With No Time to Prep, Montgomery Students Rank in Upper Half in National Tech Competition
A team of high school auto technician trainees from Damascus High School in Montgomery County, MD, finished in the upper half of teams in national competition to test their diagnostic/repair skills. Without the benefit of any preparation time, the Damascus team, under the auspices of the Automotive Trades Foundation (ATF) and with WANADAs sponsorship, ranked 12th out of 30 technician teams from across the U.S. The annual competition, known as National Automotive Technology Competition is a test of skill, a measure of knowledge, and a race against the clock, all rolled into one. It features hundreds of the nation?s best high school automotive education students from across the country competing for the title of The Nation?s Best Automotive Technician. The national finals took place at the New York International Auto Show on Tuesday, April 6 and Wednesday, April 7, where 30 teams of students were required to diagnose and repair faults in a 2010 Mazda 3 vehicle.
The Damascus High School team was made up of students Brian Byrne and Carlos Segovia and teacher Raul Ortiz. They were cheered on by Montgomery County School system auto program supervisor Steve Boden, who has assisted WANADA extensively in the development of its post-high school Automobile Dealer Education Institute (ADEI) Technician Training Program.
In the competition, each two-person student team must diagnose and repair a number of pre-assigned problems under a car?s hood within an allotted amount of time. Each “bug” correctly repaired is worth a number of points, depending on the level of difficulty. In addition, the student?s overall knowledge is tested through a series of written tests prepared by the ASE. The Damascus team is to be especially commended given that they had only two days notice of their participation in the event. The original WANADA-sponsored team had to drop out at the last minute because of unforeseen events. Normally, students train for months with their high school instructors as well as with certified technicians at local franchised automobile dealerships to prepare for the competition.
WANADA congratulates Brian Byrne, Carlos Segovia and teacher Raul Ortiz for their excellent performance in this years finals!
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