Rules

Growler Rules (ver 7-27-23) – Printable

Rain Dates- If matches can not be completed on the scheduled date, the Rain date will be the next day (Wed.), if Wed is rained out, then the rain date is that Thurs.

Growler Rules  

1 Any/All ‘new’ players must be members of one of the eight member swim clubs to be eligible. All Past participants that have played in the Growler in previous years are grandfathered in and therefor eligible whether they are currently members of any of the eight clubs at event start.
2 The rosters are Co-ed and set before the tournament.  No switching teams or additions to the roster.  The only exception is if a team has less than 5 players or they do not have a female player present on a given night  They are allowed to slide one player from another team roster.   The person substituting to a different team must only play for that team that night.
3 This is an adult tournament.  The age limit is 18.  Any exceptions will need approval from the Growler steering committee.
4 The captain of each team is responsible for paying for each team member at Registration Opening Night.  One check is preferred.  All players must be paid for and sign a liability waiver before they can play.
5 There is not a limit to the number of players on each team roster.
6 Games are played with 5 players.   Teams may play with 4 players if they do not have 5 players present.  If the team has fewer than 4 players, they will forfeit the game and the game is scored 25-0 F.  The team is allowed 5 minutes from the start of the game before calling the forfeit.
7 Teams can rotate players within a game, however rotations must stay consistent per game (i.e. With 6 players, one rotates out at one position.  W/ 7 players 2 rotate out at one or two positions) The rotation positions cannot change during the game.  —-   See ROTATIONS Diagram for proper Rotation.  No deviation from the Rotation Diagram.
Growler Rotations
8 If teams have their entire roster present, they can elect to sit players out for specific games to limit the number of players that are rotating in the lineup for that game.
9 All teams must have at least one female on roster and play each game.  There will be a 5 pt. Penalty assessed to a team that does not have a female in the games lineup rotation and they must only play 4 players on the court. They are allowed to rotate in players at set locations like w/ 5 players.
10 The female doesn’t have to be on court at all times if there are more than 5 players in the lineup for a game as long as she is rotating regularly.
11 The team captains shall notify the other team captain their team lineup at the beginning of the game.   No substitutions during a game after the line up for the game is set.  The only exception may be for an injury or if a player on the roster is missing at the start of the game and the other team is notified that the player will be late before the game begins.
12 All games are Rally scoring to 25 and must win by 2 points.
13 Each game is scheduled to last 30 minutes.  However, there WILL NOT be a timer so games can last longer or less than allotted time allowed.
14 The Next Game shall start immediately after the preceding game on that court.  A warm up period is not allowed. Teams should warm up on practice courts or open fields before their game time.  Games can start before or after the printed schedule.    The schedule is just a guideline of start times.   Teams playing back to back games are allow 2 minutes to be ready to play their 2nd game.
15 Home Teams will have choice of which side of the court to start OR who serves first.  The other team will get the side or serve that is not chosen by the Home team.
16 Teams will switch sides after the first team reaches 13  points
17 Let Serves are in play
18 Any net contact is illegal and loses the point.  The primary goal is to avoid any under the net contact (lower leg injuries).  It is OK if you inadvertently step under the net as long as you do not contact the net, or interfere with the opposing team.
19 Interference under the net are a fault and side out.
20 Below waist hits (kicking) of the ball are legal
21 Any OPEN HAND Underhanded hit is considered a lift/carry.  To avoid, either bring your arms together and “bump” or close your fist if you are hitting one handed.  If your hand is open, it will be considered a lift/carry.
22 Players must play on the ‘line’ they are currently on in the rotation.  I.e. a backline player cannot switch to the frontline and vice-versa.  Furthermore, a backline player may not attack the ball at the net, or attempt to block at the net.  If they attack the ball from their correct position (defined as an overhand hit) they cannot leave their feet.
23 Stray balls hit from the other court, can be called a LET (dead ball) and replay the serve.
24 Balls hit on the poles, fence or chairs outside of the courts are considered to be out of bounds.
25 All teams must have a designated captain for any rule clarifications and disputes
26 Any infraction that is not in the SPIRIT OF THE GROWLER, can resort to dismemberment or banishment of said party and the culprit may be penalized by playing beer maid for  the opposing team.
Opening Night:  —  Mulligans
Mulligan Serves for 1st night only-  Mulligan tickets ($5 each)  Must Pay at Registration table (no cash at the court).
Must have someone posted at the Mulligan bucket during the game. Tickets must be “in hand” and ready to placed in the bucket. If too much delay, serve will swap to the other team. No delay will be allowed to “source” additional tickets.
Per each Side Out, the first mulligan is 1 ticket. For any mulligans afterwards during that side out, the number of tickets will progressively double (e.g. 1, 2, 4, 8 etc.).
A Mulligan used for Game Point will start at 2 tickets and then start doubling from there (e.g. 2, 4, 8 etc.)
Growler Championship:  —  WEEK 4
1 Seeding is determined by the GPI Points Ranking System from the first 3 weeks results.  The GPI is derived by 5 Criteria.  1- Division (Strength of Schedule), 2- Number of Wins, 3- Overall Point Deferential (ranking), 4- Money Raised for St Baldricks(ranking), 5- Volunteer Hours (ranking).
2 The  Tuesday Night Championship is a single elimination 32 Team format.  All teams (All Divisions) will have the opportunity to complete for the Growler Cup Championship Finals.
3 The Bottom 8 teams with GPI points will compete on Monday night to “Play” into the 29-32 spots of Tuesday night’s brackets.
4 Refer to the Schedule / Results spreadsheet for details on how criteria points are weighted.  https://growlervolleyball.com/2022-schedule-and-standings/
5 There is no time limit for championship games.  Games are played to 25 and must be won by 2 points.  Rally scoring.
Growler Rain Policy
We’re Growler-  Get Grungy, Gritty, Soggy, Sopping, Soaken”  Have fun like you when you were a kid and play through it.  However, if it’s lightning, then seek shelter or the safety of your car until the weather cell has passed.  Play will be suspended until it’s safe to play.  Unless the courts are flooded or the lighting it set in for the night,  we will complete the nights schedule that night.