HE HAS SKILLS

Before he enrolled at the Fort Scott Harley Davidson School, Neil Murphy had never heard of Skills USA. Now he’s a national Skills USA champion and newly elected president of the local chapter.
Skills USA is open to all students enrolled in trade, industrial, technical and health occupations education. Its goals include fostering respect for the dignity of work, developing leadership abilities, establishing realistic vocational goals and promoting high standards.
The organization sponsors competitions at the district, state and national levels. Murphy placed first in motorcycle service technology in the state contest, held April 16-18 at Wichita. That made him eligible for the national competition, which was held in Kansas City.
“Everybody against me was also a gold medal winner, so it made for stiff competition,” Murphy said.
Along with another gold medal, his prizes included a Snap-On box with tools valued at $10,000 and a $22,000 scholarship to the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute.
“The trouble is, I already took all the MMI motorcycle classes before I came here,” Murphy said.
Originally from Washington State, he began working on cars and motorcycles when he was 5.
“It’s in my blood, it comes naturally to me,” he said.
He and his brother opened an automotive business called Dodge Brothers.
“Then I got into working on motorcycles, but our insurance company wouldn’t cover it because we didn’t have certification for motorcycles,” Murphy said.
His brother got a job at the Harley Davidson dealer in their town. Murphy recently completed a summer internship there.
“I got to work with my brother and my friends,” he said. “It was pretty cool.”
Two years ago, Murphy flew to Florida for further education.
“I had four bags and $4,000 in my pocket,” he said. “In the two weeks before school started, I got an apartment, a car and a job at the Orlando Harley Davidson as a service technician. Once I decide I want to do something, there’s no stopping me.”
Murphy has attended three semesters at the Harley Davidson School, and has one more to go after this. He’s also going to keep busy with his duties as Skills USA chapter president.
“We’re self-supporting, so we do fundraisers and have socials for the students,” he said. “We’re also into community service. Every year we set up the tables for Festa Italiana in Frontenac, we do toy runs and have Santa Claus stop by to have photos taken with kids.”
The Harley Davidson School offers a two-year associate degree, and graduates have the opportunity to continue their education and earn a four-year degree from Pittsburg State University.
“I do plan to continue at PSU,” Murphy said. “I need to talk with my advisor about my classes. I’ll need design and precision machining classes for what I want to do.”
He hopes to get into Harley Davidson research and development.
“That includes making new motors better, fixing problems that come with the new motors and advancing the motorcycle industry,” Murphy said.
For example, there are emissions problems that must be dealt with, as well as problems with motor noise levels.
“By 2012, all Harley Davidson motors will have to be water-cooled to muffle the sound,” he said. “There are huge design changes for 2009, frame changes, and I think it’s to accommodate the new motors they’re working on that nobody knows about.”
It’s all extremely exciting to him.
“It takes a special breed to work on motorcycles, and another breed to see how they work,” Murphy said. “I want to be behind the scenes, where all the cool stuff is.”
Later on down the road, he might decide to advance the motorcycle industry by helping train other promising young people.
“I’ve been helping out with the other students here — it enforces what I’m learning by teaching,” Murphy said. “I like teaching, and after I retire, I might go to MMI or come back here to teach.”