Hear! Hear, the pipes are calling!
Learn more about curling’s most unique traditions- bagpipes!
Our panel will cover:
The history of curling and bagpipes
Highland dress- pieces and names
How to find pipers for ceremonies
Accomodations and payment
What makes a good ceremony?
Just Scotland the Brave and other tunes
A performance or two from our panelists!
Our Piper Panelists:
*Kathy Thalmann was forced into piping at the age of 8 years old by her Irish grandfather. After growing into the pipes, she competed in solos and with bands across the Midwestern United States, Canada, and Scotland. In 2006, she began curling and instantly felt a connection between the two worlds of piping and curling. She was the resident Chicago Curling Club piper until she and her husband (whom she met curling) moved to Denver. Aside from piping and curling, she is a construction project manager in higher education, runs for fun, and is a dog mom to three.
*Todd Wyber has piped in many events for the Detroit Curling Club, and occasionally takes part in curling himself. First being inspired by his grandfather’s talents as a bass drummer, Todd has been piping for 32 years- since the young age of 14. Todd has served the role of Pipe Major for the White Heather Highlanders and Shrine Highlanders in Detroit, MI, but has also been involved with St. Andrews Grade 3 Pipe Band, Caber Feidh Pipe Band (currently), Metro Detroit Police and Fire Pipes and Drums Pipe Band (currently), North Coast PB Grade 2 (Cleveland, Ohio), and Windsor Police PB Grade 3. He has enjoyed teaching pipers of all ages and taken part in hundreds of funerals, weddings, and competitions- as a participant and as a judge. He is grateful for the many great places and people he has met because of piping, including his wife, who is also a piper herself.
*Scott McLean curls poorly out of the Seattle Granite Curling Club. They keep him around because he helps manage the bar. He is a retired history teacher and retired National Park Ranger. He taught bagpipes in a high school music program and was the piper for Mel Gibson at the premier of “Braveheart.”
*Rob Roberts currently curls out of the Ardsley Curling Club and Long Island Curling Club and serves as a board member. Rob works in strategy and management consulting for banks and insurance companies. Rob started curling in college, which eventually led to bagpiping- after meeting with curlers who were members who were members of the City of Chicago Pipes and Drums at the Chicago Curling Club. His favorite bagpipe song is “Eric Stein,” which was written about one of his first piping instructors. Outside of piping and curling, Rob has enjoyed lacrosse, distance running, days on the water, spending time with his dogs, and multiple musical artists and genres, including Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Queen, Celine Dion, classical music, and French rap- the latter in which anyone who has bonspieled with him has come to tolerate at the least.
*Stephen MacNeil is the official bagpiper for the Traverse City Curling Club, and curls at the Leelanau Curling Club. He has been curling for 6 years, on well-named teams “New Kids on the Rock” and “Piper Down.” Stephen started piping at 10 years old, and currently is a Bagpipe Professional at Henderson Imports in Traverse City, MI. As a competitive professional piper for over 30 years, Stephen has accumulated many piping achievements, including 9x North American Champion, 4 of the top 5 finishes in the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, and piped for the Canadian and Ontario Curling Championships.
This webinar is intended for other pipers, event coordinators, club leadership, and bagpipe fans!
This is a FREE webinar!