[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1618]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNITION OF LEESBURG STUDENTS IN AAA ``NATIONAL AUTO SKILLS'' 
                                CONTEST

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment to recognize two young 
students. They are Jason Kmak, age 17, and Gregory J. Welch, age 19. 
These two students represented Virginia and placed second in this 
year's American Automobile Association (AAA) ``National Auto Skills 
Contest.'' Jason and Gregory competed as a team from the C.S. Monroe 
Technical Center in Leesburg, Virginia, against 49 other teams across 
the nation and represented AAA Potomac.
  The annual competition pits the best high school auto repair teams in 
the nation against each other. Nationwide, more than 5,000 students 
competed in the competition. Over $8 million in scholarship money is 
awarded in the contest. The competition is based on written exams and a 
timed challenge for teams to find and fix bugs deliberated created in 
an automobile. Only the team from Oregon placed better than Virginia's 
team.
  Mr. Speaker, today's automobiles have more computer processing power 
than the first Apollo spacecraft. According to AAA, a 1998 Ford 
automobile has about 84 percent its functions controlled by computers, 
compared with 14 percent for 1990 models. The skills needed to repair 
automobiles today are complex and highly technical. These students 
displayed amazing talent by placing second in the competition. As 
second place winners, they will be awarded scholarships worth thousands 
of dollars. The team's efforts have also earned their Leesburg school a 
Ford vehicle for use in the school's automotive training program.
  Mr. Speaker, more students should be encouraged to learn computer and 
advanced technology skills because it is the way of the future. From 
automobiles to television sets to the Internet, students must learn 
these skills if our nation is to remain globally competitive. I commend 
Jason and Gregory on their hard work and achievement, encourage them to 
continue to build on this success, and wish them all the very best in 
their future endeavors.

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