CPA does away with qualifier system for Medals

After canvassing its members, the Competing Pipers Association has decided to discontinue the two-year-old system whereby pipers could compete for spots in the Silver and Gold Medal competition at the Argyllshire Gathering and the Northern Meeting through a qualifying process.

Approximately 75 per cent of the 29 members who responded to the association’s survey said that they preferred that the selection process should be by an eligibility committee, rather than other methods.

A special qualifying event held in August 2010 and 2011 in Glasgow one week before the Argyllshire Gathering enabled pipers not initially selected for the Silver Medal to vie for a handful of places at the gatherings.

A correspondence from new CPA President Robert Gray to members said that the system would revert back to strictly a selection committee that would decide the fate of applicants based on their competitive track record and proven playing ability.

The process of using the Argyllshire Gathering Gold Medal competition to determine additional spots in the Northern Meeting Gold Medal will also cease.

The two competitions for a number of years have had maximum numbers of competitors in each of their Silver and Gold medal contests. The CPA said that it is working with the two events to equalize the number of contestants.

Gray’s correspondence also said that a heat system may be deployed in the Silver Medal events to allow “access to a greater number of players at the B-Grade level,” with the heats taking place at the actual gatherings rather than in separate    events.

The organization also indicated to members that it plans to diversify its offerings to members by staging seminars conducted by senior pipers and judges.