Maine Highland Games: Piper of the Day!

I just returned from a day at the Maine Highland Games, and in my solo competitions I seem to have come out pretty well.  The short summary is that I won the overall prize in Grade 2 piping, with a second place finish and two firsts.  Unlike my last piper of the day award I didn't take any photos or video; I didn't take either of my cameras.  The reason for that was twofold, first that there was rain in the forecast and I was there by myself, with no one to hold the camera while I played.  Turned out the weather was great; the sun was out almost all day and the rain held off until the drive home.  But anyway, here's a picture of me at home with my medals and trophy. 

You might say, "Hey, put down your coffee cup and show us the trophy."  Well, that is my trophy.  "Gee, what an odd trophy" is the first thing I said when I opened the box; there's actually nothing trophyesque about it.  It's a ceramic mug.  With blueberries on it.  I'm not saying it's not a nice mug, but it's more of a door prize than a first prize.  When I put it on my trophy shelf it will appear that I have good taste in pottery, which simply isn't the case.  I'm not ungrateful or anything, but it is an odd thing to win in a contest.  Oh well. 

There's a number of other exciting developments from the day, which I will post more information about in the near future.  Aside from that, it's time to get practicing for my next competition... only 35 days until Loon!

Next competition: Maine Highland Games

My next solo competition is one that I really look forward to, and I feel like it's the home competition.  It's not the closest one I'll do this year, but it is in Maine, and since that's where I live it has a different feel to it.  Last year I didn't do very well in solos, but this year I'll be practicing up and hopefully will come out better. 

Held at Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick, it's right on the water and a gorgeous venue.  It's about 45 minutes from Portland, 20 minutes from Freeport, and a good way to spend the day.  Come out and watch some solo piping in the morning, pipe bands in the afternoon, and athletics and dancing throughout the day.

We're hoping for a good turnout and good weather; hope to see you there!

Maxville wrap up

Got back a few days ago from our road trip to the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville, Ontario.  All in all it was a good trip and a chance to hang out with my friends, but as always a few things went wrong and are listed below. 

Things that went wrong at Maxville:

1. I didn't get to play my solos.  My entry form didn't get there in time so I wasn't on the list. 
2. Glenn Brown didn't win the former winners' Gold Medal piobaireachd.  He should have. 
3. The kids camping behind us wanted to start a riot.  Or at least that's what they were chanting from midnight until 2:00 am after they returned from the beer tent. 
4. After a very nice day on Friday and nice morning on Saturday, it rained.  And it didn't just rain, it RAINED.  At least it waited until the Grade 1 MSR band contest was done, but that's small consolation.

I'm not bitter about any of these (except maybe #2), and I'll classify the trip as a success.  We heard lots of good piping, saw some friends we hadn't seen for a while, and had a good time.  Next time we won't be camping for reason #3, but I still thought it was fun.

Will Maxville happen????

Maxville, Ontario is the home of the Glengarry Highland Games, which in turn are the home of the North American Pipe Band Championship contest.  It's without a doubt the biggest games I've seen on this side of the pond, and pipe bands come from all over Canada and the U.S.  It's huge and well-attended, and the beer tent is famous for the amount of revelry involved.  Normally civilized pipers turn into uncivilized hooligans, but that's a different discussion altogether.  It's interesting to see some tens of thousands of pipers, drummers, dancers, athletes, fiddlers, harpists, vendors, and spectators descend on this otherwise small and quiet little town in eastern Ontario, population about 3,000. 


Now I'll step out for a minute to say that the title of the post is misleading.  Maxville will happen.  There's no doubt of that, it will happen rain or shine. 

The real question is whether Maxville will happen for the Keydetpiper.  I registered for the solo piping competitions, and now that the order of play has been posted on the PPBSO's website, it does not contain my name.  I'm not certain that my registration arrived before the deadline.  It was mailed two days prior, but I have no experience with Canada Post, so I can make no guesses. 

Actually this isn't entirely true either; Maxville will happen for the Keydetpiper, since I have obligated myself to play for my friend's drumming competition.  So the Keydetpiper will surely be going to Maxville, but the real real question is whether competitions at Maxville will happen for the Keydetpiper. 

I'll keep you posted.