SIERRA VISTA — The annual Cochise College welding competition has come a long way in 15 years.
What started as an outreach project to high school students in local communities has morphed into a well-known event throughout the state that attracts schools from nearly all corners of Arizona.
“They know it’s a day of fun, and there’s a great list of prizes,” said Randy Fox, department chair of technology at the college and a welding instructor.
Nearly 40 students from 10 different high schools competed April 13 in the welding corner of the Career Technical Education building, each vying for a spot in the top seven who would be awarded some hefty prizes, including the coveted welding machine to be presented to the first-place finisher. Danzel Curtis, a senior from Winslow High School, ended up taking home first prize.
“They’re going to have to compete for jobs in the future, so this is a great way for them to start competing for something they want,” Fox said. “Demand for welders is high now, and there’s always been a demand. Everything is touched by welding: machines, bridges, trains, airplanes. The world would be at a standstill without it.”
Of the representing high schools, half of them came from within Cochise County. The rest traveled many miles and hours to be in attendance. First-timers from Page High School, located in northern Arizona next to the Utah border, made the longest drive.
Danee Schwartz, a sophomore from Mingus Union High School, said five hours from Cottonwood was well worth the trek. She watched her classmates compete at the state SkillsUSA Welding Championships just a few weeks ago and was itching to get a chance to go at it herself. As one of few female competitors, Schwartz, a petite blonde with a wide smile, received a few sideways glances from her many male counterparts on Friday.
“I don’t really think about it, and I’m pretty used to it because of sports,” said Schwartz, who is also a soccer player. “One of the guys from another school looked at me and said he didn’t think I looked like a welder. Sometimes they think you’re not as good, but you can prove yourself.”
Another school competing at Cochise College for the first time was Skyline High School from Mesa, a relatively young school that has been open for a little more than a decade. Senior Derrick Smith has taken welding classes all four years of high school, but the state SkillsUSA event was the first competition the school had ever participated in.
“It’s been a learning process,” he said. “We showed up (to SkillsUSA) without tools or anything, so we’re trying to redeem ourselves down here.”
Though Skyline didn’t have any individuals place in the top seven, the school held its own against others that have been competing for several years. To score points, students worked through five different stations, or stops, throughout the morning. In between stops for shield metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, oxy fuel cutting, oxy fuel welding and a written exam, they each made their way into the vendors’ station to check out the latest welding products and safety equipment.
“Here, they get to explore and do things they wouldn’t normally see on a daily basis; some haven’t seen or used this kind of new equipment,” said Cochise College welding instructor Scott Brown, who noted 40 competitors has been about the average for the past few years. “We’ve held steady, even with cutbacks to public schools. Those who are into welding will get their students here, which is important, because this kind of competition looks great on resumes.”
The welding department has been in the CTE Building on the far east side of the Sierra Vista Campus since the building was constructed just a few years ago, moving the department out of the much smaller building that used to be where the Student Union now sits. Fox said the welding competition attendance has increased and enrollment in classes has jumped significantly since the move.
The college’s annual welding competition is sponsored by Aztec Welding Supply, a branch of Phoenix Welding Supply, that works to gather donations for what Fox called “above and beyond prizes,” as well as a goodie bag for each participant that includes a welding cap, safety glasses and a bundle of information handy for those students, like Smith, who are close to beginning their welding careers.
“When I first started welding, I just can’t explain it,” Smith said. “I started welding, got better at it, and it just became an addiction.”
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15th annual Cochise College Welding Competition results
1. Danzel Curtis, senior, Winslow
2. Mason Hart, senior, Mingus
3. Robert Atwood, senior, Willcox
4. Herbert Zahne, senior, Page
5. Eli Webster, junior, Willcox
6. Kyle Walker, senior, Winslow
7. Allen Rock, sophomore, Page
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