Top high school, college welders showcase their skills at 2023 SkillsUSA Championships

Dozens of high school and college students from around the country showcased their welding and fabrication skills at the SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta this past June.

High school and college students from Utah earned gold medals in four of the six welding competitions at the 2023 SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta earlier this summer.

Dozens of high school and college students from around the country showcased their welding and fabrication skills in three categories: welding, welding fabrication, and welding sculpture. The welding competitions were among 110 total skill-based competitions that took place during the week-long national SkillsUSA Championships, the centerpiece of the organization’s annual National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC). More than 6,000 students competed in a trade, technical, and/or leadership career competition.

“The look on the kids' faces whenever they make good welds and get recognized is exciting,” said Ashley Applegate, co-chair of the welding competition and the director of training at the Kentucky Welding Institute in Flemingsburg, Ky.

Thirty high school and college/postsecondary students earned medals in the three welding categories, either as individuals or as teams.

Welding

In this competition, contestants received drawings and welding procedure specifications that conformed to the latest edition of the American Welding Society standards. Competitors were tested on their ability to measure weld replicas; use weld measuring gauges; lay out a plate; cut with oxy-acetylene equipment; and weld using gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), shielded metal arc welding (SMAW), and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW). They also were required to complete a steel project and weld an aluminum project in various positions using a variety of filler metals.

High School Winners

• Gold: Benjamin Cornaby, Maple Mountain High School, Spanish Fork, Utah
• Silver: Hayden Zdrodewski, WCTC High School Chapter, Colgate, Wis.
• Bronze: Brianna Anderson, Diamond Oaks Career Development Center, Cincinnati

College/Postsecondary Winners

• Gold: William Hansen, Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah
• Silver: Alexander Bojar, Waukesha County Technical College, Pewaukee, Wis.
• Bronze: Jack Enberg, Anoka Tech College, Anoka, Minn.

Welding Fabrication

In this category, teams of three students used their welding and fabrication skills to build a project from provided material. The project was constructed by the competitors based on prints provided. This competition required students to demonstrate their skills in welding and cutting processes, as well as their proficiency in using common workshop tools.

High School Winners

• Gold: Team G (Jaxon Archibald, Walter Rose, Josh Jackson), Maple Mountain High School, Spanish Fork, Utah
• Silver: Team L (Paul Hourigan, Kaleb Ranek, Hudson Ewert), Spearfish High School, Spearfish, S.D.
• Bronze: Team AD (Ray Hofer, Karl Keiderling, Konol Barton), The Mount Academy, Esopus, N.Y.

College/Postsecondary Winners

At the week-long competition in Atlanta, competitors demonstrated their outstanding welding and fabrication skills, explained in detail the designs and decisions of their work, and showed proficiency in using common shop tools and welding equipment.

• Gold: Team A (Kenneth Bell, Dallin Cardon, Noah Vergara), Utah State University Eastern, Price, Utah
• Silver: Team P (Brayden Doughman, Hunter Teasley, Josh Uhland), North Central Kansas Tech College, Beloit, Kan.
• Bronze: Team G (Kiel Skaggs, Cameron Vaughn, Jordan McDonald), College of Western Idaho, Nampa, Idaho

Welding Sculpture

Competitors were required to design and produce a welded sculpture and to describe all aspects of its creation and design. The sculptures were completed ahead of the national competition and were displayed at the competition station alongside a professional portfolio documenting evidence of their original work. Each participant was interviewed regarding their sculpture.

For the first time ever, the welding sculpture students were required to demonstrate their welding skills on-site. However, they were not scored for their welding skills demonstration; welding sculpture students will be scored on their on-site performances beginning in 2024.

High School Winners

• Gold: Kyle Tippett, Marion Technical College, Ocala, Fla.
• Silver: Colton Barton, Russell County Career & Tech Center, Lebanon, Va.
• Bronze: Brennan Harris, Vanguard-Sentinel CTC-Sentinel Campus, Tiffin, Ohio

College/Postsecondary Winners

• Gold: Scott Schneider, Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, N.M.
• Silver: Steven Moon, Davis Technical College, Kaysville, Utah
• Bronze: Alexander Baker, State Technical College of Missouri, Linn, Mo.

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