ADAM JACKSON/Ponoka News
Two PCHS students crafted their way to the top while representing both their school and province at Skills Canada.
Grade 12 students Wouter Opsteen and Kean Morrow placed first and second respectively at the Skills Canada national competition at Expo City in Quebec City, Que. last weekend.
Shop teacher Dietrich Unruh and the two students took a 12-hour journey from Ponoka to Quebec City. They first flew from Edmonton to Calgary, Calgary to Montreal then they were on a bus from Montreal to Quebec City.
Opsteen was the big winner of the competition for PCHS, winning a gold medal in the jobs skills cabinet making competition.
The 17-year-old Skills Canada rookie had to construct a cabinet with European hinges and edged doors in just over an hour.
Opsteen was also marked on the safety of his final product.
“I was more nervous than anything,” said Opsteen. “But I’m glad it worked out.”
According to Unruh, Opsteen didn’t show any signs of nervousness.
“You couldn’t tell that he was nervous with the way that he was dancing on the podium and waving the Alberta flag,” quipped Unruh.
“It feels really good to win,” said Opsteen.
Morrow, who is also in Grade 12, finished second in the cabinetmaking competition.
Unlike Opsteen, Morrow had been to the Skills Canada competition before, but he said that nothing could prepare him for the stress of the national competition.
“Nationals are a lot different. There’s more pressure, less time, more people, competition is tougher and you’re basically competing against all of Canada,” said Morrow.
Morrow’s competition was slightly more involved, as it took two days to fully construct a small mini-fridge sized cabinet. A small mistake made on one of his first cuts caused him to finish late and fall into second place.
“He was for sure the best cabinetmaker there,” said Unruh. “It was just that one mistake that made him finish 20 minutes late.”
The two graduating students missed an important days in their high school career — graduation.
But the two insist that the experience was well worth it.