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 Students James Simon, left, and Justin Kotchea stand in front of a wall frame with industrial arts instructor Rob Manuel at Thomas Simpson school. The two students competed at the Skills Canada competition in Yellowknife last week. Simon placed third and Kotchea placed fourth. - photo courtesy of Hilda Day/Aurora College |
James Simon, 17, placed third while Justin Kotchea, 16, finished fourth at the Skills Canada competition in Yellowknife on April 21.
Simon erected a mini wall frame made of studs and ply board.
"I did OK, I guess. I didn't give it my best effort, and I know that I could have done better," said Simon, who competed against eight other students. "I'm not really interested in carpentry as a career - it's more for the practice."
It was his second trip to the event. He also earned a bronze medal last year.
Kotchea was participating for the first time. He put together a wall frame and a rafter while battling the nerves.
"I would have done better if I had enough sleep the night before. I was too excited about the competition," he admitted.
In preparation for the event, Rob Manuel, the woodworking/construction instructor at TSS, said he employed "a wide perspective of carpentry skills to cover all the basics" in carpentry and framing.
Manuel said youth can use the Skills Canada experience to their advantage by including it on their resumes and when applying for trades programs.
Those involved in the Skills Canada competition are eligible to advance to the nationals in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The internationals will be held in Helsinki, Finland.
