While Burnaby's Simon Fraser University Pipe Band is known for its crowded trophy case, the New Westminster Police Pipe Band also now has some impressive feats to pipe about.
The band recently took two first-place finishes at the North American Pipe Band Championships and the Montreal Highland Festival - personal bests in the band's 70-year history.
"It felt really good. It's been a long time coming," said Angus MacPherson, the band's pipe major. "We won in Montreal once before about five or six years ago, and we placed second in the North American championships before but after trying a few times."
The band - made up of 14 pipers, six side drummers, three tenor drummers and one bass drummer - took first place in the modern medley competition and traditional march, strathspey and reel, at the North American championships on July 30 in Maxville, Ont.
The next day, a repeat performance in Montreal netted another first place finish.
MacPherson said the band typically practises in New Westminster twice a week, which is tough to manage as band members live as far away as Seattle, Vancouver Island, the Interior and Alberta. Leading up the competition, the band practised as many as three times a day.
Despite the name, band members are not necessarily police. MacPherson helped revive the old Maple Ridge pipe band and secured a share of the funding for it from the New Westminster Police.
"They're everything from students to lawyers, to police officers and everything in between, MacPherson said. "Age 16 or 17 to 60."
Competitive piping dates back to about the 12th century when the Highland clans of Scotland would meet up for games. But instead of just tossing a caber or putting a stone, clan chiefs would also send their best pipers forward to demonstrate the clan's strength and prowess by marching in formation, forming a circle and letting loose a cacophony of complex harmonies and rhythms.
