Abbotsford, British Columbia — April 11, 2017 — The awards ceremony at the BC Skills Competition turned out to be a proud day for Okanagan College’s collision repair program. The Automotive Collision Repair competition saw every single place on the podium occupied by an Okanagan student.
Andreas Roth, a Level III apprentice at Okanagan College, won gold in the competition. Caleb Loewen and Marcel Kaemmerzell took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively, completing Okanagan’s sweep. As the gold medal winner for his province, Roth will represent BC at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC). The 2017 SCNC takes place May 31 to June 3 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.
“As a first time competitor, I did everything I could to prepare ahead of time, but it was definitely a new and unique experience for me,” says Roth. “I’m really excited for nationals. I am going to practice hard and try my best for another good result in Winnipeg.”
The competitors were evaluated on their skills across a variety of tasks, including welding, plastic and metal repair and damage analysis over the 6.5-hour competition.
Danny Marques is a collision repair instructor with Okanagan College. He says that while preparation plays a big role in students’ success, it is their ability to perform under pressure that is the determining factor on competition day.
“We couldn’t be prouder of these three students – and all the students who represented OC and themselves so well at the competition,” says Marques. “As coaches, we obviously try to mentor the students as much as we can, but ultimately they are the ones competing and it’s their ability and motivation that sets them apart.”
The BC Skills Competition took place at the Fraser Valley Trade & Exhibition Centre in Abbotsford. For more information on Okanagan College, please visit okanagan.bc.ca.
