In September 2023, Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO) students from all over the United States were invited to compete in the second-annual Cat Simulators Student Showdown. From November 1 to December 8, students competed virtually on their schools’ local simulator.
The competition includes two categories: Advanced Dozer and Advanced Excavator. Each category requires the successful completion of three skilled tasks. For Advanced Dozer, those tasks are: 1) Craft a building pad, 2) Clear trees from an area, and 3) Write the word “CAT” on the ground with the dozer blade.
Cooper Sunday, a Cobb Innovation and Technology Academy (CITA) sophomore, loves the Cat Simulator at his school and believes it is an excellent tool to prepare for real dozer operation. He was confident about completing all the tasks in the Showdown except for the third one.
“I was pressuring myself to do the tasks the best I could,” Cooper said.
That pressure paid off because Cooper won the Advanced Dozer category. He recently received his prize package, valued at $1000, at CITA. He now has some amazing Cat gear—including a scale model, safety glasses and gloves, hats, a multi-tool, and a job site cooler—as well as a $500 Amazon gift card.
“We prepare students for real-world applications on the job site,” said CITA HEO Instructor Brent Branning. “Cooper has successfully completed two field exams: one on the excavator and the second on the bulldozer. The field exam aims to test the student’s operational knowledge on both the dozer and excavator and to successfully perform tasks they learn on the simulator.”
Here is more information about the three tasks that Cooper masterfully performed in order to win the Advanced Dozer category:
TASK #1 – Pad Building
Before structures can go up on a job site, a building pad must be made. Since time is money, contestants are judged on how efficiently and quickly they can craft a pad to meet a required grade.
TASK #2 – Site Clearance
Before a building project can be started, land must be cleared. Contestants were judged on how quickly and safely they could doze down trees.
TASK #3 – “Written” Exam
The third and final task required contestants to “write” the word CAT with the Dozer blade. They were judged on how clearly and quickly they could do it.
“My students get a lot of seat time, which is definitely beneficial. I told Cooper not to stress out about it and just to keep doing what he had been doing on the simulator. He’s an amazing student who doesn’t settle for an average result. He is extremely focused on his assigned tasks and continues to work hard until he has exceeded standard metrics,” Mr. Branning said about his Dozer champ.
“Cooper’s success in the Cat Simulator Showdown is a testament to his dedication and the level of instruction provided by Mr. Branning,” said CITA Director Dr. Tiffany Barney. “Cooper has done a remarkable job of engaging in all that CITA has to offer. We are proud of his accomplishments and look forward to seeing his continued growth.”
