Highland Highlights
By Loraine Ritchey
EDITORIAL COMMENT CELTIC WORLD Bruce Campbell
COWAL HIGHLAND GATHERING
Does it host the TRUE World Highland Dancing Championship?
Celtic World has openly expressed it criticism of Cowal Highland Gathering's decision to effectively banish Highland dancers who are members of organizations such as the Victorian Scottish Union, Pipers and Dancers Association of New Zealand and even SOHDA, based in Edinburgh, Scotland's capital, from competing in what it calls the "true World Championship
Searching for some transparency, we asked the Cowal Highland Gathering for an official response to claims of discrimination. This recently received response from Ronnie Cairns is unlikely to appease the detractors of Cowal's stance.
In fact the claim of discrimination against Cowal Highland gathering seems stronger than ever in the face of Ronnie Cairns' advice to dancers, "to register with an association who is a member of the SOBHD"
The question about discrimination has not satisfactorily been answered by Cowal and remains OPEN
Readers are invited to express their thoughts on this topical subject. contact celtic_world@hotmail.com
Ronnie Cairns:Director & Convener of Highland Dancing
Contact info@cowalgathering.com or http://www.cowalgathering.com
Cowal Highland Gathering
Cowal Highland Gathering is proud to host the World Highland Dancing
Championships each year in Dunoon and welcomes competitors who compete for
the title of 'World Champion'.
The sun shone over the Cowal peninsula this year on the last Friday and
Saturday in August. The now covered dancing platforms and warm-up boards
acted as shades from the suns strong rays. The weekend went without a hitch
with the more experienced competitors taking it in their stride and the
first time competitors, although nervous, enjoying being part of the supreme
event in the Highland Dancing calendar.
Yet in the most ideal of settings there is controversy as to how the
Championships at Cowal should be run. Before the establishment of the SOBHD
at Cowal things were becoming chaotic with Cowal receiving floods of
complaints concerning the eligibility and biased of the judging.
The then Cowal Committee was under pressure and had no alternative but to
open formal discussions with the Scottish Official Board of Highland
Dancing, to improve the situation. It seemed that regulation was necessary
to answer the growing number of critics. Although both sides took some time
to come to agreement on some issues, the Cowal committee decided to adopt
the ways of the Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing, a partnership
that has worked well for the past 23 years.
Cowal Highland Gathering is a multi-disciplinary event not just
incorporating highland dancing but this year the Pipe-Band Champion of
Champions, athletics, track and field and a national six-a-side shinty
championship. In common with all such major events, the Gathering
administers the running of the various disciplines in conjunction with what
is considered to be the appropriate governing body. In shinty we use the
expertise of the Camanachd Association, in athletics the Scottish Athletics
Federation, the Pipe-Band Championships the Royal Scottish Pipe-Band
Association, and the Highland Dancing events are run under the rules of the
Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing.
Each of these bodies has a policy of admitting to competition only those who
are in membership of their respective bodies. So we are aware that strictly
speaking, some athletes, Pipe-Bands and of course dancers may be precluded
from participating at Cowal, but only by virtue of their personal decision
not to join the relevant association.
I am very much aware of the criticism leveled against us from a minority of
interested parties, but you cannot run a major event without regulations. I
am sure there are problems with all regulatory bodies but what is important
is that they are representative of the vast majority (Approximately 95% in
the case of the SOBHD), are democratically administered, efficient and
helpful to us. Changes to the rules of these bodies can only be brought
about by the members themselves.
The SOBHD also take in to consideration the views and opinions of event
organisers and outwith board meetings facilitate an annual organisers
meeting where all competition organisers can get together discuss problems
and put forward suggestions to the board.
I have recently been critical of the SOBHD in respect of their poor public
relations and primitive communication channels in this day of email and the
Internet in which so much useful information can and should be shared. To
the credit of board they are in the process of taking steps to improve this
and looking at the viability and management of a web-site.
It is time to move forward a time for more dialogue, more openness, more
exchanging of views and more understanding and for all interested parties to
join an association, and come under one umbrella. To quote from a recent
posting on the web form Bill Weaver (President of FUSTA-ED) "To know how the SOBHD works is to know
how to change the things you need changing".
I am aware that many people have genuine concerns and wish to voice them and
it appears that Cowal Highland Gathering is being singled out, but we at
Cowal realise that this is due to our high profile. The Board of Directors
of Cowal Highland Gathering are confident in the integrity of the present
system we operate. Highland Dancing at Cowal is flourishing, with ever
increasing numbers and with representation from more countries than ever
before coming to compete on the world's best stage. May Falconer once told
me, "Highland Dancing has taken me all over the world and I have had many
fond memories but as a dancer the feeling you got when you stepped on to the
center boards at Cowal will never leave you".Many more competitors should be allowed to experience that feeling and of
course many will.
Fairness of any competition requires regulation and it is Cowal's duty to
abide by the vast majority of highland dancers. Those who claim they are
being discriminated against may have the solution in their own hands. In
registering with an association who is a member of the SOBHD they put
themselves in position of negotiation and influence on the rules &
regulations they would abide by. In taking these steps all can compete with
the worlds elite highland dancers at the undisputed world highland dancing
championships at Cowal Highland Gathering.
I look forward to the continued prosperity of Highland Dancing at Cowal.
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P.O. Box 98 Corrimal NSW 2518 Australia.
As always for Questions and Comments, I can be reached at
Loraine Ritchey, 1127.W. 4th Street, Lorain, Ohio, 44052.
lritch7@yahoo.com