AGRR® Magazine and the Independent Glass Association have announced that they will co-sponsor an Auto Glass Technician Olympics competition later this year to recognize professionalism in auto glass replacement.

The first Technician Olympics, which will be held in Las Vegas in early October, will allow technicians from all over the country to compete for the title of Best Auto Glass Technician.

The judging focus will be on actual installation in accordance with the AGRSS standard. Dave Zoldowski, the incoming president of IGA, announced the new competition at the group's annual Independents' Days National Convention today at the Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, Fla. In his announcement, he stated that the plan is to expand the program to provide awards for customer service and other areas as well and to open future competitions to Technicians from around the world.

The first Technician Olympics will be held October 1-3 in Las Vegas. The first prize award, in addition to the title Best Auto Glass Technician, is $5,000. Complete information on the competition and rules will be mailed within the next month.

"We think this is a great way to increase the professionalism of the industry and help make more people aware of its standards," said Debra Levy, publisher of AGRR. "This is a competition that will be open to everyone," said Marc Anderson, executive director of the IGA. "We want to honor the best technicians, whether they come from large or small companies."

AGRR also cosponsors with Window Film magazine-both publications are part of Key Communications Inc.-the annual Window Film Tint-Off. This competition started five years ago with six competitors and has grown to more than 40 contestants.