2 days ago
Camp Drive: Kids learn how to work on vehicles
Rapid City, S.D. (KELO) — Camp Drive is a hands-on two-day experience for kids to learn more about vehicles.
Black Hills Tire shuts down operations each summer to put this camp on with their auto mechanics.
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These 40 campers – ages 12 to 15 – are going through eight different stations, both learning and performing important tasks.
'There's the tire session where they get to take off a tire and put it back on, just about safety. The alignment, which is really cool, talks about how it's important that all the components of your car, the suspension components, are accurate and well and balanced. Oil changes, just general maintenance like how to test a battery. The breaks, those are super popular, they get to take breaks apart and put them back together,' Black Hills Tire Owner Tenise Chapman said.
Camper Brock Mayers is back for his 2nd year to learn more about cars.
'I'm kind of relearning how to weld and HVAC is also really interesting and the breaks, that's really fun,' 7th Grader Brock Mayes said.
These students learn eight different stations, and can help pique their interest in a future career.
'We actually have two kids that work for us now that they came to Camp Drive the first two years and now they work part time for us in the summer because they got introduced to it and they liked it and wanted to follow their passions. So it's really cool,' Chapman said.
'These skills could help because you can save a lot on mechanic bills and you could work on your own car. And if your car were to break down on the side of the road you could know how to change a tire and not have to call a tow truck. And this could also bring some really good job opportunities.' Mayes Said
The camp will culminate with a Pit Crew Challenge tomorrow, where these kids will put their skills to the test in a friendly competition.
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