The Lance Oaobcr 2006 Volume 46 Issue 3 St. Andrews Pipe Band Captures EUSPBA Grade III Championship Competing against pipe bands from throughout the United States, the pipe band from St. Andrews Presbyterian College captured top honors in Grade III competition at the Eastern United States Pipe Band Association national championships. The victory came Sunday, Oct. 15, during the Anne Arundel Scottish Festival in Anne Arundel, Md. Defending champion Schenectady Pipe Band finished second. “I was going to feel really happy if we made the top three in the prize list,” said Pipe Major Bill Caudill. “I knew we had a shot at winning if we played up to our potential. And sure enough, we did. When you get to that level, it’s like splitting hairs. Everyone is good. Two sets of judges had a consensus for us for the competition.” The St. Andrews Pipe Band dominated the March, Strathspey, and Reel portion of the competition, taking the top rating from four of five judges. The band then scored well with five additional judges in the Medley to be named the champion. “I think one of the crowning moments of the performance was Samuel Hemingway,” Caudill said of his bass drummer. “At the very conclusion of the medley, Sam is just rocking on the bass drum and he hits the drum for the very last beat really really hard and the puffy head of the drum stick goes flying off through the air It was like fireworks going off!” St. Andrews qualified for the national championship by winning the southeastern regional championship earlier this year. Six regional champions were invited to Anne Arundel along with selected other bands to compete against each other. Also from North Carolina, the Grandfather Mountain Highlanders placed fourth. Caudill was particularly grateful for the band’s championship since - as a band based with a college - the St. Andrews Pipe Band practices and competes only nine months out of the year, taking the summer off as a group. “It certainly puts the St. Andrews program on the map. People know where Laurinburg North Carolina is for sure,” said Caudill. “Less than 10 minutes off the field, I had half a dozer kids come up to me wanting to know how they could come to St. Andrews.” While some of the members of the St Andrewsbandarefromthecommunity, most are students at St. Andrews. “We just wanted to make the prize list,” said freshman piper David Goodman. “I wasn’t expecting to win the entire thing. I just wanted to play well and do the best I could. No one was really talking about winning. We talked about doing our best and seeing what happened Success on the Court Danielle Heider “Volleyball is a team sport. If the pass isn’t good, then the setter can’t set the ball. If the setter can’t set the ball, then the hitter can’t attempt a good swing. If the hitter can’t swing at the ball, then it will never go back over the net. It’s a continuous process that takes a lot of work from the seven, if not more, players on the court,” stated senior Jessica Bewley. The St. Andrews Volleyball team has had a successful season that will lead to future successful seasons. As of October 26, the Volleyball team places 5* in the conference. “I am proud of this team for many reasons. I am proud of what our student-athletes have accomplished in the classroom. Obviously, I am proud of our accomplishments on the volleyball court. We have had a nice season so far. These young ladies have put in a lot of hard work to lay the ground work for our program,” stated Head Coach Dan Kreiger Coach Kreiger came to St. Andrews in the fall of 2005 and has worked hard helping the team communicate and succeed on and off the court. With six new players, the team has found a comfort in communicating with one another on and off the court. (St. Andrews Pipe Band holding the cup. Picture courtesy of Rooney Coffman.) and we won it and it’s just crazy for me!” Most of the student members of the band have been playing for only about four or five years. Members in other bands have typically played for many more years “We are extremely proud of the experience our band members gained through this competition and their performance,” said Dr. Bill McConnell, director of the St. Andrews music department “Our music program continues to grow in all areas and the pipe band is a tremendous part of our program.” Freshmen Galina Podolosky found that the communication between the players and coaching staff has been rewarding throughout the season. “I’d say that on and off the court our team was real ly well- bonded. We are all there for each other through thick and thin, and in volleyball it’s very important to have those strong bonds because when all 6 players are out on the court it is important that they have each other’s backs and communicate very efficientiy. Volleyball is all about communication and I think we’ve been doing that very well all season.” As Dan Kreiger is in his second season at St. Andrews, he has been able to observe the team’s improvements from last season. “There has been an immense amount of improvement from last year to this. We only won 3 matches last season. We have 17 wins right now with three matches remaining. We should end up with at least 15 more victories than we had in 2005.1 have seen improvement come about in many different ways,” states Kreiger. “For our returning players, this is their second year in our system so their understanding and comfort levels have increased. Our new players came in and hit the ground running which (Continued on page 7) (Group talk. Picture Courtesy of Rooney Coffman ) Contents Lance news: 2 Student Life: 3-5 Equestrian: 6 Knights Atheletics: 7-8 Editorials: 9 Entertainment: 10-11 Announcements: 12

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