Masonry Magazine August 1998 Page. 28
BRICK
VIKAR
QUALITY AT WORK
1998 National Conference Demonstrates the Skills of Future Masons
The 34th annual National Masonry Contest was held in conjunction with the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) National Skills and Leadership Conference. The contest was held at the H. Roe Bartle Hall in Kansas City, MO, June 24-26.
It was an impressive scene as 47 young contestants from across the country, each of them winners of their own state or regional competition, worked against the clock and against each other to build their composite masonry projects.
The winners of the post-secondary competition was Joe Clemons from Williamstown, KY. The high school winner was Chad Smith from Mount Pleasant, NC.
First place winners Clemons and Smith each won a Bon Tool tool set, a Marshalltown Trowel tool set, and a Smith level. Their schools each won a $1,500 scholarship provided by Spec Mix.
Left: Chad Smith of Mount Pleasant, NC, the eventual winner of the high school competition, nears completion of his composite project.
Prior to the contest, the instructors and contestants enjoyed a guided tour of the Miller Materials plant. Following the tour, they were guests at a luncheon in their honor. The keynote speaker was Sam McGee, president of McGee Brothers Co., the largest residential masonry contractor in the United States and employer of four previous national contest winners.
McGee told the contestants that to be successful as bricklayers they would have to be professionals. McGee compared getting paid as a bricklayer to getting paid as a professional athlete and made numerous analogies. He concluded with the question, "What's my sport?" A young contestant shouted out "bricklaying" and won $100.
A record level of participation and industry support was reported this year by Bill Kjorlien of the Southern Brick Institute. Kjorlien was the ma-
Below: One of 44 contestants in the National Masonry Contest puts a personal touch to his project as a watchful judge looks on.