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Trade Wars
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OCTC's Trade Wars is scheduled for April 25, 2025, from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. It is a collection of Technical and Professional Skills Competitions for High School Students. It is a free event and all high school students are eligible to participate.
About the CompetitionS
TRADE WARS is a premier competition that showcases the technical skills of high school students through supervised competitions. Winners receive a banner for their school and valuable prizes related to their chosen career path.
Important Notice
- All participants must submit signed waivers before the event
- Students under 18 require parent/guardian signatures
- Registration must be completed through school counselors
Competition Categories
The Air Conditioning Technology program is hosting the DARE TO FLARE competition for 16 individual students in IIC 107 HVAC lab. Students will be required to follow provided written instructions and cut copper tubing to prescribed lengths, deburr their cuts, place flare nuts on tubing, using a flaring block/tool construct 2 flares, connect the flares to a flare union and tighten with wrenches. The finished project will be judged on quality of work and how well it matches the provided diagram.
Information coming soon!
The Computerized Manufacturing and Machining program is hosting the 2025 Trade Wars CMM Nationals. This individual competition has space for 25 competitors and will be held in ATC 210.
This competition does require students to complete a project prior to the event. It was created for schools that have machining equipment on-site. Interested students should have some prior experience and have access to equipment to create the car prior to the event.
Once students sign up, they will receive specifications sheet and materials to machine an aluminum car and wheels from our CMM team. (This should be completed prior to the competition on April 25.) There will be two elements that the cars will be judged on the style and quality of the car, voted on by judges; and a timed race on an aluminum track in the CMM lab.
OCTC’s Electrical Technology program is hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Circuit Breaker Competition. Students will be challenged with the installation and wiring of a circuit breaker. No circuits will be energized before, during, or after the competition. Students should have previous experience installing with wires and breakers. The competition will be held in the Electrical Technology Lab ATC 228. Space is limited to 10 participants. Students will be judged on installation, correct wiring and given a maximum of 10 minutes to complete the task. Participants need prior experience with circuits to compete. Students are encouraged to bring safety glasses, we will have a limited number on hand for use.
OCTC’s Industrial Maintenance Technology is hosting the Fluid Power Showdown: The DCV Challenge for 32 students in IIC room 108, the fluid power lab. Participants will be tasked with the Fluid Power challenge of correctly connecting a DCV to a cylinder to make it extend and retract. The fastest individual to complete this task will be the winner. There will be two categories, one for High School students who have taken Fluid Power classes and one for those who haven’t. Students who have taken a Fluid Power course before will have a harder circuit to complete than those who have not. The fastest time from each group will win resulting in two winners.
The Welding and Tech X programs have teamed up to offer the 2025 World of Welding GMAW Champion.
This is a dual event where students may choose to compete in a Mig fillet welding competition or in a stick welding pipe to flange competition.
Students should come prepared to compete with long pants/jeans/workpants and if they have it, are encouraged to bring their own helmet, jacket, gloves and safety glasses. We will have a limited number of extra PPE available to use.
Interested students should have some welding experience prior to the event.
There is a limit of 30 slots available for each competition and students may sign up for one event. There will be two winners selected one for GMAW and one for SMAW. If there are spots available after the deadline has passed registered students will be offered those spots on a first come, first serve basis.
The Welding and Tech X programs have teamed up to offer the 2025 World of Welding SMAW Champion.
This is a dual event where students may choose to compete in a Mig fillet welding competition or in a stick welding pipe to flange competition.
Students should come prepared to compete with long pants/jeans/workpants and if they have it, are encouraged to bring their own helmet, jacket, gloves and safety glasses. We will have a limited number of extra PPE available to use.
Interested students should have some welding experience prior to the event.
There is a limit of 30 slots available for each competition and students may sign up for one event. There will be two winners selected one for GMAW and one for SMAW. If there are spots available after the deadline has passed registered students will be offered those spots on a first come, first serve basis.
Five teams of 4 students will compete for time and accuracy of donning PPE to enter an isolation patient room and obtain vital signs on the patient using a manual blood pressure cuff, and stethoscope as well as heart rate and respiratory rate. Then, removing PPE in the proper order to prevent spread of illness. We will demonstrate both skills in the AM session and give each person on the team a chance to practice. The afternoon session will consist of competing teams. Each person in the team will need to don proper gear, enter the room and take vital signs on a patient, remove their PPE and exit the room. The times for each team will be averaged as well as judging accuracy. The team who completes fastest with least amount of mistakes will be deemed the winner.
The competitions will take place in ACA 105 and 109.
The Radiography program is hosting the 2025 CSI: Over My Dead Body. The competition requires teams of 2 to find and assemble a skeleton and view a radiograph to identify the cause of death. There are slots for 10 teams of 2 students each. One winning team will be selected based on speed, accuracy and solving the crime based on a radiograph.
The Veterinary Technology program is hosting the 2025 Rescue Paw Academy. Students can sign up in teams of 3 and compete to demonstrate and be judged on their skills as a compressions rescuer, an airway rescuer, assessing the dog’s conditions, and working as a team. There will be slots for 6 groups of 3 students, for a total of 18 students in the competition. The first-place team of 3 will receive a certificate and stethoscope, the second and third place teams will receive a certificate as a “Rescue Paw Academy Graduate”.
The Criminal Justice program is hosting the 2025 Take Your Best Shot Competition in the Technical Building, TCE 107. The competition is based on accuracy and speed with weapons using a life-like simulator. There will be 40 slots available, and one winner would be selected based on scoring. Students do not need prior experience in handling weapons, only simulators will be used. Preference for students interested in law enforcement.
OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions.
Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum and Grae Greer
For the criteria:
- Speeches must be written by the student.
- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.
- Poetry can be original or published.
- Performances need to be 5 minutes MAX
Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.
The Mathematics department is hosting the 2025 MATH RELAY. The competition will need a group of 3 students to form a team; schools may submit multiple teams.
Teams of three will sit one behind the other. Let the person in the front be “#1,” the person in the middle, “#2,” and the person in the back, “#3.” At the start of a round, all #1s will be given the same math problem, all #2s will be given the same different math problem, and all #3s will be given the same third different math problem. All #2 and #3 problems will have a variable called TNYWR, which stands for “The Number You Will Receive.” Once the timer starts, players can start looking at their problems. #1s can solve their problem without any additional information. Once they solve their problem, they write the solution (always a single number) down on a small, blank, scrap piece of paper and hand it over their shoulder (behind them” to #2. The number given takes the place of TNYWR in #2’s problem, allowing them to now fully solve their problem. Once they are done, they write their solution on a piece of paper and pass it back to #3, who can now fully solve their problem. The answer to #3’s problem is what is submitted to be scored. Answers from #3 can only be submitted at the three-minute and six-minute marks, at which point the round is over. Teams that submit the correct answer at the three-minute mark will receive full points. Teams that submit the correct answer at the six-minute mark will receive half points. Any answer submitted at the six-minute mark will override any answer that may have been submitted at the three-minute mark, even if it was correct. Teams should never submit the same answer twice and should only submit a second answer if they believe their first answer was incorrect. No one is allowed to talk to one another during the round. The only information that can be communicated is when #1 and #2 pass their answers back to #2 and #3, respectively. Only a number can be written on the pass-back paper—nothing else is allowed, except that the number can be underlined. The team with the highest possible score after all rounds is the winner. Calculators are NOT allowed, although scratch paper is.
OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions. Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in
Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum and Grae Greer
For the criteria:
- Speeches must be written by the student.
- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.
- Poetry can be original or published.
- Performances need to be 5 minutes MAX
Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.
OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions.
Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum and Grae Greer
For the criteria:
- Speeches must be written by the student.
- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.
- Poetry can be original or published.
- Performances need to be 5 minutes MAX
Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.
OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions.
OCTC’s Heritage Humanities and Fine Arts Department are hosting the 2025 Trade Wars Speech & Performance Tournaments where students can showcase their skills in public speaking and performance. Each event is scored by a pool of judges ranking the competitors in their divisions.
Competitors may engage in the events by selecting to participate in Informative Speaking, Persuasive Speaking, Monologue/Duo Interpretation, and Poetry. For more information, please reach out to Taylor Washum and Grae Greer
For the criteria:
- Speeches must be written by the student.
- Monologues/Duo Performances must be from a published play.
- Poetry can be original or published.
- Performances need to be 5 minutes MAX
Student may opt to compete in multiple categories and we will do our best to try and schedule their sessions accordingly.
Up to twenty students will have the opportunity to compete in the Speed Painting Challenge. The Speed Painting Challenge invites competitors to create a work of art inspired by the theme "This I Believe." This theme challenges participants to visually represent a deeply held personal value, belief, or principle that guides their life. Drawing from the framework of the renowned "This I Believe" essays, competitors should aim to express:
A Core Belief or Value: The artwork should convey a meaningful idea or principle central
to the artist's life.
Personal Reflection: The piece should demonstrate introspection, connecting the theme
and the artist’s experiences or worldview.
Universal Connection: While personal, the work should strive to resonate with others
by exploring themes such as hope, kindness, resilience, or integrity.
Creative Interpretation: Artists are encouraged to interpret the theme in innovative
and abstract ways, using colors, forms, and textures to evoke emotion and meaning.
Participants will receive an 11x14 canvas, acrylic paints (see restrictions), and
brushes. Students will have 50 minutes to complete their painting. Participants can
come prepared with a sketch of their desired outcome. Paint will be limited to primary
colors, including white. Participants are limited to using the provided supplies.
How to Register
- Contact Counselor: Speak with your school counselor about participating in TRADE WARS
- Select Events: Choose your competition categories of interest
- Submit Waiver: Complete and submit required waiver form with appropriate signatures. Email octc.tradewars@kctcs.edu to request a PDF fillable version of the waiver form.
Registration Form