PRHS Welding Tech program took first place in Welders without Borders: Welding Thunder Fabrication Contest in Las Vegas on November 15-19.

Seventeen teams from from California, Utah, Nevada and Arizona gathered in Vegas for the event.

The team took part in a competition where they built a barbecue from scratch in a day and a half.

“Unlike other welding contests that this program participates in, this contest requires that each team not only bring their metal and materials, but they also have to bring their own tools, equipment and power sources to construct their projects,” Justin Pickard, welding coach, said.

The students worked for nine hours straight on Wednesday, Nov. 16 to build just the base model of the barbecue.

“I was extremely happy with our group of students, as both days they received a lot of compliments for the quality of their construction,” Pickard said.

As well as the fabrication competition, the team placed second in the cooking contest for their steak and eggs meal. The team used the barbecue they fabricated to cook the meal.

“The contest took time, preparation  and commitment from our students,” Pickard said, “We practiced every Sunday for four weeks prior to this event to make sure we had dialed in the building of this barbecue.”

The team received a new Hypertherm Powermax Plasma Cutter as the first place prize.