The National Prep Wrestling Championships By-Laws

Article 1: Name, Purpose, and Identity

1. Name. The corporation will be known Formally as the National Prep Wrestling Championships.

   1. The Corporation will commonly be referred to as “National Preps” in its short form.

2. Principal Office.  Pennsylvania, USA.

3. Registered Agent. Steven Hill.

4. Purpose. The National Prep Wrestling Championships shall responsibly promote, advocate, coordinate, and provide a quality end of the year championship for its member private and independent schools.

5. Corporate Identity. The National Prep Wrestling Championships shall be organized as a non-profit corporation within the definition of the internal revenue code 501c3 509(a)(2).

 

Article 2: Composition of the Corporation

1. The corporation's membership shall include representation from private and independent educational institutions with amateur wrestling as provided below.

2. Membership Classes

1. There will be one general membership class.

2. Current Memberships Zones include: District of Columbia, Maryland, New England, New York/New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Southeast (Florida, Georgia GIAA, South Carolina SCISA), Tennessee, Texas/Oklahoma, and Virginia.

3. Membership is conditional to compliance with NWCA Optimal Performance Calculator.

1. Acceptance of Membership. Membership is a privilege and creates with its certain obligations and duties. The Board of Directors may establish such membership requirements as the Board deems necessary or appropriate from time to time. Any institution that has been approved by the board AND meets the requirements for membership set forth below is entitled to acceptance as a member of the corporation. No privilege of membership shall be available until all membership requirements are satisfied.

2. Participating schools must be accredited by an established regional, independent school accreditation organization that is recognized by the appropriate respective state department of education and the National Association of Independent Schools.

3. Participating schools must require that, for the entirety of their time at their respective institutions, all students-athletes are enrolled (full-time and with a full course load) in an academic program that progresses toward a high school diploma or post-graduate certificate, provided by the member institution.

• Explanation: The institution for which student-athletes compete in NPW be the same institution by which they are enrolled in an academic program that progresses toward a high school diploma or post-graduate certificate.

1. Wrestling must be a recognized varsity sport at participating schools and an interscholastic competition schedule must be published by the school for public viewing not later than December 1st.

2. Participating schools must sponsor teams for at least two interscholastic varsity sports (each for men and women, if school is co-ed) per season (fall, winter, spring). All teams must participate in their respective leagues with a full schedule of competition that is customary for prep schools.

3. Participating schools are required to operate in accordance with the National Federation Rulebook.

4. Schools must not rely on public funding to sponsor operations.

5. Participating schools must be accepted for membership by the respective NPW qualifying zone organization.

6. Schools must participate in their qualifying zone tournaments to be eligible to participate in the National Prep Tournament.

7. Eligible schools that are not located in a qualifying zone will be required to seek and be granted admittance into the nearest geographical qualifying zone, prior to being evaluated and voted on by the National Prep Board.

8. Eligible schools that are not located in a qualifying zone and are not admitted into the nearest geographical qualifying zone must gain support for participation in National Prep Wrestling from schools in its geographic location, and then petition the board for the creation of a new regional qualifying zone.

9. For National Prep Tournament eligibility, prospective NPW schools must be approved by the National Prep Board by a majority vote, not later than December 1st of the season in question.

10. Participating schools may not take part in their state's public-school state wrestling championships.

11. Newly onboarded NPW schools must commit to participation in the National Prep network for a minimum of 8 years. Failure to honor this agreement will result in a “Notice of Violation” letter, sent to the school’s state athletic association, signed by the National Prep Board.

12. Participating Schools must join the NWCA prior to their first competition and follow the TrackWrestling / National Prep OPC weight management guidelines.

13. Eligibility for Individual Wrestlers

1. Must be enrolled as a full-time student at a school approved by the National Prep Board for participation not later than the end of the second week in January.

2. May not have reached one's 19th birthday prior to August 1st of the school year in question.

3. Eighth grade student athletes who are enrolled full-time, as an eighth grader, at an approved National Prep network school are eligible.

4. Student-athletes, grades eight - postgraduate, who are enrolled as full-time students at schools that meet the national prep eligibility criteria are eligible to participate in the National Prep Tournament.

5. A wrestler must "Officially" weigh-in at his or her certified weight class ONCE, prior to competing in their respective zone's regional qualifier, in order to be eligible for that weight class at National Prep School Wrestling Championships.

6. Qualifying Student athletes must compete in the National Prep Wrestling Championships at the same weight class in which he/she wrestled in the zone/state championship qualifier. The exception to this guideline is when the weight classes of the zone qualifier are different from the National Prep Championship weights.

1. Voting. NPC Member Schools have no vote.

 

Article 3: Certification as a National Governing Body

1. NWCA - National Wrestling Coaches Association.

1. The National Prep Wrestling Championships are certified as a Governing Body through the NWCA and our application of the Optimal Performance Calculator.

1. Governance - The corporation shall seek and attempt to maintain certification by the NWCA as the National Governing Body for Private and Independent School Wrestling in the United States.

 

Article 4: Construction of the Board

1. Powers - The Board of Directors shall be the principal governing body of the corporation and shall be responsible for providing the corporation with policy, guidance, and strategic direction.

1. The Board shall review and approve the annual budget prior to the start of the fiscal year;

2. The Board Shall implement procedures to orient new Board Directors, to educate all directors on the business and governance affairs of the corporation, and to evaluate board performance.

3. The Board shall review and approve the corporation’s strategic plan and the annual operating plans, budget, business plans, and corporate performance.

4. The Board Shall review and approve financial statements, annual reports, and policies.

1. Composition of the Board

1. Seats. The Board of Directors shall be composed of the following voting members.

2. Region Representatives: District of Columbia, Maryland, New England, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Southeast (Florida, Georgia GIAA, South Carolina SCISA), Tennessee, Texas/Oklahoma, and Virginia.

3. Vice Chair is a voting member in the event of a tie.

1. Election Process

1. Each Board member shall be elected by vote in their region and serve a 3-year term.

2. Chair and Vice Chair - Shall be non-voting members.

3. Chair is elected by a majority vote of the Board.

4. Vice Chair is elected by a majority vote of the Board.

1. Subcommittees

1. Subcommittee shall be formed at time at the direction of the Board to investigate, research, study and report to the board on actions and items pertinent to the duties of the Board.