Why Was the First Teen Female Masonry Champ Bumped from Competing?

Despite her unprecedented victory, though, Clifford was recently bumped from the National Leadership and Skills Conference—the world series of amateur masonry—being held this week in Louisville, Kentucky, and mystery surrounds the decision that led to her demotion. What's more, Clifford found out that she was off the roster through Facebook.

Clifford's victory was by all counts an upset. Not only were her chances statistically unlikely because of her gender, but it was widely believed that another student at the Ohio competition had the first-place prize "in the bag." That favored student ended up in third place, while Clifford came out ahead with a shocking 72-point lead. According to the Columbus Dispatch, however, Clifford's triumphant victory was sullied when she saw a Facebook post last week by the third-place male competitor, announcing that he would be heading to the national competition.

Larry Moore, Clifford's masonry teacher at Scioto County Career Technical Center, said in an interview with the Portsmouth Daily Times of his student: "Most win with only a five-point lead, but she really pulled ahead. I always tell my students they can do anything if they have determination, desire, and drive." Clifford's entry to the competition appeared to merit the gold medal, Moore said, adding that "two or three corners were perfect."

However, SkillsUSA is now claiming that Clifford's victory was a clerical error and that the third-place winner (the one who was considered a shoe-in before Clifford snatched the top prize) actually won first in the statewide competition. As a result, he is representing Ohio at the national competition this week.

Scioto Tech was first notified in early May that there may have been a problem with Clifford's award, Stan Jennings, the superintendent at the school, told Broadly. The explanation given to the school seemed shoddy, so the school employed legal counsel to help sort the matter out.

On May 11, Jennings sent a letter to Emily Passias, the current director of Career-Technical Education in the state of Ohio, demanding a better explanation for why Clifford had been dropped from first to second place.

"I am as committed to accuracy as anyone," Jennings wrote, "but the way this matter has been handled and explained, coupled with the seeming lack of transparency in the process, gives me no assurance or confidence that justice has been done."

Jennings continued to ask for access to all relevant documents and a "specific timeline of what was alleged by whom, to whom, and just when such allegation was lodged." Otherwise, he said, "It would seem that at most the proposed newly installed first-place finisher warrants such status only on a complimentary or honorary basis."

Jennings did not receive a response to his inquiry for over three weeks. On June 3, he finally received a "curt response" from Jason Keys, the board president of SkillsUSA Ohio. In that letter, Keys stated that "the decision to make a change in placement for the masonry competition is found to be in accordance with the policies and procedures outlined in the SkillsUSA Program Guideline and Competitive Events Handbook." He also said, "SkillsUSA considers this matter closed."

The letter failed to answer the many questions in Jennings's original letter, so despite the late-Friday arrival, Jennings worked with his lawyer and had a cease-and-desist letter sent back by 9 AM the following Monday.

It was about that time that Shania Clifford learned that she would not be going to the national competition and her male competitor would be representing Ohio instead.

"We weren't even given the courtesy of a chance to give her a heads-up," laments Jennings.

Jennings's cease-and-desist reiterated the demand for transparency and access to information that would explain the decision to remove Clifford from the national competition. "Frankly, we now feel that all parties including the Ohio Department of Education, Lincoln Electric [competition and SkillsUSA are now complicit in making a decision based on not only suspicious (or at least unexplained to us) data but unsubstantiated and poorly devised and wrongfully unfair procedures," he wrote.

Further, Jennings suspects that the judges from the contest have not been consulted, and that the national policy of SkillsUSA is that "once you hang the medal, then the contest is over." It's his belief that the judges should have the final say and that the decision to demote Clifford was "not thoroughly vetted."

Scioto's letter was sent two weeks ago, and as of publication they have received no response from SkillsUSA. The national convention is underway this week; the masonry competition will be held on Thursday. Jennings and the rest of the faculty at Scioto are skeptical about how things have played out and frustrated that Clifford—whom Jennings affirms is "not a victim," just a skilled mason who wants answers—is not being given the explanation or justice she deserves.

We have reached out to SkillsUSA State Director Mike Cowles and Secretary Tammy Plotts to help clarify the matter for us, and we will update this post when we hear back.