Issue # 1, Fall 2001

Exclusive Report
World Slating and Tiling Championships, 2000

Information on the 2002 Event in Ireland, November 5-9

Future World Championships

Read an Article Written by John Ball

First Americans to Attend International Federation of Roofing Trades Congress since 1968
UK Team Takes the Gold Medal Under the Mentorship of John Ball

The American group, above, from the left, included Stacy Moore, Doug Lodge, Brent Ulisky, Umberto Perlino, Jeanine Jenkins, Kim Zorn, Barry Smith, and a friend (Joe Jenkins took the photo). Below, most of the Americans in the roofing group are attending the gala banquet, sitting with Scottish counterparts.

John Ball examining his team's work.

A group of nine Pennsylvania slate roofing contractors, friends, and wives traveled to Edinburgh, Scotland last November to attend the International Federation of Roofing Trades (IFD) Congress, and the IFD World Championship of Young roofers, 2000, the first Americans to attend the Congress in 32 years.

The highlights of this excursion included a talk on Scottish Natural Slate, during which a mention was made of a slate roof dating to 1643 still in use today in Scotland. Many world class traditional roofers from various countries were in attendance, including the UK, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, South Africa, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Slovenia, and others. All of these countries competed in the 13th World Slating and Tiling Championships for Young Roofers.

A number of roofing schools exist in Europe and the best of their roofing students and apprentices are chosen to represent their respective countries in this competition. Each of about 16 national teams consisting of two young roofers (maximum age approximately 24), who do the actual roofing work, and one Mentor who advises them during the competition, compete against each other. Each team had to install roofing materials on an indoor roof mock-up at Teleford College in Edinburgh. The roof mock-up consists of an “L” shaped roof divided into three sections: a hipped end section on which Redland clay plain ceramic tiles had to be installed on battens; a central section with a valley that could be done in any material or style chosen by the team; and a gabled end section that had to be slated with Burlington slates of random widths and diminishing courses, on battens. Over a three day period, each team had one day to complete each section.

The 2 man UK team (above) and the roof mock-up in the background.

The UK team's finished tile "laced valley."

Although all of the teams exhibited exemplary craftmanship, the UK team, under the mentorship of John Ball of Northern Ireland, took the Gold Medal. This year’s IFD Congress and World Championship for Young Roofers will take place in Vienna, Austria, on 4-6 October, 2001. More information can be obtained by emailing: dialoge.life@aon.at, or by contacting the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, 24 Weymouth Street, London W1N4LX , United Kingdom (Phone: 020 7436 0387; fax: 020 7637 5215; www.nfrc.co.uk). Next year’s IFD Congress and World Championship is scheduled to occur in Dublin, Ireland in 2002 and is sure to have American participation.

Read an article by John Ball.