The Day After Yesterday

I suppose it's the same for everyone. After a big event, there is the hangover. For my part, that refers not to the slow and painful exodus of alcohol from the system but to the sense of deflation felt when the big day has passed.

Today was wiled away strolling between shops and cafes, trying to avoid the day turning into a post mortem discussion with a wife who hadn't been at the event!

I allowed myself a short review of some of the captured video but am saving the savouring for my return to Ulster.

I see from the web that SFU will be returning to Vancouver tomorrow, so I imagine that they, like most other bands, are en route as I type. An enterprising piper from Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band was busking in Buchanan Street earlier and seemed to be plying his trade successfully. It was interesting that he was forsaking the technical Grade 1 repertoire in favour of Scotland the Brave and Amazing Grace. The crowd pleasers.

Cruising round the town, Northern Ireland accents can still be heard but Glasgow has a truly continental feel at the moment with Spaniards, French and Germans everywhere. If the crowds on the train on Friday night are anything to go by, the Festivals and Tattoo in Edinburgh clearly have an impact on the numbers drawn to Glasgow as well.

It might be interesting for Belfast to try to borrow a little of that trade by seeing if the RSPBA would shunt the European Championships into the weekend beside the Worlds. Perhaps a few of the international competitors could then be persuaded to "double up" and if a festival could be built around it all, we could lure a few tourists in?

Anyway, dinner is the next stop and then an unusually lazy Monday morning stretches ahead before the flight home.

Results - a rider

SFU (pictured) challenged the results yesterday and the official RSPBA sheet now records them in third with Boghall fourth - on ensemble preference.

One would think that they could get it right for the Worlds. It shouldn't be for the bands to challenge.

The RSPBA should be fit to interpret their own rules and apply them properly. By the by, I would have said it went on MSR preference if pressed for a view, so would have made the same mistake. Though I think I might have consulted the rule book first!


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Reflections

The crowds have made their way from the park and are infesting the clubs, pubs, bars and eateries all round Glasgow. Amongst the mini-skirted and stilettoed ladies can be spied bandsmen celebrating their victories and blaming judges for defeats. There seems to be a suggestion that SFU may in fact have beaten Boghall to third and they have tweeted that it may take a while to sort out. Certainly, Terry Lee looked none too happy when collecting his cup. So, what to make of it all?

Well, firstly it seems that Glasgow has started to cotton on to what the Worlds can be. The better promotion and organisation doubtless played a part in the size of the crowd, although I'm sure that the weather helped. It seems that we have moved away from the era where one or two big bands would dominate Grade One which is to be welcomed. However, I harbour the suspicion that we are still giving the odd Final place to bands on the basis of miles travelled rather than tunes played. You know who you are.

Ravara will be pleased with their victory in Grade 2, although whether they can "stick" in Grade 1 this time round remains to be seen. The jump from 2 to 1 is massive and Grade 1 itself has the look of a Premiership and First Division combined.

Awful luck for Ballycoan not to qualify. I was told that it was a tuning problem. It was made all the worse by the fact that they had been getting great reports from those watching their practices in the last few days. Better luck next year, boys.

Well done to Cullybackey who deservedly made the Final again. They are sniffing round the edges of becoming contenders. I'm quite sure more would occur to me if I wasn't so exhausted but I'll leave it there for now.

If you were with me throughout the day, I should apologise for the way the posts came out of order but it was a network problem which apparently plagued almost everyone in Glasgow Green.

So, put it in your diary. 13 August 2011. The next World Championships.

Game on.

 

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To the Victor the Spoils...

A giant Terry Tully loomed over the throng and suffered the indignity of the compulsory winner's interview.

As stated elsewhere, I didn't really get to hear SLOT or FM, so I'm declaring a moral victory. If it turns out that Auckland were last, I'm going to buy a lottery ticket.

Apologies for the weird posting order but it was due to crummy cell reception which meant I couldn't reliably post. Next year I'm bringing my own cell tower.

Food is the next order of the day. I'll try to post a few post Worlds thoughts later but I have to admit that I am totally wrecked after today. The BPPV hasn't totally departed and I have been increasingly wobbly as the day has worn on. Ah well. Sure I haven't the wit to lie down....


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A brief respite

Boghall let the drums hit the deck but it won't be long now until they are on for their Medley.


I have got over an hour and a half of video from the tuning park, so that will start to hit my YouTube Channel mid week.


From what I have heard SFU would still be my favourites but I didn't get close to either FM or SLOT, so I could be completely wrong.
I was so close to SFU I could have played with them. If I had the talent....

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All over bar the Shouting

The final band has played, Jim Kilpatrick has performed his traditional salute at the Pearl Tent (a change in allegiance over the year) and the crowd is milling about awaiting the results.
I now have so much video that the camera is full!

I'm off to look round the stalls. The purchase of yet another pair of sticks is guaranteed to infuriate the Missus!!

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A Blast from the Past

The 78th Fraser Highlands qualified and I was glad to see it.


Over the past few years it had been sad to see them slip down the ladder and not to even qualify last year. They still sound a bit "thin" compared to today's top outfit but I'm glad they are back in the Final at least.

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The Waiting Game

The bands are forming up for the Results. Clever spectators commandeer the abandoned grandstands from earlier grades awaiting the formal proceedings and the all important results.


In truth, this is the rubbish bit. No matter how enthusiastic Mervyn Herron tries to sound, it's basically a lot of bands moseying in to the accompaniment of 6/8s.

 

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Results

You'll forgive me for skipping the Drum Majors, save to say that Northern Ireland was again fairly dominant. One has to wonder if the rest of the world is really trying....

Adult Drum Major bucked the trend and went to the SFU Drum Major (J Paquio). Was that an omen? I'm typing this as we go, so who knows?

Paula Braiden came a creditable second, keeping the Ulster end up. And now, as they say, the Bands...

Novice Juvenile

Drums - George Watson
Overall - Oban High School

Grade 4B

Drums - Upper Crossgare
Overall - Upper Crossgare

Grade 4A

Drums - Gransha
Overall - Gransha

Juvenile

Drums - Boghall & Bathgate
Overall - Dollar Academy

Grade 3B

Drums - Badenoch and Strathspey
Overall - Geoghegan Memorial

Grade 3A

Drums - St Finbarr's
Overall - St Finbarr's

Grade 2

Drums - Bagad Brieg
Overall - Ravara

Grade 1

Drums - SLOT
Overall - (in order)
SLOT
FMMPB
Boghall & Bathgate*
SFU*
Shotts
Scottish Power

Piping
MSR - SLOT
Medley - SLOT

[* - Edit - This was the order called on the day and thus is the order I'm leaving in this post, as a document of record. In fact, the results were later amended to have SFU in third, ahead of Boghall on Ensemble preference. The link to the offical RSPBA results page is here.]


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