A couple of weeks ago, 21 Yukon tradespeople went to Quebec City to compete against their peers.
They came back from the Skills Canada National Competition with four medals - a pair of golds and silvers.
A couple of others just missed the podium by a hair.
Not to take away from the considerable ability of the competitors, their success reflects very well on the people training them.
Denis Godin, 19, won gold in computer-assisted drafting. He’s cycled through Quantum Machine Works and Icefield Tools Corp., and is currently doing architectural drafting at FSC Architects & Engineers.
Next year, he starts his third year in industrial design at the University of Alberta.
Nathan Peterson won gold as a heavy duty mechanic. He works at Pacific Truck and Trailer Repair.
Mike Trainor, a first-year student at Yukon College, won silver doing electrical installations in Quebec. He works for Dynamic Systems.
And Geordo Matechuk won his silver for plumbing.
The Yukon sent 21 people to the competition, going head-to-head with more than 500 people from across the country.
In the end, a territory of about 32,000 people returned with a passel of medals and near medals.
It really is an incredible accomplishment.
And, while the nimble-fingered, cool-headed and clever apprentices bask in the glory, decked out in bling, those investing time and resources into their training deserve a hearty slap on the back.