CLC students garner honors at welding competition

By Brainerd Dispatch Today at 9:00 a.m.

CLC welding lab award winners assistant Steve Verdon (left), Kyle Power, Alan Pietila, CLC welding instructor Dave Otto, Greg Rider, Tristen Hulke, CLC welding instructor Paul Jillson. Submitted photo

Central Lakes College welding students took a majority of the awards at the 2018 American Welding Society's Behind the Mask Welding Competition recently in Eveleth.

The competition was for both students and industry professionals. CLC students placed in six of the nine award categories, garnering top honors over both industry professionals and other college students.

This was the first time CLC welding students competed in this event. For each category, students have 25 minutes to complete the task, which involved reading a blueprint and welding the project as directed. Once completed, their work was inspected and judged by certified welding inspectors.

"The reason we do competitions like this is for a real-life experience for our students," said Dave Otto, CLC Welding instructor. "They will have to do similar weld tests during a job interview, so this was a really good learning experience."

Results

SMAW (Shielded Metal Arc Welding)

First place: Alan Pietila

Second place: Greg Rider, of Brainerd

Third place: Kyle Power, of Pequot Lakes

GMAW (Gas Metal Arc Welding)

First place: Greg Rider

GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding)

First place: Tristen Hulke, of Backus

Third place: Greg Rider