He held his welding torch, flipped his sticker-covered helmet over his face, leaned over and welded a joint in a trailer as sparks flew around his head.

It's an everyday scene in Wyoming: A 22-year old in Carhartts working to make a living in the oil industry. But Chance Pollo isn't an ordinary welder - or an ordinary 22-year-old.

Three weeks ago, Pollo took seventh place in a competition in Japan, making him one of the top ten welders in the world.

"When I was 13, my dad and brother and I built a roping arena at my mom and dad's place," Pollo said. "He had us welding things around the house, and I guess I was just mechanically inclined at a younger age."

When he entered Douglas High School, taking welding was a given, and he went to his first welding competition in 10th grade.

"My senior year (in high school) I did the best. I won the state competition," Pollo said.

As a student at Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, Pollo continued his involvement in SkillsUSA, a program for vocational students to show off their abilities.

"It was a little different," Pollo said of his first competition in Skills. "But it was a lot of fun, it was a lot of fun to do and being around all those people you learn how all other people do things and get more experience in the welding industry."

Toni Decklever, the Wyoming director of SkillsUSA, said the program is a way for college kids who aren't necessarily the best athletes or scholars to receive praise and recognition for their expertise.

"Healthy competition raises the bar and allows them to work hard and do well at what they do," Decklever said. "They are gifted and talented youngsters and they are good at what they do and they can show that."

In his second year in college, Pollo tried out for WorldSkills, an international competition where one person from each skill and each country compete. This year's event was in Shizuoka, Japan. There were 800 competitors representing 46 countries.

For a small-town Wyoming guy, this was the experience of a lifetime - despite the unfavorable food.

"It was a huge culture shock for me, coming out of Wyoming," Pollo said. "Japan was totally different. The temperature and climate and scenery were similar, but the food was way different, I kinda starved while I was there. For some reason they like to eat everything cold."

Before flying to Japan for two weeks, Pollo went to three competitions around the U.S., won a $40,000 scholarship to the school of his choice, and went to Ireland for an international competition - which he won.

When he talks about the competitions and traveling the world, it's not the food or scenery which makes him sound excited, it's the welding.

"You can never learn everything about welding. You could focus your sights on one aspect of welding and spend your entire life and you will never know everything there is to know about it. It is ever-changing every day," Pollo said. "Welding is not that old. There is new technology coming out every day. There is a lot to learn. There are all the different metals and it is an ever growing industry."

For now, Pollo works at XL Hardbanding in Casper. He said once he saves up enough money - he bought his own house in Glenrock when he was 20 years old - he plans on going back to school to get a degree in engineering.

Contact city reporter Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@trib.com