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SFU, Dowco pipe bands ready for Scotland

With two weeks to go for the worlds, two Grade 1 pipe bands with strong ties to the Tri-Cities have each set their sights on capturing the international title.
Reid
Reid Maxwell of Coquitlam is the lead drummer for SFU Pipe Band.

With two weeks to go for the worlds, two Grade 1 pipe bands with strong ties to the Tri-Cities have each set their sights on capturing the international title.

The six-time champion ensemble from Simon Fraser University — led by Coquitlam drummer J. Reid Maxwell — will be up against the Port Coquitlam-based Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band for the finals at Glasgow Green.

The two Grade 1 bands are eager to face each other on the Scottish field, not only for competition purposes but also to acknowledge the respect they have for their craft and for each other as both draw players from the same west coast neighbourhood.

SFU Pipe Band (SFUPB) Society president Robert MacNeil, a Coquitlam resident, said his group wants to get back on top; the last time it placed at the worlds was third in 2012.

Since then, MacNeil said the band has tweaked its style and sound to be more aggressive and “we’re hoping the judges will find that appreciative,” he said. “We’re hoping it will be well adjudicated.”

The SFUPB has been on the western circuit to prepare for the worlds including at last weekend’s Pacific Northwest Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington State. 

There, the junior SFU band, called the Robert Malcolm Memorial 3 group (which will also play in the juvenile division at the worlds next week), got top marks as did the Grade 1 band.

Having that regional exposure — before a large crowd — is key to readying for the worlds, MacNeil said.

Still, SFU will be at a slight disadvantage in Scotland as one drummer will be performing on new instruments. 

In June, as reported by The Tri-City News, two snare drums were stolen from the back of a vehicle parked at a Port Coquitlam home. 

The theft happened after the BC Highland Games in Coquitlam earlier that day.

Fortunately, the drum maker, Andante, will have a set waiting for SFU when the band arrives in Scotland — matching the original specification as much as possible. 

“It’s great that they were able to do this for us,” MacNeil said of the Northern Ireland manufacturer.

But when it comes to having an edge over Dowco, MacNeil said SFU is more unified. Most of their players are from the Lower Mainland while their rivals draw 40% of their roster from the U.K. and Europe.

Dowco Pipe Major David Hilder, a PoCo resident, said the recent shake-up has been good for his organization. 

dowco

Drum sergeant (and world champion) Gary Corkin was recently brought out of retirement and led the group to eighth place in the Grade 1 event at the European Pipe Band Championships in Belfast last year.

This year, at the British Championships in Paisley, Scotland, in May, Dowco took the same position over SFU’s 12th slot (Dowco also scored fifth in drumming compared with SFU’s 10th in the same category).

However, the new direction has meant Dowco hasn’t been at Glasgow since 2015 when it placed 11th overall versus SFU’s fifth spot.

“At the end of the day, it’s a competition,” Hilder said of SFU at the worlds. “We’re rivals and we have been for years so it’s nice to go back and forth and be rewarded for taking the risks. It would be terrific for us to both come back with some hardware.”

Added MacNeil of SFU and Dowco: “We are very well prepared and we work hard and do well. I think it’s a credit to the determination of all the pipers and drummers and their parents. They play a big role in helping the kids materialize their dreams.”

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GRADE 1 PLAYERS  FROM TRI-CITIES

Dowco Triumph

David Hilder

Shaunna Hilder

Liam Hilder 

Andrena Hilder

SFU pipe band

Richard Gillies

Alistair Lee

Andrew Lee

Dani Millar

Anna Smart

Reid Maxwell

Louise Bentley

Gavin McRae

Duncan Millar

Stephen Paynter

 

Kyle Wallis