Maui High School Wins State Auto Skills Competition

2014 – Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. Courtesy photo.

By Wendy Osher

A team from Maui High School took top honors in the 2014 Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills State Competition held at Honolulu Community College over the weekend, event representatives announced.

The team comprised of Chayce Mimura and Devin Vea, under the direction of instructor Dennis Sasai, now advance to compete in the national competition to be held in Dearborn, MI in June.

The team is the latest from Maui High School to win the state competition, with the school producing multiple winning teams over the past decade.

“Chayce and Devin showed a lot of concentration and poise during the competition,” said Avo Asdourian, the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills State Competition Chairman from AAA Hawaiʻi in a press release statement.  “They worked quickly to find and fix the mechanical and computerized ‘bugs’ planted in their vehicle,” he said.

2014 – Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. Courtesy photo.

Two teams each from Maui High School and King Kekaulike competed in the weekend event, which also included participation from: Jahstyn Aweau and Cameo-Noel Kusunoki of Maui High School, under the direction of instructor Shannon Rowe; Jack Klingman and Jerami Rother of King Kekaulike, under the direction of instructor Peter Kovacic; and Brian Amoral and Adam King of King Kekaulike, under the direction of instructor Matt Doty.

Event organizers say students showcased their skills in the hands-on competition by repairing deliberately bugged 2014 Fords to demonstrate their ability to succeed as automotive repair technicians.

2014 – Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills Competition. Courtesy photo.

The event is sponsored by AAA Hawaiʻi and Ford Motor Company as part of an educational effort to attract more young people to automotive professions, a post-event press release said.

When Mimura and Vea compete in the national event, they will be up against teams from 50 states, and will be vying for the national title and nearly $12 million in college scholarships and prizes, according to the announcement.