Shades of Gray at hot Calgary

Calgary – September 2, 2017 – The temperature was up to 28 degrees and the band entry was down, but the solo piping was solid at the annual Calgary Highland Games. Locals Rocky Mountain won the two-band Grade 2 event, and, in the professional solo piping, Zephan Knichel won the Piobaireachd and MSR. The world’s only mother-daughter combination competing at the professional level saw Ann and Robyn Gray neck-and-neck, and the younger Gray winning the Hornpipe & Jig. Husband and wife David and Shanna Hilder judged the pipe bands together.

Bands
Grade 2 (two competed)
1st Rocky Mountain
2nd City of Regina
Judges: David Hilder, Shaunna Hilder (piping); John Fisher (drumming); Rene Cusson (ensemble)

Grade 3 (one played)
1st Calgary Police Service
Judges: David Hilder, Shaunna Hilder (piping); John Fisher (drumming); Rene Cusson (ensemble)

Grade 4 (one played)
1st Regina Police Service
Judges: David Hilder, Shaunna Hilder (piping); John Fisher (drumming); Rene Cusson (ensemble)

Grade 5 (five competed)
1st 78th Fraser Highlanders Youth Band (Calgary)
2nd Ogden Legion
3rd Alberta Firefighters
Judges: David Hilder, Shaunna Hilder (piping); Blair Brown (drumming); Dave Hicks (ensemble)

Professional Solo Piping (seven competed)
Piobaireachd
1st Zephan Knichel, White Rock, British Columbia
2nd Raphael Mercier, Saskatoon, Sakatchewan
3rd Ann Gray, Calgary
Judge: Dave Hicks

MSR
1st Zephan Knichel
2nd Ann Gray
3rd Robyn Gray, Calgary
Judge: David Hilder

Hornpipe & Jig
1st Robyn Gray
2nd Ann Gray
3rd Raphael Mercier
Judge: Rene Cusson