Hawaii Old Timers Casting Club Tournament Rules

Revision: 12/16/2011

The Hawaii Old Timers (HOT) Casting Club Shall Implement The Following Tournament Rules. These Rules Shall Be In Compliance With SportCast USA Tournament Rules As Ammended And Appropriately Modified For Specific Needs As Required To Meet Geographic Considerations.


TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

A Tournament Director shall be present at all HOT CC events and is in charge of all aspects of the tournament. The Tournament Director may appoint Officials to help with running the tournament. All decisions made by the Tournament Director are final.


EQUIPMENT

CONVENTIONAL TACKLE
  • Rod: There shall be no restriction upon length or on the material used in its construction.
  • Reel: No restrictions.
SPINNING TACKLE
  • Rod: There shall be no restriction upon length or on the material used in its construction.
  • Reel: No restrictions.
RUNNING LINE
The running line shall be made of high visibility monofilament material and be the same diameter throughout its entire length. The running line shall have the following minimum diameters:
  • 0.78 mm (0.03100 inch) for the 225 gram weight (approx 8 ounces)
  • 0.60 mm (0.02400 inch) for the 200 gram weight (approx 7 ounces)
  • 0.35 mm (0.01378 inch) for the 175 gram weight (approx 6 ounces)
  • 0.31 mm (0.01220 inch) for the 150 gram weight (approx 5 ounces)
  • 0.28 mm (0.01102 inch) for the 125 gram weight (approx 4 ounces)
SHOCK LINE
The shock line shall be made of high visibility monofilament material, be parallel throughout its entire length, and have the following minimum diameters:
  • 0.85 mm (0.0334 inch) for 225 and 200 gram weights
  • 0.75 mm (0.0295 inch) for 175 and 150 gram weights
  • 0.65 mm (0.0256 inch) for the 125 gram weight
There shall be at least eight turns of the shock line around the spool before any cast is attempted.

CASTING WEIGHTS
Only official weights provided by HOT Casting Club may be used in a tournament.
  • The official weights are 125 gram, 150 gram, 175 gram, 200 gram, and 225 gram.
  • The weights may not be altered in any way.
  • A $3.00 security deposit is required for each weight.
  • Security deposits will be refunded when the weights are returned.
LINE CLIPS
An approved line clip must be used to attach the casting weight to the shock line. A doubled knot shall be used to attach the shock line to the clip (eg, Palomar, Trilene or Double Loop Clinch, Double Improved Clinch),


CASTING RULES

The number of casters, daylight hours, and weather will determine the number of casts for an event. A stop casting time will be set at the beginning of the day. No cast will be made after that set time unless a new time is agreed on by all casters in tournament and the tournament director.
All casters and spectators will make every effort to safely execute casts and to help others be safe and promote safety at events. It shall not be permitted to make any cast that is determined to be dangerous by the Tournament Director.
Event day practice will take place at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Contestants may cast any official weight at anytime during a tournament. One or two ounce weights shall be supplied for children under age six by their parents.
Each caster will be given a number and a set of flags for marking the cast.
Casting shall take place in the following order:
  • First - Children
  • Second - Women
  • Third - Men in order of increasing classification.
A caster will be called to cast by an Official and must be ready to cast when called. Casters that arrive late to cast or miss their turn will be permitted to cast only at the discretion of the tournament director.
All casters shall cast forward from behind the base line in a designated area. No caster shall pass this base line while in the act of casting and until the casting weight has landed. A caster has fouled when any portion of his/her body touches the ground ahead of the base line. A base line foul shall not be measured.
All break-offs will be recorded by the Tournament Director and must be retrieved by the caster and given to the Tournament Director before the start of the next round. Any caster who fails to find and return their break-off will not, at the discretion of the Tournament Director, be permitted to cast again until the break-off is found and returned to the Tournament Director.
After a cast is completed, a caster must place his/her rod in a designated area set aside by the Tournament Director until the round is over.
Retrieving weights shall be in the reverse order of casting and shall be accomplished by reeling while walking out to the weight.
Marking the distance shall be accomplished by the caster placing the appropriate flag at the point where the weight penetrated the ground. If the sinker has not penetrated the ground the flag shall be placed where the sinker lies on the ground.
All flags must be marked with:
  • the caster’s number
  • casting weight
  • type of reel (C for Conventional or S for Spinning)
  • casting style (PEN for Pendulum, OTG for Off the Ground, and BC for Back Cast)
If the style of cast and/or reel type is not indicated on the flag then the recorder of distance shall mark the reel type as Conventional and style as PEN.
No one except casters and officials are permitted on the field while the weights are being retrieved.


CASTING COURT

A thirty degree casting court will be used at all tournaments. The casting court shall be laid out in the following manner:
  • A base pin (oche) shall be driven in the ground and center line markers will be placed at every hundred feet out to eight hundred feet. From this pin, sidelines markers will be placed fifteen degrees to the left and right of the centerline every hundred feet out to eight hundred feet.
  • A four foot base line will centered on the Oche and the caster must remain behind this line during the cast.
  • There shall be a safety zone established in back of the base line. This zone shall be one hundred feet deep. No person or vehicle shall be allowed in the safety zone and within 15 feet of the left side of the center line in the back of the base line except the caster.


PARKING

There will be designated parking and activity area at all casting tournaments.


MEASUREMENT OF CASTS

No one except the officials are permitted on the field while the measurements are taking place. A steel or fiberglass tape or a laser measuring device shall be used to measure all casts.
Officials shall record the caster number, weight size, type of reel, style of cast and distance on the appropriate chart.
Out of bounds cast do not count and will not be recorded.
In the event of a tie, the caster with the second longest cast shall be declared the winner.


RECORDS

The only records recognized by the HOT Casting Club are those made at the sanctioned tournaments authorized by Sportcast USA. Records will be kept for longest cast with conventional and spinning equipment in the following categories: Pendulum (PEN), Off The Ground (OTG) and Back Cast (BC) for Men and Women for each of the age classes.


AWARDS

A caster must be a member, in good standing, of Sportcast USA to be eligible for any HOT Casting Club or Sportcast USA award.
Awards/Prizes, if available, will be given to the First, Second, and Third place contestants in the Men's, Women's Young Adult, Mid Adult, Adult, Sub Senior, Senior and Super Senior classes. Availble awards/prizes will be selected by drawing of first place winners (age divisions). Any remaining prizes will be selected by drawing for second place winners.
All contestants in the Kid, Sub Junior, and Junior classes, will receive a Certificate of Participation.


CLASSIFICATION OF CASTERS

DISTANCE CLASSES - MEN
  • MASTERS - over 725 feet
  • AAA - 650 feet to 725 feet
  • AA - 550 feet to 650 feet
  • A - 450 feet to 550 feet
  • B - 350 feet to 450 feet
  • C - 0 feet to 350 feet
DISTANCE CLASSES - WOMEN
  • AA - over 500 feet
  • A - 400 feet to 500 feet
  • B - 300 feet to 400 feet
  • C - 0 feet to 300 feet
AGE CLASSES
  • KID - 3 to 5
  • SUB JUNIOR - 6 to 11
  • JUNIOR - 12 to 17
  • YOUNG ADULT - 18 to 29
  • MID ADULT - 30 to 39
  • ADULT - 39 to 49
  • SUB SENIOR - 50 to 59
  • SENIOR - 60 to 69
  • SUPER SENIOR - 70 and older