Andy Klittich, class of 2008, and an alumni scholarship recipient, competed in three events at the annual Professional Landscape Network's PLANET 33rd Annual Student Career Days at Cal Poly, Pomona.  Sixty one college teams, including a total of 798 students, participated in 26 individual and team competitions, including tree climbing, paver installation, wood construction, plant identification, irrigation troubleshooting, skid steer and equipment operation, just to name a few.

     Andy, who attends Cal Poly San Luis Obispo as a Horticulture major, placed first in the national competition for Skid Steer Operation and his team placed fourth in Irrigation Assembly.  The Skid Steer event involved a safety test and pre-operation of the tractor, driving a slalom course with a 5 gallon bucket of water strapped to a pallet.  The course involved a slalom, a 90 degree turn and then a 360 degree rotation and then over to another area where Andy had to raise the boom to full height and then do the entire course again back to the start.  The event was judged for time and a measurement of how much water was left in the bucket at the end of the run.

     Next year's competition will be held at Chattachoochee Technical College, North Metro Campus in Atlanta Georgia, and Andy will compete in 5 events:  Truck and Trailer Operation, Compact Excavator Operation, Compact Utility Loader Operation, Irrigation Assembly and Skid Steer Operation.  Good luck to Andy.