing of judging a National Fly. It is also possible that an overseas judge may be approached to judge the National Fly. The winners of the previous year’s fly along with any nominations for an international judge, which will not be used to compile a list and the judge will be selected from that list once this list has been approved at the next AGM. The judge will NOT be a current competitor.


ADMINISTRATION SECRETARY
The secretary of the NBRA will normally be the administrative secretary for the competition. In the event the NBRA secretary is indisposed, he/she will in the first instance pass the responsibility on to any member of the committee. Should no member of the committee accept the task, the secretary may nominate any person he/she feels capable of administering the competition, to do so.
The responsibilities of the administrative secretary are as follows:-

  • Circulating clubs with rules
  • Circulating application forms
  • Publishing results
  • Issuing certificates
  • Engraving the main trophies
  • Contact all ring manufactures to make sure they are sending out the right colour ring
  • Keep the records of all results
  • Selecting Judges in accordance with the constitution
  • Will contact the flyers that have been entered into the national championship to for a structured fly schedule
  • Bring to the attention of the committee any breach of the constitution or competition rules
  • Adjudicating disputes concerned with the competition
  • Ensuring only eligible clubs compete
  • Ensuring the rules are obeyed
  • Invoicing clubs for judges fees
  • Keeping accounts on behalf of the NBRA
  • Presenting a report of the competition and financial state at each AGM
  • Ensuring judges fees are paid properly
  • Receiving complaints about the conduct of the competition
  • Organising the Annual General Meeting (May)
  • Furnishing club secretaries with proposal forms for election of officers and names of possible judges for the National Championships by the 1st October each year
  • Notifying clubs of results, time and date of AGM
  • Organising the presentation of the main trophies at the AGM

FINAL DATES
The competition MUST be completed before the last day in December. All NOMINEES MUST be received by the NBRA secretary along with the completed validation sheets by the second Sunday in September each year. Any proposals to be considered by the AGM must be formally submitted to the secretary on the form provided two month before the meeting. (The secretary will supply forms to all clubs by the 31st October, and return complete list of proposals for the club perusal by the 31st March)


DISPUTES
Disputes will in the first instance be notified to the NBRA secretary, who will attempt to sort them out. If it is in his/her judgement out of the secretaries scope it will be taken either by telephone or letter to be decided by MAJORITY VOTE by the committee. The NBRA secretary having no vote, but a casting vote should the committee be tied. It should be noted that it is the responsibility of any fancier observing breach of rules to convey these observation immediately to the judge or NBRA secretary.


CHANGES IN CONSTITUTION
The constitution can only be changed by 60% MAJORITY VOTE of Secretaries/Chairmen/Nominee (one representative per club) of all NBRA affiliated clubs present by the AGM. Proposals for the changes in the constitution must be received by the secretary no later than the 31st March.


CHANGING IN FLYING RULES
Flying rules may be made by SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE of secretaries/Chairmen/Nominee (one representative per club) of all NBRA affiliated clubs present at the AGM. Proposals for changes in Flying Rules must be received by the secretary no later than the 31st March.


PUBLISHING CHANGES
It is the responsibility of the NBRA Secretary to publish any changes in constitution or flying rules at the earliest convenience, preferably in the current pigeon journal of the day, or by letter to all concerned organisations.


THE NBRA HALL OF FAME
The Hall of Fame is recognition of any persons who have contributed to the developing roller interest and helped establish it to the standard as it stands today. CRITERIA FOR THIS IS:-  They will have had to have been an active flying roller fancier for at least 10 years. Card vote to be used when inducting individuals into the NBRA Hall of Fame.


ISSUING OF RINGS
The NBRA secretary to instruct ALL ring manufacturers to send rings to clubs affiliated to the NBRA direct to club secretaries by recorded delivery, but not to arrive before December 10th each year.
NO RINGS can be issued to the club members until January 1st each year. If rings are being posted to members then they cannot be posted before the 1st January each year.
All rings MUST be R size closed aluminium or closed aluminium plastic coated NO other rings can be used. All clubs MUST inform the NBRA secretary where they will be purchasing their rings.
All affiliated clubs will be issued with the same coloured rings. The ring manufacturers work on a 6 year colour cycle. The secretary will contact all ring manufacturers to furnish them with an up to date members list.
If clubs DO NOT abide by these rules, clubs WILL NOT be eligible to fly in the National Yearling or Young Bird Flies, and the matter will be brought before the disciplinary committee.
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REWARD FUND
Only clubs that pay into the NBRA/AERC reward fund be entitled to use it, subject to a prosecution and the birds being returned.


ELIGIBILITY TO FLY
5 KITS must be flown in club competition for 1 KIT to go forward in the National Championships Young and Old Bird Flies. Thereafter for every 10 KITS flown, one more kit would go forward to the National Championships. E.G: 5=1, 15=2, 25=3, 35=4 etc, etc
YEARLING FLIES
Clubs must have at least 3 minimum fly entries in local club competitions to put one yearling kit forward to the National Flies.
That for every 8 KITS flown in single club competitions in yearling flies, 2 KITS will go forward to the National Fly, and one more kit for every 10 thereafter. E.G: 8=2, 18=3, 28=4 etc, etc

 

Flying Rules

  • The kit will consist of between 15-20 birds, but scored as a 20 bird kit and the kitting points will be the number of birds flown. Young birds must be rung with the current year’s rings. Birds rung with rings issued by clubs before 1st January each year will not be eligible for Young bird contest. All old birds must be rung with rings other than the current year.
  • Before the competition the judge shall satisfy himself that all birds are properly rung and eligible for the competition. A list of ring numbers must be available to the judge, who is responsible for forwarding this list to the NBRA secretary for inclusion on the certificate. Birds must be the property of the competitor and rings transferred if appropriate, to club rules.
  • At liberation a reasonable time should be allowed for birds to become airborne. There should be no restriction to the methods employed to ensure birds become airborne, BUT positively NO INTERFERENCE will be allowed once the birds are on the clock.
  • Duration of the fly is 20 minutes, although there will be no penalties or disqualification once the birds have flown for 15 minutes.
  • Any attempt to distract a bird from settling during duration of the competition will result in disqualification of the kit. Any bird rolling down before 15 minutes of the fly will incur a 5 point deduction. Any bird landing for whatever reason before the 15 minutes will incur a 5 points penalty per bird up to a maximum of 2 birds. Any additional birds dropping after this will result in the kit being disqualified.
  • In the event of the kit splitting into 2, the biggest number shall be judged, or in the event of an equal split, the competitor may choose which half to be judged.
  • If a kit should fly out of sight of the judge, the birds may be taken off the clock for a total aggregate time of 10 MINUTES at the judge’s discretion. Any time taken ‘off the clock’ by the judge will be counted as part of the duration of the fly time, i.e. birds having flown for 5 minutes and also 10 minutes off the clock have flown for the minimum 15 minutes to avoid penalty points.
  • If during the competition, additional birds join the kit, the judge should stop judging the birds until the foreign birds leave the kit or as in rule 7, after 10 minutes the entire kit should be judged including the stray birds.
  • The kit should fly in compact formation and the beginning and the end of the roll should be tight and not sloppy. The birds should satisfy THE JUDGES CONCEPT OF A BIRMINGHAM ROLLER BEFORE ANY POINTS ARE AWARDED. An addition of up to a maximum of 200 POINTS can awarded for overall quality of the kit.

THESE POINTS ARE AWARDED AT THE JUDGE’S DICRETION BUT IT SHOULD BE POINTED OUT THAT THESE SHOULD BE THE MOST DIFFICULT POINTS TO EARN.

  • Up to 20 points can be awarded for kitting.
  • Scoring of points shall follow the accepted norm. i.e.:-

        5-9 birds rolling spontaneously together        1 point per bird
        10-14 Birds rolling spontaneously together    2 points per bird
        15-19 Birds rolling spontaneously together    3 points per bird
        FULL TURN = 200 POINTS........ALL BIRDS ROLL SPONTANEOULSLY
Judges should judge kits from a position offering most advantage to the competitor. However the position adopted by the judge should neither distract the kit nor compromise his/her safety of comfort. The judge’s decision on this matter is final.

  • The judge shall leave a copy of the score with the competitor and the NBRA secretary will furnish full results to all affiliated club secretaries.
  • No competitors are eligible to judge.
  • The judge shall submit a complete list of results to the NBRA secretary at the end of the competition. (The duplicate result sheets)
  • In the event of a HAWK ATTACK, judges to make sure it is a definite hawk attack. The judge to be flexible with reference to the kit being taken off the clock when the kit is attacked by a hawk.  (30 MINUTES MAXIMUM FOR BIRDS TO REGROUP AFTER THE ATTACK). If all birds drop as a result of a hawk attack the kit is not disqualified and the score at the time to stand. If near the end of a fly a hawk attacks the kit, the score to stand. If the hawk makes a definite kill, no kitting points deducted, due to the hawk taking bird/birds.
  • When a member is flying more than one kit, the second kit is to be released 45 minutes after time is called on the first kit. Failure to do so will incur disqualification to the second kit.

SUMMARY
DISQUALIFY CRITERIA: INTERFERING WITH THE BIRDS WHILE ON THE CLOCK. NOT RELEASING SECOND KIT AS IN RULE 16.
PENALTY POINTS: BIRDS ROLING DOWN BEFORE 15 MINUTES – MINUS 5 PTS.
BIRD DROPS BEFORE 15 MINUTES – MINUS 5 PTS PER BIRD (2 BIRDS MAXIMUM) ANY BIRD DROPPING AFTER THIS, KIT DISQUALIFIED.
Note rule 15 hawk attack modifies some of the disqualification rules.