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Show 12 BINGHAM WINS SKILLS USA HONOR She welds like a girl who is a winner! By ViAnn Prestwich After positioning her face shield, Sara Bingham held the welding rod less than an inch above the metal plate. Current flooded through the rod, leapt across the gap, and formed a hot elec- Lunch Counter and Old l uuiuuvu cnwa ruuuiaui 722-2143 29 North 200 East Roosevelt, Utah trie arc that melted both the end of the wand and the metal. The quality of this performance was good enough to help Sara, a student at the Uintah Basin Applied Ap-plied Technology College, win the Skills USA contest. "I was surprised, big time," the junior from Uintah High School said about her win over 25 other welders from across Utah. "I was just going for practice and for the experience." Jeff Taniguchi, UBATC welding instructor, in-structor, has taken a lot of his welding students to numerous competitions, but he has never had a junior win such a high honor and has never had one of his female welders do so well. "We saw a talent in her' said Taniguch. "She's geared up for the state competition win next year." Sara said that Taniguch boosted her confidence. "The harder I tried the more he helped me out." The youngest child of Debbie and Scott Bingham, Sara may have natural ability as a welder, but a few years ago that talent was not particularly evident as she participated in modeling and ballet classes. Still her mother wasn't surprised, noting that her daughter can do anything any-thing she sets out to achieve. "She's spontaneous and a delight to be around. The same time she was taking ballet she was taking martial arts." si U iJ - -- - - - - - - - - i --- ft 1 i A t A )j ,A 1j . . J L . V 1 A former model and dancer, Sara Bingham now dons welding protective gear and shows off her new-found talent as an award-winning welder. Sara is a junior at Uintah High and the school's first female to win top honors at a welding competition. Jeff Taniguchi is the UBATC welding instructor. Well Location Signs Custom Signs Safety Signs & Supplies Pipeline Markers Custom M.S.D.S. Books Company Policies Consulting Magnetic Signs Creating Designs f-et Productions m Walk-Ins Welcome 1339EHwy 40 Vernal UT tjsproducteasilink.com tea ir m Masffli&Hw i'Ai 1E Digital Printing Banners Company Logos Decals Pin-Striping Personalized License Plates Real Estate Signs & Frames Traci Jackson Owner Operator What she wants right now is to continue welding. She has already discussed scholarships options at the College of Eastern Utah and then a transfer to the Welding Engineering Technology Program at WSU. "She is self-driven," Taniguchi said. "She comes in during my night class and comes in during my prep class. She's a real pretty girl, but usually she has smudges on her face and nasty coveralls on." |