Last weekend’s Skills USA winners
As the State Skills USA competition got underway, a feeling of excitement, apprehension, and a combination of nerves and anxiety settled over the campus of Salt Lake Community College. The competitors were involved in 76 different categories, with the division being between secondary and post secondary students. There were many high schools and several of the state’s colleges and universities competing.
As the State Skills USA competition got underway, a feeling of excitement, apprehension, and a combination of nerves and anxiety settled over the campus of Salt Lake Community College. The competitors were involved in 76 different categories, with the division being between secondary and post secondary students. There were many high schools and several of the state’s colleges and universities competing.
Twenty three students from the College of Eastern Utah competed in the following categories: customer service, cosmetology, power equipment technology, action skills, job skill demonstration open, job interview, welding, and audio production.
Customer Service- Danielle Christensen placed first, and Denise (Spanky) Harris placed second. They were the only contestants in this category.
Cosmetology- Nichole Gustas placed third amongst twelve other contestants.
Power Equipment Technology- Myka Potter placed third amongst six other contestants.
Action Skills- Quinn Holliday placed first; he was the only contestant.
Job Skill Demonstration Open- Allison Jarrett placed third amongst three other contestants.
Job Interview- Jenny Dastrup placed third amongst four other contestants.
Welding- Michael Rigby placed second in the Secondary category amongst nineteen other contestants. Mason Winters placed first in the Post-Secondary category amongst three other contestants. Winters was actually a returning champion; he had taken first in the state the previous year and had gone on to nationals. Once at nationals Winters continued to excel as he took second place.
In the welding competition the competitors are judged on the appearance-cleanliness, size-if it meets criteria, and if all positions are utilized. The positions are 1G-Flat, 2G-Horizontal, 3G-Vertical, and 4G-Overhead. There are also individual forms of welding that they are judged on. The forms are Flux Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), Shield and Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Oxy Fuel Cutting (OFC), Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW).
Audio Production- Team of Jordan Buscarini and Ryan Draper placed second amongst three other contestants.
CEU’s major competition came from Salt Lake Community College.
The contestants that placed first will go on to compete at nationals, which is held in Kansas City, Mo.
A common agreement amongst the student advisors was that because of the fact that CEU has always done so well at this state competition, other schools have seemingly given up trying.
