Victory!!!

Two silver medals for the USA!! Chase Trayal (Cabinetmaking) and myself, both received the silver, which was the highest we could possibly achieve. This was because the gold medal in each competition was given to the highest scoring Brazilian competitor as I explained earlier. So to us it is a victory!! We are very excited, and the celebration has begun!! I also was awarded the Best In Nation trophy, which is given to the competitor with the highest percentage score for each nation.

More to come, but I must go to the celebration now!

Competition Day 4

Its all over. Today was the last day of competition, I worked on Steering, Suspension, and Wheel Geometry (Alignment) this morning, and Ford Focus Engine Performance this afternoon. I did well, I believe scoring higher than 80% on both islands. Tomorrow we are going to take a sky tram to the Sugar Loaf, and then we head to the closing/awards ceremony. Then they throw a big celebration afterwards apparently. Interesting development today, we were informed that there will be one gold medal awarded, two silvers, and two bronze. In this competition, there are international World Skills Competitors like myself, and then there are a number of competitors from the different Brazilian states. They told us that the highest scoring competitor out of the Brazilians will be awarded the gold medal, and then the highest international competitors have a shot at getting a silver and a bronze. So, gold is out of the question, but at this point I will be very fortunate if I am able to medal at all. But we will see. I will post results as soon as I have them tomorrow!

Competition Day 3: Mid Day Good News!

It is lunch time here at the competition site, and I was able to jump on a computer. Good news! Things went very well this morning on the Peugeot manual transmission station. I have a new translator who is an American living here in Brazil, so the communication has improved. The manuals are still in Portuguese, but I was able to work through it, and I actually finished before the two Brazilians working on the same station, so that gave me a little confidence boost.
But, its time to eat now, pray that this afternoon things go well on the Renault Braking Systems station.

Online Video Broadcast

If you want to watch the live video broadcast and coverage of the competition, visit http://www.senai.br/Olimpiada/ click on the British flag on the top right corner of the screen to translate to English and then click on the news tab.

Competition Day 2

Today was very rough. Did not do very well on the Citroen Electrical System or the Diesel Engine Performance. All the service info was in Portuguese and it was ugly. Took me nearly the whole first hour to communicate through the translator with the judge to find out exactly what I was supposed today. The Diesel was even worse. The diagrams were wrong, also in Portuguese, and my exam sheet was translated wrong so I spent 45 min diagnosing a problem that didn't exist. The manual was 6,500 pages. All in Portuguese. Oh well. Grin and bear it is the name of the game. Learning to work hard, endure the heat, and not get frustrated. Character building :)

Photos: Competition Day 1 and Opening Ceremonies

Day 1 on the Portuguese computers with Gustavo my interpreter, and my tech expert, Scott Norman watching.

Showing my buddies Bruno and Rafael and also Gustavo what is written on the pocket screwdrivers I gave them as gifts, prior to the start of the contest. You can get an idea of how massive the setup is from this picture.

Reading the competitors oath on stage at the opening ceremonies. Probably the biggest adrenaline rush I've ever felt. The applause for the USA was so loud I had to stop and I'm looking over at the MC to figure out what I should do.

Chase, myself, and Kyle with our escort for the ceremonies.

Prep Day and Competition Day 1

I apologize for the lack of updates- Yesterday and today have been... very challenging. But, spirits are up! :) I'll try and share a few things while the internet is working, then I must get to bed. Sleep is hard to get down here and I have to be up and back on the competition floor in 6.5 hours.
The bus leaves our hotel at 6:15 every morning and we arrive at the competition site at about 7:15. The venue, Rio Centro is phenomenal. The complex is made up of 5 Pavilhoes (pavilions, for those of you in Rio Linda). Imagine 5 buildings, each the size of 4 Costcos put together, connected by courtyards and walkways. Its crazy. And the Brazilians have gone all out. The place is decked out the the slightest detail in in the most elaborate displays and decorations you have ever seen. I'm going to try and get pictures of it up eventually because it is really impossible to describe without being here so I won't even try. I'm thinking of making a video, walking from one end of the complex to the other, to show you what it is like and really how top notch everything is. Anyways, this part of Brazil is semi-jungle ish and that means it is hot and humid. And there are bugs. The pavilions are air conditioned... kind of. Outside its at least 85 degrees and very humid. Inside its maybe 80, but it feels even more humid. You basically just sweat. All day. Lovely! :)
Yesterday was supposed to be tool unpacking and competition familiarization, but it ended up with us sitting outside in the heat until 10 am waiting for instructions. Then they talked to us for an hour, sent us to lunch, then told us to come back at 2pm. We come back at 2 and they tell us that they are not ready. We come back at 3.. not ready. Come back at 4... Finally ready. 2 hours to unpack tools, check passports and inspect tool boxes, then dinner time. After dinner, 3 hours of familiarization. We finally left Rio Centro at 1045. Everyone else left at 7 pm. Back to the hotel at 11:30. An exhausting day.


Today wasn't much better. It was supposed to be the first day of competition, I was slated to work on the Citroen C3 Electrical Systems Station in the morning, and Volkswagen engine measurement in the afternoon. Again, wake up at 5:20 am, bus at 6:15, arrive at 7:15, wait for 3 hours in the heat. Finally they bring us inside and have us sit at the stations we are going to compete at first. After sitting for two hours, they send us back outside. Apparently the computer network crashed. Packages of crackers, fruit, granola bars, and Guarana (juice they drink here, tastes like red bull and pear juice mixed together) are brought to us for lunch. Finally at 1, they let all the other stations begin working while I have to sit because my station isn't working. 3 hours later, the group finishes and I am still sitting there (I think I fell asleep for an hour). They tell us to hurry and get dinner, we come back half an hour later and then they tell us they are not ready until 430. Finally at 6pm, after waiting for nearly 11 hours, I begin working on my first station of the competition. Engine Mechanical Measurement on a VW Fox engine.
Oh and one thing I didn't mention, the entire competition is in Portuguese. All the technical info, the cars, the scantools, the computers, the manuals, etc. My interpreter, Gustavo, is very nice, but the extent of his self proclaimed car knowledge is "I fink dey have four wheels, en dey usually runs on gas fuel." He showed up today with a printed English to Portuguese automotive dictionary from the internet. Needless to say, I am picking up Portuguese fast. I was fortunate, that they were able to translate a few of the technical words on the exam sheet so I could tell which measurements I needed to take etc. I literally had to hunt and peck through an entire online VW technical manual with only a few sheets of Portuguese automotive terms and try to find the procedures and specifications to disassemble, measure, repair, and reassemble this engine. The expression "finding a needle in a haystack" came to mind. But, God intervened, and after 11 hours of waiting, I just wanted to get my hands dirty. I tore into the engine with a vengeance, popping pistons, rings, micrometers and feeler gauges flying. One piston had the wrong size compression ring, the cylinder was tapered about .07 mm, one of the connecting rod caps was loose along with a main bearing. The crank thrust washers were the wrong size and one of the main bearings was too large as well which had locked up the crank. The water pump bolts were loose and I think that was it. I fixed everything, recorded all my measurements and had 15 minutes to go. I don't think I have ever reassembled an engine that fast in my life. Thanks to Rizzoli Automotive's generous sponsorship, I was able to purchase some tools which made the job a lot easier. But again, God had to have been involved because I installed the pistons, oil pan, head, and timed the engine and finished with 2 min to spare. So far, the only one in the competition to finish. All in all I feel like it was a good first station and I am happy. Thank God for his help!!
Tomorrow, 8am I have to make up the station I missed today due to tech difficulties. Then the president of Brasil is coming to tour the competition area, so we will be visiting with him. Then I forget what I have tomorrow afternoon. I'm exhausted. The water down here comes in little plastic cups with foil sealed tops, so the other competitors always joke with me about how I have a stack of basura (trash) with me all the time because I am drinking so much water. Staying alive!
There is so much more to tell, but I'm done for the night.
Boa Noite!

Day 4 Photos!

At the headquarters of Vale with our Dutch friends Leonard and Anne.

Interviewing for a Brazilian newspaper.

The beginnings of the crowd.

Day 4: Tour and Opening Ceremonies

Day 4... where to begin? Woke up this morning about 6:30 am we had to get one our official dress uniforms: brown dress shoes, khaki slacks, white shirts, American flag ties, and blue blazers. Then we got on a bus and were taken to the the headquarters of a company called Vale, which is one of the largest mining companies in the world. They are a huge sponsor of the competition, and they gave us a presentation about their operations around the world. It was fairly fascinating although it was in Portuguese, and the English translation was quite rough. After that, we were loaded back onto the bus and driven to the arena for the opening ceremonies. We arrived along with the countries of Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Suriname, Jamaica, and a few others. They asked us to wait outside and suddenly all these buses start pulling up. Out pour scores of Brazilians in matching uniforms depending on what state in Brazil they were from. Bus after bus pulls up and unloads roughly 50 people each until suddenly the whole area is a swarming mass of several hundred people. Each group has its matching track suits and uniforms, flags, horns, drums, you name it. They start chanting and cheering and dancing around for no apparent reason. And here the the four of us Americans in suits while the Brazilians are going crazy chanting and dancing. It was quite fun to watch. Very very hard to describe. We took some video and I will try and post it soon, you have to see it to believe it. Then, someone realized that we were from the USA, they immediately started yelling, "hey, USA! God Bless America!! (in verrry rough English). Here is another thing about Brazilians.. They ALL own cameras, and they want to take a picture of you every two seconds. We literally had a line of people waiting to take a picture with us. And they all wanted to shake our hands and try to greet us in English. We had to wait outside in the heat for about an hour, then we were taken inside to a small gymnasium with no air conditioning, only several large misting fans. It was miserable in there, especially in a heavy wool suit. Soon, the entire group of several hundred dancing, singing and chanting Brazilians were packed in to this gym. There was Brazilian dance/pop music playing and every time a song came on the whole room became a whirr of dancing and singing. Then whenever an American pop song came on, they ran over and wanted us to dance! And they knew all the words. They all sang "Party in the USA" by Miley Cyrus at the top of their lungs. All along, people kept coming up to us constantly wanting pictures with us. At one point, Kyle and I had a line of kids taking pictures with us one by one that lasted for a good 20 min straight. It was crazy, but a lot of fun. I think the thing I appreciated the most was that here were probably 4-500 kids in the heat and humidity, pouring sweat, dancing, cheering, and singing their hearts out without a care in the world. It was so refreshing and it made me realize how self conscious we are as Americans which is sad.

Finally after about an hour in the sweltering heat, we were directed to the arena which, thankfully, was air conditioned! On the way in, I was informed by the Team Leader that I had been chosen to go up on the stage during the ceremony and read the Competitors Oath in English. This is basically saying I promise to follow the rules and compete with good olympic spirit...etc. So they line up all the countries and one by one we enter the arena which, I'm not going to lie, felt like running onto the field at the Super Bowl. You would not believe the set up they had. The arena was packed with what looked like at a couple thousand people, with lights, an enormous stage, fully decked out dancers, a live samba band.. and so much more. Again, its very hard to describe. The Estados Unidos do America received a roar of applause from the crowd which definitely overpowered the Boos. We then paraded across the stage in front of what I realized was a full blown live TV production with all the bells and whistles. We eventually made it to our seats where the flag waving, singing, dancing, and more chanting began. These Brazilians never quit! We were given headsets to wear with english translation which was nice. A few speeches were given by Presidents of the sponsor companies, and then a group of Brazilian children sang their national anthem. There were several dance performances by some unbelievably talented dance troupes and bands. Then, they called a girl from Rio, a girl from Colombia, and myself up the stage. When they called my name I was greeted by a roar of applause again which was funny. The two girls read the oath in their respective languages, and then in was my turn to read. I started the first sentence: "I, as a competitor of..." before I could finish the phrase, the crowd exploded in cheers. I felt like the president trying to give a speech, they kept cheering and I could barely hear myself. It was quite a rush. I finished the oath, then they had us stand on the stage a little longer and shake hands with some of the executive guys that were up there. Then back to the seats for some more performances by acrobats, a drumming troupe, and more dancers. It really was incredible. Very very hard to describe it all, but my fingers are getting tired. We have video and pictures that I will try and post soon. So much fun! Tomorrow it is down to business. Over to the competition area in the morning to unpack my tools, set everything up, and inspect the work stations.

Side note: I am learning bits of Portuguese, getting lots of Spanish practice, and learning some Dutch too. Its quite fun.

This whole event is much much bigger than I thought. It is so cool!

More tomorrow. Goodnight. :)

Day 3 Photos: Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches

Brazilian cab ride, what a thrill.

They really are everywhere! (On the beach at Copacabana)

From left to right: myself, Kyle Claypool (co-team leader), Chase Trayal (cabinetmaking competitor)

Camilla! Our super friendly Brazilian guide.

The view from Ipanema Beach.

Thank you to Mark Claypool (Team Leader) for these awesome photos!

Day 2/3: DC to Rio

Finally made it to Rio safely, and what a trip it was! Left Dulles airport in DC Saturday night at about 10 pm. Got about a Boeing 777 for the better part of 11 hours en route to Sao Paolo Brazil. I've never flown over the ocean before and I have to admit that I was slightly nervous. In the middle of the "night" (if you can call it that) since my internal clock is 5 hours behind and I'm not really sure what time it is, we hit some severe turbulence over the Jamaica/Haiti area. I was in the restroom when the plane started shaking like crazy. I kinda got pinned against the wall and had to work the door open and drag myself out, cans and cups were flying everywhere and I'll admit, I was really scared. I made it to my seat and prayed with the guy next to me until it finally settled down. That kinda ruined my sleeping plans for the night. Along with the fact that my 6'4" frame wasn't really designed to fit in the space they call a "seat". That being said, we made to Sao Paolo safely, waited for a few hours, then continued on to Rio.

The weather in Rio so far is fairly nice, 23-25 degrees Celsius, (i think about 65-70 F) and fairly humid. We cleared customs and were greeted at the airport by a group of official looking Brazilian ladies with official World Skills uniforms on. They were all super kind and got us in our shuttle van to the hotel which is in the middle of downtown, about half an hour's drive from the airport.

Riding to the hotel was my first chance to see real third world poverty. It makes Mexico seem fairly nice if you can believe that. The main road into downtown goes past the "favelas" which our Brazilian liaison just called "slums". Hodgepodge structures stacked on top of each other every which way covered in garbage and sewage flowing in the streets, walls that are more like holes in the bricks covered with tarps, kids wandering aimlessly... can't really describe it you just have to see it. It was a reminder of the fact that there is no middle class in Brazil. There are the wealthy, and the very, very poor.

Our hotel is the Windsor Asuturias Hoteis which is fancy.. white coated servers wait on us for every meal, and since they don't know any english, the respond to you by nodding, smiling, and saying "abrigado" which is Portuguese for Thank you. The food is quite good, the staples are rice, black beans which are quite deliciously cooked, and some sort of flank steak. Then there is fresh grilled fish with lemon and lime, deep fried flour with egg and bacon, and tarot root i believe? The deserts are scrumptious, flan, chocolate fudge cake, key lime pie, and an assortment of fruits we could not recognize. Guarana is the beverage of choice, its kinda like a mixture of ginger ale and fruit juice. Tasty.

We were very fortunate to have one of our English speaking Brazilian guide girls offer to show us around a little bit in the afternoon, so we hailed two cabs and headed toward the world's most famous beach, the Copacabana. Now, let me try and describe to you the experience of riding in a Brazilian cab... here are a few guidelines I picked up on that must be what they teach you in Brazilian cab driving school: Drive as fast as you possibly can, always. Zig zagging back and forth across 5 lanes of traffic is the most effective way to pass people. If someone is in your way, try and hit them, they will move, if they don't, you hit them.. oh well. You're driving a Peugeot so who cares. If you want to turn right, signal to the left, go left, and then at the last possible second, swerve to the right. That way no one will know where you are going and you will almost always nearly hit someone. Finally, if you see pedestrians in the road or on the sidewalk, try and get as close as you possibly can to them even if it means going out of your way. Why? Because its fun. Its like a giant game of bumper cars with bikes and motorcycles mixed in for fun.

The beach is basically what you would expect, and expanse of white sand and palm trees sprawled with overweight, viciously tan folks. It seems the rule of thumb is, the more overweight and hairy you are, the less bathing suit you should wear. Needless to say, we stayed on the walkway away from the sand to avoid such gruesome sights. Camilla, our Brazilian hostess was a fantastic guide, and a trooper, walking the entire 3.5 miles in heels and a business suit! It was really nice to have her with us to explain things and teach us a lot about the history of the city. And she did it all on her own free time! That was refreshing considering the fact that most Brazilian people hate us. I didn't expect this, but at the airport, we received many a cold stare and dirty look. The people at the currency exchange closed shop when we walked up to their window. Our guide confirmed that this is the case. It is interesting. Thankfully, she was very sweet!

Finally, after another nail biting cab ride, we made it back to the hotel and enjoyed a nice dinner, pretty much the same fare with a few variables thrown in, some veggies i'd never seen before. Then it was off to the 22nd floor the the rooftop pool, sauna, and lounge with a view of the city that is spectacular (photos to come). There we met up with the two competitors from the Netherlands who are the only other white folks at the contest. A quick swim, quick chat, and its back to the room. Its 10 pm here, but my brain thinks its 5pm... oh well. Have to get up at 6:30 am which will feel like.... uh... yeah 1:30. Niice. I should be getting to bed. More pictures from today to come, the internet here can't seem to handle loading them all at once. Good night!

Day 1: Washington DC

Made it safely into Washington DC and then the hotel in Leesburg, VA about 20 min away. Had a fantastic dinner with Mr. Tim Lawrence, the Executive Director of Skills USA. Met the rest of the World Team and did a little clothes shopping. Then headed back into the city to view DC by moonlight. It was beautiful.