Washington Pipers’ Association

The last event of the season is upon us.  Thanks to our award winning and “BCPA certified” adjudicators for coming down from British Columbia this weekend!   I will post more about these adjudicators with the results, but David Bowman was the runner up in the 2009 BCPA Drumming Knockout events, an award winning solo drummer who plays with the 2008 World Pipe Band Champion and World Drum Corps champions, Simon Fraser University Pipe Band.   Hal Senyk will be judging piping.  Hal is also a certified adjudicator, award winning soloist, Pipe Major and volunteer Director with BC Pipers’ Association.

Please review the Aggregate scores so far and make sure we’re not missing any events and double check we’ve got the events correct.  6 points were awarded to first, 5 to 2nd and so on down to 1 point for 6th place finishes. Link:  2009 WPA Aggregate Standings, April 2009.  A reminder for aggregate awards; attendance at 4 of 5 WPA events is a requirement to be eligible for the award.   Aggregate plaques are similar to last years’ awards.

The WPA Board met Wednesday and clarified the Scholarship process, as well as took steps to ensure that alternates will be more likely to get the benefit of a scholarship award by adding a deadline on acceptance of the award for the first – drawn recipient.

Scholarship drawings are available to:

• Competitors who checked the “Scholarship box” on the registration form
• Competitors who pre-registered (or registered this year by the first event of the season)
• Competitors who competed at 4 of 5 monthly events.
• Competitors who did NOT receive a scholarship award from WPA during the 2008 season.

Scholarship drawings will be drawn first for the primary, then for the alternate for that award.  FOUR $250.00 Scholarships will be drawn.   Scholarship recipients must notify WPA at info@washingtonpipers.org of their intended use of the scholarship by the end of June, 2009.  Scholarship awards must be used within one year (ie, payment to the Scottish piping or drumming school must be requested to be sent by May 3, 2010).  Scholarship payment is sent directly to the Scottish Piping or Drumming school at the request of the recipient, once they have registered or informed the school of intent to register. 

See you Saturday!

Aggregate awards were handed out at end of the May 3rd gathering.  To receive the award, competitors must not have won in the same grade previously, and must have competed in 4 of 5 events.  Points were awarded in reverse order for the top 6 positions at each event.  1st place: 6 points, 2nd place: 5 points, 3rd place: 4 points, etc.

Chanter:  Paul Vegors

Grade 5 Piping:  Sean Sele

Adult Piping:  Rochelle Eldredge

Grade 4 Piping:  George Perantatos

Grade 3 Piping:  James Makinson

Beginning Drumming (Pad):  Colin Jones

Grade 5 Side Drumming:  Robert Graham

Grade 4 Side Drumming:  Amber Stone

Tenor Drumming:  Kendra MacLeod

Thanks to everyone for attending this year and congratulations to these dedicated competitors!

Scholarship Awards:

There was a bit of confusion about the scholarship process.  To be eligible for an award, competitors had to compete in 4 of 5 events, register before the end of December 2007, and check the box indicating they wished to be included in the Scholarship drawing.  A couple of members were not drawn because their memberships were received at the first event, but one member was received in time but was inadvertently left off the list.  These have been added as second alternates.  The rule for scholarship awards is unlikely to change for next year, because it’s very important to the volunteers of WPA that the membership forms be received early enough to get them processed, especially since Angie Maier has indicated this was her last year volunteering as registrar after many many years of service (nearly 10, we think).  We were a little more flexible about the deadline this year, extending it to the end of December because we were late getting the newsletter and information posted, but for the 2009 season, the deadline will move back to December 15th, 2008.  The rules are posted in the newsletter. 

WPA increased the number of scholarships our members and donors help fund to 5 from 4 last year, and the amount per award to 300.00.  To claim a scholarship award for the two awards donated by Mastery of Scottish Arts and Coeur D’Alene School of Piping and Drumming, please contact us to let us know you plan to use it and we will notify the organization, then you will be able to register with them.  Remember that these awards are for tuition only, the room and board is your responsibility.

WPA $300.00 award winners should register with the piping or drumming school of your choice, get confirmation email from them if possible and then forward the confirmation email to our general contact address info [at] washingtonpipers.org (replacing [at] with @).  Our treasurer Diane Axworthy will then arrange payment with the school you have chosen.  Congratulations!

MSA:               Stewart Nevling (confirmed)
Alternate:       Bryce Kreger

Coeur D’Alene:  David Keachie
Alternate:          Sean Sele

WPA $300:     James Makinson
                     Steven Wheeler
                     George Perantatos
                     Robbie Graham  (claimed)
                     ineligible (to be awarded to alternate)

Alternates:   Gareth Jones
                    Amber Stone
                    Sam Horn
                    Sterling Monroe
                    Eric Roux

2nd Alternates: Malcolm Roux
                        Alex MacLeod
                        Sash Dachenhausen
                        Paul Vegors
                        Peter Jayne