Last year, Craig Childress’s mother bought him a brand new pair of light blue plumbing socks after he qualified for his first Elite Trades Championship Series (ETCS) in Tampa, Florida.
Childress wore the socks throughout the entire competition. And that weekend, the plumber from Peabody, Massachusetts, became the first crossover champion, winning both the 2023 Plumbing National Championship and the 2023 ServiceTitan HVAC National Championship.
But Childress, like many great competitors, is superstitious.
That’s why, when he qualified for the 2024 ServiceTitan ETCS in both the HVAC and plumbing categories once again, the wheels of repetition started rolling.
“As soon as (my mother) found out I qualified, she ordered me a new pair of plumbing socks. They’re light blue,” Childress said. “I'll probably eat the same breakfast (on the day of the competition, too). I only had a Red Bull before I competed.
“Anything that I did last year, to the best of my recollection, I will be doing again this year.”
Familiar Faces
Childress’s competitors, of course, are hoping for a different result during the competition in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 12-15.
Among them are a handful of familiar faces who competed against Childress in last year’s HVAC National Championship. Dagner Espinosa, who finished second in 2023, is back. So are Robert Sanzi, Shawn Price and Joe Rittorno—the latter two who’ve each made it to the ETCS three times.
“I think a lot of the guys are going to be gunning for Craig, and Craig is just the nicest guy,” Rittorno said. “You want to beat him. But he's just too nice to be angry at.”
Another HVAC competitor, Patrick Boldt, won the 2023 ServiceTitan HVAC National Championship in the Apprentice Division. This year, he’s competing in the pro category.
“I was watching (last year’s pro finals) broadcast, and between the five competitors last year, they had over 100 years experience between them,” Boldt said. “Right now, I'm around three. So I gotta step up my game to keep up.”
Rounding out the field in HVAC finals are first-timers Curtis Harrington, Jacob Ivey, Jerrad Porter and Perry Richards.
The 2024 Plumbing National Championship will include two ETCS alumni: Childress and David Shanor, who finished second last year, along with Mike Seidel, Timothy Quick and Tyler Edelman.
The IDEAL National Championship for electricians includes Abby Roush, Dino Gualandri, Ian Papke, Jeremy Myers, Jody Chembars, Kyle Bath, Nick Chovan, Nicolas Gonzalez, Thomas Gubernatis III and Madina Nur. The weekend will also feature the fourth annual US Auto Tech National Championship.
The ETCS will be aired on CBS Sports Network in December.
New year, new competition
Yes, Childress is superstitious. But preparing for this year’s competition has already been different.
For one, his life has revolved around the ETCS in the past year.
He’s been celebrated at trades conventions in Las Vegas and Chicago. He’s been on podcasts and featured in stories. His 5-year-old son has watched the taping of the competition “30-40 times,” Childress said, enough to where he can practically quote it word-for-word.
“(My family) was just on a cruise, and when we went to take photos, my son jumped up there and he was flexing for the camera and he said, ‘I'm flexing my HVAC muscles!’ Because that’s what was said (in the live broadcast of the ETCS).”
Childress also has a better idea of what to expect this time around.
“(For example, during the competition), I expect to look up and see a camera in my face,” he said with a laugh. “I do think it's a big advantage because I don't have those unknowns that people going for the first time would have.”
Childress said this last year has been “mind-blowing.” And regardless of what happens this year, he’s just thrilled to return and compete.
“I can't wait to get back down there,” he said. “And to be celebrated for something that we (in the trades) do every day.”
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