Herb Brooks was the coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and the architect behind the “Miracle on Ice,” the U.S.’s stunning upset over a heavily favored Russian team.
I got to spend part of December with another, much smaller, group of Americans in search of their own miracle moment on an international stage.
I was a guest of Isuzu Commercial Truck of America (ICTA) or, as they were known during the competition, Team USA at Isuzu’s plant in Fujisawa, Japan for the company’s global technician competition.
With contestants from 32 countries, Isuzu’s I-1 Grand Prix World Technician Competition is the medium-duty mechanic Olympics.
Kiel Trout, of RWC Isuzu Truck-Seattle, and Matthew Bertagnoli, of Lynch Isuzu Truck, represented Old Glory honorably, taking home a silver medal – the second consecutive year the States have landed in the Top 2.
That’s an incredible feat considering in the event’s 13 year history, Team USA has medaled only twice: This year and last. The one constant over that run is the team’s coach and ICTA Technical Training Specialist Justin Ridings.
Kiel and Matthew reap much of the glory – they’re kind of the Mark Johnson and Mike Eruzione of this story – but Justin’s job was to put the whole thing together, keep the whole thing organized and make the whole thing work. He’s ICTA’s Herb Brooks.
