MOOSE JAW — The passion and dedication that two Grade 12 students at A.E. Peacock Collegiate have for fixing vehicles have led to them winning medals at a provincial competition.
Amara Davidson and Nolan Novak participated in the recent 2025 Skills Canada Saskatchewan Provincial Competition in Saskatoon, with Davidson winning gold in autobody repair (high school) and Novak winning silver in car painting (high school).
Skills Canada Saskatchewan handed out almost 160 medals during the competition, in fields ranging from aerospace technology to aesthetics to baking to carpentry to computer animation.
“I was pretty happy with how I did. I was pretty confident in myself but wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out,” said Davidson.
During the competition, the youths had to perform dent repair on a dome, take apart and reconstruct a “B pillar” — the middle post that the front door closes on and that the rear door hinges on — and weld it, then measure the car frame to determine where the damage was — among other technical problems.
This was Davidson’s third time participating in the Skills Canada Saskatchewan Provincial Competition and her third time winning gold. She has also participated in a national skills competition but did not place; she will attend nationals in Regina in late May.
“I think it’s pretty good (and I’m) pretty proud of myself (for winning three-straight gold medals),” the 17-year-old said. “I had high expectations for myself and met them, so that was pretty good.”
The Peacock student noted that she will prepare for nationals by practising the same techniques that she’ll likely have to use there.
Although she has been accepted into the animal sciences program at the University of Saskatchewan, Davidson added that she is unsure what she wants to do after high school, since she is also interested in the trades.
“I was really appreciative for the experience and I was really happy to be there. And I learned lots about automotive painting,” Novak said. “It was unfortunate that (I) couldn’t get gold, but I’m happy with the silver.”
This was the 17-year-old’s first time participating in the Skills Canada competition and thought it was a great event. He also thought other students should participate if they could and look at a career in the trades — something he plans to do.
“I feel it was definitely a different experience compared to 小蓝视频 in the shop just alone painting,” Novak continued. “You got a bunch of eyeballs on you staring at you while you’re painting, so it’s a bit stressful, but overall, it’s still fun and competitive.”
During the competition, the youths had to prep and sand the vehicle hoods, prime and paint them, “make them look all nice and shiny,” and polish previously painted domes. They also had to complete a written exam.
Novak said the written exam likely sunk his chances at winning gold since he didn’t think he answered it well and had to guess at questions. However, he felt he did strongly during the hands-on testing.
Theran Bloudoff, Peacock’s autobody repair teacher, said it is fun to take students to the competition since they can see what other schools are doing and compare Peacock’s program.
Meanwhile, he said he would be sad to see the two Grade 12s graduate in June, especially Davidson’s three-year gold-medal-winning streak. However, he expected new students to step forward next year and fill those shoes.
Visit for more information about the competition.
