Grafton High School student wins national skills competition in auto maintenance and light repair
A recent graduate of Grafton High School is a national champion after winning an automotive maintenance competition in Atlanta this summer.
Owen Pryga took home the SkillsUSA Automotive Maintenance and Light Repair gold medal in June, according to a news release from Nic Fullington, Pryga's technical education teacher at Grafton High School.
Pryga received more than $8,000 worth of Snap-On tools and a $1,000 scholarship from Harbor Freight Tools from SkillsUSA for winning the competition.
"When I found out I won it, it was also pretty crazy. I was hoping for top three, to at least get a medal, go on stage. It blew me away that I got first place," Pryga said in a phone interview.
Pryga was one of 20 students from across the country who worked on various tasks over six hours in the competition that tested students' skills in safety, brakes, electrical and electronics, suspension, steering, alignment, major engine repair, engine performance and transmissions, according to the news release.
"The whole thing was very well set up. I really loved just going to Atlanta, going to a different state, moving elsewhere, seeing all the people from all across the United States," Pryga said.
To qualify for the national event, Pryga won the SkillsUSA state competition in April, competing against 25 other Wisconsin competitors.
Grafton High School students have qualified for the national competition 14 times in the last 27 years. Pryga became the school's third national champion. Grafton students previously won the competition in 2003 and 2006.
"It's a great feeling to know that we're doing something right, and to get him to a national win is incredible. Super proud of him for doing that," Fullington said in a phone interview.
About the competition
SkillsUSA is a nonprofit national education association serving middle school, high school and college/postsecondary students "preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations."
Each year, the organization hosts national competitions for students in a variety of skill areas, including automotive. Within the automotive category there are three competitions: automotive maintenance and light repair, which is the competition Pryga competed in, automotive refinishing technology and automotive service technology.
Contestants at the national competition are judged on safety, quality, ability to follow instructions and procedures, accuracy (in comparison with factory specifications), workmanship and other skills.
Students are assigned eight to 15 stations and have to work under time limits. Points assigned are determined by a technical committee and are based on the difficulty of an assigned task.
Pryga's preparation, future plans
To help Pryga prepare for the competition, Fullington enlisted the help of Mark Didier, who works with the public works department in the village of Grafton, as well as Scott Bohn, who works at the Russ Darrow Honda dealership in Milwaukee, and Roman Weninger and Randy Strupp, who work at the Five Corners Dodge dealership in Cedarburg. Others in the community also provided support.
"It's helpful when you have a community that's willing to help you prepare a kid like that because we can only teach them so much in a school, and we don't have all the newest updates and equipment like the industry does have," Fullington said.
Pryga said he is was thankful for the support he's received from his teachers and his family.
This fall, Pryga plans to pursue a degree in information technology at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Pryga said he's learned about how to work under pressure through his automotive classes and the competitions, which he says will prepare him for the future.
"Especially in IT; if you're working at a large manufacturing place and something goes wrong, you have to get that up and going and online quick. You really have to work well under pressure, which is a big thing I learned," Pryga said.
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Grafton student wins national skills competition in auto maintenance
