Facing 12 fewer games and festivals, WUSPBA creates smaller events and Western States Invitational

Since 2020, the Western United States Pipe Band Association has seen no fewer than 12 Celtic Festivals and Highland Games vanish due to poor attendance, high venue costs, and a scarcity of volunteers as prevailing factors. As with many worldwide, some of the remaining event organizers are considering hiring a single pipe band to perform, doing away with sanctioned piping, drumming and pipe band competitions altogether.

Rather than cling to traditions, the WUSPBA now focuses on administering smaller, branch-sponsored competitions. They’ve also created the Western States Champion Solo Invitational, an end-of-season competition for the top aggregate scorers in all solo piping and drumming solo grades at those smaller events.

“The number of grant applicants we received made it clear that we’re not the only competition organizers who should be doing this.” – Logan Gorsuch, Youth Education Council chair

The overall solo winners at the Scottish Highland Gathering & Games in Pleasanton, California—the most prominent competition and one of few with competitors at all levels—qualify for an invitation to the Western States Champion Solo Invitational. Another four invitations in each category come from the top placings on the WUSPBA overall season aggregate list.

The March 31st online solo event, run by the WUSPBA Youth Education Council and available to anyone worldwide, will also be a qualifying contest.

To make the online event more accessible, the Youth Education Council executive council and the WUSPBA have created grant opportunities for competitors who need help with registration fees. (Proceeds from the competition and Youth Education Council-sponsored workshops and educational efforts return to the YEC.)

“The number of grant applicants we received made it clear that we’re not the only competition organizers who should be doing this,” said Logan Gorsuch, chair of the Youth Education Council.

Recently, 35 pipers and drummers from St. John’s College in Harare, Zimbabwe, received grant assistance to enter the event. This prompted 60 more paying competitors to enter and the need for more judges, who now comprise Paula Glendinning, Shanna Hilder, Reid Maxwell, Owen Russell, Richard Parkes, Ian Whitelaw, and Bob Worrall.

“We have 197 competitors in total, which puts the YEC Online competition on a level with Pleasanton as a huge solo event,” Gorsuch added.

“They’re showing all of us that even though games are closing and smaller branch competitions are becoming the way forward, a focus on inclusion is a recipe for success,” said Western States Champion Solo Invitational co-director Jeff Mann. “The sheer numbers of competitors and the excellence of the judging team for the YEC Online guarantee a great qualifying event for the Western States Invitational.”

The Western States Champion Solo Invitational, which started in 2024, is held in memory of the late Ken Eller, who was a frequent judge and teacher at Pleasanton and other WUSPBA events.