A Grade 10 student from Lloydminster Comprehensive High School is proving he is already one of the top young tradespeople in the country, even if he initially hoped for a slightly brighter finish.
Read more: Lloydminster students strike provincial skills gold, head to nationals
Colby Desmarais captured a bronze medal in the electrical installations category at the Skills Canada National Competition in Toronto, a massive event that drew top-tier student competitors from every province and territory.
Desmarais earned his ticket to the national stage after securing a gold medal at the provincial competition in Edmonton.
While standing on a national podium is a rare feat for a Grade 10 student competing against older high school students, Desmarais admitted to feeling a bit down about not taking home the top prize.
“It wasn’t first,” Desmarais said, noting that the gold medalist was in Grade 12.
Reflecting on the intense multi-day competition held at the massive Enercare Centre at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Desmarais said the experience taught him a valuable lesson about competing under strict constraints.
“Just budget my time better,” he said. “I just took too long and didn’t quite finish, so I needed to do things quicker.”
with a bronze medal. Taylor Weaver – Meridian Source
Despite not fully completing the project, the quality of Desmarais’s work was enough to impress the judges and secure a third-place finish in Canada.
The national stage brought immense pressure, with thousands of spectators, teachers and peers walking through the venue, snapping photos and watching the competitors work.
Darren McCarthy, Desmarais’s electrical teacher, said blocking out those distractions is exactly what makes the young student’s podium finish so impressive.
“Nationals is the biggest stage for this competition,” McCarthy said. “To block out those distractions and just focus on your task, that’s what it takes.”
McCarthy praised his student’s work ethic, noting Desmarais regularly sacrificed his free time to prepare for the rigorous event.
“It’s a great achievement. It’s a testament to his work and dedication of coming in, giving up his weekends, coming in over breaks and practising and training,” McCarthy said. “What he did do was bang on, and clearly, it worked.”
The trip wasn’t all work for Desmarais, who enjoyed a week in Canada’s largest city, taking in sights like Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.
With two more years of high school eligibility remaining, Desmarais is already planning a return to the competition next year, which will be hosted closer to home in Calgary.
McCarthy looks forward to seeing how far the young electrician can go.
“Getting bronze? Fantastic,” McCarthy said. “He’s only in Grade 10, so he has more time.”
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