By: Reginald Tiangha

The Daily Results for WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Day 2 have now been posted.

Here’s what’s on tap for today (Day 3):

Friday, September 4th

WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Information Technology Forum (8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.) – Invitation Only, Boyce Theatre

Viewing Hours (9 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.) – Stampede Park, Free Admission, Open to the Public

• Coca Cola Stage – Entertainment
• Global Skills Village – Presented by UA Canadian Piping Trades
• Canada House
• Alberta House
• Try-A-Skill @ Skill City – Presented by the Calgary Herald

Competition Day 3 (9:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m.) – Stampede Park, Free Admission, Open to the Public

And here’s who’ll be performing on the Coca-Cola Stage today as part of the WorldSkills Cultural Celebration:

September 4 – Blues & Country Day

• 9:30 – 10 a.m.  Loose Moose Improv
• 10 – 10:30 a.m.  WorldSkillz Performance Troupe
• 10:45 – 11:15 a.m.  Keister Family Fiddlers
• 11:30 – 12:15 p.m.  Hurricane Felix & The Southern Twisters
• 12:30 – 1:15 p.m.  Treeline
• 1:30 – 2:15 p.m.  Eldon Weasechild

By: Reginald Tiangha

Here’s something cool I stumbled upon at WorldSkills 2009:

The device is called a “Graphic Waterfall” and is created by Pevnick Design out of Milwaukee. As you can see, it uses water to display various patterns and writing, the timing of which is all controlled by computer.

I’ve never encountered anything like it before, and it seemed to be a hit with all the various onlookers as well.

This thing has to been seen in person to be fully appreciated, so if you’re coming down to Stampede Park for WorldSkills, make sure you drop by and check it out! The Graphic Waterfall is located directly in front of the entrance to Alberta House, which is located just outside the Stampede Corral.

By:  Reginald Tiangha

So imagine this:  You’ve been hearing about it for months.  Your friends/colleagues/co-workers/whatevers have been talking about it for a while now.  You’ve seen the posters around town.  Your interest is piqued: Just what is WorldSkills?

You want to know more, so you decide that the only way to do that is to come down to Stampede Park and see the WorldSkills Competition for yourself (the fact that it’s free to attend doesn’t hurt either!).  So you’ve checked out the schedule on-line, familiarized yourself with the venue map, picked out a date and time to visit and are ready to go!

At this point, you may be asking yourself questions like:  What can I expect when I get down there?  I could be spending an hour or two on site; will there be any place to eat?  If so, what’s available?  Just what exactly is there to see and do?

Take it from a guy who didn’t know what to expect the first time he visited:  I know exactly how you feel.

Well, don’t fret, because I’ll share with you what I’ve learned.  This is my handy-dandy Spectator’s Guide to WorldSkills 2009 and I’ll walk you through what happens when you arrive, what’s available to be seen and done, and what’s available in terms of food and beverage choices.  In fact, you might be surprised at what you can find!  I know I was…

Do I have your attention?  Great! Then read on!

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By:  Reginald Tiangha

The results for Day 1 of the WorldSkills Calgary 2009 Competition have now been posted.

At the end of each day, the five competitors with the highest scores for that day are listed in alphabetical order per skill.

You can see those results by visiting the WorldSkills International web site.

Final results will also be posted at the end of the competition this weekend.

From what I can tell, Team Canada seems to be doing quite well!

By:  Reginald Tiangha

If you’re someone like me who isn’t really involved in the trades, then perhaps (like me) you’re simply not aware about what makes the WorldSkills Competition so special.

If so, here are some quick facts that highlight some things about the competition that you may not have been aware of, and show why Calgary is so lucky to be hosting it this year.

First, for those who like numbers:

• 900 competitors from 51 different regions/countries
• 100,000 public spectators
• 50,000 students registered to attend
• 3,000 volunteers
• 30 languages
• 5,000 international experts, delegates and visitors
• $16 million in new tools and equipment purchases for the event will be donated to Alberta schools
• Only 8 Albertans are competing (7 from Calgary and surrounding area)
• Host countries tend to experience a 15%-20% increase to technical/polytech institute programs
• This is only the second time that Canada has hosted this event
• The competition is only held once every two years (next one is in 2011 in London, England)

Some background information about the competition itself:

• Competitors must be under the age of 23 during the year of the WorldSkills Competition, with the exception of two skill categories: the Manufacturing Team Challenge and Aircraft Maintenance, in which Competitors can be up to 25.
• Targeted to youth in school, young adults aged 17- 25 and parents, industry leaders, educators and youth influencers
• Free admission to the four days of Competition, September 2-5 at Stampede Park

And some reasons why WorldSkills is so cool and why the people behind the scenes are heroes:

• The largest independent event ever hosted at Stampede Park
• Largest international competition in Calgary since the 1988 Winter Olympics
• Hosting the world for one week has taken more than four years to plan

For more information on WorldSkills Calgary 2009, visit www.worldskills2009.com.

By:  Reginald Tiangha

If you haven’t heard by now, today is the start of the 40th WorldSkills Competition being held at Stampede Park.

Every couple of years, hundreds of young people from around the globe skilled in various disciplines of trades and technology gather along with their teachers and trainers to compete and participate in tests of skill involving 45 different skill categories and against demanding international standards.

900 competitors drawn from 51 countries/regions will be represented at this year’s competition, with eight of those competitors coming from Alberta (and seven of which are from Calgary and the surrounding area!).

The main competition will be held from now until September 5, and all of the events being held during this time are free for the public to attend!

In addition to the competition itself, there will be many exhibits and pavilions open to the public that visitors can check out.  These include:

• Skill City, where visitors can participate in events ranging from carpentry to computer animation.
• The Global Skills Village, where visitors can consider new career paths and interact with over 120 exhibitors from various industries and institutions.
• Canada House, containing fun and interactive displays offering information about various fields for both potential students/workers and other influencers.
• Alberta House, a showcase displaying Alberta’s key strengths in skills, trades, technologies, and more.

There should be plenty to see and do at Stampede Park this week, so why not drop by and see what the entire city has been talking about?

If you’re trying to plan your week, a schedule can be found here and a venue map here.  Hope to see you there!