If he wins next round, he’ll compete in the world championships in Abu Dhabi
By ALEX HOLT
Contributing Writer
Utah State University Eastern’s Chandler Vincent may be heading to Abu Dhabi to represent the United States in the 2017 WorldSkills Welding Competition.
Vincent first started his welding career in his freshman year of high school after being inspired by watching his uncle weld as a young kid. Immediately, he fell in love with the craft.
By the time he was 16, he had started his own business, CRB Fabrication, before being recruited by Mason Winters and Lon Youngberg of USUE’s Welding Department. The two had been pursing Vincent after watching and coaching him through various high school competitions.
Vincent plans to obtain a welding certificate at USUE before returning to his welding business.
The final three
He is currently competing in the US Weld Trials, a competition between the best and brightest welders across the U.S. Twenty-two students participated in the completion but now, he and two students named Blaine Hip and Jacob Miller, both from Arkansas State University, are left. They will face off against each other in the next month to see who gets to represent the U.S. in Abu Dhabi.
To prepare for the final round of the Trials, Vincent has spent nearly 15 hours a day training, missing out on holidays and birthdays. “There is a lot of time and money involved” Vincent said “And I really just want to be that guy.”
Vincent hopes to win the trails so he can move on to Abu Dhabi were he will face off against various nations like China, Korea, and Australia which have dominated the world stage for the last few years. “It has always been a dream of mine since I was little, watching the world competitors on TV.” Vincent said.
The U.S. has not won a gold medal the world competition since Ray Connolly took it home in 1999.