SKILLSUSA: CHAMPIONS AT WORK, 2009

A year later after placing on the SkillsUSA National Circuit, Austin’s appetite for competitive television/video wasn’t fully satisfied. Enlisting the help of lifelong friend Steven Hutchison (who, at the time, was working with Moonlight Films in Missouri), the duo decided to try their luck at another year of contests.

Moving up to a Post-Secondary bracket, the competition the team faced was much tougher than the previous year. Nevertheless, after some hard work at the first District competition, Steven and Austin qualified to compete in Jefferson City for the State title.

At Jefferson City, Steven and Austin stood against some of the toughest competition seen in years. The contest called for an advertisement for the Missouri State Capitol to be created in under 6 hours. A grand display of teamwork was shown when Steven and Austin blew away all competitors, and placed first with the highest score overall.

Jefferson City proved to be very beneficial for both Steven and Austin, and their first place victory by such a large margin helped boost their confidence for the undoubtedly difficult teams they would face at the national level.

Austin (left) and Steven (right) joined forces to create Team Missouri for SkillsUSA '09.

In the summer of 2009, Steven and Austin packed their bags and headed out to Kansas City to compete in the 2009 SkillsUSA National Championships. Representing their home town, and the state of Missouri, they locked themselves in ‘game mode’ for the whole week.

When all was said and done, the team finished in the top 7 of the total competition, made up of numerous teams representing the 52 different states and provinces of America.

The big question was ultimately posed as to whether or not Austin would consider a third and final run for the 1st place finish, and while he hasn’t given a straight-forward answer, he has been quoted as to saying “Anything’s possible. I’m not going to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ one way or the other, because I might change my mind several times by the time 2010 rolls around…who knows? Maybe I’ll sit back for a few years and come back when there’ll be a whole new lineup of guys to face. Competing against the same ones over and over tends to get a little old.”

Whatever the ultimate decision is, there’s no doubting that Tempest Pictures once again made an impact at SkillsUSA in 2009.