Karhoff wins masonry competition

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

For a guy who enjoys working outside, masonry is a great profession.

"I enjoy working outside, I like the physical work," Mark Karhoff, a masonry trades student at Fort Scott Community College, said.

Karhoff competed at the 14th annual Masonry Skills Challenge, held Feb. 6 during the 2013 Mason Contractors Association of America Convention at the World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas. He took third place in the national competition in the first year apprentice contest.

Nacoma Oehme, masonry instructor at FSCC, currently has 30 students and said these kind of competitions hone the skills of the craftsmen.

"The value is getting used to competing against other bricklayers. That's going to be helpful in their career."

Karhoff competed in a local challenge last October to be able to go to the national competition.

The Masonry Skills Challenge in Las Vegas is a competition of masonry apprentices in first, second and third year skill levels. The contest is a showcase for skills training in the masonry industry, challenging winning apprentices from regional U.S. and foreign competitions to determine the top masonry apprentice at each level. The competition spotlights the industry's finest young masons and focuses attention on careers in the masonry industry, according to a press release from the MCAA.

Each contestant was presented with a project drawing appropriate to their skill level just moments before the competition began. Contestants only had three hours to construct the project based on the materials provided. The judges were impressed with the quality of the apprentices' construction, and had the tough decision of choosing the winners, the release said.

The prospects for good masonry tradesman? "There are not many skilled in this. They can go through the class in a year and make $4 to $5 per hour more than minimum wage, so it's worth it," said Oehme.

Karhoff, who is from Girard, is married to Katy and has four children: Levi, Rylee, Layne and Kaila.

The top-placing first year apprentice contestants were: First Place, Jeffrey Price, Mike Coates Construction from Niles, Ohio; Second Place, Erick Reynoso, E & S Masonry Corporation, Castro Valley, Calif.; and Third Place, Karhoff, Fort Scott Community College.