The first-ever Plumbing National Championship recently wrapped up in Tampa, Florida. CBS has plans to broadcast the finals later this year.
The Plumbing National Championship was created to provide a one-of-a-kind platform to recognize the plumbing trade and the people who keep the country moving every day. The competition provides a platform for men and women in the industry to showcase their incredible training, dedication and skills in a series of head-to-head dynamic challenges showcasing the world-class skills of the trade. Electrical, automotive and HVAC competitions have been going on since 2015 as part of the Elite Trades Championship Series, and now plumbing in 2023.
The competition’s first round started in July in the form of a digital qualifying challenge. Competitors took a three-minute multiple-choice quiz that tested their knowledge across all areas of the plumbing trade. The top 20 scorers advanced to Round 2 in September and received a custom at-home challenge kit designed by industry experts to test their skills on a unique and dynamic task.
The five highest scorers in the Round 2 challenge received an all-expenses-paid trip to Tampa to go head-to-head in a live competition to win their share of $20,000 in cash and prizes.
The finalists were Craig Childress from Massachusetts, David McDonough from Indiana, Joe Jaspers from Ohio, Justin Coutu from Virginia and David Shanor from Virginia. One of these lucky plumbers won the final round of competition in a custom-built arena along with a $10,000 prize and a unique trophy. Second place won $7,000 and third won $3,000. The winners will be revealed on the TV broadcast.
In December, the CBS Sports Network will provide national exposure for the plumbing trade, telling the competitors' personal stories and showcasing all the fun moments of the national championship competition. In addition to the opportunity to win cash prizes, each finalist received a custom VIP prize package from sponsors like SharkBite. Broadcast details will be announced soon.
