Eight area high schools attended the annual Texas State Technical College Welding Competition at the Brownwood TSTC campus on Tuesday. This was a chance for the students to show off their welding and fabrication skills. There were 23 students from Bangs, Brownwood, Blanket, Breckenridge, Coleman, Gustine, and Priddy.
There were two divisions of competition, individual and group projects. Each project was made prior to the event. Individual projects showcased the skills of the one student who had to possess all the skills needed to complete the project. In contrast, the group project allowed students to do more complex projects with teamwork that used each student’s particular interest and aptitude. Group projects had to be documented with reports such as supply lists, blueprints, and pictures showing the progress of the project similar to a scrapbook.
Each school picked one student to be their on-site welding contestant. Students were asked to weld using the MIG and/or stick processes. Blueprint reading and torch cutting was also part of the test.
Trophies were custom made by current TSTC students for first and second places in each division, group, individual and the top on-site welder.
Judges for the event were from local industrial companies such as Loadcraft, Airgas and Lincoln Electric. These judges were able to give a profession and industrial view of the project. Projects were judged with certain criteria: workmanship over actual design and whether it was welded in position or out of position, quality and more. Presentation of the welding was also important, showing consistency. As Derek Little (Instructor and Program Chair, TSTC Brownwood campus) stated, “In industrial and product sales, consistency is expected, the product must be a quality product that can eventually be sold to a customer.” This gave a real life experience in the field and business perspective to the competition. Often times the companies donate both their time and prizes for the competition.
Participants were treated to a cookout and a campus tour. All students not participating in the on-site competition were given a chance to have some hands-on opportunity in programs in the Mechatronics and Drafting & Design programs.
The competition gave students a great opportunity to display their skills and learn what TSTC has to offer them to prepare for their future careers.
Awards, the winning group project and some hand-on pictures are below:
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Group Competition: 1st Place Priddy High School Team members: Cody Seider, Colt Cagle, Tye Battreal, Johnathan McFarland, and Blake Randolph. |
Group Competition: 2nd Place Breckenridge Team members: Ike Pesch, Marcus Jimenez, Allye Killman, and Daniel Roop |
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Individual Competition: 1st Place Dalton Stephens, Brownwood High School |
On-Site Welding Competition: 1st Place Blake Randolph, Priddy High School |
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On-Site Welding Competition: 2nd Place Rody Tibbits, Coleman High School |
Priddy High School’s winning squeeze chute which was built for and will be purchased by a rancher in Lubbock who raises buffalo. |
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Students in Mechatronics Lab, making a small motor. |
One of the high schools’ instructor takes a turn at the Lincoln welding simultator on display. |
