Evan Fraser has been learning sprinkler fitting at Camosun College, and it recently paid off with a gold medal.
Fraser—a Plumbing and Pipe Trades apprentice—says that sprinkler fitting is very interesting because he works diligently and carefully to install safety systems he hopes will never have to turn on. And he was able to showcase his abilities this year at the Skills Canada National Competition in Winnipeg on May 25 and 26, where he took home the first-place prize in sprinkler fitting.
One of the first things Fraser (who previously competed in provincials on April 19, where he also took home gold) noticed upon walking into the pipe trades shop at Camosun’s Interurban campus was a ceiling decorated by banners. This sparked his curiosity, and he knew almost immediately it was something he wanted to be a part of.
“The way I actually found out about this competition is in the pipe trades shop at Camosun; there’s all these banners hung up from past winners and when you go and win these things, they put a banner up for you in the shop,” says Fraser. “When I did my very first day in the shop, when I first walked in there and saw it, I was like, ‘Huh, what are those?’ and I sort of asked around about it a little bit. I thought to myself, ‘That’d be pretty cool to get my name up on one of those things.’”
Fraser is no stranger to competition; he genuinely enjoys being in front of people and showing them what he’s capable of doing.
“I mean, competition is something I’ve always enjoyed,” he says, “and getting to do something like this has been a lot of fun, a lot of pressure, but, I’ve done a few different careers in my life so it was kind of nice to get off the job site and go do something where it’s just, what do you know and how well can you do it?”
While some students may experience nerves when competing, that isn’t the case for Fraser. He says that a lot of pipe trades involve math, and knowing the craft in a way that doesn’t let nerves interfere.
“Basically, what I do, and what most pipe trades are, is just practical math,” he says. “It’s just taking math and making it a physical reality. So, when it comes to nerves, as long as your math is good, as long as you’re confident in your ability to produce something, there’s no reason to be nervous.”
Fraser enjoyed being around like-minded individuals at the competition, and he says that it was a supportive atmosphere.
“The best part about the competition is just meeting the other people from all around the country, not just at the provincial level, but also at the national level,” he says. “Meeting, you know, all these people from literally across Canada, all their instructors, all their teachers, and training directors and all that. Getting to make those connections and learn little tips and tricks from everybody as you’re in the middle of a competition in a high-stress environment where just everyone’s supportive, but also watching you the whole time.”
During his time at Camosun, Fraser has met a lot of teachers and journeypersons who have inspired him. He says that Camosun is one of the best places to learn trades. He hopes to one day follow in his teacher’s footprints and become a teacher himself (ideally, at Camosun).
“You gain this sort of comfort of knowing that the people that are teaching you are really, really passionate about what they do, and seriously good at it,” Fraser says. “There’s some of the smartest people I’ve ever met in this industry working at that school. And they’re really good at what they do and they’re very good at spreading that on to their students.”