The street scene outside the Kansas City Convention Center during the near week-long National Leadership and Skills Conference.

Working against the clock and each other, plumbing contestants roughed-in hot and cold water lines to a water heater with copper; the sanitary drainage waste and vent lines with cast iron; and PVC plastic for a water closet, a lavatory, a washer box, and a floor drain. Completed projects were pressure tested on the water pipes. Professional plumbers and pipe fitters judged the contestants on the basis of accuracy, workmanship, proper selection and use of tools and supplies, and proper safety practices.

The plumbing contest winners for secondary competitors are: first place, James Banach, Oberlin, Ohio; second place, David Gralinski, Northampton, Mass.; and third place, Ryan Dockery, Cleveland, Ga. The postsecondary winners are: first place, Evan Eppolite, Medford, N.J.; second place, Elisio Dawkins, Bradenton, Fla.; and third place, Kirk Lang, Beloit, Kan.

Publication date: 08/07/2006