SkilsUSA State competition brought us three medalists in the duration of the event. While at State we had six people put their hearts into their competitions. The competition ended up taking place at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta.
Technical Drafting was one of the events that we placed in. Technical Drafting is, as explained by senior Austin Whaley, “[the] recreation [of] previous drafting guidelines that you’ve already been given and finding dimensions that were previously either lost or destroyed.” He got second place in the event. Whaley had a whole bunch of technical troubles this year at the competition. While at the competition, Whaley’s computer died: “My computer just died through charging. I had it plugged in, and it still died. So, I had to go on a cycle of using it while it died, and then letting it charge a little bit, about like [every] 30 minutes.” Austin competed against a myriad of other competitors. Around 22 people competed in the event. Many people competing have lots of experience, so they have better chance at winning places, “I’ve done it two years in the past. I got second place my first year doing it, but my second year my computer died, so I didn’t place,” said Whaley. Even though he hasn’t had as much practice as many of his rivals, Whaley was able to place in the top three once again this year!
Another event we placed in was High Risk Vehicle Stops. A team of two, senior Sammi Williamson and junior Lawson Bennett, fought their way to third place. High Risk Vehicle Stops consist of, “pulling people out of the vehicles, arresting them, and doing stuff like that,” as explained by Bennett. While this may seem like it is tough already, there is more to it. “We had one test that we had to take before [the competition] based on different skills,” said Bennett, “Then when we got down there, we had to take a basic knowledge test of criminal justice and things in that nature.” The competition was demanding during the event, as many different teams vied for top spots. There were around 15-20 teams that competed. Williamson was nerve wracked by the top spot the team managed to grab; “It’s scary, when they call you, you’re all shuffled onto a big stage that’s live streaming in front of literally everyone.” However, Bennett was very proud of this achievement seeing as they didn’t do as well last year. “It’s great! Last year we went down, and we didn’t do great. But, this year our skills definitely stepped up.”
The last event we placed in was Mechanical Drafting Display. We had two seniors compete: Riley Womack and Damien Grayson. Mechanical Drafting Display consists of, “a project that you can make. It’s just really a 3d model that you can print out. It’s anything,” said Womack. Around seven teams competed during the event. When your imagination flows, you can make anything. The things that these students created were brilliant. Womack and Grayson created a 3-D Porsche 911. The event was tough for our seniors. After trying their best, they ended up placing in third. Grayson said, “I was honored that we were able to place. And out of 10,000 people, we were able to stand on that podium.”
While these competitions are very important to these kids, what’s more important is the work SkillsUSA does for the community. Around Veterans’ Day they helped HOSA put up the flags in Ringgold. They also helped at the Chickamauga Battlefield Marathon by handing out water and Powerade to the runners. The competition was tough this year, and so many students competed. Looking back on these students, we see the dedication and effort they have put into their projects and events. While they have won some high places in the competition, we hope to see more people compete next year.
