CB 12 minute challenge - topic & video.

[Lee]

The Doncaster exhibition saw some great fun with Charles Birch & SiServe supporting a new while you wait 12 minute challenge. Setting up a repair unit in the corner of the hall there was a queue of competitors waiting in the morning to prove they could become the fastest.

 

Shoes where a bagged up “Lucky dip” from shoes purchased from various charity shops.

 

Peter Semple from Charles Birch overview & adjudicated proceedings & he commented to me that he was amazed how calm some participants where under pressure & how much detail they gave the repair, with most competitors staying to the end to get the result.

 

I was privileged to be given the task of judging & with Chris Wilson overseeing me, here’s how I judged the competition. It didn’t actually take to long; because I was looking for a smooth completed repair that I felt you could hand over the counter & get a commercial value for.

 

So initially I removed any shoes that had not completed the task in the given time.

 

Then I removed any shoes which a customer would complain on nailing. A real issue for the competitors was top piece attachment, no nail guns where on the stand & this gave a real “element” to the pressure, however in my opinion the nails supplied where to long & two heavy for most modern plastics & this made it very tricky, but a hand full managed it

 

Next up I looked at uppers & heel blocks & any shoes with trimmer or band marks on the uppers where evicted.

 

I now had a handful of completed tidy repairs so I moved to a more technical view point, alignment waists & even distance from the heel block & edge trimming, left me with 3 pairs which where in my opinion of a saleable level, where a customer would pay & probably not comment on any defects.

 

Finally I choose the winning shoes because the trimming on the top piece itself was spot on & was the only pair without a “facet” line in anyway, a smooth final finish left the heels free of marks & it was with pleasure I nominated the winning accolade to Christopher Watts from Can do for you.

 

I’ve added a video I took during the day (only had time to get one) of Mark Thompson from Stony Service Centre, Milton Keynes, who kindly gave me permission to add it to you tube. Sorry if I added to the pressure Mark, although I don’t think he realised I’d done it until afterwards.

 

Click here to see the video

 

Unfortunately I didn’t get any pictures of the winner, but am expecting some to come through shortly

 

Lee

[RSturbo]

And don't forget Jonny Pottle from Well Heeled in Ferndown as the runner up with 1min 36 secs to spare