Updated: Top “overseas” bands firming up travel plans for 2007 season
The world’s non-UK Grade 1 bands are making their travel plans for the northern hemisphere’s competition season and a few familiar names have already decided to give the World Pipe Band Championships a miss, while a few bands that have not attended the event plan to return to Glasgow.
Planning to compete at the 2007 World’s:
- 78th Highlanders (Halifax)
- Alberta Caledonia
- Australia Highlanders
- Los Angeles Scots
- Manawatu Scottish
- Simon Fraser University
- Scottish Lion-78th Fraser Highlanders
- Windsor Police
Not planning to compete at the 2007 World’s:
- City of Washington
- Fredericton Society of St. Andrew
- New Zealand Police
- Peel Regional Police
- Prince Charles
- Toronto Police
Scott MacDonald, former Pipe-Major of the Los Angeles Scots and currently a piper with the band, said, “We will be spending more than US$65,000 for this trip. We have not been back to Scotland for a few years and we have built the band back up to hopefully have a shot at qualifying in the morning. With the rising costs of travel and the dollar being so poor, we won’t be able to attend every year like in the past.”
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I hope Donella tella is judging the qualifier because from the sounds of his or her comments…without hearing any of the bands…he/she has already made up their mind who will be playing in the afternoon. You gotta love the new age of the Grade 1 band”
LA Scots shell out $65,000 Malibu clams to get to rainy Glasgow. And in 1972 The Skye raised money to get to Toronto. How many UK bands have done that since. Five? Looks like this years worlds will be a *******. Too bad Toronto Police isn’t going.
The exclusion of the Manawatu Scottish Scoiety PB from both lists and the commentary is a bit shabby! My undertsanding is that they can be put on the planning to attend list and the NZ Police can be put on the unlikely to attend list.
Larry, that’s a bit harsh! Added Manawatu to the unknown list. Apologies for the omission.
This is about right. I fugure only 4 of the overseas bands going really should. The rest should join the other group and stay home. Mind you most of the UK bands are in the same category. About 8 bands should bother. The rest are not in the league!!
Andrew – being so far from the action we can be a little over sensitive when our star band is forgotton. Apologies for being a bit harsh.