NLSC: Complete the Cycle Service Project

It was a room filled with teens, grouped in dozens, and most wearing green t-shirts; few had a clue as to what would await them.  

After months of preparation for this week of competition, let’s be honest:  The last thing the kids wanted to do was to walk across Centennial Park . . . again . . . and work for three hours doing “who knows what”. . .  Many sleepy-eyed kids were jarred by the loudness of the energetic music and the enthusiasm of the man with the microphone.  However, all thoughts of sleep would soon be replaced by their own energetic enthusiasm that matched the adults in the room.

“Find someone with the same shoe size as you!  Go, go, GO!” called the man with the microphone, and soon, the large amoeba of students turned into 4s, 5s, 6s -- all the way up to one young man with a size 16 shoe!  

“Find someone who has the same birth month as you!  Go, go, GO!”  Soon, fingers stretched upward, and 12 groups assembled -- there was even cause to sing “Happy Birthday” to one who would turn 17 tomorrow!

Now bright-eyed, members of SkillsUSA returned to their original groups before the main event for one last warm-up game with a twist:  Rock-Paper-Scissors, but this time, the winner of the set had to find another who had also won to battle; the defeated had to follow along, cheering on the one who had just won.  Soon, one-half of the room had dwindled from dozens of pairs to a single winner.  The other half of the room was the same, and the final battle was about to start.  

But wait -- who was it working his way through the crowd to the stage?  It was our very own, Justin Cameron, Electrical Occupations student from Lawrence County CTC!  Our enthusiastic cheers were almost whispers as the rest of the side of our room joined in.  After a firm handshake with his worthy opponent, it was time for the final battle.  His opponent won first, but Justin won the second round.  In the final round, all were quiet and could hear, “Rock, paper, scissors, SHOOT!”  And Justin threw up his hands in triumph!  Now -- we were ready to start.

The goal for each team of 12 SkillsUSA members was to assemble two children’s bikes for the youngsters in the Boys’ and Girls’ Club from Atlanta; the remaining bikes would be donated to the Shaquille O’Neil Foundation.  That sounded like a pretty cool thing, but where were the bike boxes?  

Soon, the man with the mic began to explain the process.  Each team had to EARN the bike boxes, helmet, water bottle, and “license plate” by answering challenge questions.  Each team had a set of 50 cards to answer; some were trivia, some were word problems, and some were wordplay.  At “GO!”, the team leader dashed to the table in front of the bike boxes, grabbed their team’s cards, and dashed back.  Soon, all you could see were dozens sprawled on the floor, working together to solve the trivia to earn the bikes and accessories.  Though the cards were quite challenging, the team from LCCTC soon earned enough cards to assemble not one but two bikes and the race was on!

Together, the kids unpackaged the bikes and stopped to read directions, re-reading when necessary.  These bikes must be carefully constructed because they must be safe for the kids.  All parts were accounted for, and wrenches began to turn.  If they could assemble and test the two assigned, their task was to seek out another group as they earned bonus points for helping others find success. 

They checked the stability of each bike as they maneuvered through an obstacle course of orange cones.  Any jiggle or wiggle on the bike was tightened, and finally, it was ready for its new owner, training wheels , helmets, decorated, water battles, and a special note to its new owner.

It was now time to celebrate, taking a few moments to enjoy the music and revel in what had been done for others.

Seeing the kids who were pulled from their day camps enter the room made the hearts of these teens jump. Seeing the joy on the faces of the children — it made the morning worth the effort.

“We hope you enjoy your bike! We had so much fun putting it together for you! Have fun! Wear your helmet!

Love the PA National SkillsUSA Team 💖🤍💙”