Rosedale Technical College will be represented in the national spotlight this weekend when one of the College’s electrical technology students will be one of 67 individuals from across the U.S. and Canada competing in the IDEAL® National Championship. Nathan Kurtz, of Walden, New York, who currently resides in Pittsburgh while enrolled at Rosedale, will represent the state of Pennsylvania in the Student/Apprentice category of the National Championship for a chance to win up to $30,000. The IDEAL National Championship is scheduled to take place November 7-9 at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Now in its fourth year, the IDEAL National Championship is a race-against-the-clock skills competition organized by IDEAL Industries, Inc., an American company that produces tools and equipment for the electrical and telecommunications industries, and was organized as a way of thanking IDEAL’s customers when celebrating their 100th Anniversary in 2016. It has continued with much success. Every year more and more people compete in this unique competition that focuses solely and highlights the electrical industry.
In order to make it to the National Championship, individuals must qualify first at one of the qualifying events held throughout the year. Competitors who earn the fastest times in each U.S. state and territory in Canada advance to the Championship Weekend. In addition, the top three individuals who competed in 2018 are invited to compete for a chance to defend their title. There will also be 26 Wild Card slots available for Professionals and Students/Apprentices (Individuals) respectively, which will be filled by the three fastest individuals from each U.S. region who do not win their state/territory’s bid and the two fastest remaining individuals from Canada.
This is the first time in IDEAL National Championship history a Pennsylvania representative has come from a qualifying event held in the Pittsburgh area.
“We are so proud that Nathan has qualified for the IDEAL National Championship with one of the top scores in the nation. With his outstanding work ethic and positive attitude, he sets a wonderful example for others,” said Dennis Wilke, President of Rosedale Technical College.
“It is quite an accomplishment for Nathan to qualify for Championship Weekend in Orlando,” said Eric Davidson, Senior Area Sales Manager for IDEAL Industries, Inc. “I held over 20 qualifying events this year in my territory and the competition is tough. IDEAL has held this competition for four years now and those who have qualified in the past work hard to get back to Orlando. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nathan to showcase his electrical skills, meet other highly skilled competitors, and have a great overall experience. I wish Nathan the best-of-luck in representing Pennsylvania in the Student/Apprentice category.”
Over 65,000 Professional and Student/Apprentice electricians competed at over 1,200 qualifying rounds across the United States in 2019.
Nathan earned his position in the National Championship with a time of 1:49.65 at a qualifying event held at Rosedale Technical College on August 22.
In addition to the Student/Apprentice category, individuals can qualify to compete in the following categories: Professionals (Individuals), Contractor Challenge (Professionals Team of 2), and the School Challenge (Students/Apprentices Team of 2). Throughout the weekend, over $600,000 is awarded to winners of each category.
For the first time ever, this year’s IDEAL National Championship Weekend will conclude with an International Championship, putting the winners of the US, Australia, Canada and China competitions (one Student/Apprentice and one Professional from each country) against one another in one epic showdown.
The National Championship begins Thursday, November 7 and concludes on November 9. For a behind-the-scenes look at the competition in Orlando, you can follow IDEAL Electrical on Facebook, IDEAL_Electrical on Instagram, and IDEAL_Sycamore on Twitter.
For more information about the IDEAL Nationals Championship, visit IDEALnationals.com