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Showing Original Post only (View all)First Ohio girl to win masonry competition gets replaced by a 3rd place boy at Nationals. [View all]
This makes no sense. Someone entered in the scores incorrectly, swapping the scores of the top scoring girl and the third place boy. And now the boy's being sent to the National competition, with no appeal for the actual winner -- the first girl ever to receive the State gold medal.
According to the judge, she scored 72 points higher than the 2nd place finisher, even though scores are usually only a few points apart.
So is the fact that this happened to a girl just a coincidence? If it is, why can't they correct their mistake?
ON EDIT:
It gets worse. In April, when she won the competition, instructors from other schools were surprised. They thought the 3rd place finisher had it "in the bag." Apparently he did.
This is the first story, from when she won in April:
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/7406/masonry-student-wins-gold
Despite the odds being against her, Shania Clifford from the Scioto County Career and Technical Centers Masonry program won the first place gold medal at the State Skills USA competition held April 26 and 27.
The instructors from the other schools didnt expect her to win. They kept telling me that there was another student who had the competition in the bag. Well, he placed third. For her to go up there and beat them, its quite a feat, said Masonry Instructor, Larry Moore.
SNIP
Clifford competed against other masonry students in a column building contest. Students were given specific measurements and guidelines and had to execute them within a given time-frame as best they could.
Shania won with a 72 point lead over the second place competitor, which is pretty unheard of, said Moore. Most win with only a 5 point lead, but she really pulled ahead. I always tell my students they can do anything if they have determination, desire and drive.
SNIP
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And this is the story from yesterday's Columbus Dispatch:
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2016/06/19/teen-girl-bumped-from-national-masonry-competition.html
Shania Clifford, a 17-year-old from Scioto County, became the first female to win a gold medal in the SkillsUSA Ohio masonry competition in late April.
But in mid-May, Clifford found out she would not be attending the next level of the competition, a national leadership and skills conference held in Louisville, Kentucky.
And she found out via Facebook.
Clifford, who had just completed her junior year at the Scioto County Career Technical Center, said she saw a Facebook posting by the male competitor who originally placed third in the competition announcing that he would be competing at the national level next week.
SNIP
Larry Moore, her instructor, said the scores of the top performers usually vary by only a couple of points, but Cliffords column for the state competition was exceptional.
She had the best plumb there, Moore said. Two or three corners were perfect. Plumb refers to how straight a vertical edge is.
Stan Jennings, superintendent of the Scioto County Career Technical Center, was notified by SkillsUSA Ohio that Clifford would no longer be competing. A vague explanation was given: The scores were inappropriately put in.
SNIP