ICTC STUDENT GOES FOR GOLD

(March 4, 2011)...Many high school seniors have one thing on their mind throughout their senior year, graduation.  But for one of the Indiana County Technology Center students graduation is just a stepping stone.  Preston Padasak, a senior in the Masonry program area has other dreams; dreams of becoming an Olympic athlete.  You may be saying, why Masonry? Why Bobsledding?  Well we sat down with Preston to get all the answers.

We first asked Preston why he chose to attend the ICTC and how he chose the Masonry program area.  Preston answered, “I love Masonry because it is good money and a lot of manual labor.  It may not be what I want to do immediately following high school but having a technical skill to fall back on is always a plus in life.  When it is something you enjoy then it is an added bonus.”  Masonry or bricklayer takes units of brick, block, or stone and with a trowel, mortar, skilled hands and an eye for perfection molds them into a building that will last for generations to enjoy.  Preston is also a member of the Pennsylvania Builders Association Student Chapter at the ICTC and he received his Occupational Safety and Health Standards (OSHA) certification his junior year.  Masonry is under the instruction of Mr. John Koenigsberg.  We asked Mr. Koenigsberg his thoughts on Preston as an ICTC student, “As a student he is cooperative, respectful and gets along well with his classmates.  He has a great attitude and always makes up the work he misses when he is at training sessions. He is meticulous about doing his work accurately often sacrificing speed for perfection.  He is a motivated student who has been accepted at Penn College and may continue his education in Masonry there.  Preston is very dedicated to being on the United States Bobsled team.  He is conscious of the things he needs to do to keep physically fit, working out regularly and eating a healthy diet in order to meet the demands of the sport.”

We then wanted to know why Preston became interested in bobsledding.  Bobsledding is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make runs down narrow, twisted, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled which are timed and usually go up to speeds of 80 miles per hour.  Preston explained to us how he became interested in bobsledding.  “One day while watching the luge run, a sled-based event, during the 2010 Olympics I saw an opportunity. With a little research and help from my cousin I got a golden opportunity. After a lot of hard work I found myself at the 2010 America’s cup (the US National Team Trials) in Lake Placid, New York in October.”  Preston along with teammate Bryan Berghorn of Lake Placid, NY placed 4th out of 6 teams. Preston competes as the brakeman, which can be the most demanding position because you are the last one to jump in the sled and you have to push the sled with all your strength.  The brakeman also controls the brakes on the sled.  Preston and Bryan received 2 bronze medals for two separate races. To Preston bobsledding is one of the most stimulating sports alive, and because he has the strength and agility he is more than perfect for this sport.

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