Ross Cowie (born 13 February 1960) is a charity-worker and former shinty player and manager, from Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. He is affectionately known as The Colonel.
Contents
Ross Cowie (born 13 February 1960) is a charity-worker and former shinty player and manager, from Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. He is affectionately known as The Colonel.
Throughout his career, Cowie was involved with Skye Camanachd and was most notably manager when they won the Camanachd Cup in 1990 [1] He was also captain of the Skye second team that had won the Sutherland Cup in 1988.
In all he has been manager of Skye Camanachd 3 times, covering an aggregate of 8 years. His father, Willie played for Skye Camanachd also, as well as Lovat Shinty Club. His uncle Dave Cowie played for Aberdeen FC in 1939.
Because of a serious heart condition, cardiomyopathy, Cowie retired from involvement in the playing side of the sport but retained a position as president of Skye Camanachd. In December 2010, Cowie made a dramatic return to top-level shinty with his re-appointment as assistant manager of Skye. He assisted manager Aonghas MacDonald and was supported by his two star players from the 1990 victory, his brother Willie and Albert Smith Medal winner, Willie MacRae.
He spoke to the press in January 2010 about the need for his club to improve performances at all levels, but in particular at second team level. He became the Skye Camanachd "Director of Shinty" in late 2012.
Cowie stepped down from the Skye Camanachd committee in December 2018. along with fellow club stalwart, Donnie Martin.
Cowie was also an important player and coach for the now defunct Portree United FC, a football club which shared many players in common with Skye Camanachd.
After a cardiac arrest in December 2006, which saw him die for several minutes, he became involved in fundraising and raising awareness of cardiac conditions throughout the Highlands of Scotland thorough his charity, Lucky2BHere .Lucky2BHere focuses on making acute care available in remote areas of the Highlands. Lucky2BHere
The trustees of Lucky2BHere are Professor Steve Leslie, Angus MacDonald, Phil Cunningham and Malcolm Jones.
By 2019, Lucky2BHere had raised over £1,000,000 and had distributed over 600 defibrillators. These defibrillators had been instrumental in saving several lives.
Through 2021, and the aftermath of the Christian Eriksen incident at Euro 2020, Cowie made a call for the Scottish Government to have emergency life support training in every school in Scotland.
In 2022, Cowie talked about Inverness BID securing 5 new defibs for Inverness City Centre and Lucky2BHere is the biggest purchaser of defibs in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In May 2024, Cowie was recognised with a Point of Light Award and was recognised with an early day motion in the UK Parliament.
Shinty is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands and among Highland migrants to the major cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread in Scotland, and was even played in Northern England into the second half of the 20th century and other areas in the world where Scottish Highlanders migrated.
Skye Camanachd is a shinty team from the Isle of Skye, Highland, Scotland. It plays in the Premier Division and has a reserve team in North Division One, as well as a Ladies team in the WCA National Division One and a Ladies reserve team in the WCA Development League. The club is based at Pairc nan Laoch, Portree.
London Camanachd is a shinty club in England. They have historically been attached to the South District. They went into abeyance in 1992 but were reconstituted in 2005. They played the first officially recognised Shinty match outside Scotland in 80 years on Saturday 22 July 2006 against the Highlanders. Currently the club field men's and women's teams in English and Scottish competitions as well as exhibition matches in Europe, most recently in 2018 in Brussels.
Ardnamurchan Camanachd is a shinty club based in Strontian, Ardnamurchan. The club covers a wide but sparsely populated area taking in Strontian, Ardgour, Morvern, Acharacle and Moidart: all in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It was established in 2005. It competed in Marine Harvest North Division 3 but withdrew for the 2012 season. seeking to return in 2013. However, in a radical step the club then applied to join South Division Two at a late juncture, becoming the first club ever to switch districts. The club's catchment area includes part of Morvern, which is south of the Ballachulish divide. The club has not competed in the senior leagues since 2013, but maintains a youth and women's presence in the sport, as well as supporting irregular friendly games by a select team in Glenfinnan.
The Camanachd Association Challenge Cup known as the Camanachd Cup is the premier competition in the sport of shinty. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty.
Strathglass Shinty Club or "Comunn Camanachd Straghlais" in Scottish Gaelic is a shinty club from Cannich, Inverness-shire. The club was founded in 1879, and played a major role in the development of the rules of the sport. The first team plays in National Division One but played in the Marine Harvest Premier Division after two successive promotions from the old North Division One from 2006 to 2008. The club restarted its second team in 2017, and there is a successful women's team, started in 2006.
Glenurquhart Shinty Club is a shinty team which plays in Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness, Scotland. It draws its players from the part of the Great Glen which encompasses Drumnadrochit, Lewiston and Glenurquhart. The club has been existence since 1885. They won their first senior trophy, the MacAulay Cup in 2012. After 2013 and 2014 saw them lose two successive MacTavish Cups, they are currently the holders as of 2015.
Shinty was played in its original form throughout North and South America by Scottish settlers until the early 1900s when the practice died out. Shinty, and its close Irish relative hurling as well as the English bandy, are recognised as being the progenitors of ice hockey and are an important part of North America's modern sporting heritage.
Caberfeidh Camanachd Club is a shinty team based in Strathpeffer, Ross and Cromarty, Scotland. Consisting of two teams, Caberfeidh currently play in the Marine Harvest Premiership having been promoted from the National Division after the 2017 season.
Inverness Shinty Club is a shinty club from Inverness, Scotland. The first team competes in North Division One and the second team in North Division Three. Founded in 1887 as Inverness Town and County Shinty Club to distinguish from other clubs in Inverness such as Clachnacuddin, Inverness moved to the Bught Park in 1934. Inverness won the Camanachd Cup in 1952. The club struggles to compete for players with the wide proliferation of football clubs in Inverness, in particular Inverness Caledonian Thistle but still manages to put out two teams.
Tayforth Camanachd is a shinty team originally from Perth, Scotland, but now playing at Levenhall Links, Musselburgh. In 2016, the club finished at the top of South Division 2.
Lovat Shinty Club is a shinty club from Kiltarlity, Inverness-shire, Scotland. The club was formed in 1888 and has a healthy rivalry with near neighbours Beauly. The club takes its name from the area within which it plays in and shared this name with the late Second World War hero, Lord Lovat.
The Mod Cup, also known as the Aviemore Cup1995 - Royal National Mòd Programmes and fringe events > Royal National Mòd Programmes > [Mod / Mòd Naìseanta Rìoghail - An Comunn Gaidhealach - National Library of Scotland] is a trophy in the sport of shinty first competed for in 1969, traditionally played for by the two teams who are based closest to the host venue of the Royal National Mod. The current holders are Aberdour.(2022)
The Balliemore Cup is a knock-out cup in the sport of shinty. It is the Intermediate Championship run under the auspices of the Camanachd Association and only first teams competing in the National, North Division One and South Division One are eligible for entry.
The MacTavish Cup is a knock-out cup competition in the sport of shinty. It is competed for by senior teams from the North of Scotland district. It is one of the five trophies considered to be part of the Grand Slam in the sport of shinty. The current holders are Newtonmore. The competition is currently sponsored by cottages.com.
The Valerie Fraser Camanachd Cup also known as the Valerie Fraser Trophy or the Women's Camanachd Cup is the premier trophy in Women's shinty and is currently sponsored by Peter Gow. It is played on a knock-out basis by the teams in the National Division 1 League and is administered by the Women's Camanachd Association. The current holders are Skye Camanachd.
William Cowie, more commonly known as Willie Cowie, is an ex-shinty player from Portree, Isle of Skye, Scotland. Throughout his career he played for Skye Camanachd and was a prolific forward. He is now a coach for the club.
The Albert Smith Memorial Medal is the award given to the Man of the Match in the final of the Camanachd Cup, the blue riband trophy of the sport of shinty. It has been presented every year since 1972 by the Smith family of Fort William in honour of Albert Smith Sr. The widow of his only son, John Victor Smith, currently presents the medal. Albert Sr.'s grandson, Victor Smith is a former player for Fort William Shinty Club but never won the medal despite featuring as a key player in several Fort William wins. Victor Smith currently coaches Fort William Shinty Club along with his cousin Adi Robertson. Victor's son, John Victor Smith, plays full forward for the Fort.
Kevin Thain is a Scottish shinty player from the village of Tomatin. He has played almost his whole career for Kingussie Camanachd and has been an integral part of its success since the mid-1980s.
David "Tarzan" Ritchie is a former shinty player from Newtonmore, Scotland. He is notable for having won 12 Camanachd Cup medals, a record he held alongside fellow Newtonmore player Hugh Chisholm for many years.