HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - April 25, 2008) - A two-person team from the small town of Haltom
City, Texas took top honors in the statewide AAA/Ford Student Auto Skills
competition held today at San Jacinto College Central in Pasadena, Texas.
Students Jeff Bolt and Pablo Porras of the Birdville Career Center moved
one step closer to becoming the best student automotive technicians in the
country by winning the Texas competition. Their instructor, Olin
Harington, was also the instructor of the statewide winning team in 2005.
The students now advance to the 2008 AAA/Ford Student Auto Skills national
finals in Dearborn, Michigan, June 22-24.
The state competition was a fast-paced hands-on contest to diagnose and
repair vehicles that were deliberately "bugged." The team with the highest
written score, and the team that finished today's hands-on competition
first and correctly, won. The state competition was open to all high
school juniors and seniors enrolled in automotive technology courses.
"The goal of this competition is to encourage young men and women to
continue their education in automotive technology and to view the
automotive field as a promising career," said Patrick O'Reilly, manager of
AAA Texas Automotive Repair Program.
The contest is designed to encourage automotive students from across the
country to pursue careers in the automotive industry by learning about
high-tech equipment, the need to be well trained, and complex, modern
vehicle systems, added O'Reilly.
At the national finals, the Birdville team will square off against teams
from the 49 other states in a two-part contest comprised of a written exam
and a vehicle repair exercise. The hands-on repair portion requires
competitors to accurately diagnose and service identically "bugged"
vehicles.
One team will be recognized by AAA and Ford as the best student auto
technicians in the country. Overall, more than $5 million in scholarships
and prizes will be awarded.
For winning the state contest, the winning students earned scholarships in
Ford Motor Co's ASSET (Automotive Student Service Educational Training) or
FACT (Ford Accelerated Credential Training) programs.
The Texas contest is one of 50 state competitions before the national
event. This is how the other schools ranked in the statewide competition:
SCHOOL/TEAM
2. Automotive Technology Academy (San Antonio, TX)
Team: Ruben Rodriguez, Cameron Girgus Instructor: Armen Nazarian
3. Seminole High School (Seminole, TX)
Team: Carbie McClearen, David Harms Instructor: Bob Summer
4. Amarillo Auto Tech Center (Amarillo, TX)
Team: Dennis Grabbe, Matthew Beaton Instructor: Scott Blevins
5. Klein High School (Spring, TX)
Team: Sean Fontana, Ricardo Gonzalez Instructor: Andy Mize
(The team from Klein received an award for the overall highest
written score.)
6. Amarillo Auto Tech Center (Amarillo, TX)
Team: Trey Campbell, Lauren Supina Instructor: Lee Thompson
(Lauren Supina was the only female to compete in today's
competition.)
7. Stuart Career Center (Baytown, TX)
Team: Jorge Chagoya, Fernando Rodriguez Instructor: Steve Barron
8. Automotive Technology Academy (San Antonio, TX)
Team: Hilario Villarrel, Andrew Burke Instructor: Juan Martinez
9. Georgetown High School (Georgetown, TX)
Team: Joe Wyatt, Zachary Waits Instructor: Roy White
Note: Video of Event Delivered to major TV affiliates in Houston.
Contact Information: Contact:
Rose Rougeau
1.800.888.5521 ext. 6552
713.292.7251 (cell)