Registrations for the 2017 season are now open and the master entry forms are available online. As well, the 2017 Rule Book is also available.
A few notes about some changes for the upcoming season:
One of the big changes for solo contests this year is that we’ve eliminated the difference in entry fees between the professional and amateur events. For PPBSO members, the new solo entry fee is $12.50 per event (including HST) and the entry fee for affiliate members is $15.80. This does represent a slight increase in the cost for our members of $0.65 per amateur event, the first increase since 2012. The Board felt strongly that the making this change to align the entry fees is more reflective of our costs in administering these events.
Professional Soloists are asked to provide their CPA grading, if available. This information is used in accordance with the rule book when splitting the professional piobaireachd events (when numbers warrant such a split)
Band entries for both Kincardine and Embro have a firm cap, to be filled on a first come, first serve basis (with grade 1 and 2 bands receiving priority at Kincardine).
The rule book has some changes for this year. Aside from the previously announced change in the grade 4 band requirements to replace the mini-MSR with a March Medley, the rest of the changes are mostly administrative in nature. The largest administrative change has been to clarify the dates around membership renewal, roster submission, and the membership eligibility requirements for solo contest entry and for band rosters.
One non-administrative change is that we’ve altered the circle sizes to be more in alignment with those used by the RSPBA. The innermost circle has decreased slightly in size, whereas the second circle (the one that judges may not cross) has been slightly increased. The final outer circle has also been adjusted appropriately to allow the judges room to move around the bands. The one note of caution here is that this rule only applies in locations that will accommodate the larger circle size. Although the PPBSO does its best to ensure that band circles are located in places large enough to accommodate them, topology occasionally prevents this from occurring.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about the rule book or any topic, please reach out either to admin@ppbso.org or president@ppbso.org