Hello, I have something for the blog. Yesterday, I went to a
state competition and took first place. I'll detail the event now:
I awoke at 5 A.M. in order to make it to the opening of the competition in Jordan, Utah. The competition was a TSAwhich stands for Technological Student Association)State Competition at the Jordan Technical Application Center in Jordan, Utah. I had the opportunity to compete in two events: The Technical Drawing and Application event, and the Engineering 3D CAD, competition.
Due to some difficulties in getting people to arrive in time, we missed the opening exercises, but we still made it in time for the competitions. I reached the room for my first competition, and then discovered I was a part of the group that every tournament, regardless of type or location, must have; the neglected and misplaced group. So, my 10 competitors and I were shuffled around for a good half hour before we finally could start.
Technical Drafting is a fairly simple event; you merely take
a test on the subject of drafting (identifying components of a part, size and
tolerance values and such) and after the test, you have 90 minutes to draft the
image of an object they give you. I was given an isometric (3D view) of an
object and instructed to make an orthographic (front, side and top view of the
object) version of it that was accurate and drawn with the correct line types
and such. (I'll send an image of it next.)
(Sorry: No matter what I did, I could not turn the picture horizontal.--Grandma)
Afterwards, I got a nice sack lunch they provided with a ham
sandwich and drink before rushing off to my next competition. This one,
unfortunately, didn't go as well for me. It was a Computer Assisted Drafting
(CAD) competition, and I was instructed to make and animate a watch within 4
hours. Sounds simple enough, but I was unable to complete the task with a high
amount of proficiency (I suppose I have a new thing to work on) Still, even
though I lost, I did learn some more about CAD from this competition and I
believe that is what's important.
Still, after sitting like a zombie in front of a computer
screen for a few hours (and, thankfully, had dinner dropped off by one of my
team mates) it was time for the award ceremony. We pilled into an auditorium
and played everyone's favorite game: the waiting game! My club in the course of
the tournament, managed to snag Bronzes in 5 competitions, against the huge
amount of competitors they were up against. And, I managed to take First place
in the Technical Drawing competition, qualifying me for the National
Competition in Orlando, Florida. Fun fact: the medals are actually made of
wood; very unusual design, but cost effective.
All in all, I managed to make it home in one piece and I
believe it was a successful Wednesday.
Congratulations to you Davis for such a wonderful accomplishment!
Good looks and brains to match. Where does it come from? Oh, his Mother! Great job Davis, you are one amazing kid.
ReplyDeleteWow. Congrats. I can't even fathom how to do that work, let alone how to do it well enough to come out tops in the state. Kudos, Davis!
ReplyDeleteCongrats, Davis! I look at the challenge you had and all I can think is, "The Thought Makes Reason Stare". No could do!
ReplyDeleteSo, good on you.
Ruth