SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With more than 500 competitors in the 17th Canadian Skills Competition, there was some real talent, but that didn't stop three NWT contestants from Yellowknife from rising above the pack and becoming medalists in their events.

Antonio Lewis, 16, competes in the welding secondary level event at the Canadian Skills Competition in Quebec City on June 1. Lewis was the first NWT competitor to ever medal in the event, bringing home silver. - photo courtesy of Jan Fullerton

From June 1-4, 16 youth from the NWT competed in the event in Quebec City with Dylan Crawley striking gold in his electrical wiring post-secondary-level event, Antonio Lewis won silver in the welding secondary level category and Sebastien Remillard placed third for the bronze medal in the cooking secondary level event.

Jan Fullerton, executive director of Skills Canada NWT said that if the contestants didn't put every ounce of their concentration and determination in to the competition, they would have never completed their tasks.

"It's such a different scale of competition. The difference between territorial and national is national is significantly more challenging. It's a pretty intense competition," said Fullerton.

Fullerton said the mission of Skills Canada NWT is to promote skills and technology for Northern youth and this year, their primary focus was getting young people interested and getting exposure to the trades.

The NWT contestants first had to become the top of their class with a gold medal in their respective events at the territorial skills competition that was held in April in Yellowknife, to be able to move onto the national competition.

Doug Wourms, the welding instructor with the Kimberlite Career and Technical Centre, worked closely with silver medalist, Antonio Lewis.

"He is the first medal winner for welding in the NWT and no one else has put that much time into it. He was very dedicated," said Wourms.

"He would come in at 8a.m. every day to practise and then, after he won territorials, he practiced five to eight hours above his school time to prepare. You want to see them succeed. As long as they're willing to do it, I'm willing to help them," said Wourms.

Wourms said there was only a two per cent difference in marks separating the gold and silver medals at nationals. Wourms believes that Lewis will do well with whatever career he decides to pursue.

"He's got the right attitude and drive and he is going to put that much effort into anything he does outside of school,"said Wourms.

It was Dylan Crawley's last year being eligible to compete in the Skills Canada competition.

"The pressure I put on myself was probably the hardest thing," said the 24-year-old.

Crawley came in fourth last year and wanted to come out on top in his fourth year competing in the event.

Crawley is an electrical apprentice and works full time at Ryfan Electric. He said even though the two-day competition was intense, it paid off.

"I enjoyed it a lot. You push yourself, you are tired at the end of it, but it's worth it," said Crawley.

"It's what I do, day in and day out. That what I love about skills, it takes what I do in my job and turns it into a game," said Crawley.

Crawley also wanted to acknowledge the younger competitors who were medalists.

"The other two guys, they did great. Being young, they will get more chances at doing better," said Crawley.

The 2012 Skills Canada territorial competition will take place in Yellowknife on April 17 with the national event following in Edmonton on May 13-15.

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