A JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME: Zach Fletcher wins trip to Atlanta to compete in Skills USA national championship
Published in Uncaged, May 2024
Taiyler Stanfield, Editor-in-Chief
On April 11, senior Zach Fletcher attended the 2024 State Leadership and Skills Conference hosted by Skills USA where he won gold (first place) in Plumbing. The annual event which has been going on for over 50 years is an educational conference whose goal is to prepare students around the country (and over 1,500 students in Michigan) to be champions in their trade through hands-on contests and workplace skills.
As a result of Fletcher’s win, he will advance to Nationals in Atlanta, Georgia from June 24-28 co compete against 6,000 other state champions throughout the country to have the chance to win national gold, silver and bronze medallions, scholarships, tools and other prizes and awards.
For coming in first place for Plumbing in the state conference, Fletcher won a plaque, Milwaukee drill and compact tool.
“It was fun to hear my name called,” Fletcher said. “It felt like such a relief because last year I had gotten second place and now this year I got first.”
For winning second place in Plumbing last year, Fletcher won a 25 dollar gift card, plaque and goodie bag.
Some improvements he made to win first place this year included perfecting minor details like the amount of glue he used on piping and measuring perfectly.
Fletcher currently attends the Wilson Talent Center (WTC) for construction taught by construction trades instructor, Gerald Johnson, who Fletcher expressed was one of the main reasons he decided to participate in the competition.
“My instructor told me I was good at plumbing, so I decided to do it,” Fletcher said.
It appears that Johnson was right in encouraging Zach to do the competition, as his win now puts him on the path to potentially winning more awards when in Atlanta.
“I was really happy for Zach,” Johnson said. “He’s done well in class and he worked hard to earn it. I’m glad to see that he is going to nationals.”
As Zach prepares for the journey ahead of him, he also prepares for the excitement and adventure it will bring him.
“In the future, I’m most excited about Nationals in Georgia for about a week. I mean, half of it’s basically a vacation,” Fletcher said.
Senior Zach Fletcher holds his first place plaque in Plumbing won from the State Leadership and Skills Conference. Photo provided by Wilson Talent Center Facebook page
