Section Branding
Header Content
Plumbing is a school competition? Yes, and this Harris County teen seeks third state title
Primary Content
His father is a plumber, as was his great-grandfather, so it isn’t surprising that Joey Gibbs knows how to use a wrench to make water properly flow through pipes.
But this Harris County High School senior isn’t an ordinary aspiring plumber. When the 2025 SkillsUSA Georgia State Leadership and Skills Conference is conducted Feb. 20-22 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, he will go for his third state championship in the plumbing division.
Gibbs, 18, considers plumbing more than a family trade. It’s also a passion.
“A lot of people are like, ‘It’s just setting a toilet or unclogging a sewer line or something,’ but there’s a lot more than just that,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer. “I love overcoming challenges.”
Precocious protege
Gibbs was 5 when he installed a toilet for the first time.
“That was a big deal,” he said.
He was homeschooled until his freshman year at HCHS. So whenever he needed motivation to focus on academics, his dad, Jody Gibbs, promised he could join him on a plumbing job if he first got his schoolwork done on time.
Joey Gibbs thrives on using his hands to fix a problem. And when his ingenuity and dexterity fix somebody else’s problem, he gushes with satisfaction.
For example, a military wife with four children needed their family’s water heater fixed while her husband was deployed overseas. Gibbs’ father took the call despite being off work that day — and Gibbs tagged along.
“It’s like a sense being proud,” Gibbs said, “just knowing that you helped somebody out.”
Championship mindset
During the state high school plumbing competition, participants have four hours to install a toilet and a sink. Professional plumbers and pipefitters judge the competitors on accuracy, workmanship, selection and use of tools and supplies, as well as safety procedures.
Gibbs called the competition “a really big adrenaline rush. … When they call your name as the winner, it’s just like you’re on top of the world.”
After winning the state championship as a freshman, Gibbs finished second as a sophomore, a result he found hard to accept.
“It was neck and neck,” he said. “… I told my teacher, ‘I’m not losing again.’”
His determination paid off. As a junior, Gibbs reclaimed the state title.
“I was so excited,” he said. “… I always set my goals high, and if I don’t get there, I’m going to get as close as I can.”
The teacher behind the champion
Gibbs’ plumbing teacher is Joshua Tracy, in his second year at HCHS, where he revitalized the school’s construction program.
When he arrived, Tracy told the Ledger-Enquirer, the program was “basically run down to nothing. You couldn’t even hardly walk in the shop. … We hauled off about 10 construction dumpsters of debris just to get it to where the students could work.”
Tracy’s dedication has transformed the program, increasing the number of students competing in SkillsUSA from one to 16.
“These kids wanted to learn hands-on,” he said. “I just think they needed someone with the knowledge to teach them.”
Tracy speaks highly of Gibbs’ work ethic and leadership.
“He’s really attentive to what his daddy has taught him,” Tracy said. “… He’s very detail oriented. He has a diligent work ethic, … and he’s very respectful. He’s also helpful to other team members that are up and coming.”
Gibbs’ influence extends beyond his own achievements. His success has inspired other students to pursue plumbing and other trades.
“When people see Joey do that, it motivates other kids,” Tracy said.
Tracy’s impact is evident in the number of students he helped qualify for the SkillsUSA state championships: Out of the 35 qualifying spots from the region, 28 of them are filled by a Harris County student:
Harris County’s 2024 Skills Challenge Results
Central Georgia Skills Challenge, Macon, Ga. (Oct. 31, 2024)
- Kortney Brown, Masonry – 2nd place
- Trey Wyche, Electrical – 3rd place
West Georgia Skills Challenge, Columbus, Ga. (Nov. 12, 2024) – SkillsUSA Region 4 State Qualifier
- Kortney Brown, Masonry – Champion and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Lindsey Hare, Carpentry – Champion and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Joey Gibbs, Plumbing – Champion and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Trey Wyche, Electrical – Champion and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Anderson Beal, Cabinetmaking – Champion and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Easton Mobley, Cabinetmaking – 2nd place and SkillsUSA State Qualifier Silver Medalist
- Kassidy Lisle, Blueprint Reading – 3rd place
- Layne Hudson, Blueprint Reading – Competitor
- Jay Hydrick, Teamworks – Champion
- Coleton Lehman, Teamworks – Champion
- Colby Morneault, Teamworks – Champion
- Hayden Lovett, Teamworks – Champion
- Cuyler Morneault, Carpentry – SkillsUSA State Qualifier Silver Medalist
- Mason Mudd, Plumbing – SkillsUSA State Qualifier Silver Medalist
- Anderson Vargas, Electrical – SkillsUSA State Qualifier Silver Medalist
- Jackson Phillips, Welding – SkillsUSA State Qualifier Gold Medalist
- Calym Gray, Welding – SkillsUSA State Qualifier Bronze Medalist
- Garrett Meeler, Welding Fabrication Team – 2nd place
- Mary Rehrauer, Welding Fabrication Team – 2nd place
- Ayden Garcia, Welding Fabrication Team – 2nd place
- HCHS – Overall Winner/Alliance Award
South and Southwest Georgia Skills Challenge, Moultrie, Ga. (Nov. 14, 2024)
- Joey Gibbs, Plumbing – Champion
- Trey Wyche, Electrical – Champion
- Kortney Brown, Masonry – 2nd place
- Calym Gray, Tulsa Welding – 11th place (approximately 100 competitors)
Gibbs is grateful for Tracy’s teaching and leadership.
“I give a lot of credit to him,” Gibbs said. “He’s helped out with this program. He’s built it up because it was definitely falling apart until he came here.”
Looking ahead
Gibbs finished ninth in the national SkillsUSA plumbing competition both times after he won the state tile. Now, he not only is committed to winning his third Georgia championship, but he seeks a national victory as well.
“I want to go all the way to worlds,” he said.
After he graduates from HCHS this year, Gibbs wants to work with his father at Pine Mountain Plumbing and eventually run the business.
“He’s looking to retire soon,” Gibbs said. “He’s like, ‘I want to hand over the rope to you.
“I’m really debating on what I’m wanting to do. I really would like to get into new construction, doing plumbing and possibly residential or commercial, not really sure, but I do want to further my dad’s business and probably continue with it.”
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Columbus Ledger-Enquirer.
Secondary Content
Author
Bottom Content
