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PITTSBURG —
The London 2012 Olympic Games will officially have their opening ceremony next Friday. But the technical skills “Olympics” are still a year away.
With a year left before the 2013 WorldSkills competition in Leipzig, Germany, the American auto technology competitor has made the first of a series of trips to Pittsburg State to get in as much practice as possible.
“Some of the best automotive minds are here at Pittsburg State,” said Scott Norman, PSU automotive technology professor and WorldSkills U.S. technical delegate.
Kieron Kohlmann drove 12 hours from his home in Racine, Wisc., to study for under Norman, Ron Downing and Mike Elder, all PSU professors. Downing recently stepped down as the automotive technology expert (sort of like a coach) for the U.S. after many years and is a past judge of the competition. Elder will be following Downing in the role in years to come.
“It’s a big deal to have him come down here,” Norman said. “You have to understand the rules and regulations. You could be the best passer out there, but if you don’t understand the rules of football, you won’t be effective.”
Tuesday was the last day of a four-day training for Kohlmann, who won a gold medal at the high school SkillsUSA contest in 2010.
The process of even getting to this point required plenty of skill and luck, as the three medalists from both the high school and college levels are vetted by a committee to determine who will represent the U.S. on a world stage.
Kohlmann spent the last four days going over six of the stations of the competition, which included engine systems, transmission/drive train, body electrical, engine repair, engine performance, and steering/suspension. It was meant to mirror the actual competition, which will take place over four days in Germany.
Downing said the goal of the training is to go through the steps and to help Kohlmann learn what is and isn’t necessary, what shortcuts can be taken and how to inspect, diagnose and correctly repair various problems on vehicles.
“He has to know theory and operation of every system in the car. There are faults placed into everything. A lot of very difficult, very technical problems you could face in the 3 1/2 day competition. That’s the main thing,” Downing said.
Norman and Kohlmann will travel to Brazil later this year for WorldSkills America as a “tune-up” of sorts before next summer’s big event in Germany.
The London 2012 Olympic Games will officially have their opening ceremony next Friday. But the technical skills “Olympics” are still a year away.
With a year left before the 2013 WorldSkills competition in Leipzig, Germany, the American auto technology competitor has made the first of a series of trips to Pittsburg State to get in as much practice as possible.
“Some of the best automotive minds are here at Pittsburg State,” said Scott Norman, PSU automotive technology professor and WorldSkills U.S. technical delegate.
Kieron Kohlmann drove 12 hours from his home in Racine, Wisc., to study for under Norman, Ron Downing and Mike Elder, all PSU professors. Downing recently stepped down as the automotive technology expert (sort of like a coach) for the U.S. after many years and is a past judge of the competition. Elder will be following Downing in the role in years to come.
“It’s a big deal to have him come down here,” Norman said. “You have to understand the rules and regulations. You could be the best passer out there, but if you don’t understand the rules of football, you won’t be effective.”
Tuesday was the last day of a four-day training for Kohlmann, who won a gold medal at the high school SkillsUSA contest in 2010.
The process of even getting to this point required plenty of skill and luck, as the three medalists from both the high school and college levels are vetted by a committee to determine who will represent the U.S. on a world stage.
Kohlmann spent the last four days going over six of the stations of the competition, which included engine systems, transmission/drive train, body electrical, engine repair, engine performance, and steering/suspension. It was meant to mirror the actual competition, which will take place over four days in Germany.
Downing said the goal of the training is to go through the steps and to help Kohlmann learn what is and isn’t necessary, what shortcuts can be taken and how to inspect, diagnose and correctly repair various problems on vehicles.
“He has to know theory and operation of every system in the car. There are faults placed into everything. A lot of very difficult, very technical problems you could face in the 3 1/2 day competition. That’s the main thing,” Downing said.
Norman and Kohlmann will travel to Brazil later this year for WorldSkills America as a “tune-up” of sorts before next summer’s big event in Germany.
In Brazil, Kohlmann can expect to see a lot of unfamiliar car companies, like Citroens, Fiats and Trollers. In Germany, Kohlmann is anticipating BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen.
“If we train him in the basics, even if you don’t know a car, you still should do well,” Downing said.
Downing said other countries’ WorldSkills competitors have a full-time job just to train for the event, and has heard that winners can become nationally recognized figures.
The stakes aren’t nearly as high for Kohlmann, but he said he’d like to do as well as he can anyway.
“It’s all about how much I learn. That’s the biggest thing,” Kohlmann said. “It doesn’t matter how I place. But if I learn something, I know it forever.”
Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 140.
