Pipe band and solo competitors from the Atlantic Region showed well at the 2005 North American Championships held in Maxville, ON the weekend of July 29/30.

Dartmouth & District Pipe Band finished third overall in the Grade 2 category having placed third in both the Medley and March Strathspey Reel competitions and the Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band finished sixth overall with a fifth in medley and sixth in March Strathspey Reel. In Grade 3 category, the Gaelic College Pipe Band placed second and the Maritime Air Force Pipe Band was tenth in the March Strathspey Reel event. The Dartmouth Junior Pipe Band placed second and the College of Piping placed eighth in the Grade 4 March Medley event.

In the professional solo piping events, Andrew Rogers (78th Highlanders Halifax Citadel) placed fourth in March and sixth in Strathspey Reel. Nick Van Ouwerkerk (College of Piping) competed in the Grade 1 Jig B placing sixth and third in the Grade 1 March B. Antigonish Highland Society’s Adam Gillis had two first place finishes in Grade 2 Jig A and Grade 2 Strathspey Reel, second in the Grade 2 March B category and fourth in Intermediate Amateur Piobaireachd A. Also in Grade 2, Ryan Fraser of Dartmouth & District Pipe Band placed third in Jig B and sixth in March B. In Grade 3, Mary Chisholm (Antigonish Highland Society) placed second in March A, third in Strathspey Reel A and Junior Amateur Piobaireachd B; Pamela Newcomb (Dartmouth & District) placed fifth in March B; and Amanda Pulling (Gaelic College Pipe Band) had a first place finish in March B and third place in Strathspey Reel B. Rounding out the solo piping was Old Scotia Pipes & Drums’ Thomas Harrington who took fourth place in Grade 4 March A.

In professional drumming, Aaron Carter of the Fredericton Society of St. Andrew Pipe Band placed third in Hornpipe/Jig, second in March, Strathspey Reel and won the Overall North American title for Professional Drumming. Band mate Jeremy White had a sixth place finish in professional March, Strathspey Reel.

Also that weekend in Mallaig, Scotland on July 30, Antigonish’s Andrea Boyd placed second in the Piobearchd event, fourth in March and second in Strathspey & Reel.

The Executive and Membership extends its congratulations to all our local competitors.