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for dancers age 12 and over. The top 20 dancers from each age category (Juvenile - 12-15 inclusive, Junior - 16-17 inclusive, and Adult - 18+) get to dance on the
Saturday for the World Championships. To ensure that there is a range of ages in the 12-15 category, four dancers are selected from the 12 years, four from the 13 years, and six each from the 14 years and 15 years. The older categories select their top 20 based on two separate heats which are randomised based on championship results for the previous year. The heats are about the same standard and the top 10 from each category get to dance on the Saturday for a chance at winning the World Championship title. For dancers under the age of 12, there are no qualifiers as the Scottish (open) Championships are where they could win the title of World Champion.
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At the games are held the
Scottish National Highland Dancing Championships which is only open to Scottish residents, the Scottish (open) Highland Dancing Championships and the qualifiers and finals of the World Championships. The qualifiers happen at the same time as the Scottish (open) Championships
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saw the cancelling of the highland gathering for 2020 and 2021, events normally attracting in excess of 1500 competitors annually. This was due both to travel restrictions for international participants, as well as uncertainty health-wise. A
227:, it was decided that after 2013 Cowal would lose its status as a major competition due to difficulties accommodating the number of bands. The pipe band competition continues to be held but with a reduced number of entrants.
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As the last major competition in the season, Cowal was historically where the
Champion of Champions title for the best overall performance in the major competitions of the season was decided and awarded. Until the
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competition for Army bands, at the suggestion of
Malcolm McCulloch. Twenty-five bands entered in 1909, the first year that civilian bands were allowed to compete. The Argyll Shield, donated in 1906 by
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started. In subsequent years games were held at New Year. The organisation of the Cowal events and other games around
Scotland was due to a wide interest in Highland sports, partly stemming from
300:, as part of an international competition. The shot put is done with both a standard 16 pounds (7.3 kg) shot and with the naturally formed 34 pounds (15 kg) Cowal Stone.
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The event that would evolve into the Cowal
Gathering was first held on 11 August 1894, and organised by local man Robert Cameron.
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Pipe bands filing into the stadium for the salute to the
Chieftain and the award announcements at the 2008 event
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from the stadium to the top of Tom Odhar and back again, and since 2007 there has been a
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from
Glasgow contributed to popularity of the games. The games also featured in early
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started in
Glasgow in 1947, Cowal was regarded as the premier pipe band competition.
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The Games features a variety of traditional
Highland games events, including the
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competitions, as well as juvenile and local restricted competitions.
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442:"Another look back at the great days of Cowal Highland Gathering"
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Following discussions between the Gathering Committee and the
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194:" was to be held for 2021, following a similar 2020 action.
593:"Sun setting on Cowal as RSPBA championship (updated)"
513:Collins, Tony; Martin, John; Vamplew, Wray (2005).
93:
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129:, over the final weekend in August. It is held at
389:"A brief history of the Cowal Highland Gathering"
780:"Cowal Highland Gathering Traditional wrestling"
516:Encyclopedia of Traditional British Rural Sports
464:"Cowal Highland Gathering is all ready to begin"
211:Dunoon Stadium, the venue for the field events
145:in the town is in 1871, the same year as the
8:
755:"Cowal Highland Gathering – Cowal Hill Race"
675:"Cowal Highland Gathering Highland dancing"
700:"Cowal Highland Gathering heavy athletics"
620:"Cowal Highland Gathering future in doubt"
541:"Cowal Highland Gathering 2021 cancelled"
420:. Pelican Publishing. pp. 109–149.
361:"Highland Games: 'Part of our culture'"
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645:"Cowal Highland Gathering solo piping"
417:The Scottish Highland Games in America
391:. cowalgathering.co.uk. Archived from
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489:"Cowal Highland Gathering Pipe bands"
335:Sport in the Making of Celtic Culture
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858:Recurring events established in 1894
338:. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 36.
618:Brian Ferguson (23 January 2013).
169:Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll
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519:. Psychology Press. p. 150.
141:The first record of an organised
16:Annual Highland games in Scotland
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414:Donaldson, Ann (31 March 1999).
359:Sharpe, Gillian (28 June 2014).
234:Panoramic view of the 2014 event
56:Final weekend in August annually
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29:
817:British Pathe Newsreel Archives
163:1906 saw the introduction of a
567:"Cowal hopes to regain appeal"
462:Kenny Smith (22 August 2018).
263:Highland Dancing Championships
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878:Festivals established in 1894
868:Tourist attractions in Dunoon
218:World Pipe Band Championships
174:The easy access of Dunoon by
121:held in the Scottish town of
243:The Games hosts open graded
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873:Highland games in Scotland
271:Highland dancers competing
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28:
848:Sport in Argyll and Bute
545:Cowal Highland Gathering
239:Solo bagpipe competition
111:Cowal Highland Gathering
24:Cowal Highland Gathering
315:wrestling competition.
303:There is a 5-kilometre
182:television broadcasts.
451:: 17–20. January 2016.
332:Jarvie, Grant (1999).
296:, weight over bar and
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203:Pipe band competition
157:'s love of Scotland.
147:Argyllshire Gathering
735:on 22 September 2008
729:cowalgathering.co.uk
655:on 15 November 2018
113:(also known as the
784:cowalgathering.com
759:cowalgathering.com
704:cowalgathering.com
679:cowalgathering.com
649:cowalgathering.com
493:cowalgathering.com
449:Pipe Band Magazine
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599:. 31 January 2013
526:978-0-415-35224-6
427:978-1-4556-1171-3
345:978-0-7185-0129-7
313:Scottish backhold
192:virtual gathering
187:COVID-19 pandemic
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810:Official website
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117:) is an annual
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725:"Heavy Events"
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573:. 31 July 2007
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468:Scottish Field
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176:paddle steamer
155:Queen Victoria
143:Highland games
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131:Dunoon Stadium
119:Highland games
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99:cowalgathering
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89:1894 – present
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35:Official logo
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787:. Retrieved
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762:. Retrieved
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737:. Retrieved
733:the original
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653:the original
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624:The Scotsman
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393:the original
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298:hammer throw
294:weight throw
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86:Years active
18:
789:17 November
764:17 November
739:17 November
709:17 November
684:17 November
659:17 November
629:17 November
603:17 November
577:17 November
498:17 November
473:17 November
370:17 November
185:The global
115:Cowal Games
61:Location(s)
842:Categories
597:pipesdrums
571:pipesdrums
319:References
290:caber toss
253:strathspey
309:hill race
165:pipe band
551:16 March
365:BBC News
286:shot put
79:Scotland
399:27 June
305:fun run
245:pibroch
137:History
125:on the
94:Website
75:Country
523:
424:
342:
307:and a
280:Sports
251:, and
198:Events
123:Dunoon
65:Dunoon
863:Cowal
445:(PDF)
249:march
225:RSPBA
69:Cowal
53:Dates
791:2018
766:2018
741:2018
711:2018
686:2018
661:2018
631:2018
605:2018
579:2018
553:2021
521:ISBN
500:2018
475:2018
422:ISBN
401:2017
372:2018
340:ISBN
257:reel
255:and
151:Oban
109:The
101:.com
180:BBC
149:in
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
