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The SkillsUSA Championships

June 23rd, 2011

Today is the big day for SkillsUSA Champions from across the nation. The 2011 SkillsUSA Championships are happening today! With 94 contests and more than 5,700 competitors, the championships encompasses Bartle Hall, its Conference Center, Municipal Auditorium, American Royal Center and downtown Marriott, Crowne Plaza and Phillips hotels.

Make sure to take the time to stop by and see the contests in Municipal Auditorium and make the trip down to the American Royal Center (next to Kemper Arena) to check out the TeamWorks, Welding Fabrication and Welding Art Sculpture contests. The SkillsUSA Championships is supported by more than 1,000 companies and associations.

But it’s not only contests today. SkillsUSA TECHSPO continues both at the outside street exhibits and in the lobbies throughout Bartle Hall. There’s still time to register for the Champions 5K Run. You have until 4 p.m. today at the Alumni booth (No. 232). There will be another Meet the Candidates session, business meeting and the SkillsUSA Delegates will cast their primary ballot for our new national officers.

Tonight, make sure you head out to Royals Stadium for SkillsUSA Night. It’s a great way to blow off steam after an exciting day of competition.

Tags: Alumni 5K Race, Champions 5K Race, NLSC, SkillsUSA Championships
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A Call to Action

June 22nd, 2011

Today’s a big day. The Call to Action Session begins this morning at 8:30 and is the only place during NLSC where all instructors/advisors gather in a meeting specifically for teachers and administrators. There will be a thank-you gift for every person attending, and it’s a great time to hear about the latest SkillsUSA happenings and from our partners in Washington, D.C.

SkillsUSA University begins today at 10 a.m. See: www.skillsusa.org/events/skillsuniv.shtml for details. Also, be sure and check out SkillsUSA’s Amazing Race. It’s part of SkillsUSA TECHSPO and begins today at 10:30 a.m. You can find all the details on Page 18 of the conference program: http://www.skillsusa.org/downloads/PDF/NLSC/program.pdf.

The SkillsUSA Delegates continue their important work today with a Meet the Candidates session at 1 p.m.

This evening at 7 p.m., the conference officially begins with our Opening Ceremony at Kemper Arena, sponsored by Bosch and Georgia-Pacific. Our keynote speaker is John McGlade, CEO, Air Products and SkillsUSA’s Champion of the Year for 2010. The ceremony closes with the ribbon cutting for the SkillsUSA Championships. Everything will be broadcast live via Internet.

Log on at www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

Tags: Champion of the Year, NLSC, SkillsUSA Championships, SkillsUSA's Amazing Race, TECHSPO
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Dunk Tank

April 30th, 2011

Bosch Power Tools will, once again, help raise money for the Alumni Fund by hosting a dunk tank during the 2011 SkillsUSA National Conference.

The dunk tank will operate Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Bosch outdoor exhibit area. All proceeds raised by the dunk tank will benefit the alumni fund. Chances cost $1 a ball or 6 balls for $5. Last year, the effort raised over $800 for the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association.

All proceeds will be tracked by state. The state raising the most funds for the alumni will be recognized by SkillsUSA and Bosch at the August state director meeting.

We seek state directors, state officers, state trainers, national officers or others who are well known in the SkillsUSA family who can bring out a crowd to dunk them! “Dunkees” must be willing to spend an hour in the tank. All proceeds from that hour will be tracked by the dunkee’s state. Tank shifts are first-come, first-served from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday. Dunkees should wear an appropriate swimsuit or clothes they do not mind getting wet. Towels will be available.

To schedule your state representative in the dunk tank, call Rebecca Langguth at Bosch at 224-232-2736 or email her at Rebecca.Langguth@us.bosch.com. If you have questions for SkillsUSA on this effort, please contact Niki Clausen at 703-737-0639 or by email to nclausen@skillsusa.org.

Tags: Alumni, NLSC, Partner News
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Thanks for a great week!

June 26th, 2010

Thanks to all our SkillsUSA Champions for a fantastic week at the National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Just a quick reminder, contestant scores can be found online along with the listing of medalists from this year’s competition. Medalists can also request a copy of the photos taken backstage. Visit www.skillsusa.org/compete/results.shtml for more information. Note: to retrieve your score, you must have your contestant number. If you can’t remember it, contact your state association director.

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Community Service and the Awards Ceremony

June 25th, 2010

This morning, more than 500 students are heading out into the greater Kansas City area to perform community service. This year, participating students and advisors will be working on a bridge, building a mountain bike trail, installing vinyl siding and creating a community garden. This community service event is sponsored by Timberland PRO, which has partnered with us at the national conference since 2002.

Also happening this morning is the Champions 5K Run, which begins at 9 at English Landing Park. All proceeds benefit the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association.

SkillsUSA University will be wrapping up today, and the delegates will have their last meetings and cast the final ballots for the students who will represent them as national officers for the upcoming school year.

Tonight, we head back to Kemper Arena for the Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Lowe’s. We will be honored to hear from Larry Stone, president and chief operating officer of Lowe’s since 2006. The winner of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle raffle will be announced tonight, and the new national officers will be sworn in. And of course, SkillsUSA Champions will receive their gold, silver and bronze medals.

Awards Ceremony tickets are available at the booth outside of 2103A in Bartle Hall. The cost is $10. They will also be available for purchase at Kemper Arena.

Can’t make it? You can always watch the live stream courtesy of School Video News. Details are available here: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

Tags: Alumni, Awards Ceremony, Champions 5K Race, Community Service, Delegate Sessions, Harley-Davidson Raffle, National Officers, NLSC, Timberland
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The 2010 SkillsUSA Championships

June 24th, 2010

Today is the big day for SkillsUSA Champions from across the nation. The 2010 SkillsUSA Championships is today! With 96 contests and more than 5,600 competitors, the championships encompasses Bartle Hall, its Conference Center, Municipal Auditorium, American Royal Center and downtown Marriott, Crowne Plaza and Phillips hotels.

A new “green” event this year is the State Farm Innovation in Sustainability Showcase. Chapters will be displaying their projects from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in Bartle Hall Lobby 2100.

Tonight, make sure you head out to Worlds of Fun theme park. It’s a great way to blow off steam after an exciting day of competition.

Tags: Champions 5K Race, Delegates, National Officers, NLSC, SkillsUSA Championships, State Farm Grants, TECHSPO
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A Call to Action and the Big Show

June 23rd, 2010

Today’s a big day. The Call to Action Session begins this morning at 8:30 and is the only place during NLSC where ALL instructors/advisors gather in a meeting specifically for teachers and administrators. There will be a thank-you gift for every person attending, and it’s a great time to hear about the latest SkillsUSA happenings and from our partners in Washington, D.C.

The SkillsUSA Delegates continue their important work today with a Meet the Candidates session at 1 p.m., the first delegate business meeting at 2 p.m. and another joint session of the high school and college/postsecondary houses at 3 p.m. John McGlade, CEO of Air Products and SkillsUSA’s CEO Champion of the Year is the special guest speaker for the joint session.

This evening at 7 p.m., the conference officially begins with our Opening Ceremony at Kemper Arena, sponsored by Bosch and Georgia-Pacific. Our keynote speaker is Mike Holmes from the HGTV program, “Holmes on Homes.” New this year, the ceremony closes with the ribbon cutting for the SkillsUSA Championships. Everything will be broadcast live via Internet. Log on at www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml.

Tags: CEO Champion of the Year, Delegate Sessions, NLSC, SkillsUSA University, TECHSPO
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There’s a Lot Going On!

June 22nd, 2010

Things are really kicking off today at conference. SkillsUSA TECHSPO exhibits open at 9 a.m. (all times are CDT). Be sure to stop by Municipal Auditorium’s Music Hall Foyer for your FREE conference souvenir T-shirt, pin and backpack, all compliments of Lowe’s.

Starting today, we will be broadcasting twice daily from Bartle Hall, streaming live on the Internet. Look for updates at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Watch for interviews with students, delegates and sponsors, keynote speakers, highlights from the competition floor, coverage of SkillsUSA TECHSPO and other outdoor activities. Visit: www.skillsusa.org/events/nlscvideo.shtml to watch.

The SkillsUSA Delegate meetings kick off today with a joint session beginning at 2 p.m. at the Muehlebach Tower in the Marriott downtown.

The Health Occupations Advisors Luncheon is today at noon in Bartle Hall Room 2206. This is SkillsUSA’s time to extend a special thanks to our health science educators. A great lunch will be served, and the keynote speaker will be from the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

Don’t forget that this year, our Opening Ceremony has moved to Wednesday night. So the Champions Festival has been moved to tonight. This is the first official event for NLSC participants. It begins at 7 p.m. at the Kansas City Power and Light District’s “Living Room.” All participants must wear a SkillsUSA logo shirt, appropriate attire and the official conference badge for admittance to this private, SkillsUSA-only event. It’s sponsored by Carhartt, Pepsi and the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association.

The 100-Percent Advisors Reception will honor our very best instructors: those who involve ALL their students in a quality SkillsUSA leadership and skills development program. There will be two MEGA prizes awarded to teachers at this reception, sponsored by Irwin Industrial Tools. The prizes will be all-expense-paid trips for two to major national sporting events. The reception is being held at the College Basketball Experience, also in the Kansas City Power and Light District.

Tags: Champions Festival, NLSC, TECHSPO
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New Day for Opening Ceremony and Official Start of the SkillsUSA Championships

January 15th, 2010

Even though SkillsUSA returns to Kansas City June 20-25, 2010 for the 46th annual National Leadership and Skills Conference (NLSC), the first conference of this decade opens with a new schedule. For the first time ever, our Opening Ceremony and the official opening of the SkillsUSA Championships are being combined. All the excitement of both events will take place on Wednesday, June 23 at 7pm at Kemper Arena. The Champions Festival will be held on Tuesday evening in an exciting new venue. Delegations should still plan to arrive by Monday as the rest of the schedule for the week remains the same.

Tags: NLSC, SkillsUSA Championships
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Mike Rowe Video

July 9th, 2009

In case you missed it, or just want to see it again, we have posted on our website the video greeting by Mike Rowe that was shown at our Opening Ceremony (link to page). We are also very excited to announce that Mike mentions SkillsUSA and our national conference on his website, mikeroweWORKS.com, along with another video greeting to our members:(http://www.mikeroweworks.com/tool-shed/ ) .

We are excited to be affiliated with Mike Rowe and appreciate his support. Please visit Mike’s site and thanks for all the hard work you do each day!

Let me know when its ready to go.

In case you missed it, or just want to see it again, we have posted the video greeting by Mike Rowe that was shown at our Opening Ceremony on our Web site.

The video is on SkillsUSA’s YouTube Channel here.

We’re also very excited to announce that Mike mentions SkillsUSA and our national conference on his Web site, mikeroweWORKS.com, along with another video greeting to our members: www.mikeroweworks.com/tool-shed/.

We are excited to be affiliated with Mike Rowe and appreciate his support. Please visit Mike’s site and thanks for all the hard work you do each day!

Tags: Mike Rowe
Posted in Media Coverage, NLSC | No Comments »