When it comes to working with sheet metal, Oconto Falls graduate Jake Lubenske is one of the best in the nation for his age.
Lubenske placed third of 18 high school students in his competition at the 51st annual SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference held June 22-26 in Louisville, Kentucky.
It was his third trip to the national contest; he placed sixth last year and 16th as a freshman.
“Good way to end it,” he said of his bronze medal.
The gold medalist was a student from Delcastle Tech High School, in Gold Wilmington, Delaware. Silver was won by a student from Hephzibah High School in Georgia.
Lubenske, of Abrams, was aiming for a Top 10 finish and said he didn’t want to “jinx it” by hoping for anything better. His SkillsUSA adviser, OFHS tech ed teacher John Bursa, was also hoping for a Top 10 finish, but he adjusted his expectation to Top 5 once he saw the project, knowing Lubenske had experience with all the components.
In the end, Lubenske made school history as only the second student from OFHS to stand on the awards podium. The other bronze medalist was Ben Wellens, who competed in the motorcycle service technology contest in 2007.
SkillsUSA contests help prepare students for careers in a trade, and the tasks created for the contest are taken directly from industry practices. A Kentucky sheet metal union administered Lubenske’s contest this year.
Before the competition, Bursa advised Lubenske to be patient and take the time to read the blueprint thoroughly and plan out the project before starting to build it. Bursa said the contest was difficult because competitors were judged both on the separate parts and the overall dimensions of the finished product.
Lubenske faced the challenge of making a ductwork product with transitions from a square to a round and a square to a 45-degree twist.
“The thing that threw me off is they had two transitions. In the past, it’s always been one,” Lubenske said. In addition, he needed to add a collar and end cap.
“The tricky part about the collar was getting the rivets evenly spaced around. Other than that, it was something I practiced in class in previous years,” Lubenske said.
Lubenske completed his project within the eight-hour time frame. He received the blueprint at 8 a.m. and worked until 4 p.m., with a half-hour lunch break. At past competitions, he said he learned the important thing was quality, not speed.
“The better it looks and the closer it is to spot-on dimensions, the better you’ll do. You have to pay close attention to the blueprint,” he said. In his final score, he had points off for a seam out of place.
In addition to the hands-on competition, contestants completed a written test. Lubenske scored 927 of 1,000 points.
“They don’t make it easy,” he said of the written exam, which covered tool identification, brazing, welding and other topics relating to sheet metal work.
Bursa said Lubenske had several advantages going into the competition: “He’s got a great work ethic. He’s very good at math, pays attention to details and has the desire to compete.” Experience was also a factor.
“It was his seventh competition, either at state or nationals, so he pretty much knew what to expect,” Bursa said.
“Over the years, I learned more and more, and it got easier and easier,” Lubenske said.
He said he’s always enjoyed watching do-it-yourself shows on TV and being around people who liked to work with their hands. As a kid, he and his grandfather, John Lubenske, of Mountain, would make birdhouses and other projects together when Jake would visit for a week. Jake also works on projects with his parents, Ronald and Nancy.
To advance to the national contest, Lubenske won a gold medal at the state SkillsUSA competition. Also competing at the national contest was OFHS sophomore Michael VerVelde, who finished 29th in masonry.
Lubenske will keep the tools he used in the contest, and he received additional tools for a prize after placing third.
He plans to attend Northeast Wisconsin Technical College in the fall to complete the two-year electro-mechanical technology program and envisions a career installing and repairing industrial machinery.
“He’ll do well,” Bursa said. “He’ll be successful no matter what.”
