Operator competitions at ACE highlight skill and spirit

The operator competitions at AWWA’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE) are easy to spot. Follow the cheers. Watch the crowd lean in. Notice the way competitors — some meeting for the first time, others reconnecting after a year apart — clap just as hard for rival teams as they do for their own.

For decades, these competitions have been a high-energy centerpiece of ACE, showcasing the technical expertise, teamwork, and pride of water professionals. Events like the Pipe Tapping Competition, Meter Challenge, and Top Ops simulate real-world tasks operators perform every day — except at ACE, they’re done on a national stage, under time constraints, and with a crowd watching.

“While it is about winning, I also think it’s more about the shared experience,” says Randy Payton, chair of the AWWA Operator Involvement Committee, which organizes the competitions each year. “It’s about the camaraderie and the connection that’s made there.”

Payton first came to know AWWA competitions as a competitor himself in the early 1990s.

“What it gave me as a young operator — I know what it did for me, and I’m here trying to give back that opportunity, that mentorship,” said Payton, now pipeline manager at North Texas Municipal Water District. “Many people don’t realize, day in and day out, the duties of these operators and how critical their role is.”

The Pipe Tapping Competition, the oldest — and the most popular — of the competitions, began in 1986. Teams are required to tap a water-pressurized ductile iron pipe, install a corporation stop, cut and flare 3/4’’ copper tubing for installation of a water service line with a curb stop, and connect this line to a meter yoke. In the competition’s first year, the winning team finished in 2:44; last year’s winning men’s team finished in 1:10 and the women’s team in 2:29. (A women’s division was added in 1998.)

AWWA Sections are eligible to submit two teams of four for the Pipe Tapping Competition, two representatives for the Meter Challenge, and one team for Top Ops. The Meter Challenge asks teams to assemble a water meter as fast as possible, and Top Ops quizzes teams on technical questions and equations. Teams first compete at the Section level; winners of those competitions advance to the ACE competitions.

Tony Cuzzone, who has been involved with the competitions since 1999 and has emceed them since 2010, says many teams — particularly first-timers — arrive a little nervous, but by the end of the week, they leave with new confidence and new friends.

“The networking that they do here, the camaraderie that’s created, the partnerships, the experiences that are shared — that’s priceless. They came to win, there’s no doubt about that, but they’re also getting a priceless educational experience at the same time,” said Cuzzone, a retired utility superintendent and capital projects administrator in Illinois.

For many operators, ACE is their first opportunity to attend a national conference, explore the exhibit hall, and engage with peers outside their utility. Operators trade tips, talk shop between heats, and stay connected throughout the year.

“You earned the right to be here,” Cuzzone said he often reminds teams during the events. That simple message reflects one of the core purposes of these competitions: elevating the operator profession and recognizing the expertise behind delivering safe, reliable water every day.

Cuzzone says it isn’t just a contest — it’s a reunion. And every year, the family grows.

“We do this for the operators,” he said. “We’re showcasing them.”