Terminal Velocity Wins Over Jersey Devils and Motley Poo

SWAINTON—The Jersey Devils took second place overall at the Water Environment Federation’s Operations Challenge 2013. The fast-paced skills competition for wastewater operations and maintenance professionals took place Oct. 7-9 in Chicago, Ill. The Jersey Devils, comprised of Carl Seabrook, George McCabe, Josh Palombo, Ken Wuerker, Mike McLaughlin, Tim Fisher, and Art Cowan, were recognized during the county’s Municipal Utilities Authority meeting on Oct. 16.
Teams are judged on precision, speed and safety. The winners are then chosen by a weighted point system for five events including laboratory, collection systems, process control, maintenance and safety. The Jersey Devils finished first in the safety event, second in the collections event, and third in the maintenance event. Described by Fisher as “the Olympics of what we do,” each event is designed to test the skills required for the operation and maintenance of wastewater treatment facilities.
Terminal Velocity, a team out of Virginia, took first place overall for the second year in a row. Over 40 teams from across the United States and Canada competed, each with their own unique moniker, including Motley Poo, Sewer Rats, Endangered Feces, Harlem Pumptrotters, and Commode Commandos.
Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority Executive Director Charles Norkis said the team’s second place finish in the collections event nearly resulted in another win. “We were four tenths of a second off of first place, it was that close,” said Norkis. “I think our guys did a great job.”
The team also won a congeniality award, as voted on by the other teams.
“We’re very proud of the fact that little ol’ Cape May County has kind of kicked everybody’s butt at the state level,” said Fisher, the team’s coach. “We’ve earned this spot for 13 years now, so we’re pretty proud of that.”