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Top high school, college welders announced in national SkillsUSA competition

2022 SkillsUSA welding competition in Atlanta

Students from across the country competed in dozens of trade, technical, and leadership competitions at this summer's SkillsUSA Championships, including three welding categories. Images: Rafael Guerrero

Dozens of high school and college students from around the country showcased their outstanding welding and fabrication skills at the 2022 SkillsUSA Championships in Atlanta.

The June competition is the centerpiece of SkillsUSA’s annual National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC), which returned in person following its cancellation in 2020 and a hybrid format in 2021. More than 6,500 high school and college students competed in 108 different trade, technical, and leadership competitions, including three welding categories: welding, welding fabrication, and welding sculpture.

In the end, 30 high school and college competitors went home with gold, silver, or bronze medals—some as individuals and others in teams. Below are the medalists in the welding categories:

Welding

In this category, students tested their skills and knowledge in multiple stations that included measuring weld replicas, using weld measuring gauges, laying out a plate, using oxyacetylene equipment for cutting, gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux-cored arc welding (FCAW), making welds in various positions, and using a combination machine capable of providing the correct welding current for shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).

High School Winners

Gold: Matthew Woolcock, Venango Technology Center, Oil City, Pa.

Silver: Trey Lazauskas, Chariho Career Tech Center, Wood River Junction, R.I.

Bronze: Jesse Taggett, Presque Isle Regional CTC, Presque Isle, Maine

College Winners

Gold: Michael Shoemaker, Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pa.

SkillsUSA welding sculpture

One of the categories included welding sculpture, where projects like this waterfall were displayed.

Silver: Hunter Howard, Northeast Community College, Norfolk, Neb.

Bronze: Armando Urias, Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, N.M.

Welding Fabrication

In this category, contestants had to construct something based on prints provided to them by the competition committee, all while demonstrating their knowledge and skills in multiple welding and cutting processes.

Unlike the other two categories, this was a team competition consisting of teams of three.

High School Winners

Gold: Team K (Camden Elmo, Alaina Myers, Beauen Garman), New Oxford High School, New Oxford, Pa.

Silver: Team V (Bryan Fischli, Connor Kurtz, Andrew Rimes), The Mount Academy, Esopus, N.Y.

Bronze: Team R (Elijah Bothwell, Ty Coshow, Jack Doyle), Metropolitan Community College, Omaha, Neb.

College Winners

Gold: Team E (Walter Armijo, Christopher Rodriguez, Zane Horton), Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, N.M.

2022 SkillsUSA welding competition in Atlanta

Welding machines and welding booths lined up at SkillsUSA.

Silver: Team U (Colton Bradford, Edgar Galicia, Noland Vahle), North Central Kansas Technical College, Beloit, Kan.

Bronze: Team M (Alex Cahoone, Matthew Mykut, Tanner Sidella), Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology, Lancaster, Pa.

Welding Sculpture

In this category contestants designed, produced, and displayed a welded sculpture; no live welding was actually done in Atlanta. The students were interviewed and required to describe all aspects of their creation. The contestants also brought in a notebook displaying evidence of them creating their original piece.

High School Winners

Gold: Damon R. Aitken, Albert Lowry High School, Winnemucca, Nev.

Silver: Sofia Ramirez-Granick, Assabet Valley Regional Technical High School, Marlborough, Mass.

Bronze: Jocelyn Jarnigan, Unaka High School, Elizabethton, Tenn.

College Winners

Gold: Clinton Kizarr, Red River Technology Center, Duncan, Okla.

Silver: Jonathan Thoma, Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Crossville, Crossville, Tenn.

Bronze: Alexander Baker, State Technical College of Missouri, Linn, Mo.

SkillsUSA welding sculpture

There were more than 50 metal art sculptures were on display at SkillsUSA.

About the Author
The Welder

Rafael Guerrero

Editor

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Rafael Guerrero. was named editor of The Welder in April 2022. He spent nine years as a journalist in newspapers in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, covering topics and communities in central Illinois, Washington, and the Chicago area.