We are coming to the end of the year and it is time to assess what 2010 has given Castellers de Vilafranca and the truth is that the balance is perhaps not more positive.
At the beginning of the year the Castellers de Vilafranca set ourselves several goals: to incorporate young people into the gang; renew positions of trunk, lining and handles; have a great Saint Felix and a good Festa Major; bring many shirts and fans to Tarragona, win the fifth consecutive competition and make many people in Vilafranca and Penedès happy; perform a brilliant day for All Saints; sign the best season overall; improve the spaces of Cal Figarot; modernize the website and communication channels; to project the gang and Vilafranca abroad..., it can be said that together we have more than succeeded.
This 2010 we reached some dream castellare figures: 15 castells extra range, 32 castells nine and 53 castells high range eight. The quality and quantity of these castellss and the high percentage of castellss downloaded make this season the best ever. As a given, we managed to land up to 6 different extra range castellss: 9fm rook, 8fm pillar, 5f 9f, 4f 9f, 3f 9f and Td8. An unusual event until this year.
The season has given us many special moments: the two castells again in the same day in Cornellà and La Selva, the Villafranca triplet in Badalona, the 5 out of 8 with the pin in La Bisbal, the two castells extra range in Catllar , a Sant Fèlix with four castells of extra range, the pillars of 8 for Sant Ramon and La Mercè, the Fifth Consecutive Castle Competition, the fantastic day of All Saints, the second best day in history - after that of Sant Fèlix from 2005- and the best with all the castells downloaded, and of course, the jewel of the 8 tower downloaded, a historical milestone that fills us with satisfaction.
For the sixteenth consecutive season we have managed to download castells of extra range and we are very happy to be able to say that once again Castellers de Vilafranca remain as the leading group.
And this has been possible thanks to the best rascal in the world, to the commitment of the castellers trunk, to the work of the lining and handcuffs people, and to the strength of the castellers foot who once again gave their all. And above all to the great work done by our head of Colla David Miret, to our deputy head of Colla, Toni Bach and to the whole team of the Technique, to Anna Riba and the team of the Canalla, and to Xavier Badia and the Medical-Sports area. Another year they have worked heart and soul for the Colla.
In 2010, the economic crisis has continued to be felt in all areas of our society, but thanks to the efforts of all castellers, partners, public institutions and companies that sponsor us, the group has been able to move forward numerous projects, such as the renovation and improvement works on the ground floor of Cal Figarot, with the new Multipurpose room, the grillers' rooms, the toilets and the new lift; the new website; the new merchandising; the castells workshops for young people and newcomers, among many others.
This year we have also promoted the group abroad like never before with trips to Toulouse, Krakow, Lyon, the Youth of the Castellers of Vilafranca in Carcassonne and with casteller delegations in Bombay, Brussels and Valparaiso to participate in the closing of the Universal Forum of Cultures together with the Castellers de Chile and help them make the jump towards the castells in seven.
Certainly, there is no amateur association in Catalonia, be it cultural or sporting, that has had the degree of activity, the ability to mobilize, the level of international projection and the media coverage that the Castellers de Vilafranca have had this year.
All this would not have been possible without the work of many people in the gang: Àlex Sánchez-Granados and the Social area, Miquel Ropero and the Economic area, Xavier Escribà and the Institutional area, Joan Mestres and the Infrastructure and Heritage area, by Francesc Bou and the Marketing and Media Area, by secretary Òscar Trejo and Head of Communications Laia Colomé. All of them have worked hard for the gang.
And what awaits us in 2011? Continue rejuvenating the group, make it fashionable to do castells again and encourage young people to be castellers of Vilafranca; continue to modernize the gang in all possible aspects; continue to improve the spaces of Cal Figarot; to continue doing great castells, castells of the usual, of the new, of the invented, of the impossible... the ones that David proposes to do; and continue promoting the castells, Vilafranca, Penedès and Catalonia around the world.
In the last few months we have maintained numerous contacts to bring the gang to Mumbai and perform together with the Indian govindas. At the moment we already have the formal invitation from the authorities and organizers of this celebration to go there next August, and they have told us that if we go there they would like to see castells again and big pillars. From the Junta de la Colla we will work as hard as possible to make this great adventure possible and not disappoint our Indian hosts and friends.
Let's enjoy this extraordinary season, the great castells, the good work we've done, let's celebrate it properly and above all let's stay united and with enthusiasm to face the challenges of 2011.
Happy New Year casteller everyone.
Miquel Ferret and Miralles
President of Castellers de Vilafranca
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