Junior Mia Bakis had never seen an engine before making a last-minute switch into Automotives 161 her sophomore year. A year later she was competing on the engine team in the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow national competition in Indianapolis, Ind. This was the first time any team from the school had ever competed at nationals.
The engine team was timed in taking apart and putting back together a Chevrolet V8 engine. The national qualifying time for the 2013 season, which is from February to December, was 35 minutes. For the 2014 season, which begins with the divisional competition on Feb. 22, the time has been decreased to 33 minutes.
“[We were all] nervous,” said Bakis of the team’s experience at the national competition. “The first time was our worst run through because everyone’s hands were shaking…but after the first time we got used to what it’s like to compete.”
Engine team competitions are generally male-dominated with little female representation, according to Bakis. She was the only girl from school to go to the competition, but said, “no one differentiates you from the other people, the other guys.” She said she was one of approximately five girls in total of the 23 teams that competed in the national competition.
The school engine team is breaking these stereotypes. For the first time in coach Ed Hajost’s 10 years with the team, there are enough girls competing in order to have an all girl team. The all-girl team is scheduled to compete in the upcoming divisional competition in St. Charles, Ill. alongside the boys team.
“There was an all-girls team from California that almost won the national title a few years ago, and I think it shocks the boys when the girls come up and it’s an all girls team,” Hajost said.
Many of the girls first got involved with engine team when they took an automotives class.
“I really enjoy working on like cars and engines and stuff,” said junior Rhea Rachakonda. “I just basically decided to show up, and it was one of the best decisions I have made. It’s wonderful.”
For some of the girls, the upcoming competition will be their first.
“I think one of the goals for the girls team is to qualify for nationals because then we will have been the first girls team at [Glenbrook North] to qualify for nationals,” said Rachakonda. “What we want to do is…get recognition like, ‘Hey we are all girls and we can do this.’”
Hajost also said that the girls have spurred a lot of excitement from local competition coordinators, as well as in teammates.
“They’re probably the only girls team that will be competing in our regional competition,” senior Michael Bazer said.
Sophomore Tom Kozel, who is the captain of the boys team, said, “it’s amazing they have an all girls team,” and looks forward to seeing how the team does in the competition, as they have only practiced together as a team.
“[The girls team is] not always nice to each other,” said Rachakonda. “We can be very catty when we want to be…We will be yelling at each other while we’re working on the engine. The guys won’t be. But while we’re sitting down, we’re kind of reviewing the day. The guys will all be yelling at each other, and we will just be kind of sitting there like, ‘We got this. We already talked about this stuff.’”