Junior Mason Steiner wins 3rd at SkillsUSA Nationals
He stared at his tools and wood. He had done this multiple times, but here and now in Louisville, Kentucky in a gigantic coliseum with thousands of the other students, he felt a bit overwhelmed. But then he looked at his wood again, and his tools, and he set to work, letting his hands remember the hours of work that he had spent practicing for exactly this moment.
Junior Mason Steiner took third in the Secondary Plumbing Division at Nationals in Kentucky last year after only one year of plumbing experience. Steiner was one of nine PRHS students to compete at SkillsUSA Nationals in July 2015.
Steiner poured seven hours into building a sink and platform and tested in building code. He was given four hours in two days and was given only the materials and the plans for the sink.
“When I won at nationals they called first, second, and third, and I heard my name. I was really nervous, trying to calm myself because it was my first year, and I shouldn’t have my expectations too high. But then they called my name—at first I didn’t know how to react—but I was really excited. Steiner took the stage, received his three inch medal, and backstage was handed over $300 in gift cards and over 50 tools from different companies.
“Mason is a fun, adventurous guy always looking to take on a challenge. Yes, things come more naturally to him than others, but he deserves everything he has received. He’s a great guy and is going far in life. I’m excited to see all the goals he’ll set for himself and achieve along the way,” said senior Alyssa King, who knows Steiner through their youth group.
Steiner wants to continue to study plumbing at PRHS and will consider Nationals again if he makes it through the 2016 regional and state contests.
Though he had plenty of practice for the practical portion of the exam, and was one of the few students who finished within the time frame, Steiner says that to get first he’s going a step farther, “I’m definitely going to go over the written test because that’s definitely something that kept me from getting first.”
