Tim Quick has been a plumber for 35 years. He started his career as a national champion and hoped to end it that way too.
The plumber from Williams Bay, Walworth County, won an apprentice plumber national championship in 1996. Then 28 years later, he put his national championship belt back on the line.
To get to the national championship was a two-phase process. For 90 days in a row, he needed to answer as many plumbing-related questions as he could in five minutes. The top 20 people moved on to phase 2. Then, he was given a kit of materials and had to put all the pieces together following specific instructions. Judges decided the top 5 assemblies. Then those five made it to the finals.
In October, he flew to Flordia to compete in the Plumbing National Championships hosted by the Elite Trades Championship Series. Five of the country’s finest plumbers were tested on who could install a water heater to a shower and outdoor spigot. They had 90 minutes to get it done. The winner was chosen based on who could do it the fastest, safest, and with the highest overall quality.