Grade 1 bands pre-qualifying for 2010 World’s final determined
The European Championship at Belfast, the last major contest before the 2010 World Pipe Band Championship on August 14th in Glasgow, determined the final list of eight bands that obtain a free pass to the Grade 1 Final.
Inveraray & District and Robert Wiseman Dairies-Vale of Atholl were neck-and-neck to get through to take the final spot, and Inveraray got the nod. 2010 is Inveraray’s first year in Grade 1.
Those going through are:
Boghall & Bathgate
Field Marshal Montgomery
Inveraray & District
ScottishPower
House of Edgar-Shotts & Dykehead
Simon Fraser University
St. Laurence O’Toole
Strathclyde Police
The pre-qualifiers are decided by a league table system for RSPBA-member bands. Non-RSPBA-member bands that gain a prize in the previous year’s World’s get a bye to the Final round. 2009 World Champions Simon Fraser University of Canada and 2009 third-prize-winners St. Laurence O’Toole of Ireland go through automatically.
The Maxville winner should be pre qualified as well.” – absolute rubbish! I have nothing against Peel Police
It does seem that some bands have the advantage of pre-qualifying while others don’t, but you have to remember… the Worlds’ is not a world” event; it’s an RSPBA event. What’s unfair is that some bands are forced to potentially set up/play 3 times on the day while others play twice. That’s the worst part. I’d much rather see the qualifier on Friday
Full Montee, thank you. Unfortunately the RSPBA will take the title of the World’s Pipe Band Championships to their grave, while the rest of the World outside the UK still does want a piece or chance to know where they stand. No offense to any bands over the years that have escaped this qualifier on these terms, but give me a break RSPBA!… If you’ve placed in the top 7 at a Major you can get in? I mean, how many UK bands in grade 1 are left to qualify? I think it’s fair to say half get through almost. Unreal. Half our bands + the 2009 winner vs. the other half and the rest of you bands who couldn’t fork over the dough to grace us with your presence until this Saturday. May the Pish be with you! Smootchies
The Maxville winner should be pre qualified as well.
i don’t know, i think there could be something interesting done to allow north american bands an opportunity to pre-qualify at the world’s, because it would be prohibitively costly to fly out for another major contest AND the worlds. obviously, an argument would be that if they can qualify the morning of the world’s, then why make a North American qualifying contest? i think an north american contest garners the 1st place band a spot in the final would encourage to raise the pipe banding standard in the US and Canada. Granted, gr.1 bands west of ontario and south of DC would also be SOL…but it’s a start!
Nothing against Inverary and District, but I don’t think it is right that a band that has not received a championship placing at any of this year’s contests should be pre-qualified for the final. Even though SLOT competes at every major, they are pre-qualified based on their placing at last year’s World’s, and not based on their placement in the championship table this year. This is due to SLOT being considered an ‘overseas’ band. So essentially, the championship table calculation removes SLOT, who are consistant prize-winners, and paves the way for a band who has never taken a prize to get a free pass to the final. I am not trying to take anything away from Inverary here, because what they have done in the past few years is nothing short of amazing. That being said, a lot of other good bands are pinning their hopes on the morning qualifier; especially overseas bands, who do not have the practical luxury of competing in other majors throughout the year. In my mind, the only way to be fair is to pre-qualify: 1) The top six bands from the previous year’s World’s; and 2) The top six bands from this year’s champions table. Only those bands who earn championship points for contests in this year should be elligible for one of the six potential spots. If a band is pre-qualified by virute of last year’s performance, and also qualified based on this year’s performance, that should not open up a spot. This would allow (potentially) as many as 8 spots being open from the qualifier, instead of 5 or 6.
Guys, there is an RSPBA set table. Sure North American bands find it difficult to prequalify, and perhaps they should open up another place for the best north american band, and then the best australian band, then the best french band….soon be we will have no quali at all. On inveraray….they scored the points throughout the year, thats what counts, and lets face it, if they didnt prequalify and the vale went through instead, they still would beat most of the qualifiers and get there anyway….either road, they play in the final.
The Pre-Qualifier is absolute crap. It’s unfair and IF the band is good enough, they’ll have no problem qualifying to the final. Why is the RSPBA not having grade 2-4 subject to this nonsense? Those grades are run fairly. 2 Qualifying heats and the top 6 of each to the final, end of story. EVERYONE has to play in the same conditions/elements/playing amount, etc. Wake up RSPBA and make the contest a REAL WORLD Championship. Make it two days! Have all the quals on Saturday and the finals on the Sunday in ALL grades in the big arena. Should be no problem getting the non-qualies to pay for that ticket and I’m sure BBC Scotland would get a huge boost in the TV/Web broadcast too. There, go, do… KW out.
inverary deserve to qaulify as much as every other band,if other grade 1 bands in scotland put in more effort as inverary as,they would have automaticly qaulified for the final
Inveraray does deserve to qualify so does FMM, L&B, LA Scots, OM, the Vale and all other Grade 1 bands. Not trying to take anything away from Inveraray in this case, because there has never been a band that has blasted onto the scene like them from my memory. However all bands should have the same competitive obstacles, just like the Olympics. The top-ranked vs the all to see who can be the best in the conditions during the moment. and this obviously isn’t the right forum for this as the RSPBA never listens, reads or reacts to anything posted here anywhoo.
I agree with Kevinacious. There should be no prequalifying. Every band should have to go through the same hoops on the day(s). Not having to play in the morning gives each prequalified band a distinct advantage – ironically the very bands which don’t need it. If any advantages were on offer they should go to Australasian bands. They endure all the hassles and costs associated with travelling to the opposite side of the world despite there being a strong chance of only playing an MSR and going home.
everyone knows the qaulifying system is wrong for grade 1 and some other grades for the worlds,but if you and your band dont like it,dont bother turning up!