The Basics
Q: Who is eligible to compete in Chevron’s Delo® Tractor
Restoration Competition?
A: All high school students are eligible to compete in the
Chevron Delo Tractor Restoration Competition (TRC).
Q: Can I/we have help?
A: We encourage parents, agriculture teachers and advisors
to be active in your restoration project from an advisory standpoint. They should
be there to offer help with questions, explain best practices, observe and enforce
safety precautions, and be your go-to person for any questions. However, this is
a student project. Advisors and parents should not be completing the workbooks or
restoring tractor components without student involvement. We also encourage students
to reach out to the community and Chevron lubrication marketers (distributors) who
may also provide advice or technical information. A list of these distributors can
be found on ChevronDelo.com.
Q: This project is hard...and expensive! Any ideas?
A: There are several ways to ease the financial burden of
this project. Fundraiser! Have a bake sale, sell t-shirts, do community chores,
place a story in the paper about your project and see the response you get. You’ll
be surprised how many people in your town will come out to get involved! Don’t try
to do this all by yourselves. Delo® sponsors the program...so try going to a local
store that sells Chevron Delo Motor Oils and ask if they’ll donate the lubricants
needed for your restoration project. You may also reach out to Chevron distributors
in your area to ask for assistance or guidance. If you don’t have an agriculture
shop at your school, see if you can get tools donated, or workshop space donated.
It’s not as hard as you might think – just ask!
Back to top
Q: Is there a certain type of tractor I must restore?
A: Tractors must have internal combustion engines. This
competition is sponsored by Delo. For more information on Delo products refer to
page 21 of the instruction book.
Back to top
Q: I’ve registered for the program and downloaded my Official
TRC Instruction Book, but what if I don’t finish my project and decide not to submit
it for consideration in this year’s competition?
A: Registering to get the instruction book does not, in
any way, obligate you to submit a workbook for the current year’s competition. We
know that finishing a project such as this is hard work and you have other priorities.
Feel free to use the instruction book as a guide as you go along during your project.
For the 2013 competition, the workbook template format must be used and all submissions
should be in this format. Refer to the instruction book for additional details.
Back to top
Q: How do I submit my video entry?
A: Submit your video entry at www.DeloTRCvoting.com/registration.
The instruction booklet also contains information about formatting requirements
for the video submissions. All videos must be received by August 26, 2013. We encourage
teams to submit early if possible.
Back to top
Q: How do I submit my photos?
A: Submit your images entry at www.DeloTRCvoting.com/registration.
The instruction booklet also contains information about photo requirements. All
photos must be received by August 26, 2013. We encourage teams to submit early if
possible.
Back to top
Getting Started
Q: Where do I begin? Where do I get a tractor?
A: While Chevron sponsors this competition, we do not typically
provide or have any specific knowledge as to where you can get a tractor. Drive
around your town or rural surrounding areas. Check the papers to see if anyone is
selling an antique tractor, or to find upcoming auctions. Check with your School
Ag advisor – they may be able to assist you in finding a tractor. If you are interested
in restoring an Oliver tractor, you can contact the Hart Parr Oliver Club at www.hartparroliver.org
Q: What kind of tractor am I looking for?
A: There aren’t many rules regarding the types of tractors
that you can restore for this competition but it must have an internal combustion
engine. We don’t have a rule regarding the age of the tractor or the model of the
tractor. However, it does need to be a tractor that, in its past life, was an important
working member of the farm. This program is sponsored by Delo. If your tractor doesn’t
need any lubricants, it’s probably not the right type of tractor. If you are in
doubt, please feel free to contact the TRC Coordinator toll free: 800-859-0485 or
(502) 419-8294 or email info@DeloTRC.com.
Q: I’ve registered and downloaded the workbook template
file, but it won’t open on my computer. What’s wrong?
A: In 2013 the Chevron Delo Tractor Restoration has gone
green and the instruction book template is provided in Microsoft Word®.
If you do not have Microsoft Word, you can download open source software which will
allow you to open the document and incorporate your content. Go to www.OpenOffice.org to download open source software.
Your workbook must be incorporated into the Word template and sent to the competition
electronically. If you need technical assistance with the format of the 2013 workbook,
please refer to your software (Word or Open Office). For general questions about
the workbook submission please contact the TRC Coordinator toll free: 800-859-0485
or (502) 419-8294 or email info@DeloTRC.com.
Q: I’ve registered for the program and downloaded my Official
TRC Instruction Book, but what if I don’t finish my project and decide not to submit
it for consideration in this year’s competition?
A: Registering to get the instruction book does not, in
any way, obligate you to submit a workbook for the current year’s competition. We
know that finishing a project such as this is hard work and you have other priorities.
Feel free to use the instruction book as a guide as you go along during your project.
For the 2013 competition, the workbook template format must be used and all submissions
should be in this format. Refer to the instruction book for additional details.
Back to top
Submitting Projects
Q: Do I have to use the Word template for my instruction
book?
A: Yes! Entries are required to be submitted electronically
using the template format. We strongly recommend that the finished workbook be converted
to a .PDF document before submitting. Please refer to the competition instruction
book for more details.
Q: How do I submit the workbook?
A: Workbooks must be submitted electronically by the noted
deadline. Send workbooks to info@DeloTRC.com.
Refer to the instruction book for additional details of the submission process with
respect to emailing large files. We no longer accept printed instruction books.
Q: What should be in the workbook?
A: Your workbook should definitely be creative! It’s the
gateway to becoming a finalist. Make it colorful and visual with photos documenting
your project. The TRC judges will refer heavily to your workbook as part of the
judging process. Please refer to the competition instruction book for more details.
Q: When do I need to get my Official TRC Workbook to you?
A: The deadline for workbook submissions is August 26, 2013,
but it is best if you try to get your workbook in early. We encourage students and
teams to submit their registration forms early and in advance of the competition
deadline so we know to look out for the electronic workbook and video submission.
Q: How do I submit my video entry?
A: There is a special URL to submit your video entry. Refer
to the Instruction Booklet for this information. The instruction booklet also contains
information about formatting requirements for the video submissions. All videos
must be received by August 26, 2013. We encourage teams to submit early if possible.
Back to top
The Finals
Q: I'm a Finalist! What happens now?
A: Congratulations! Finalists will be notified first on
Facebook, followed by an official email with details about the live presentations
which will be held in Louisville, KY during the FFA Convention. Finalists will travel
to the competition to deliver oral presentations on their restoration project to
the judging panel. All participants are responsible for their travel expenses. Once
selected as a finalist, be sure to make arrangements as soon as possible to attend
the convention. You don’t need to bring your tractors with you--just you and/or
your team, and your parents/guardians/student advisors.
Q: What happens at the finals during the Finals in Louisville?
A: At the finals, we have a panel of judges experienced
in tractor restoration. You will conduct an oral presentation about your restoration
project. In this presentation you will use public speaking to reiterate what you
have documented in your workbook. Feel free to use any type of visual display –
PowerPoint Presentations, Storyboards, actual parts from the old tractor, etc. But
we want to hear you speak too! We want to get a sense of who you are, what you’re
like and what you learned. You may also include your video in the presentation but
it is not necessary or mandatory as the judges will already have viewed your video.
After you give your presentation, there is a Q&A period where the judges can ask
you questions about your presentation and/or your project. Be prepared to know specifics
about tasks that you performed and your documentation. But don’t be scared...our
judges don’t bite...usually, anyway.
Q: What?! An Oral Presentation? Yikes! What should I do?!
A: Ok, breathe. Don’t be scared. Oral presentations can
be lots of fun. The most important part of giving an oral presentation is keeping
your audience’s interest peaked. If you’re making the presentation as a team, you
might start with a skit about your project or something that happened. If you have
a PowerPoint presentation, include some funny pictures. It’s perfectly acceptable
to have your talking points written on cue cards or index cards. We know how easy
it is to lose your train of thought when you’re nervous. While it’s awesome if you
can memorize your speech...don’t feel obligated to do so. We want you to be totally
comfortable up there. So do whatever you need to, to be comfortable. Remember that
there may be community resources such as Toastmasters International to help you
with public speaking skills. Practice is very important —
Don’t try to wing it!
Q: What happens after I give my presentation?
A: The presentations are given over the span of two days
during the National FFA Convention, on Wednesday and Thursday, and the Awards Ceremony
follows on Thursday evening. We will recognize all finalists and the video competition
winners, and then we will announce the First, Second and Third Prize winners plus
the team with the Best Presentation and Video Votes. But don’t forget...You Are
All Winners. This is hard work and you should be proud of yourselves regardless
of the outcome.
Q: Who is invited to the Awards Ceremony?
A: All finalists will receive notification and must respond
to the notification. We will need to know from all finalists how many people to
expect at the competition. Generally the student advisors and the students’ parents
attend the Awards Ceremony. We have limited seating so additional family members
are welcome, within reason, provided we still have seating available. We need to
know how many to expect ahead of time.
Back to top