Former EWC student wins National Welding Competition
November 30, 200
TORRINGTON, WY - And the winner is...Chance Pollo! Those were the words that Pollo heard as he won the 2006 American Welding Society/SkillsUSA Weld-Off in Atlanta, GA that took place Oct. 31st - Nov. 2nd.
Pollo is a high school graduate from Douglas, WY and a recent graduate of Eastern Wyoming College where he earned his AAS degree in Welding & Joining Technology. Throughout the years, Pollo has gained the skills it takes to be one of the top welders in our region. He has competed in numerous national welding competitions around the United States including Kansas City, MO, Dallas, TX, and now Atlanta, GA.
To qualify for the competition, the highest scoring high school and post-secondary contestants from the 2004-2005 SkillsUSA Championships participated in a runoff and submitted welding projects which were sent to industry for judging.
Pollo went head-to-head with four other contestants who were selected from a group of twenty-four in the welding competition. The Weld-Off involved the testing of skills on several welding processes and techniques including plate, pipe, stainless steel, aluminum sheet metal and pressure vessel welding. In addition to the intense physical conditioning, written skills and welding code interpretation were judged by AWS Certified Welding Inspectors.
Pollo has a special invitation to compete in the Ireland National Competition that's to be held in Cork City, Ireland on March 20th - 23rd. This competition will test his skills among some of the best.
The SkillsUSA U.S. Open Weld Trials held in Kansas City, MO in June of 2007 will be Pollo's next stop. This competition will be the 43rd annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and is a showcase of career and technical education students. The U.S. Open Weld Trials champion will then have an opportunity to represent the United States at the 39th World Skills Competition in November 2007 in Shizuoka, Japan.
If Pollo wins the U.S. Open Weld Trials, he will receive a four-year scholarship worth $40,000 from the AWS Foundation. In addition, he will receive a four-year complimentary full AWS membership, an AWS Certification and up to $1000 in AWS publications.
Russell Pontarolo, EWC Welding Instructor comments, "There could have been no better place to have EWC welder Chance Pollo showcase his welding talents than the AWS SkillsUSA Weld-Off. There were over 20,000 in attendance to view the competition, attend workshops and take in the expo show!"
"Not only does Chance have to be an excellent welder, he also must represent the industry well...he did and he will," commented EWC Welding Instructor Leland Vetter. "Be a champion, be a Welder."
