Western Electrical Contractors Association, Inc.

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Behind the Scenes at the 2019 IDEAL National Championships with Instructor LaKeal Morris

Thursday, December 5, 2019


The third time's the charm for WECA Commercial Apprenticeship instructor LaKeal Morris - he presided as a judge at WECA Industry Partner IDEAL Industries' 2019 National Championships for the third year in a row, and as always, had a blast doing it.

"I have always had a wonderful time at the Ideal Nationals," Morris said. "When I'm not in meetings or judging, you can find me in the competitor's lounge at the pool table or playing table tennis."  

But it's not strictly all fun and games at the IDEAL National Championships.

"The events were as follows: two-person teams for the service equipment and feeder raceways under the residential slab, and individual events included things like conduit bending, Luminaire retrofits, and others," said Morris. "And the finals had five competitors this year instead of three. Two-time reigning champ Greg Anliker again took home the grand prize of $75,000 and moved on to the first-ever International Competition representing the United States."

Morris continued, stating that the International Competition "included competitors from Australia, China, Canada and of course the United States. In this event, competitors installed systems from the four respective countries and Australian competitor Tom Matic took home a brand-new Dodge Ram truck and the title of 'World's Best Electrician."


What's more is that Morris was not alone in representing WECA on the national stage at the Championships. He was also joined by WECA alumna, Bergelectric electrician, and competitor David S. Moore and former WECA Commercial Apprenticeship instructor and current IDEAL Western Region Area Training Manager Ned Johns, who briefed the competitors before events.

"All in all, the weekend was a success and I believe that all involved had fun," said Morris.

Want to continue showing your support for WECA and IDEAL Industries? Be sure to tune in to watch IDEAL Industries' 2019 National Championship on December 15th at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.