Auto Glass Technician Olympics Highlight of Auto Glass Week in Las Vegas

The second annual Auto Glass Technician Olympics (AGTO) took place last week as part of the expanded Auto Glass Week at the International Auto Body Conference and Expo (NACE), held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas.

The $5,000 grand prize went to Rob Grace of Cindy Rowe Auto Glass.

The winner of the $1,000 for second place was Carl Sorrels, who also finished in the final four last year.

Third place, and $500, went to Jason Horne, also of Cindy Rowe Auto Glass.

Rounding out the top four was Lynn Lovetinsky, last year's second place finisher. All four finalists work for AGRSS registered companies.

The top four AGTO finalists, pictured lef to right, are Jason Horne, Carl Sorrels, Rob Grace and Lynn Lovetinsky.

In accepting the award, Grace said, "This whole experience has been great. It was nerve-wracking, but I've met a bunch of nice guys and we're all working for the same thing-safety and quality."

This year, the event co-located with the International Autobody Congress & Exposition (NACE), the world's largest auto collision event.

Staging the AGTO is an Olympian effort. It involved 30 vehicles for the 29 competitors. Before even touching the cars, each contestant completed a customer-interaction section, requiring each to show his or her customer service/comportment skills. From there, the three preliminary heats were held, contestants split into groups of 9, 10 and 10 for each heat, respectively. This part of the Olympics consisted of replacing the windshield in the vehicle.

The top four scorers then moved on to the finals where they replaced the backlite.

While the competition went extremely smoothly, one incident reflected the reality of the real technician world. Matt Thompson, Royal Autoglass, found corrosion on his vehicle and it took him two hours to do the installation, following AGRSS procedures, which dictate that any corrosion must be cleaned up before the new unit can be put in. However, he still finished seventh overall in the competition.

Here is how the finalists stacked up in the score department:

Rob Grace, 99 points;
Carl Sorrels, 98 points;
Jason Horne, 97 points; and
Lynn Lovetinsky, 92 points.

The Olympics are cosponsored by AGRR magazine and the Independent Glass Association. Look for additional coverage of the event in the next issue of AGRR magazine.