Every year during the last week of June there is this little skilled trades competition. Actually, that little competition isn’t so little; in fact it’s huge! Unless you have attended a SkillsUSA National competition it is very hard to describe the width and depth of the program.
SkillsUSA National Competition is totally dependent on a very large, very dedicated contingent of volunteers who work with great passion to design, create and facilitate the collision repair and refinish competition. Also, many companies donate equipment, volunteer time and materials to make it all happen.
The very future of the skilled trades in this country is in the hands of the fine men and women who compete every year. Over the past 11 years, I have had the honor of participating on the National Technical Committee for the Collision Repair Segment, with a focus on Structural Damage Analysis.
I thought that I share with you the 4-6 days of behind-the-scenes preparation before the competition. The national competition was moved this year to Louisville, Ky., after being in Kansas City for several years. The move required a lot more preparation by the various committees. Because we had a whole new building, layout planning included several live meetings, site visits and conference calls.
As a part of the Collision Repair Technology Committee, I will focus on that area in this article. But Collision Repair Technology (CRT) and Automotive Refinish Technology (ART) are a joint effort, and we all assist each other to make this the best competition possible.
Day 1-Sunday before the competition
Many of us travel on Father’s Day to be at the conference center first thing Monday morning. But because of the new venue and updated equipment, many of the volunteers arrived in Louisville on the Friday before the contest this year.
Day 2-Monday before the competition
Bright and early arrival at the conference center! We do all of the heavy set up for both competitions and today is a big day. Much of the heavy equipment, spray booth trailer, new dust extraction equipment, frame machines and equipment crates had already been set up for volunteers.
Structural analysis
Unpack the crates of equipment; assemble the damage simulators and gauges. Prep the damaged vehicles and load them on the machines. Set up the electronic and universal measuring systems on the damaged vehicles. Volunteers then measure the vehicles to determine the damage that the competitors will need to identify.
Welding
Unpack the crates and skids of equipment; assemble the welding tables and protective curtains. Lay out electrical cables and place the welders and fume extraction units along with testing the function of the equipment. Verify that all consumables (welding wire, welding gas, and test coupons) are present and ready for testing.
Sheet metal repair
This year the committee had to assemble new dust extraction equipment and saw horses. All machine and hand sanding would now be done on a dust extraction system. This was definitely a professional upgrade. All of the repair materials (abrasives, fillers, etc.) had to be unpacked and inventoried. New fenders are unwrapped. Fixtures are set up to place three types of damage consistently in each fender that the contestants will be judged on repairing.
Plastics repair
As with sheet metal repair, plastics had all new racking and stands to hold the bumper covers that would be repaired. This committee was heavily involved in the set up of the total vacuum system. All sanding was on the new vacuum system. New bumper covers were “damaged” consistently so that all contestants had the same three testing points. All of the consumable products are unpacked and inventoried at all of the work stations.
General testing areas
We also set up an area for the contestants to serve as both their home base and a written testing area. A separate area is then arranged with tables and chairs for the resume writing and submission. This year we set up portable cubicles instead of curtains for the interviewing portion of the competition.
Day 3 Tuesday- The competition begins
All of the various competitions are fine tuning their areas to make sure all is ready for the Thursday competition. In Structural Analysis, we are setting the damage in the simulators and cross checking all measurements on the two vehicles (one unibody and one body on frame) to make sure we all agree on what the judging expectations are. We are also completing final preparation on testing materials and getting the scoring grids set up. This afternoon will be the written testing.
After lunch, the contestants arrive and go through an indoctrination period which explains the competition process and rules. The written testing now begins. ART and CRT contestants take both an estimating test and an ASE test. CRT also takes a test on structural analysis and component identification.
After testing ends the competitors are excused and the committees dismantle the test area. This area now becomes the home base for the contestants.
Auto Collision Repair by Senn’s in Louisville hosted a BBQ dinner that night for the volunteers. It’s great to relax with all of our committee friends.
Day 4: Wednesday — The day before the “hands on” competition
This is the one “easy” day for the committee volunteers. The competition is set and we are applying the final finishing touches. In Structural Analysis, we are grading written tests during this time. Competitors present their resumes and interview for a job position as a part of the competition. After lunch, the contestants are walked through every segment of the competition and given an overview of what is expected of them on Thursday. This is their only opportunity to ask questions about specific parts of the test or how equipment works.
Tonight is the committee and judges awards dinner. This year’s dinner was especially poignant as we had several long term members retire from the competition after many years of service.
Day 5: Thursday — Competition day!
We are all ready to make the competition happen. After a year’s worth of preparation the competition starts. Contestants break into their assigned groups and move to the first station in their rotation. At this point the floor erupts with the crackling sound of MIG welders, grinders and sanders spinning up, the tink, tink, tink of hammer on dolly and instructions being shouted out. Each segment is 90 minutes long with a short break between and a lunch period.
All of the work done to prep and set up ends in eight short hours. The contestants are tired, yet relieved that they are done. They gave it their best as they are all champions!
At this point each committee addresses the competitors and their coaches for a debrief of the competition. We discuss where the strong points and the weak points in each segment were. We also announce expected changes to next year’s competition.
By now it’s around 5 p.m. and it’s time to disassemble the competition. Everything has to come down then be packed up and crated up to go into storage for next year. When the dock doors open up the air conditioning is shut down (and it’s June in Kentucky!) What takes four days to assemble comes down in four to five hours.
In Structural Analysis we disassemble the simulators and box them with the gauges. The measuring systems are carefully packed away and the vehicles are removed from the machines. The frame machines are then made ready for shipment.
All of the segments are doing the same thing with tools and equipment being packed away. Welders are being prepared for shipping back to the manufacturer. Tables and racking are being disassembled and prepped for storage. The dust extraction system is taken apart and crated. The spray booth trailer exhaust system is disassembled and packed into the trailer. It’s amazing to watch the team at work helping each other get this done as quickly as possible.
One last dinner with friends and colleagues to celebrate another fantastic year at SkillsUSA!
Final thoughts
What has always impressed me is volunteers from all different segments of the industry (body shops/insurers/manufacturers/suppliers) take off their stripes for this competition. We stop being competitors for one week a year to help celebrate the skilled trades and what they mean to this country. I am truly honored to say that I have been a part of this over the past 11 years. I will continue to participate as long as they will have me.
If I have inspired you to get involved…that is great. Every state has a SkillsUSA committee and competition. The national level can also use more volunteers. For more information on Skills USA is check it out at www.skillsusa.org. Get involved. You will be happy you did.
