‘So proud of them’
College of Piping band claims world championship title in Scotland
Ryan Simpson and the rest of the College of Piping’s Grade 4 band weren’t fazed by the cool temperatures of Scotland as they took a world championship title home to Summerside.
The 21-year-old is part of the College of Piping’s Grade 4 band that competed in Glasgow, Scotland, alongside 59 other bands from all over the world.
P.E.I came out on top against performers from all over Canada, the U.S, Ireland, France, England, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Austria, Netherlands, Switzerland, Denmark, Argentina and, of course, Scotland, to name a few.
Winning the world championship isn’t something he takes lightly.
“We’re a small band, and to have that level of success on the world stage, in Scotland, is huge,” he said.
Being a piper for 10 years, he is extremely proud to be a part of the current group.
“We’ve done something never done by the college before — make an impact on the world stage.”
The College of Piping contingent went into the competition strong, but they were just happy to have qualified.
The strength of the drummers is what carried them through the qualifiers, he said.
“Then, the pipers really delivered in the finals.”
Judging is based on a ranking process and can be subjective to what a particular judge may be looking for.
Pipe Major Kylie MacHattie deserves credit for carrying them through the competition, he said.
MacHattie is still in Scotland, competing in a solo event.
The band worked hard, not just by practising, to get where they are.
Raffle tickets to win a $25,000 voucher and various 50/50s at events, such as the Highland Storm performances, helped them get to Scotland.
P.E.I may be small, but the Island has the highest Celtic population per capita, said Sue McGiveron, the college’s special events co-ordinator.
The Grade 4 band wasn’t the only success to come from Scotland as the Grade 2 band also made a mark on the world stage, claiming 10th in the world among 28 competing bands.
“We are just so proud of them,” said McGiveron.