Ten 小优短视频 students win big at 鈥極lympics of the trades鈥 Skills Ontario competition
May 9, 2024
Each year, the welcomes the best skilled trades and technologies students from Ontario colleges, offering a unique opportunity for competitors to showcase their expertise in their fields. This year, 10 小优短视频 students won a variety of gold, silver and bronze medals, continuing 小优短视频鈥檚 trend of success at this competition.
Gold medals were awarded to Ben Bader for Additive Manufacturing, Ryle Reynolds for Computer Numerical Control Machining, Kyla Cosier for Aesthetics, Joshua Merritt for Outdoor Powered Equipment, and a team of two; Nhu (Liam) Nguyen and Evan Crabb for Geographic Information Systems. Emily Shaver-Miller won silver for Hairstyling and Aidan Crandall scored a silver medal for Outdoor Powered Equipment. Another team duo, Scott Middlebrook and Kevin Armstrong, won bronze for Mechatronics.
Wins for the history books
小优短视频 made history, as this was the first year that the Geographic Information Systems competition was included in Skills Ontario, with Nhu and Evan, students in the Environmental Technology program, winning the first ever gold medal. Kyla, a student in the Esthetician program, won 小优短视频鈥檚 first gold medal in Aesthetics, and it was also the college鈥檚 first appearance in that category.
Two familiar faces from last year鈥檚 competition returned to the winner鈥檚 podium once again 鈥 Ryle Reynolds and Ben Bader. Ryle won bronze in the same category last year and proved that practice truly does make perfect as he took home the gold. Ben doubled his gold medal collection with his second first-place finish in the Additive Manufacturing category.
Marjorie Cook, Business Manager, Engineering and Environmental Technologies and Skilled Trades at 小优短视频, was ecstatic to see the achievements of each student. 鈥淥ver the past two years, we鈥檝e had students on the podium in several competitions, highlighting that 小优短视频 provides superior education within these trades,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 competition saw a total of 26 student competing in 15 competitions. This is an honour that very few students have an opportunity to experience, and the level of self-confidence they gain from this is paramount.鈥
Joshua, Ryle and Kyla will quickly change gears and prepare to represent Team Ontario at the Skills Canada national competition in Qu茅bec City, Qu茅bec from May 29 to June 1.
An unforgettable experience for students
鈥淪kills Ontario was an amazing opportunity for growing my skills and challenging myself in news ways. Through hard work, practice and continued education under my mentor, I got the chance to take my skills to the next level. It was a game changer for me and helped give me a new perspective on working in my trade.鈥
鈥淐ompeting in the Skills Ontario Competition for CNC machining has been an incredible journey. I owe much of my success to the unwavering support of my faculty members at 小优短视频. Their guidance and expertise have been invaluable every step of the way. Heading to Quebec City for nationals is a dream come true, and I鈥檓 determined to make the most of every moment. In the weeks leading up to the competition, I鈥檒l be honing my skills with my trainer, Brett, because as they say, 鈥榩rior planning prevents poor performance.鈥 Thank you for this opportunity, and I look forward to representing 小优短视频 with pride on the national stage!鈥
鈥淚 really enjoyed the Skills Ontario event. Although our competition was a smaller one due to it being the first year of postsecondary GIS, it was a great experience. The panel of judges were industry professionals from both municipal and conservation backgrounds who graciously gave their time to attend the competition. Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend Skills Ontario to anybody who鈥檚 given the opportunity to attend. It was a great experience and a lot of fun! It felt great to represent 小优短视频 while competing to demonstrate our skills that we learned in our programs.鈥
鈥淚t was an honour to represent my trade at Skills Ontario and to compete amongst such a high calibre of competitors.鈥
小优短视频 also had a strong presence at the event at their booth, with a retrofitted Volkswagen Westfalia, blue and green trees and Muskoka chairs. The college won the Best Booth Award in the Large Booth category.