SkillsUSA crowns top U.S. collision repair, auto refinishing students

Six collision repair and six automotive refinish students won medals at the SkillsUSA competition in Kansas City. They took home the top honors in their competitions, along with scholarships, prize money and new tools.

The automotive refinishing technology competition included surface preparation, spray gun operation, paint mixing, matching and applying, solving paint applications problems, determining finish defects, causes and cures, and utilizing safety precautions.

The automotive refinishing winners are:

Spencer Cook (Gold)
High School
Mid-Coast School of Technology, Rockland, Maine;

Derek Meehl (Gold)
Postsecondary
Saint Cloud Technical College Saint Cloud, Minn.;

James Chesser (Silver)
High School
Lewis & Clark Career Center,
Saint Charles, Mo.;

Aaron Dressler (Silver)
Postsecondary
Penn College of Tech Williamsport, Pa.;

Nathan Aguiar (Bronze)
High School
Diman RVTHS Fall River, Mass.;

Jessica Crowley (Bronze)
Postsecondary
College of Western Idaho Nampa, Idaho.

“I plan to initially work on street cars, but would really like to get into custom refinishing,” said Meehl. “I’d like to be like Chip Foose.”

In the collision repair competition, students were tasked with straightening, welding, repairing a plastic bumper and conducting a structural analysis. There also was a written test on estimating and structural analysis plus an ASE exam.

The collision repair winners are:

Jason Lucius (Gold)
High School
Vanguard-Sentinel Career & Tech Ctr
Sentinel,Tiffin, Ohio;

John Stanton (Gold)
Postsecondary
Kaskaskia College Centralia, Ill.;

Jackson T Winslett (Silver)
High School
Alvin High School Alvin, Texas;

Michael Annis (Silver)
Postsecondary
Washburn Tech Topeka, Kan.;

James Johnson (Bronze)
High School
Center of Applied Tech North, Severn, Md.;

Owen Boyle (Bronze)
Postsecondary
Penn College of Tech Williamsport, Pa.

SkillsUSA returned to Kansas City on June 23-27, 2012 for its 48th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference, a showcase of career and technical education students. Quality career and technical education was the centerpiece of the conference. More than 15,000 students, teachers, education leaders, and representatives from more than 1,100 national corporations, trade associations, businesses and labor unions participated in the event with 94 hands-on skill and leadership competitions.

Each SkillsUSA Championship contestant is a state-level gold medalist. Begun in 1967, the SkillsUSA Championships has grown from 54 competitors in three contests to more than 5,600 competitors in 94 hands-on skill and leadership contests this year. SkillsUSA adds contests to the SkillsUSA Championships to meet the demands of new and expanding occupations. SkillsUSA affiliated instructional programs represent 130 different occupational areas.

For more information, visit www.skillsusa.org.