From shimmying up and down poles to deft rescues without 'gigs,' the International Lineman's Rodeo has it all

Spectators in Kansas watch the action.
(Photo by Elise Kirk, The Wall Street Journal)

These folks aren't your horse and pony cowboys -- they're "electric cowboys" who scramble up poles in search of glory at the International Lineman's Rodeo, "the Super Bowl of the electric-utility profession," reports Erin Ailworth of The Wall Street Journal. The Kansas event "drew hundreds to test their chops at timed events such as climbing a 40-foot wooden pole and rescuing a 6-foot-1-inch, 165-pound mannequin named Rodeo Joe."

Amid natural disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes, a lineworker's job is defined by responding with skill and speed to restore power in times of extreme stress. The competition gives utility workers and their families a place to celebrate the profession and let off some steam. Ailworth writes, "Relatives flock to watch since rodeos are often the only time to see their loved ones practicing a job that can demand long hours in disaster conditions." Brock Baker, who works for Xcel Energy in Amarillo, Texas, told her, "My family doesn't get to see it, but now I have the opportunity to do it and showcase my abilities. I mean, that's pretty cool to me."

Baker was among 1,316 journeymen and apprentice lineworkers "who'd come to pursue glory at the International Lineman's Rodeo. They made up 732 teams from the U.S., Canada and Brazil, many of whom had qualified at smaller rodeos," Ailworth reports. 

One event requires lineworkers to carry "an egg in a bag during a timed pole-climb, then descend with the delicate cargo in their mouths to demonstrate they are smooth and in control," Ailworth explains. Dennis Kerr, co-chairman of the rodeo's board, told her: "The egg is inspected by a judge at the end. If there's a tooth mark in it, it's a two-point deduction, and if there's a crack in it, that's a 10-point deduction."

There are timed team events that "teams learn about just before the competition," Ailworth writes. "This year's surprises: For Mystery Event #1, they would need to change out the crossarm at the top of the utility pole, and for Mystery Event #2, replace the jumpers on the pole that had been de-energized and short-circuited to protect the lineworkers. . . . Around them, wide-eyed children goggled at all the hard-hat-wearing competitors." Steve Harmon, chief executive of Community Electric Cooperative in Virginia, told Ailworth, "In the eyes of children, these participants are somewhat heroic."