Ted Bobo, Diesel Technology major, and SkillsUSA regional gold award winner.
Ted Bobo’s uppermost goal for the recent SkillsUSA competition was to achieve a personal best, and that is in fact what he accomplished.
He is majoring in Diesel Technology at Truckee Meadows Community College, and is currently enrolled in the DT 211: Diesel Performance class.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, he participated in the SkillsUSA Northern Nevada Regional Contest that took place this year at Western Nevada College (WNC).
Bobo won first place in the Automotive Service Technology category, and will soon be competing at the state level. His prizes for winning included Snap-on Incorporated (a popular and respected brand of automotive equipment) logo items: shirt, hat and socks.
“There was tougher competition last year, but I felt more prepared this year,” he said. “I want to compete well at state. Last year I got second at state, and this year I’m aiming for first.”
The 2018 Nevada Association of SkillsUSA State Leadership & Skills Conference takes place April 10–13 in Reno at multiple locations, including the automotive service technology and diesel equipment technology competitions hosted at TMCC's William N. Pennington Applied Technology Center.
Regional and State SkillsUSA Contests
There were 19 students from Northern Nevada competing in automotive categories at regionals, four of whom are TMCC and ACE Charter High School dual-credit participants. Dual-credit students are enrolled in college courses, earning both college credit and fulfilling high school diploma requirements.
“To get into regionals, there is a test you take to be qualified,” Bobo said. “It’s the same test that ASE-certified technicians take. The highest recent SkillsUSA score in the state was in the 70s. I got a 69 percent.”
Six of the 19 competitors are moving up to the state contest. The top six are eligible due to the space limitations at SkillsUSA State, and the population difference between northern and southern regions in Nevada.
Automotive Professor Clifford Bartl expressed thanks and appreciation for the hard work of students who entered the competition, and for faculty who have already volunteered to help at the statewide event.
Volunteers will support TMCC when it hosts the automotive categories in April for the state contest. College instructors and employees from local automotive businesses will serve as judges.
“All are volunteer positions, so we are very fortunate to have a strong backing from local businesses,” Bartl said.
For more information about the Automotive or Diesel Technology programs at TMCC, please call 775-856-5300.