ROCK SPRINGS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WIN STATE COMPETITION AND OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AGAINST 49 OTHER SCHOOLS IN 2008 FORD/AAA STUDENT AUTO SKILLS NATIONAL FINALS IN MICHIGAN JUNE 24

Cheyenne, WY, 5/7/08- Sloan Babbitt and Zakk Thibeault and from Rock Springs have won the title as Wyoming’s best student auto technicians and will continue on to the 2008 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills national finals in Dearborn, MI, on June 24, to test their skills against 98 other students from across the nation.

In Dearborn, the team from Rock Springs will be challenged to find and quickly fix the intentional “bugs” placed in their assigned vehicles, as they did at the state competition in Cheyenne on May 6th then drive the repaired vehicle to the finish line.  Their hands-on score will be combined with the results of a written exam testing their motor vehicle knowledge, and the total will determine the top 10 teams in the nation.

Sloan Babbitt and Zakk Thibeault worked with their instructor, George Czapskie, throughout the year to prepare for the state competition.  They will continue to train until the national finals in June.

The Rock Springs team defeated ten other two-person teams from throughout Wyoming to advance to the national finals, and will be awarded scholarships for their state-level victory.  In Dearborn, the team will compete for additional scholarships and prizes valued at more than $6 million.

The annual Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills competition encourages students to explore careers in the automotive repair industry and continue their education after high school. Additionally, the competition highlights the increasing demand for well-trained technicians in the automotive repair industry.  For example, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates that the employment of automotive service technicians and mechanics will increase by 14 percent between 2006 and 2016, compared with 10 percent for all other occupations.  BLS also estimates an additional 110,000 new automotive technician jobs will be added over the decade.

“This program helps position students to advance their education to become automotive technicians who possess the electrical and computer skills needed to handle the advanced technology of the vehicles on the road now and in the future,” said Denice Harris, AAA Spokeswoman.  “As the best auto tech students in the state, these students deserve the opportunity to become the best-trained professional automotive technicians and enjoy careers that are beneficial to the motoring public, personally satisfying, and well-compensated.”

AAA MountainWest Club, is dedicated to providing its more than 160,000 members in Alaska, Montana and Wyoming with travel, insurance, financial, and auto-related services.  A fully taxpaying, not for profit corporation, AAA MountainWest, Inc. strives for improvement of motoring and traveling conditions, and is a leader for travel, civic and safety issues. AAA can be visited on the Internet at www.AAA.com.

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