Elite Trade Championship tapes competition show at Tampa Convention Center
Trades competition
A contest to fix cars, air conditioning and electrical recently took place at the Tampa Convention Center and will likely be appearing on a national cable channel soon.
TAMPA, Fla. - Many of the championships we see on TV are played using balls or pucks, but in the Elite Trades Championship, competitors might use a drive shaft or a breaker box because they are electricians and auto repair or HVAC techs.
"We always bragged about I’m better than this guy, or I’m faster than this guy. Now we just gave them the opportunity to prove who’s the best in the country," explained Drew Jablonowski of Garage Gurus and the Elite Trades Championship Series.
It’s a TV series that recently taped shows at the Tampa Convention Center. It visits venues all over the country, staging competitions in auto mechanics, air conditioning, and electrical.
They’re judged on the quality of their work and how quickly they can do it. They’re playing beat the clock as they try to figure out the repair.
The show visits venues all over the country, staging competitions in auto mechanics, air conditioning, and electrical.
On this day, auto repair contestants are given a drive shaft from a Dodge Ram 4 x 4. Replacing the U-joints are more complicated than most.
Chip Wade, the show’s MC, ran over to interview them as they work.
It is unclear when the show will air, but it will likely be on one of several cable networks that have carried the series in the past.
"We try to get in their heads and see where they’re at," stated Wade. "It helps tell the story of what’s going on here."
They’re not sure yet when and where the show will air. It will likely be on one of several cable networks that have carried the series in the past.
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Color commentator Scott Caron started as an electrician years ago. He says the show highlights the importance of people who are trained to work with their hands.
The Elite Trades Championship Series that recently taped shows at the Tampa Convention Center.
"Our goal is to bring interest to the trades," he said. "All genders, all races, and show them what it is that got them to that point, and get them interested."
The show’s producers say it addresses the critical shortage of people in skilled trade jobs.
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Jablonowski says, for young people entering the workforce, the trades are a viable alternative to college.
The contestants are judged on the quality of their work and how quickly they can do it.
"You can get that college degree," he said. "But that spreadsheet doesn’t know how to change brakes. Learning how to send an email isn’t going to learn how to change a transmission out. Plus, you can make absolutely amazing money."
And if you’re really good, you can compete in a new kind of TV event where the championship isn’t decided with a ball or a puck, but with an engine or a circuit.