The top 15 p|d stories of 2015

#9

Pleasanton pares down Grade 1 bands – June 23rd

The century-old Caledonian Club San Francisco has tried to maintain its tradition of bringing in top-grade bands to compete at its season ending event. But with bands increasing in size, the financial constraints are apparent. Bands can’t afford to travel and events can’t afford to bring them, so organizer John Biggar took the novel approach of reducing the size of bands as part of his contest’s rules.

Why was this story important? So far, associations are dealing with the issue of large pipe band rosters by not dealing with it, apparently hoping that the matter will resolve itself. If associations are unwilling to act, events like Pleasanton will have to take matters into their own hands, creating their own one-time rules. This is not an ideal situation, since the very idea of associations is to create a level playing field for contestants. But when governing bodies won’t govern, others will come up with their own solutions.