From the February, 2012 Issue of Cabling Installation & Maintenance Magazine
Can it be February 2012 already? Here’s hoping that the Mayan calendar/curse/prediction of doom/whatever it’s called (I haven’t really paid that much attention) is inaccurate and we all will have many more months and years to prosper in and around the cabling industry.
January slipped through my fingers pretty quickly. If it did for you as well, one of the happenings you might have missed was the first-ever Cabling Icon contest. Now, in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of the judges in this contest. I bring the contest to your attention not for that reason (nobody tunes in to a football game to watch the referees, as they say), but rather to encourage you to take a look at how it rolled out.
The contest’s website, www.cablingicon.com, has archives of the contest’s four rounds. In each round the contestants demonstrate why they are worthy of advancing to the next round and, ultimately, being crowned the 2012 Cabling Icon.
Round one was entitled “Give Us Your Best Shot” and asked participants to explain why, in two minutes or less, they should take home the crown.
From there, however, it was less about showmanship and all about workmanship. In rounds two and three, the contestants demonstrated their punchdown skills and ability to drop a cable down a wall, respectively.
Cabling Icon was an elimination-style tournament, in which fewer contestants made it through to each successive round. By the fourth (and final) round, two contestants remained. Their final evaluation was based on interviews with the judges, and those interviews focused significantly on areas of professionalism.
At least, I did what I could to make professionalism a focal point of my questions for the two finalists. That is, in no small part, because of the level of respect I have developed and maintained for the individuals (the professionals) who design, install and maintain structured cabling systems around the world.
If someone is going to be granted the label “Cabling Icon,” they should embody the most commendable characteristics of a professional in this trade. From everything I could see, the 2012 Cabling Icon contest was loaded with individuals who fit that description. So only one person won the contest, but the profession that is cabling installation was well-represented.
Assuming the world will still be here next year and you want your cabling system to last beyond 2012, have it installed by a professional who lives up to such high standards.
PATRICK McLAUGHLIN
Chief Editor
patrick@pennwell.com
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