OCADA – Orange County Automobile Dealers AssociationSupporting the industry for more than 70 years

ORANGE COUNTY STUDENTS ADVANCE TO NATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION

After Local Win, Loara High School ROP in Anaheim Will Represent Orange County at National Competition in New York in April; Scholarships Worth $85,000 and New Vehicle Were Awarded

NEWPORT BEACH and ANAHEIM, Calif. (Feb. 4, 2013) — A talented and enthusiastic team from Loara High School ROP in Anaheim won top honors at the 20th Annual Automotive Technology Competition at Kia Motors America headquarters in Irvine on Sat., Feb. 2. The team will now head to the National Automotive Technology Competition in New York in April on a sponsorship provided by the Orange County Automobile Dealers Association (OCADA). Loara High School ROP will have a chance at winning a second national title for their school, which won the national competition in 2010. Making the victory that much sweeter, Kia Motors America donated a Kia Sorrento SUV to the Loara High School ROP automotive technology program. The Sorrento will be used for training purposes leading up to the national competition.
The winning team included seniors Robert Loera and Aileen Melendez and their instructor Saul Garcia, and was sponsored by Toyota of Orange. They joined five other teams at the event, which is sponsored each year by OCADA. Over the course of two hours, each team strived to “de-bug” and repair vehicles with each restored malfunction earinng points. The hands-on competition is the culmination of arduous testing and long training sessions, and an exhaustive and comprehensive, 100-question written exam given to an initial field of 16 teams from Orange County high schools last October.
The goal of the OCADA Automotive Technology Competition is to recognize the technical expertise of these students and to introduce them to the possibilities available with a career in automotive technology. OCADA also hopes to increase the development of first-rate, automotive school-to-career programs in Orange County and to boost interest in a field with excellent job security and economic opportunities. More than $85,000 in scholarships provided by OCADA, California New Car Dealers Association, Ohio Technical College, and Universal Technical Institute was awarded to the participants.

Other local teams competing included:

SECOND PLACE
Sunny Hills High School ROP
Students, Robert Cisneros and Peter Stawniczy
Instructor, Charlie Zepeda
Sponsor, Don-A-Vee Chrysler Jeep

THIRD PLACE
La Habra High School ROP
Students, Tyler Obenberger and Tanner Thompson
Instructor, Enrique Aispuro
Sponsor, Simpson Buick GMC

FOURTH PLACE
Rancho Alamitos High School ROP
Students, Monique Cervantes and Cristian Garling
Instructor, David Le
Sponsor, Garden Grove Kia
 
FIFTH PLACE
Katella High School ROP
Students, Eduardo Martinez and Guillermo Bocanegra
Instructor, Joe Rolf
Sponsor, Hardin Honda
 
SIXTH PLACE
San Clemente High School
Students, Greydon Day and Jacob Russell
Instructor, James Dunlap
Sponsor, Allen Hyundai

“The countless hours each of these teams spent preparing and training for this competition is inspiring and these young men represent the best and the brightest of auto tech students in Orange County,” said John Sackrison, executive director, Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.

For more information, please contact Sean Taylor at OCADA at 949-428-5050 or staylor@ocada.org, or visit www.ocada.org.

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