Shop rats showdown
“I remember helping hammer nails into flooring as young as five years old,” Marietta FFA chapter advisor Josh Bazor says.
Childhood experiences don’t just shape the adults who hold them — they influence the future those adults build. That’s certainly the case for Bazor, a Red River Valley Rural Electric Association member, as he oversees the projects his students create.
“We built a house in 1980, and I can remember enjoying that,” Bazor says. “Then in high school, I was in the Wynnewood FFA program and I really enjoyed shop work and getting to build things there.”
Those projects required skill, patience, teamwork, and learning — lessons he now passes on to his students.
One of those experiences was the Shop Rats Showdown, held March 1 at the Love County Fairgrounds in Marietta. A showcase of talent and hard work, the event featured 90 participants from 13 schools across two states.
“We awarded over $16,000 in prizes,” Bazor says. “We literally gave away tools that a kid could use to start a welding business.”
The Showdown allowed students to display creations designed to benefit livestock, pets and people. Among the exhibits were picnic tables originally built for the Red River Rumble, a competition held Nov. 7, 2024, in Marietta.
“They could enter any project built within their chapter,” Bazor says. “That’s how we got picnic tables, trailers, dog kennels and other projects.”
All in the preparation
Ag mechanics is the term used to classify the skills and craftsmanship these students develop and promote across the state.
“It’s about taking raw materials — whether it’s lumber or a piece of channel iron — and combining components to build something like a trailer or a park bench,” Bazor says.
Many of these projects go on to be exhibited at the Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE), the world’s largest junior livestock show. Each spring, more than 7,000 4-H and FFA students gather in Oklahoma City to compete in livestock showing and ag mechanics.
“Ultimately, we’re trying to give kids across Oklahoma another opportunity to prepare for OYE or a Texas major show,” Bazor says.
For students, competition at that level can be nerve-wracking.
“The biggest challenge we see in Oklahoma is that many counties don’t have an ag mechanics program,” Bazor explained. “So for some students, their first show is OYE. We really noticed a difference in our students who had the chance to exhibit beforehand.”
That early experience gives students time for feedback, instruction and improvements.
“By the time they get to OYE, they’re more comfortable and understand the process,” he says. “It works out a lot of the nerves before the big show.”
The bigger picture
But there’s more at stake than just nerves.
“I think a lot of people hear ‘ag mechanics’ and assume we’re just building trailers or feed troughs,” Bazor says. “But when they come to these shows and see the variety of projects, they’re completely amazed.”
Often, the surprise isn’t just about what’s built — it’s about who built it.
“People say, ‘Really? A 14-year-old kid built this?’ And I’m like, ‘Absolutely,’” Bazor says with a smile. “It just takes a little dedication and some guidance and kids can do this.”
So, what’s the ultimate goal?
“Everybody wants to hear their name called at OYE, be in the top five and represent their chapter,” Bazor says.
But beyond the trophies and recognition, there’s a bigger picture.
“In 2020, we started competing the way Texas has for 30 years, and that same year, OYE added ag mechanics,” he says. “Now, in our chapter, students compete against each other and push themselves to build better projects.”
Better projects. Better welds. Better welders. Better people.
It’s that kind of growth that excites Bazor and others involved in the program.
“There’s competition between chapters. Our top three at the Showdown were Vanoss, Marietta and Shattuck,” he says. “Students want to be around those programs because they know they’re producing high-quality projects.”
Building futures
Greg Hambrick, a Red River Valley Rural Electric Association member and longtime supporter of Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives, was impressed by what he saw at the Shop Rats Showdown.
“I was blown away by the maturity and skill these kids have,” said Hambrick, a retired safety training specialist for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives (OAEC). “Frankly, I’m a little jealous I didn’t have the opportunity to do this back in 1978.”
The competition — and the opportunities it creates — are possible thanks in part to a three-year financial commitment from Western Farmers Electric Cooperative and Oklahoma’s electric cooperatives. Their support helps introduce students to potential careers in the electric co-op world.
“We want to recruit these kids,” Hambrick said. “They would make great staking engineers, human relations professionals and linemen.”
As the first event of its kind in Oklahoma, the Shop Rats Showdown is more than just a contest — it’s a stepping stone.
“No one has ever done a show like this before in our area,” Hambrick said. “It’s a perfect fit for the co-ops to be involved and connect with these students.”
In the end, competitions like this don’t just build projects. They build confidence. They build careers. They build the future.
“Walking through and admiring the projects, I told my friends, ‘This is proof that we’re in good hands. The future is bright!’” Hambrick says.
2025 Shop Rat Showdown Breakdown
Schools attending —
- Oklahoma: Boswell, Checotah, Coalgate, Durant, Love County 4-H, Madill, Marietta, Sapulpa, Shattuck, Strother, Thackerville, Turner
- Texas: Van Alstyne
90 projects | $16,500 in prizes | 14 judges from Texas and Oklahoma
Top Placings:
Grand Champion: Lane Henneman & Taylor Thompson, Van Alstyne | Advisor – Thomas Epting
Reserve Grand Champion: Brody Bazor, Marietta | Advisor – Josh Bazor
Bronze Champion: Luke Kelln, Shattuck | Advisor – Chris Kelln
4th Overall – Schuyler Blevins, Marietta
5th Overall – Traven Frazier, Shattuck
Champion Showmanship: Luke Harrelson, | Van Alstyne
Reserve Champion Showmanship: Jackson Voyles, Thackerville | Parent – Justin Voyles
Bronze Showmanship- Hunter Lehman, Strother | Advisor – Randy Bean
Division Placings:
Trailer Division
- Lane Henneman and Taylor Thompson, Van Alstyne
- Schuyler Blevins, Marietta
- Zade Bone, Marietta
- Jacob Eastwood, Boswell
- Keegan and Kelton Spillman, Shattuck
- Jackson Voyles, Thackerville
Livestock Division
- Brody Bazor, Marietta
- Traven Frazier, Shattuck
- Jayson Voyles, Thackerville
- Joan Vega, Marietta
- Dylan and Blake Foley, Van Alstyne
- Lane Henneman, Van Alstyne
Shop Equipment
- Jake Cavitt, Turner
- Luke Harrelson and Jaxon Whitley, Van Alstyne
- Hadley Epting, Van Alstyne
- Kevin Bain, Marietta
- Keely Wilson, Marietta
- Levi Lamar, Van Alstyne
Recreation
- Luke Harrelson, Van Alstyne
- Barrett Grissom, Strother
- Timber Campbell, Marietta
- Brendon Roark, Boswell
- Rhyler Pierce, Boswell
- Brody Gillham, Marietta Red River Rumble
Picnic Tables
- Hunter Lehman and Mylam Defries, Strother
- Kyle Haught and Cayden McGehee, Sapulpa
- Eli French and Issac Grimaldo, Madill
- Larry and Bailey Burton, Checotah
- Brody Bazor and Taylor McCleskey, Marietta
- Schuyler Blevins and Joan Vega, Marietta
Truck, Tractor & Machinery
- Luke Kellen, Shattuck
- Blaine Ryan, Coalgate
- Case Smallwood, Boswell
- Durant FFA
- Terry Anderson, Checotah
- Dawson Pass, Marietta
Cookers/ Fire Pits
- Cruz Hernandez, Shattuck
- Hunter Lehman and Mylam Defries, Strother
- Easton Marquez, Van Alstyne
- Lyric Johnson and Austin Earnhart, Van Alstyne
- Cooper Prince, Marietta
- Grant Arthur and Sean Hazelton, Van Alstyne
Decorative
- Waylon McKinney, Marietta
- Tyler Witschi, Shattuck
- Wylie Gillispie, Shattuck
- Ona Rakestraw, Shattuck
- Kelton Weil, Boswell
- Aubry Chill, Marietta
Skilled trades in action
Sparks fly as students put their skills to the test at the Shop Rats Showdown! This hands-on competition is more than just a challenge — it’s shaping the next generation of tradespeople.
Watch the video here
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