| 05/11/2007 |
| Getting in gear |
| Jessica Selby , Daily Times |
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Edward Krawzik was just one of about two dozen students from
around the state who spent much of his morning yesterday with
his head beneath the hood of a 2007 Mercury Grand Marquis. Krawzik, of Coventry, and Joshua Slade, from North Kingstown, represented Coventry High School Regional Career Center, under the instruction of Thomas Cook. Those who made the cut to participate in the practical part of the annual competition arrived at the Warwick Mall yesterday to find a line of the brand-new Mercury Grand Marquis cars parked at the rear of the mall parking lot. The cars, though "right off the lot," would not start. On the windshield of each car was a work order describing the problems the car was having. The work orders said things like "the car won't start," "the lights are inoperable," and the "brakes are sticking." Automotive employees from AAA had written up the work orders based on "bugs" they had installed on the Mercurys the day before. The student teams were given 90 minutes to try and discover those "bugs" and then repair them. The teams were each given manuals describing the operation of the vehicles and identical sets of tools. They were told to repair the vehicles. The teams got to work with the sun beating on their backs and the clicking of the timer in the background. "Every one of these cars was bugged exactly the same, but the key to it is that the students were simply told that the lights in the car were not working, not that there may be four components to those lights and that we actually bugged three out of the four components," said Al Ruggiero, manager of AAA Auto Approved Repair, who was part of the "bugging team." "So, if the students get the lights working but they only repair two of the three bugs, they may not win." Though the teams compete against a timer, it is their level of perfection that is the ultimate determining factor, Ruggiero said. "The key to this competition is for a team to find all the bugs within a short amount of time, but that doesn't necessarily make them the winner," he said. "A team can drop the hood on their car after 30 minutes and say they are done; but, if the judges find that they missed something, they could lose out to another team who finished 45 minutes later and has a perfect car. It's the perfection regarding the operation of the car that is the final determining factor." This year, a team from Burrillville High School walked away the winners. Fred Nash and Nathan McSorly from the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, under the instruction of William Cilli, received second place. The boys said the competition was fun, but challenging. "Getting the car started was the hardest thing," McSorly said. "It was such a simple thing, too; it was just trying to figure out what that thing was." Nash was brought in last minute. McSorly's original partner, Brandon Sage, had to be replaced, giving Nash only two days to prepare for the competition. This did slightly hinder their ability in the competition, McSorly said, but he was still very impressed with Nash "seeing he only had two days to prepare." The recognition the students earn just from placing at the state level is great for their resumes if they choose to pursue a career in the automotive field, according to Ruggiero. The field currently offers much in terms of advancement, Ruggiero said. "There is such a shortage of qualified mechanics right now, but there is always a need for more," he said. "Our society revolves on wheels whether you are talking about the passenger car, truck, diesel vehicle, even aviation, and we are the ones that keep those wheels turning, so the need for this profession will always be there." Krawzik and Slade of the Coventry High School Regional Career Center placed fourth in the competition and won the power train package, which included a variety of tools relevant to the industry. A second team from the Warwick Area Career and Technical Center, made up of Christopher Vanloon and Edward Florio, both of Warwick, did not place in the competition. They were under the direction of David Tibbetts.
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