STATEWIDE AUTO SKILLS COMPETITION

Boise, ID -- 05/12/2014 -- Two high school students representing Boise School District's Dehryl A. Dennis Technical Education Center took top honors at the May 9 state finals of the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition in Nampa, besting nine other teams and earning the right to represent the state at the national finals in June.

Chase Gilbertson, a high school senior, and Luke Borden, a junior, claimed top honors and scholarships totaling $41,000 each at the 'hands on' competition by most correctly diagnosing and repairing a deliberately bugged 2014 Ford Fiesta.  The students and their instructor, Ron Martinez, will advance to the national finals June 8-10 in Dearborn, Michigan. 

Pictured left to right, Chase Gilbertson, Ron Martinez (instructor), and Luke Borden from Dehryl A. Dennis Technical Education Center, Boise, won the 2014 Idaho State Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition, May 9 in Nampa.

"On the strength of their performance under the hood, the Boise team bested the state's top qualifiers in what was a very tough test for all the competitors," said contest committee chairman Dave Carlson.

The Boise school, which serves the automotive students in the region, outperformed the two-man team from Meridian High School in the final minutes of the 90-minute contest to prevail.  

Ten teams consisting of two students each competed against each other and the clock to repair their vehicle. The event was hosted by the College of Western Idaho in Nampa. Teams are also judged on the accuracy and quality of workmanship. The teams qualified to compete in the 'hands-on' contest based on their scores from a written exam administered earlier this year.

Meridian High School placed second in the competition. Seniors Devon Vaughan and Charlie Fiscus each received $24,000 in scholarships to various two-year automotive programs. Their instructor is Randy Mahler.  

The third place team was Cassia Regional Technology Center, Burley. Students are Jesse Nelson and Dallas Teeter. The team's instructor is Randy Daniel.

The KTEC (Kootenai Technical Education Campus) in Rathdrum earned the highest written qualifying score in the state.  Students are Wyatt Brown and Mason Upton.  Their instructor is Philip Wilson.

Another team from the Dennis Technical Center also participated and finished ninth place in the state competition:  Students Myles Pederson and Brandon Hilliard and John Lindsay, instructor. 

Scholarships and Awards

Sponsors and schools donated prizes and scholarships totaling more than $207,000. The purpose of the competition is to encourage students to pursue their education and positions in the auto technology field.

The winning team from Boise won scholarships and prizes totaling $82,000. Students representing all ten teams were guaranteed at least two scholarships to schools that offer two-year associate degrees.

"Schools, students, sponsors and consumers are all winners because this competition encourages these students to continue their education in this field," Carlson said. Altogether, the state and national competitions include scholarships and prize packages totaling approximately $12 million in 2014.

Purpose of the Competition

Advancing technologies and the retirement of existing auto technicians will spawn a greater need for automotive technicians in the future.

"The automotive industry wants good, dependable auto technicians now and into the future," said AAA Idaho spokesman Dave Carlson. "That's fitting with the Ford and AAA's goal to encourage these high school students to pursue post-secondary education in this field."

Beyond that, AAA said that cutting edge advancements in safety, fuel management and safety have led to an increasing reliance on computers and electronic components. The long-term prognosis is for good-paying, competitive jobs that will attract excellent candidates with computer skills.

2014 Idaho Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Contest Winners

First Place:  Dennis Technical Educ. Ctr. Boise, Luke Borden-Chase Gilbertson, Ron Martinez, instructor.

Second Place: Meridian High School, Charlie Fiscus - Devon Vaughan; Randy Mahler, instructor.

Third Place:  Cassia Regional Technology Ctr., Burley, Jesse Nelson-Dallas Teeter, Randy Daniel, instructor.

Fourth Place: Lewiston High School, Branden Dunning - Mason Reynolds, Jim Cooper, instructor.

Fifth Place:  KTEC (Kootenai Tech Ed), Rathdrum, Wyatt Brown-Mason Upton, Philip Wilson, instructor.  

Sixth Place:  Idaho Falls High School, Braxton Cox-Taylor Romero, Jeremy Bird, instructor.

Seventh Place: Rigby High School, Joseph Tucker-Zack Tinker, Keegan Hunter, instructor.

Eighth Place: Blackfoot High School, Colton Callister-Kalvin Kelley, Dallen Worthington, instructor.   

Ninth Place:  Dennis Technical Educ. Ctr., Boise, Myles Pederson-Brandon Hilliard, John Lindsay, instructor

Tenth Place: Bear Lake High School,  Brendan Bartschi-Kden Thornock, Aaron Metcalf,  instructor.