Friday, January 14, 2005
Tournament Rules
Sportcast USA Tournament Rules
2009
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
A Tournament Director shall be present at all SportscastUSA events and is in charge of all aspects of the tournament. The Tournament Director may appoint Officials to help with running the tournament.
EQUIPMENT
CONVENTIONAL TACKLE
Rod: There shall be no restriction upon length or on the material used in its construction.
Reel: Must be able to be used for fishing, but must have a standard factory manufactured spool.
SPINNING TACKLE
Rod: Same as for conventional tackle.
Reel: To contain a spool that is fixed during the cast. Must be able to be used for fishing, but must have a standard factory manufactured spool.
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:
.31 mm (.01220 inch) for the 175 gram weight
.31 mm (.01220 inch) for the 150 gram weight
.28 mm (.01102 inch) for the 125 gram weight
.25 mm (.00984 inch) for the 100 gram weight
SHOCK LINE
The shock line shall be made of high visibility monofilament material, have a minimum diameter of .75 mm (.0295 inch), and be parallel throughout its entire length.
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 Sportcast USA may be used in a tournament. The official weights are 100 gram, 125 gram, 150 gram, and 175 gram. The weights may not be altered in any way.
LINE CLIPS
An approved line clip must be used to attach the casting weight to the shock line.
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. Children under the age of six may cast weights provided 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. No re-entries or duplicate entries are permitted. Casters that arrive late to cast and miss their turn will not be permitted to cast in that round.
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 result in a fifty foot deduction from the
measured length of the cast.
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.
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 on the right side of the center line in the back of the base line.
There will be a designated parking and activity area at all casting tournaments.
MEASUREMENT OF CASTS
No one except the officials is 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, and distance on the appropriate chart.
Out of bounds cast do not count and will not be recorded.
In the event of a tie, each caster in the tie shall make one cast with the longest declared the winner.
RECORDS
Records will be kept for longest cast with conventional and spinning equipment in the following categories: Pendulum, .Off The Ground (OTG) and Backcast.
Starting in 2009, a separate set of records will be kept for seniors over 60 years for the same categories.
Individual setting record must report record cast to tournament director during tournament so cast can be verified when measured.
The only records recognized by SportCastUSA are those made at the sanctioned tournaments authorized by SportCastUSA.
AWARDS
A caster must be a member, in good standing, of SportCastUSA to be eligible for any SportCastUSA award.
Awards will be given to the first, second, and third place contestants in the Men’s, and Women’s classes. All contestants in Junior, Kids, and Child 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
WOMEN
AA - 500 feet and over
A - 400 feet to 500 feet
B - 300 feet to 400 feet
C - 0 feet to 300 feet
AGE CLASSES
JUNIOR - 12 to 17
SUB JUNIOR - 6 to 11
KIDS - 3 to 5
SUB SENIOR - 55 to 64
SENIOR - 65 to 74
SENIOR SENIOR - 75 and older
# posted by SCUSA @ 9:53 AM 
Friday, January 07, 2005
2005 Tournament Schedule
Sportcast Events
4/2 & 4/3 SE Open Wilmington NC
Details
4/23 & 4/24 NE Open Marlton NJ
Details
4/2 & 4/3 SE Open Wilmington NC
4/23 & 4/24 NE Open Marlton NJ
Nationals May 20-22th Crisfield MD
Worlds Sept 23-25th Crisfield MD
SFCCI October 8th
http://www.sfcci.org/cgi-local/webcal.cgi
Florida Surfcasters March 19-20
http://www.floridasurffishing.com/tournament.doc
# posted by SCUSA @ 5:00 PM
Scusa Forum
# posted by SCUSA @ 4:45 PM
What's it all about ?
Wilmington Angler World's Top Long-caster
This story may be printed for Free in any print or on-line publication. The tagline found at the end must accompany the story if printed.
(PRWEB) January 3, 2005 -- When his friends and rivals say Tommy Farmer of Wilmington can cast a country mile, they aren’t exaggerating. During the Sportcast USA World Long Casting Championship at Crisfield, Md., Farmer showed his skill by pacing the event with a cast of 819 feet.
Farmer, who is an avid fisherman, has been competing in distance-casting events for years. While still excited about his accomplishment, he said he had two goals at the beginning of 2004. “One of my goals was to beat 12-time champion ‘Big Lou’ McEachern of Texas, and the other was to break the American distance-casting record,” he said. Farmer achieved one of his goals and barely missed the other.
To win the title, Farmer had to beat McEachern, his rival and occasional training partner. The American distance-casting record of 821 feet, held by McEachern, was just out of Farmer’s reach when the event ended. Farmer’s 150-gram-class winning cast of 819 feet was the second-best American cast in the event’s history. He said he will try again to claim the world record during the 2005 tournament. On his way to the 2004 championship, Farmer advanced through the Southeast Regional competition at Wilmington and the U.S. national competition at Crisfield, Md. He competes in the Masters Division, the top level of distance-casting events.
In distance casting, there are two weight classes. In the 125-grams (about 4 1/2 ounces) class, competitors use 8-pound test or .28-mm monofilament line, plus a shock leader of 30 feet of 60 pounds or .75-mm mono is used between the end of the fishing line and the weight. The second class is 150 grams or about 5 1/4 ounces. In this class, competitors use 10-pound test or .31-mm monofilament line with the same shock leader.
Farmer said the heavier shock leader is necessary to absorb the power and whip of the cast. Farmer said his rod of choice is the Pendulum Cast, which originated in Great Britain. “With it, I begin with my back to the target and start swinging the sinker to begin loading the rod,” he said. “After working the rod to a fair bend with the swinging weight, I swing it all the way back and whip the rod over my head as I spin around. This final motion fully loads the rod and multiplies the strength I can put into it. If my timing and angle are correct, it will be a long cast.” If Farmer continues to improve, it’s possible he could repeat his 2004 championship this year.
For the latest in outdoor features, news and columns, subscribe to North Carolina Sportsman magazine by calling (800) 538-4355 or visiting www.northcarolinasportsman.com.
By Jerry Dilsaver
# posted by SCUSA @ 9:40 AM
