A Hutchinson Community College (HutchCC) student, 2024 Trinity Catholic High School graduate, and Hutchinson High School senior, state winners in the SkillsUSA competition held in April, tested their skills in a national competition held the last week of June in Atlanta.
Competing from Hutchinson were Sam Logan, Hutch CC sophomore; Tanner Weathers, a recent graduate of Trinity Catholic High School; and Blake Wornkey, a senior at Hutchinson High School.
In April, nearly 800 secondary and post-secondary students, including Logan and Weathers participated in a competition held in Hutchinson, an annual event to test their technical skills in everything from diesel mechanics, carpentry, and cosmetology. Several hundred judges were on-site for the competition held at the Kansas State Fairgrounds to judge the projects, many of which included a written test and public presentation.
Becky Warren, State Director for SkillsUSA said the competition includes anything one can do with his or her hands.
In January 2024, the administration of SkillsUSA was transferred to Hutchinson Community College, signifying the annual state competition going forward will be held in Hutchinson. A 25-member board oversees the program.
Those finishing first in each category qualified to compete in the national competition held in Atlanta.
Logan finished third in the competition last year and returned for a second try in 2024 when he finished first in Automotive Service Technology to punch his ticket for the national contest in Atlanta. The state competition included working on everything from cylinder heads, brakes, and a car’s air conditioner. And, when the actual work was completed, all were required to take a written test. All events were timed to, perhaps, offer training on working on deadlines and under pressure.
“The competition in Atlanta was similar as we worked on assembling a clutch pack to a car alignment,” Logan said. “And, a written test was a requirement.”
As the daylong event unfolded Logan and students from across America observed hundreds of other students completing projects in the huge Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
“It was a great experience as we all learned firsthand what automotive dealerships do every day,” Logan said. “And, we heard about new technology that is in our future.”
If Logan and his contemporaries had any doubt about the importance of their skills, they need only look across the giant spaces of the Georgia World Congress Center to see booths from Fortune 500 companies.
“John Deere and Cummings Diesel were among the companies talking to contestants about job openings in their industry,” Logan said.
Logan finished 22nd in the competition.
Contestants took home some complimentary tools, something needed for whatever career awaits them.
Logan graduates later this year from HCC and looks forward to joining the workforce soon thereafter. “This was a great experience and one I shall never forget,” Logan said.
Weathers, a 2024 graduate of Trinity Catholic High School, was permitted to compete in the high school division, in the category of Automotive Service Technology winning first place in the Hutchinson competition.
Weathers said it seemed like there were 2,000 or more students circulating throughout the exhibition halls and participating in the competition.
“The judges provided us a car and we were required to solve problems within the vehicle in 22 minutes,” Weathers said. “To accomplish these tasks, one had to keep cool-headed, and we soon realized we weren’t really supposed to finish the task.”
In the short time allowed, he was asked to diagnose and repair issues with a new car ranging from transmission to brakes and was required to put it back in proper running order during a short period of time.
For the next stop in his career aspiration to become a Master Technician working with Diesel equipment, Weathers will, this fall be attending the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology at Okmulgee, Oklahoma.
One of Weathers’ favorite memories is getting to know other students from places like North Dakota and Montana who were pursuing the same goals in Automotive Service Technology.
Wornkey won top honors in the commercial roofing category in Hutchinson earning the opportunity to test his skills at the national competition in Atlanta.
Wornkey said the competition was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he looks forward to competing again in 2025. “I would recommend SkillsUSA to everyone,” Wornkey said.
His interest in competing in SkillsUSA peaked during the school year while taking a carpentry class. “I love to work with my hands and this seemed like a good way to do that,” Wornkey said.
During the school year, he learned how to cover a 10-foot by 10-foot roof and did the same during the state competition in Hutchinson. Arriving in Atlanta in late June, he was faced with the same challenges but was prepared because of his training in Hutchinson. “The advisors and judges were fantastic and really worked with the participants,” Wornkey said.
According to Wornkey, one of the contestants who did not have sufficient tools to complete an assigned project was given what was needed by the SkillsUSA personnel on hand.
Wornkey’s hard work paid off and he finished the competition ranked fourth in the nation, and hopes to better that mark next year. As for his future, following high school graduation, he aspires to start his career in the renewable energy industry.
SkillsUSA could be called an international event or competition as first-place winners in Atlanta will be airborne for a flight to Lyon, France in September to compete with winners from throughout the world.
An official for SkillsUSA describes the work of this organization as a “diamond in the rough and the best well-kept secret in the nation” and that it may be. Thanks to efforts by recently retired HCC President Dr. Carter File, this event has a permanent home in the Salt City.
The SkillsUSA event returns to Hutchinson in April 2025 for next year’s competition.
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