TULSA OIL CAPITOL RPC

I-OBJECT

The Tulsa Oil Capitol Racing Pigeon Club (hereinafter referred to as “TOK”) exists to promote, protect and enhance the sport of racing homing pigeons.

II-EXISTANCE

TOK is a non-profit corporation organized and exiting under the laws of State of Oklahoma.

III-MEMBERSHIP

Flying members shall live within a twenty-five mile limit from the intersection of Main & Admiral Streets in Tulsa, unless a flyer is voted in by special invite by TOK.

All new applications for membership will be tabled for a meeting and must be approved by 80% of the quorum present. Applicant shall not be present for the vote.

Any new member duly accepted by TOK after August 1, 2011, shall be a probationary member for twenty four (24 months) upon being accepted. During the probationary period, the new member has full entitlement to participate in races and other activities sponsored by TOK. Probationary members will have limited rights and voting privileges during this period. At the first regular meeting following completion of the member’s probationary period, they shall stand for voting into full active status. Eighty (80) percent of active members present may vote to install full active membership status. Once a new member has completed this probationary membership period, TOK shall vote on them prior to conduction any other business and the new member shall be entitled to vote on all items of business considered at the meeting.

Junior Membership is defined as any person less than eighteen (18) years of age or upon graduation of high school. Junior member pay half of flying fees.

All dues must be paid by February 1 to maintain membership. If not paid member must re-apply for membership.

All money owed to TOK must be paid in full before flying the next race season.

Anybody owing back money that hasn’t voluntary paid within one year is not eligible for membership, unless they pay all money owed first and then they must reapply for membership.

Every member is required to provide two shipping crates. New members are allowed a period of one year if needed. Also, there are two options –If you provide or buy two crates they are yours if you decide to leave or TOK will allow you to pay $100.00 per crate but the crate remains the property of TOK.

Members of TOK agree to conduct themselves in the spirit of friendly sportsmanship, fairness and in accordance with the AU code of Ethics.

To be eligible to vote on a race schedule or course, the flying member must have flown the previous season in that series of races.

Any suggested alternations or amendment must be submitted in writing at a business meeting and be approved by two-thirds favorable vote of the quorum present.

A copy of these rules shall be furnished to every member and every new member who joins TOK at the time his or her dues are accepted.

Every member who enters any race shall be deemed to have full knowledge of these rules and have agreed to all provisions thereof.


IV-CODE OF ETHICS

Introduction: TOK has adopted the following AU Code of Ethics.
Code of Ethics for its’ members and member-affiliated organizations.It should be noted that repeated or intentional and willful violations of any of the items of the Code could be considered to be conduct detrimental to the pigeon sport, the AU, or its members, and may result in disciplinary action that could include suspending or expelling the offender from the AU and its affiliated member organizations.310.01 AU members have a responsibility to represent our sport and hobby in the highest of standards of conduct: they will not use profane language, engage in abusive argument or disorderly conduct at pigeon functions or in public places where they can be identified with our sport and hobby.310.02 AU members shall abide by all laws and/or covenants in the housing or management of their pigeons, and shall comply with all provisions of regulations regarding awards or prizes.310.03 AU organizations will not require compulsory pooling.310.04 Under no circumstances will officers of member clubs distribute bands to individuals prior to January 1 of each year.310.05 AU members shall provide adequate and sanitary housing for their birds.310.06 AU members shall feed their pigeons an adequate diet and maintain them in healthy physical condition and arrange to provide proper medical care for them if necessary.310.07 AU members shall consider their neighbor’s rights in the management of their lofts and race teams.310.08 AU members shall not train their birds in a reckless or a ruthless manner that presents undue hardships on the birds or that may effect a loss of pigeons.
310.09 AU affiliated organizations shall follow the latest official AU Club Race Rules in the conduct of their races and abide by all official AU policies.
310.10 The welfare, health and safety of all race birds will be the first consideration in their transportation to the liberation point, whether for training or for a race.No Injured or disabled birds should ever be shipped. (revised 7-20-06)310.11 AU members shall not ship pigeons that are not healthy or that are contagious to races, regardless of previous commitments to ship; members shall endeavor to protect those other birds that have been shipped in a healthy state by responsible fanciers.310.12 AU members shall not release birds in training or in races in weather conditions, which make orientation or homing excessively difficult (such as in times of heavy fog, rain, snow, hail, strong head winds or similar detrimental weather conditions).310.13 When necessary, humane culling is the duty of any animal owner: AU members shall try to cull their birds in as discrete and as humane a manner as possible.310.14 No club shall impose arbitrary restrictions or capricious limitations to exclude an AU member from participating in club activities or races.310.15 Clubs shall issue accurate diplomas, race results and award applications in a timely manner.310.16 AU organizations shall ensure that they afford “due process” to every AU member in all disputes and disciplinary matters.

310.17 AU Resolution on Pigeon Shoots, The American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc. acknowledges the faithful and honorable services rendered to our nation and the US military as messengers in four wars by the ancestors of our pedigreed racing homing pigeons. The direct descendants of those valiant heroes are used today in national competition by hobbyists who maintain reserve lofts and stand ready to serve our national again in the event of a national emergency or disaster.
The American Racing Pigeon Union, Inc. does not support, foster participation in, nor condone the senseless mass killing of pigeons, doves, or any other animal, in those organized events advertised as “sport shooting contests,” and popularly known as “pigeon shoots,” common in various regions of the United States. The Union is on record as speaking out against the shooting of any species of domestic pigeon, domestic dove or other bird related, however remotely, to the species commonly bred and trained as racing homing pigeons. Our organization condemns further, the killing by poisons or mechanical entrapping devices, maiming, disfigurement or physical abuse in any form of any registered, banded bird.(added August 18, 1995)
310.18 AU members shall make every effort to recover, care for, and find the owner of any found or stray banded bird.They will not trap, harm or remove any leg band or other identification from any bird that is not theirs. (Exceptions are birds found dead) (added7-06)
310.19 AU Resolution on Raptors.The AU does not condone the harassment or unauthorized trapping of hawks, or falcons.Any AU member found guilty in a state or federal court of law of illegally using a trap for the purposes of trapping hawks or falcons shall be barred from flying competitively in any AU-sanctioned race for one year, followed by five (5) years of probation.If additional violations occur, membership will be terminated.

V-ELECTION OF OFFICERS

TOK shall have an annual meeting and elect the following officers: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Race Secretary.

The President’s duty shall be to declare, preside and conduct all meetings, and in his absence it shall become the duty of the Vice President.

The Secretary shall at each meeting take minutes and will be asked to read the minutes from the previous meeting.

The Race Secretary shall be responsible for the conduct of races and shall appoint a race committee and assign duties to members as they see fit.

All decisions relating to races, or any phase thereof, including disputes or complaints, shall be determined by the race committee, whose decision shall be final. Any member who feels aggrieved by any act or decision of the race secretary, or his assistants may file a written complaint with the race secretary, who shall call a meeting of the race committee. At such meeting, the complaining member shall be permitted to attend and support his or her complaint with evidence. The race committee, after such hearing shall forthwith render a decision.

If any office fails to perform the duties assigned to his office by either continued absence or lack of interest, shall be replaced at the earliest meeting date.


VI-RACE RULES

Each member is allowed to ship up to 5 birds to the “A” Race and up to 35 birds to the “B” race. No Exceptions.

Lofts have to be surveyed by two members of TOK prior to member being eligible to compete.

Only birds with seamless unaltered racing pigeon size bands may be entered in a race, excluding first year flyers, who may fly their first old bird series with split bands. Birds with split bands are not eligible for AU prizes.

No young bird may be entered in an old bird racer and no old bird may be entered in a young bird race.

An individual or partnership may fly from one loft location.

No bird shall be placed in the crate to be used for a race, except those which have been entered in said race.

No birds may be entered in a race if the member entering the birds cannot show conclusive proof of ownership.

Any member may request that any bird be “tossed”, the race secretary may require, in the presence of the member making the request, any participant to toss a race bird. Request for tossing must be made within twenty-four hours after the computation of the race; the bird shall not be tossed less than 200 feet or more than 1 mile from its loft location. Any bird not returning to its loft location within one hour after it is tossed shall be disqualified.

Birds must be at the designated place for countermarking by clock bump time or they may be barred from competition in that race.

All birds eligible for prizes must be timed in continuous running, timers. The race committee, may reject any clock which in their opinion can be tampered with, or show evidence of having been.

Entrants whose clock stops, or who have no clock my telephone their countermark numbers to another member, who then write the number on paper and clocks it in the required manner. The original countermark must be delivered to a member of the race committee prior to clock opening. Must put the two members on each counter mark on each paper.

A stopped clock can be reset with the master timer under the supervision of a member of the race committee. Clock shall be reset prior to one hour before arrival of the first race bird clocked.

Any clock that is not sealed or that are improperly sealed shall be disqualified and, if there is no evidence or tampering, the arrival times of the countermark-therein shall be the time of the official closing time of the race.

It shall be the owner’s responsibility to see that his clock is wound, set for day seven (7), tape signed and dated, and sealed. Any clock not sealed and signed at knock-off will be disqualified.

Any clock which varies more than two (2) minutes per twenty-four (24) hours running time will be penalized. Clock fast more than five seconds per running hour shall have each bird timing read and calculated with our any adjustment. Clocks slow more than five seconds per running hour shall have the variation without adjustment, entire amount slow added to the clock’s time of each bird arrival as a penalty, before calculating.

Tapes that tear, fail to wind properly, overprint or malfunction and prevent tapes from being accurately and positively read shall be disqualified. Arrival time shall be the official closing time of the race.

All stampings must be between the perforated holes, all clocks shall be opened and countermarks checked by two officials.

Should one or more birds escape in transit, or before the race release and should an inventory of the remaining birds transported by the conveyor be impractical, the race shall be declared NO contest.

Race schedules and courses shall be determined by a majority of the flying voting members at the regular meeting designated for this purpose.

Special races shall not be included in loft average speed.

No race over 230 miles station shall be liberated later than 10:00am on a one day race. Any race over 230 miles station will be considered a two day race. Any race under 200 miles liberated later than 10:00 will be considered two day race.

A race schedule may be changed while a race series is in progress, only if inclement weather is the factor and such rule is adopted at the time the race schedule is adopted.

For figuring average speed, time out for darkness shall be ½ hour after sunset, or loft to clock its first bird if it is clocked after sunset and before midnight. The race shall open ½ hour before sunrise, or ½ hour before the first loft clocking.