On Saturday August 16, the Keith Highlanders Pipe Band will be making their fourth appearance at the World Pipe Band Championships at Glasgow Green in Glasgow, Scotland. This is a completely unprecedented occurance for a Seattle based pipe band. Other local bands have ventured over to play at the World's, but only once, and they did not have the same success the Keith have had.
2002 went pretty well considering it was the band's first trip to the Worlds. We placed 11th out of 42 bands. In 2004 the pipe section was placed first by both piping judges; the band placed 6th overall due to lower drumming scores. We felt elated, it was an incredible finish! In 2006, the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) changed the tune and qualification requirements, we got a hideous drumming judge, and the result was that we didn't place. We had a good trip, but felt disappointed.
This year, the band has been working extremely hard and is focused on coming home with a 1st place trophy. I won't be making the trip, but will certainly be there in Spirit. The Worlds is a fantastic event with 250 pipe bands and about 40,000 spectators in one place on the same day. it's Pipe Band Heaven. Playing there is an amazing experience. It takes a ton of personal discipline, sustained motivation with months of practice, and an intense mental focus. It's the Olympics of the pipe band world. No band event is more important.
I'll post results here, and in the meantime, join with me to send out good vibes to the Keith Highlanders for success in the contest! Oh, and don't forget to try the haggis & chips. They're exquisite!
