Yukigassen (Snowball Fight) Rule Book

Yukigassen (Snowball Fight) Rule Book Yukigassen Spirit The purpose of Yukigassen, is to become one with the snow and develop the body while maintaining good sportsmanship. Match Rules (Purpose) Article 1- These rules were developed with the Japanese Snowball Fight League s Yukigassen Spirit in mind. Chapter 1 General Rules (Court) Article 2 The court shall be delineated as follows (see Diagram #1 and #2) 1. The standard court will be a sectioned-off rectangle with the following dimensions: Length- 40m or 36m; Width- 10m. 2. Elementary school student courts dimensions are as follows:length- 32m; Width- 8m. (See Diagram #2) 3.4. The Lines are as follows: side lines along the length of the court; end lines across the width of each end of the court; a center line dividing the court into two equal parts; and back lines running across the width of the court 8m from each end line. 5. There will be shelters and chateaus placed on the court. 6. The flag stand shall be placed in front of the back line. The court shall be delineated as follows (see Diagram #1 and #2) 1. Lines will be formed with a rope creating a solid line. 2. Shelters 1-4 shall be 90cm in height 90cm in length and 45cm deep (thick). Shelter 5 shall be 90cm in height, 180cm in length and 45cm deep (thick). 3. Each chateau will be 90cm in height, 180cm in length and 45cm in width. 4. Shelters, chateaus, and flag stand placement are as shown in Diagram #1 and #2 5. Shelters and chateaus will generally be built using snow. Products that can be fixed and share the same purpose and are safe are an exception. (Field) 1

Article 3 For Safety reasons, a safety net may be placed around the entire court 3m from the end and side lines. [DIAGRAM 1] [DIAGRAM 2] (Equipment) Article 4 Equipment used in matches are as follows: 1. The diameter of each snowball shall be 6.5-7.0cm. 2. Snowballs shall be produced using snowball-making equipment in accordance with part 1 of this article. 3. Each team shall have 90 snowballs to use per period. 4. Helmets shall be ones specifically indicated. 5. Team flags shall be made of cloth and be 50cm in height and 70cm in length 6. Numbers shall be recognizable by coaches and are as follows: forwards, FW1-4; backs, 2

BK5-7. 7. Flag poles shall be the same as those used in Ski courses. 8. Targets for Victory Throws (VT) shall be ones that will fall when hit with a snowball. Equipment used in matches are as follows: 1. Under team circumstances, if there is a lack of snowballs, the game shall proceed in that fashion. 2. Helmet colors shall match those of the other members of the team. 3. Helmet colors for each team shall be different. 4. Creation of shields shall be prohibited. 5. Green helmets are reserved for referees and shall not be used by any teams. 6. Under special circumstances, helmets other than designated helmets may be used if they meet the safety standards, and is approved by the Sports Chairperson. (Apparel) Article 5 Apparel for competitors shall be as follows: 1. Apparel shall be those that are suitable for the sport. Shoes are required. 2. Helmets are required for safety reasons. Apparel for competitors shall be as follows: 1. For the safety of other competitors, the following shoes are prohibited. Shoes with non-rubber spikes. 2 Shoes with metal parts. 3 Safety shoes. 2. Helmets shall be worn until results for the match are announced. Chapter 2 Match (Team Composition) Article 6 A team is composed as follows: 1. 1 Coach and no more than 9 registered athletes. Of the 9 athletes, 7 are active athletes and 2 are substitutes. 2. The 7 active athletes are divided into 4 Forwards and 3 Backs (Coach) Article 7 The coach shall have the following roles: 1. The coach will be accountable for the team, and is required to conform in the progression of the sport. 2. As the team s representative, the coach can call/yell to the teammates from outside the court during play. 3

3. The coach may also act as an athlete. The coach shall have the following roles: 1. The coach is required to keep his team under control from reception until the game is over. And conform when required to keep the game smooth. 2. The coach is required to submit the team s athlete roster. 3. The use of megaphones and like equipment by the coach is prohibited when giving directions from the sideline.(with the exception of clocks and stopwatches) 4. In the circumstance that the coach is also an athlete, he/she shall wear both the coach and athlete numbers. 5. The coach acting as an athlete must remove the athlete number and return to their designated position before being able to act as a coach again. (Athlete Limitations) Article 8 The limitations of each athlete are as follows: 1. Forwards can play anywhere in front of the back line. Forwards may not cross their own back line with either foot. 2. Backs can use the whole court. Backs may carry/move snowballs from the chateau to their forwards. 3. The coach s designated area is on the opposite sideline of that of the chief referee, with the width of their own side of the court. Interruption of the referee is prohibited.[diagram 3].[DIAGRAM 3] 4

(Athlete Roster) Article 9 The coach must fill out the appropriate form for the athlete roster and submit it to the chief referee before the beginning of each match. The athlete roster shall be as follows: 1. All the required information shall be filled in on the athlete roster. 2. When registering as an athlete and coach, the coach s name shall be written under both the athlete and coach section. (Substitutes) Article 10 Substitution may be made as follows: 1. Substitutions may be made between periods. 2. A person who has been replaced by a substitution may play again in the next period. 3. In case of injury during play, substitution during the period is not allowed. Substitution may be made as follows: 1. Allowed substitute athletes are those indicated on the athlete roster. 2. The coach must inform the chief referee of a substitution. Substitutions must be witnessed by the chief referee. 3. Benched athletes shall return to their designated area.[diagram 3] (Manner of Play) Article 11 Matches will take place in the following manner: A match takes place with teams opposing each other. (2) Athletes try to throw and hit as many members of the opposing team as possible with snowballs within the allotted time. (3) Athletes try to capture (pull out) the opposing team s flag within the allotted time. (Receiving Snowballs) Article 12 Athletes may directly hand snowballs to one another, place snowballs on the court for later use or roll snowballs to one another. Athletes may place snowballs on top of shelters and then take them from the top of the shelters or chateau for use. (Duration of a Period) Article 13 Timing of the match shall be as follows: 1. One period is 3 minutes with 3 periods per match. 2. A period starts with the signal from the match chief referee and continues until the finish signal from the chief referee. 3. If the chief referee declares an interruption, the time passed until the resumption of the 5

period does not count as part of the actual period time. (Invalid Snowballs) Article 14 Invalid Snowballs are as follows: 1. Less than 2/3 of a snowball 2. Snowballs held by out athletes. 3. Snowballs that are not on court 4. Snowballs that come from outside the court (Invalid Snowballs) Article 15 Invalid snowballs are defined as follows: 1. A snowball which is broken during a period and has been fixed by having snow added to it.2. A snowball made by combining snowballs broken during the period. 3. A snowball newly made during the period. ( Out Athletes) Article 16 The following athletes are out : 1. An athlete who has been hit anywhere on his body including clothing with a thrown snowball. 2. An athlete whose foot crosses an end line or side line. 3. An athlete whose limb/body part crosses over the end or side lines, or when they touch a snowball that is not on court. 4. An athlete who is a forward whose foot crosses his own team s back line. 5. An athlete who is a forward and comes in contact with a snowball behind their own back line. 6. An athlete who uses an invalid snowball. 7. An athlete who receives snowballs from out athletes. 8. An athlete who makes an invalid snowball. 9. An athlete who hides a snowball inside his number tag, clothing, etc. The following athletes are out : 1. An athlete is considered out when a snowball is thrown and hits the athlete s clothes or body part without coming in contact with another athlete. 2. When an athlete is hit by a snowball thrown by an out athlete, they are not considered out. 3. When two athletes hit each other simultaneously, both athletes are out. 4. When one s body part is set outside of the side or end lines. 5. Athletes who are called out must move immediately on their own to the nearest line on the court where they can exit and leave the court. An out athlete must then move behind 6

his own team s end line and wait there until the end of the period. (Deciding the Winner and Loser of a Period) Article 17 Wins and losses are decided within a period as follows: 1. A team wins if within the allotted time they capture (pull out) the opponent s flag. 2. The team who s flag is captured (pulled out) within the allotted time is considered the loser of the period. 3. 4. If a winner is not declared with rule 1 or 3 of this article, the team with the most remaining athletes in play is considered the winner. 5. If there are more than 3 athletes from one team on the opposing team s side of the court, that team is considered the loser of the period. 6. If a winner is not declared by the rules of this article, then it is considered a tie. Wins and losses are decided within a period as follows: 1. When a flag is captured as the period s ending buzzer sounds, it is not considered a win. 2. Capturing a flag means to pull the flag pole out of its holder. 3. When the period s ending buzzer sounds exactly when an athlete would be considered out that athlete is not considered to be out. 4. A line on top of the center shelter exists. (Points) Article 18 Point System to Determine the Winner 1. 2.The team which captures an opponent s flag is awarded 10 points. 3. A team which wins by all members of the opposing team being declared out is awarded 10 points. 4. The team that wins when 4 members of the opposing team enters their court is awarded 10 points. 5. If there is no winner declared with the above rules in Article 17, one point is awarded for each remaining athlete on the court. Points are determined as follows: 1. The team that got their flag captured is awarded zero points. 2. If you pull out your own team s flag, your team will be awarded zero points. 3. The team, whose members are all declared out, is awarded zero points. 4. The team who has 4 members on the opponent s side is awarded zero points. 5. If there is the same amount of athletes from each team left in play, that period is considered a tie with the same amount of points. 7

(Declaring the Winner and Loser of a Match) Article 19 Final decisions of wins and losses are as follows: 1. The first team to win two periods wins the match. In the event that three periods are played, and two of the periods end in a tie, the winner of the one decided period wins the match. 2. If the third period is considered a tie, total points for the three periods will be calculated and the team with the most points will be declared the winner of the match. 3. If the total points for all three periods is tied, then the winner of the match will be decided by a victory throw (VT) Final decisions of wins and losses are as follows: 1. Victory throws are done by 7 athletes. 2. The method for the victory throw is as follows: a target is placed on the chateau and each team chooses 5 members to take part. From behind the back line, teams alternate, having one athlete at a time throw one snowball at the target. The team with the most knockdowns of the target off the chateau wins. 3. If a winner is not declared with the previous process, then one athlete from the remaining 2 members from each team takes turns throwing snowballs at the target. The team that knocks the target off the chateau wins. 4. If a winner is not declared with the previous process, then the remaining athlete from each team takes turns throwing a snowball at the target. The team that knocks the target off the chateau wins. 5. If a winner is not declared with the previous process, then an athlete is chosen from the seven members to take turns throwing a snowball at the target. This process is repeated until a winner is declared. 6. In the case that the target is knocked off the chateau and the athlete who throws the snowball crosses over the center line, that throw is not counted. (Before the Game) Article 20 Teams are to prepare for the event as follows: 1. Teams are to be ready to start the game by the time announced. 2. Teams are to check their equipment and enter the field before the start of the game. Teams are to prepare for the event as follows: 1. After entering the arena, teams are to have their snowballs checked by the referees. 2. As a safety regulation, shoes and helmets are to be checked by the referees. 8

3. Before the start of the game, both teams are to line at the center line in numbered order, to greet each other. (Including Substitutes Athletes) (Flying) Article 21 To move over the back line or throw a snowball before the referee s signal is called flying. (At the Start of the Period) Article 22 Teams are to do as follows before the start of the period or game: 1. Athletes are to line up behind the backline with up to 2 snowballs and wait for the referee s signal. 2. The period will begin with the signal of the match chief referee. 3. If flying happens, the start of the period will be redone without the creation or collection of any new snowballs. Teams are to do as follows before the start of the period or game: 1. Athletes lining up behind the back line, are allowed one foot on the back line. 2. The snowballs for one period are to be placed behind the chateau. (interrupting a Period) Article 23 Periods can be interrupted as follows: 1. When the chief match referee believes that the match needs to be interrupted or when a referee receives the call for an interruption, the match will be interrupted. 2. When a situation occurs that causes the need for an interruption of the match, a referee will is to inform the chief match referee. 3. Periods can be interrupted by the signal of the chief match referee. Periods can be interrupted as follows: 1. An interruption is entitled when a referee determines that the match cannot continue in it s current condition. 2. When an interruption occurs, athletes are to keep what snowballs they hold. (Resuming a Period) Article 24 Periods will be resumed as follows: 1. Both teams are to line up behind their own back lines and wait for the signal to resume. 2. The period will begin with the signal of the match chief referee. 9

(The End of a Period) Article 25 Periods are to end as follows: 1. A period ends if one team captures (pulls out) the opposing team s flag. 2. A period ends if a team pulls out their own flag. 3. A period ends if a fourth athlete from one team enters the opposing team s side of the court. 4. A period ends if all of one team s athletes are declared out. 5. A period ends if time runs out. 6. A period ends with the signal from the chief match referee. Periods are to end as follows: 1. At the end of the period, athletes that are not considered out, are to line up behind their own back line for confirmation by the referee. 2. Athletes declared out are to line up behind their own end lines to wait for the end of the game. (The End of the Match) Article 26 The match is to end as follows: 1. The end of a match is to be declared by the referee as according to Article 19. The match is to end as follows: 1. When the match ends, both teams are to line up at the center line to wait for the results to be announced by the referee. (Suspension and Stop) Article 27 A match is suspended or stopped according to the following: 1. The match is to be suspended if the weather conditions are so that it is not safe to continue the match. 2. The match is to be suspended if for any reason the match cannot be continued. 3. If the first period of a match is completed, the match is considered official. Chapter 3 Prohibited Actions (Fouls) Article 28 A foul is called if an athlete does any of the following: 1. If an athlete commits a dangerous act. 2. If an athlete interrupts the match. 10

3. If an athlete protests a decision made by the referees. 4. If an athlete directs poor behavior or speech towards the opposing team and the referees. 5. If an athlete enters the field with more than the stipulated number of snowballs. 6. If a team refuses to start a match or delays a match without good reason. 7. If an athlete flies 8. If a team renounces a match without good reason. 9. If an illegal athlete participates in a match. Fouls are as follows: 1. If an athlete acts in a way that the referees deem not safe. 2. To interrupt a match is when an athlete or coach does not follow the orders of the referees in a way that it would keep the match from continuing. 3. Protesting decisions is discussed in Article 31. 4. If a referee gives 3 warnings for the start of the match and is delayed by any action. 5. An illegal athlete is one who is not listed on the athlete roster. 6. Article 28 is applicable to teams, athletes and coaches. (Penalties) Article 29 Penalties are as follows: If number one, two, three or four of the fouls listed in Article 28 is committed, the athlete or coach committing the foul will be ordered to leave the court, and his team will be given a warning. (2) If number five, six or seven, of the fouls listed in Article 28 is committed, the team committing the foul will be given a warning. (3) An athlete ordered to leave after committing a foul, is not allowed to return to play in the Yukigassen Championship in which he was participating. (4) Any team which is given 2 warnings in the same match will be disqualified. However, if number eight or nine of the fouls listed in Article 28 is committed; the team committing the foul will be disqualified immediately at the first warning. (Accidents) Article 30 If there is an accident during the match, an interruption may be requested. 1. <}0{>A match can be stopped temporarily in the event the match cannot be continued due to accident or athlete injury.<0} 2. In the even that the cause of the injury is not clear, the team unable to continue will be declared the loser.(protests) Article 31 Protests about the decisions of the referees will not be allowed. 11

(Questions) Article 32 If the coach has questions about these rules, he/she may ask a referee about it. Referee Standards Chapter 1 General Rules Composition of Referees) Article 1 Judgements are made by the head referee, the court chief referees and the referees. (Head Referee) Article 2 In order to fairly execute a match, it is extremely necessary that the head referee has absolute authority. The head referee s duties are as follows: 1. Rules and regulations are to be strictly observed and implemented. 2. The progression of the match is to be observed. 3. Situations that are not covered within the official rules and regulations are to be decided by the head referee if necessary. (Court Chief Referee) Article 3 A court chief referee is designated for each court and assists the head referee, and carries the responsibility of judging and administering the court. The court chief referee s duties are as follows: 1. The court chief referee is responsible for the match in question. 2. The court chief referee is responsible for the observation of the match being played in accordance with the rules and regulations. 3. Problems that are not covered in the official rules and regulations are to be dealt with in a timely manner, and reported to the head referee if necessary. 4. The chief referee is to assume responsibility for the other referees. (Referees) Article 4 The one chief referees and five other referees are responsible for the observation and declaration of outs, flag captures and pull outs, and other decisions involving the 12

progression of the game. The referee s duties are as follows: 1. Referees are to be responsible for the progression of the match in question. 2. Referees are to make their decisions and declarations known in a manner that is easily heard or seen. 3. All the referees are to have united decisions. (Match Chief Referee) Article 5 Match chief referees are to be assisted by other referees in the progression of the match and id responsible for the following responsibilities: 1. Signal the beginning of a match, any interruptions of a match, the restarting of a match, and the end of a match. 2. Proclaim athletes out. Proclaim decisions concerning fouls, warning and asking athletes to leave a match. 3. Confirm athlete substitutions. 4. Proclaim the end of a match and at the same time decide a winner and loser. (Assistant Referees) Article 6 Assistant referees will assist the match chief referee in the following matters and execute the following duties: 1. Assistant referees are to proclaim outs, flying and flag captures. 2. Assistant referees are to inform the match chief referee of interruptions and fouls. Assistant referees are responsible for the following duties: 1. Assistant referees are responsible for the rules and regulations in Article 28. 2. There may be a referee in place who is responsible for Article 28 number seven part of the rules and regulations. (Officials) Article 7 As a general rule, officials will be placed to be in charge of time, documentation, display, athletes, snowballs, and progression. Officials duties are as follows: 1. Each court will have an official time keeper who will signal the match chief referee when the period time has run out. 2. Each court will have an official in charge of documentation, who will record the results and the winners and losers of each match. 3. An official will be responsible for the scoring and ensure that the results of the match are 13

correct. 4. An official will be in charge of calling registration and confirming each team to ensure that delays in the period do not occur. 5. There will be one or more officials at each court in charge of the creation of snowballs. 6. One or more officials will be in place to ensure the speedy progression of each match. (Referee Tools) Article 8 Items used by referees are as follows: 1. Referee uniform. 2. Whistle 3. Yellow and red warning cards. 4. Referee helmet. 5. A clock Items used by referees are as follows: 1. Uniforms will be those that are easily recognized to tell the difference between referee and athlete. 2. The match chief referee will carry a whistle, yellow and red warning card to use when making judgments. 3. Assistant referees will carry a whistle to use when making judgments. 4. To ensure the safety of the match chief referee and assistant referees, they must wear helmets. (Referee Tag) Article 9 Referees are required to wear their tag in a easily recognizable spot. Chapter 2 Referee (Proclaiming outs ) Article 10 Referees are to declare outs when athletes in question meet any of the following conditions. 1. An athlete who has been hit anywhere on his/her body including clothing with a thrown snowball. 2. An athlete whose foot crosses an end line or side line. 3. An athlete whose limb/body part crosses over the end or side lines, or when they touch a snowball that is not on court. 4. An athlete who is a forward whose foot crosses their own team s back line. 5. An athlete who is a forward and comes in contact with a snowball behind their own back line. 14

6. An athlete who uses an invalid snowball. 7. An athlete who receives snowballs from out athletes. 8. An athlete who makes an invalid snowball. 9. An athlete who hides a snowball inside his number tag, clothing, etc.. The following athletes are considered out : 1. An athlete is considered out when a snowball is thrown and hits the athlete s clothes or body part without coming in contact with another athlete. 2. When an athlete is hit by a snowball thrown by an out athlete, they are not considered out. 3. When two athletes hit each other simultaneously, both athletes are out. 4. When one s body part is set outside of the side or end lines. 5. Athletes who are called out must move immediately on their own to the nearest line on the court where they can exit, and leave the court. An out athlete must then move behind his own team s end line and wait there until the end of the period. (Proclaiming Fouls) Article 11 Fouls are proclaimed in the following manner: 1. As in Article 29 rule number one, the referees will have a mutual agreement and have the athlete or coach in question leave the premises and give the team a warning. 2. As in Article 29 rule number two, the team in question will be given a warning. 3. The team in question will be informed of disqualifications. Fouls are proclaimed in the following manner: 1. When informing an athlete or coach to leave the premises, they will be shown a red card. 2. When informing the team of a warning, they will be shown a yellow card. 3. When informing a team of a disqualification, they will be shown a red card. 4. A referee meeting will be held even if the foul is obvious, and the decision will be made in a timely manner. (Manners of Referees) Article 12 Manners of referees are as follows: 1. Before the Game Snowball and uniform checks are to be finished. 2 When the teams line at the center line, they will be informed of any additional regulations as needed after greetings are made. 3 Before the opening ceremonies, the referees will line up with the chief referee in the center. 15

2. Starting of the Period 1 Referees will inform the match chief referee of the completion of checks with the raising of one hand towards match chief referee. 2 Each referee is to be in their designated spot as in the Referee Placement Chart in a timely manner. 3 When signaling the declaration of a fly, the referee will blow the whistle multiple times shortly. [Referee Placement Chart] 3. Starting the Period 1 The match chief referee will receive the signal from the other referees and check their spots, and then start the period. 2 The signal for starting the period will be: both arms open wide making a straight line, when the whistle is blown, both arms will be brought forward and stopped. 4. During the Period 1 The area that each referee is in charge of is shown on the Referee Placement Chart. 2 The match chief referee will keep in contact with the other referees to keep the match in control. 3 Referees will be in charge of decisions made within their area only. 4 Outs will be informed by pointing at the athlete in question and saying out in a fashion that is easily understood. 5 Out athletes are to leave the court. 6 The signal for the interruption of the game will be: while blowing the whistle multiple times, both arms will be out front making a 45 degree angle making a crossing sign multiple times. 7 The signal for the capturing of a flag will be: long blow of the whistle with one hand above the head making a circle multiple times. 16

(Assistant Referees) 8 When the a flag is captured, the assistant referee s signal will be confirmed and the match ended.(match Chief Referee) 5. Ending a Match 1 The end of a match will be signaled with: the whistle blown long, and both arms held straight up. 2 Athletes who are not out will be confirmed and counted. 3 As a safety precaution, all referees will enter the court to inform everyone of the ending of the match. 6. After ending the Match 1 Athletes who are not out will line at their own back line and results will be announced. 2 In the case that all members were declared out, or a flag was captured, or a fourth member from one team enters the opponent s side of the court, all members from both teams will line up at their own back line and results will be announced. 7. Referees will be responsible for the following during the victory throw as in Article 12 1 The match chief referee will inform both coaches of the victory throw and have the representatives from both teams line up at the back line. 2 The referees will confirm that the athletes are in position and inform the match chief referee. 3 The match chief referee will determine the process and explain it to both teams. 4 The match chief referee will signal for the start of the victory throw, and when finished, the results will be announced. 8. Closing ceremonies for the match will be positions in the same manner as in the opening ceremonies. Article 13 In the case that something happens that is not covered in the official rules and regulations, it will be discussed and settled through a meeting between the referees. 17

Documentation and Recording 1. Documentation (1) If a flag is captured, all members from one team is declared out or 4 members from one team enters the opposing team s side of the court, the score will be recorded as 10-0 (2) If no one has captured a flag within the allotted time, the score will be recorded according to the number of athletes remaining on the court. e.g. 7-5 (3) If no one has captured a flag within the allotted time, and the number of athletes remaining on the court for each team is the same, the score will be recorded as 5-5 (4) The scores for victory throws will be recorded as 1-2 (5) Warnings will be recorded by circling the corresponding number from 1-9. (6) When a second warning is given, this should be recorded in the space for the total on the match documentation from as Warning 2, win by foul (7) The name of the winning team should be entered in the space for the winning team. (8) The coach of the winning team should sign in the appropriate space. (9) The match chief referee and the head referee should sign in the appropriate spaces. 18

2. Match Documentation Form Game Group No. Court No. Match No. No. Name No. Name Team Period 1 Period 2 Period 3 Periods Won Point Total VT Point Fouls Article 28 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Winning Team Winning Captain Match Chief Referee Head Referee Remarks 19

3. Player Roster Team No. Player Roster Team name Captain Classification/ Number Tag Player s Nmae Forward 1 Forward 2 Forward 3 Forward 4 B a c k 5 B a c k 6 B a c k 7 Substitute 1 Substitute 2 Court No. Match No. 20