Iola has a team traveling to compete at the national level, and no, not the Mustangs. THE THREE operators spend about five extra hours a week studying for the competition, if not more.
Three employees at the water plant will go to Boston in June to represent Kansas in the Top Ops competition. They have won seven consecutive state titles; a dominant reign for a team that gets little-to-no recognition.
The competition sets teams from across the nation in a “college bowl” format that examines water treatment, distribution and analysis. The questions are answered through math and chemistry equations, as well as general knowledge.
“I just want a little town in southeast Kansas to win nationals,” Lyndon Kern said.
He is a member of the three-person team, along with Brandon Thomas and Eric Keagle. Keagle said they began the competition in 2007, and have been dominant in Kansas ever since, something he attributes to good study habits and strategy.
“It has worked out pretty well for us,” he said. “We start studying pretty hard around January.”
The three competed in August for their seventh state title, and said the wait between competitions can be a little rough. But, they hit the books and practice different rounds together. Keagle even built his own buzzer so they could work on speed. The national level only has teams of two, so Keagle and Kern will be competing — they alternate who goes each year.
Each member has his own specialty, something they capitalize on in competition.
“He pretty much does the math,” Kern said about Keagle. The “number two” generally holds the buzzer and waits for a signal to act. Keagle said they have become accustomed to the type of questions that will be asked, and can oftentimes buzz in before the moderator is done reading the question.
Keagle said Kern is “more fluent in sampling,” which is the more chemistry-oriented side of the questions. The best finish they have had at the national level is fifth, but they have high hopes for this year. Thomas said there can be as many as 25 teams competing, and the majority of them come from larger cities.
“It allows people to realize that Iola is here, it shines a brighter spotlight on you,” Keagle said. “Most people don’t know where we are.”
They said it’s fun to compete at the state and national levels, but it provides professional development as well.
“I think it’s a cool way to meet other people, it’s a cool way to network,” Thomas said.
Every day on the job is studying and practice for the competition, and every competition is studying for their job. It’s a win-win situation for them as Iola employees.
“I don’t think we’ve gone to the national competition and come back without an idea we can use here,” Thomas said.
“You learn something and then by working here you see it applied,” Keagle added.
The competition can be fairly serious at nationals, and they know the next level will be tough. But, Keagle said for them the competition is fun and the experience is invaluable. Either way, they have a lot of studying to do before June — win or lose, they’ll go the extra mile.
“It at least shows the people in Iola that we know what we are doing,” Keagle said with a laugh.
Competition drives city employees – Water plant employees will compete at national level
