“Nobody wants to start a serious journey without guidance,” says Bradley Aydelott, the 2025 GlasWeld Windshield Repair Competition (WRO) champion. He’s had a lot of guidance throughout his career, and this year it helped him win a gold medal.
He turned to the Repair of Laminated Automotive Glass Standard (ROLAGS™) as one of his most important pieces of guidance while preparing for the competition. Aydelott referenced the Standard while practicing every day and studied it to ensure he would be able to explain his work to the competition proctor.
2025 WRO winner Bradley Aydelott cried tears of joy while accepting his award.
“The more you study the Standard, the more you find yourself being able to explain your process efficiently,” he says.
Aydelott won the WRO silver medal in 2023, but went home empty-handed in 2024. He knew that to win this year’s competition, he’d need a new approach.
“The main thing I was thinking as I prepared for and competed this year was, ‘Boy, I hope the gremlins from last year didn’t follow me,’” he says.
He’d taken a bit of a lone wolf approach to the 2024 WRO, so he decided to do the opposite this time.
“I leaned into the community of competitors,” Aydelott says, “I got to know everyone, so by the time I was competing alongside them, I wasn’t as nervous. Nerves are the enemy of competition.”
Bradley Aydelott says he felt confident about his competition performance even before learning he was the winner. Here, he poses right after the WRO ended with last year’s gold medalist, Mike Waites (left), and his wife, Merri Aydelott (middle).
Aydelott found more inspiration to win from his family. His oldest son, Wyatt, was dealing with some challenges.
“I wanted to prove to him that it’s okay to fail, as long as you keep trying,” Aydelott says. “I wanted to get the gold to show him how to persevere.”
Aydelott’s wife, Merri, was at the competition, cheering him on from the sidelines. Now, Aydelott plans to celebrate his win with her and their kids by taking them to Universal Studios.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without my family,” he says.
