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August 2008 |
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By Tagen Towsley BLACKFOOT — At the end of the first day of school students filed out the front door and turned on their cell phones. Along with being the first day of school the school board also enforced a new policy regarding electronic devices for the first time.
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
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By Richard Toynton BLACKFOOT — A local high school junior took home the gold from the 2008 national SkillsUSA cabinetmaking contest in Kansas City, Mo. on June 27, and he could win it again next year as a Blackfoot High School senior.
 Submitted photo
Mason Sandow, 17, from Blackfoot smiles for a photograph taken by his mother, Doris, about one hour after he was awarded a gold medal at the annual National Leadership and Skills Conference and SkillsUSA Championships for placing first in the cabinetmaking contest June 27. His cabinet was judged first among 46 cabinets made by high-schoolers from across the nation.
Mason Sandow, 17, said he was displayed on a giant screen receiving his first place medal at the Kasas City Kemper Arena in front of 20,000 people.
“It was a really fun experience,” he said Wednesday. “I was very surprised to win first.”
The competition took place on June 26, and the identity of the winners in each of the many SkillsUSA national competitions held at the event were kept secret until revealed during the award ceremony the evening of June 27.
“He was very nervous,” Doris Sandow, Mason’s mother, said. “I think it’s awesome. You always want your kids to succeed—he did his best and he won.”
Parents and friends of contestants in the many annual SkillsUSA competitions filled seats in the arena that day, Mason said.
In addition to the gold medal deeming him the most skilled cabinetmaker among students from 46 participating states in the competition, he won thousands of dollars worth of tools perfectly suited for his hobby of woodworking.
He received a SawStop Table Saw valued at about $2,500, many tools including power sanders, a miter saw and clamps, and $750 worth of Carhartt work clothing.
Mason said the table saw has a safety feature that stops the blade when it makes contact with a finger. “It barely broke the skin of a hot dog,” he said.
This isn’t the first time he has competed at the national level. He placed 22nd last year after placing first in state and third in a district competition. This year he placed third in district, won the state competition and the national contest.
Mason said that it wasn’t only the cabinets being scored by judges during the competition. Cabinetmaker safety precautions taken, overall cabinet quality and measurements of the finished product were some things judges reviewed and scored.
“You’ve gotta keep busy. If you slack at all, you won’t finish,” he said.
His competition piece was a nightstand with a drawer, which may be added to his room that he said is full of projects he completed.
His well-furnished room includes a dresser, small entertainment center, curio cabinet, a wood bed frame, a small shelf, and a small filing cabinet.
The competition was from just after 8 a.m. to about 4 p.m., June 26, and Mason finished his cabinet about 30 minutes before cabinetmakers were required to stop construction.
He says he’s so successful in cabinetmaking because of Blackfoot High School’s great wood shop program and cabinetmaking instructor.
“He’s a heck of a teacher,” Mason said about Pete Golinveaux, who has taught students who competed in national cabinetmaking contests for the past six years.
“It’s one of the nicest wood shops because Pete puts a lot of effort into it,” Mason said.
Golinveaux, affectionately referred to as “Pete” by his students, said, “For him to win the state competition is one thing, but to win nationals is a really hard thing to do. He’s the cream of the crop.”
All SkillsUSA contests are run by and judged by industry using industry standards for employment, and more than 500 industry judges participated in this year’s competitions.
He said cabinetmaking will most likely be in his future because it’s something he enjoys doing, but he hasn’t made up his mind as to what career path he will choose after high school.
Mason is son to Doris and Garrett Sandow of Blackfoot and is the oldest of five boys. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 July 2008 )
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