OCADA – Orange County Automobile Dealers Association

ORANGE COUNTY STUDENTS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION

Loara High School ROP in Anaheim Wins and Will Represent Orange County at National Competition in New York in April; A New Vehicle and Scholarships Worth $66,000 were awarded

(Feb. 14, 2012) — A talented and enthusiastic team from Loara High School ROP in Anaheim won top honors at the 19th Annual Automotive Technology Competition at Kia Motors America headquarters in Irvine on Sat., Feb. 11. The team will now head to the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York in April on a sponsorship provided by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association (OCADA). Loara High School ROP will have a chance at winning a second national title for their school, which won the national competition in 2010. Making the victory that much sweeter, Kia Motors America donated a Kia Optima mid-size sedan to the Loara High School ROP automotive technology program. The Optima will be used for training purposes leading up to the national competition.

The winning team, consisting of seniors Steven Brown and Erick Parades and their instructor John Kasabian and sponsored by Toyota of Orange, joined five other teams at the event, which is sponsored each year by OCADA. Over the course of two hours, each team strived to “de-bug” and repair vehicles with each restored malfunction earing points. The hands-on competition is the culmination of arduous testing and long training sessions, and an exhaustive and comprehensive, 100-question written exam given to an initial field of 14 teams from Orange County high schools last October.

The goal of the OCADA Automotive Technology Competition is to recognize the technical expertise of these students and to introduce them to possibilities available with a career in automotive technology. OCADA also hopes to increase the development of first-rate automotive school-to-career programs in Orange County and to boost interest in a field with excellent job security and economic opportunities. Over $66,000 in scholarships provided by OCADA, California New Car Dealers Association, Ohio Technical College, and Universal Technical Institute was awarded to the participants.

Other local teams competing included:

SECOND PLACE
Mission Viejo High School
Students, Josh Auerbach and Nathan Steele
Instructor, Ken Welch
Sponsor, Penske Toyota Scion of Rancho Santa Margarita

THIRD PLACE
North Orange County ROP
Students, Geovanni Enciso and Juan Quiroz
Instructor, Russ Bacarella
Sponsor, Toyota of Huntington Beach

FOURTH PLACE
Sunny Hills High School ROP
Students, David Feltenberger and Christopher Villar
Instructor, Charlie Zepeda
Sponsor, Don-A-Vee Chrysler Jeep
 
FIFTH PLACE
Buena Park High School ROP
Students, Mike Espaillat and Pedro Valdez
Instructor, James Williamson
Sponsor, Simpson Buick GMC
 
SIXTH PLACE
San Clemente High School
Students, Elliot Ferguson and Zachary Milton
Instructor, James Dunlap
Sponsor, Allen Hyundai

“The countless hours each of these teams spent preparing and training for this competition is inspiring and these young men represent the best and the brightest of auto tech students in Orange County,” said John Sackrison, executive director, Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.

For more information, please contact Sean Taylor at OCADA at 949-428-5050 or staylor@ocada.org, or visit www.ocada.org.

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