Sparks fly as Thomas Smith stick welds during the welding competition at the University of Alaska Southeast Ketchikan Campus on Saturday. Twelve University of Alaska Southeast welding students competed in a welding competition. The students were given a blueprint and two metal plates; they sketched the design onto the plates, then oxy-fuel cut the pieces before stick-welding them together. The winner received a 1000-dollar scholarship from the American Welding Society, and the second and third-place finishers received tools. Staff photo by Christopher Mullen