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WEST VALLEY CITY — It was pretty much like any other rodeo: American flags; strong, bronzed competitors clad in hats and boots; numbered tags pinned to shirts; ropes and leather gear; and giant inflatables to keep the kids happy.
But there were no horses, no bulls, no saddles and no clowns. Just boom trucks, power poles, lineman tools and insulators. The hats are white hard hats; the boots, linemen's.
You don't get a second chance to be electrocuted by a high voltage line.
–Justin Halloran
Basking under a blue sky and warm temps Saturday, it was the 20th annual Utah Lineman's Rodeo, held by Rocky Mountain Power Co. and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 57.
Working power linemen compete in several events — egg climbs, speed climbs, hurtman rescues and others, at a specially built rodeo ground that's part of the West Valley substation.
Rodeo organizer Justin Halloran said it gives power workers a chance to hone their skills, take pride in their work and enjoy the common bond of those who every day go 35 feet off terra firma to face off against 7,200- volt power lines.
Developing their skills is vital, Halloran said.
"You don't get a second chance to be electrocuted by a high voltage line," he said.
Competitors are both timed and scored. They get two- point deductions for a mistake such as dropping a tool; those with the highest scores and fastest times win.
"You gotta be fast, but you gotta be controlled," he said.
Halloran also goes by his on-the-job moniker, "Jdog." He's a lineman at Rocky Mountain Power's Wasatch Restoration Center in West Valley City, which specializes in restoring power during outages.
You gotta be fast, but you gotta be controlled.
–Halloran
In the tough and risky job, he said, "There's just a special camaraderie," like that experienced by soldiers or police officers.
Power linemen love their jobs, he said. Competition is fierce for open positions. The work is challenging and after an outage, "there's something about getting everybody's lights on," Halloran said. "It's a good feeling."
Competitors from throughout Utah took part in the rodeo, along with special traveling teams that came from Arizona, Oregon and Colorado.
Among other things, they competed to save rubber chickens and carry eggs in their mouths as they descend a pole.
In the high line event, linemen scramble up a pole, climb across an orange metal "baker board" and into a metal trolley, or "spacer buggy," which rolls across two parallel power lines on pulley wheels.
A lineman pumping his arms furiously powers the cart to mid-point, collects a dog's squeaky chicken toy, drops an egg to a teammate waiting below, then powers himself to the other pole.
The hurtman rescue simulates the task of getting an injured co-worker down from a pole. Participants must buckle on a loaded tool belt, ascend the pole, disconnect a 200-pound dummy and lower it to the ground.
In the highly competitive speed climb, linemen climb up then down poles untethered. The fastest can make the trip in as little as six seconds.
Another event, the egg climb taxes competitors' agility and speed. Clasping in their teeth a small, canvas "ditty bag" that holds an egg, linemen shinny to the top of the pole, pop the egg in their mouths, hook the bag to the pole and hurriedly descend. If the egg breaks, they lose points.
It's timed and they have to climb pretty smoothly so they don't get a mouth of raw eggs.
–Paul Radakovich
"It's timed and they have to climb pretty smoothly so they don't get a mouth of raw eggs," said Paul Radakovich of Rocky Mountain Power
The vertical race teaches linemen to move smoothly and quickly as they ascend poles.
Event winners can go on to the International Lineman's Rodeo in Kansas City that draws competitors from as far away as Great Britain.
Rodeo visitors — adults and kids alike — lined up to don harnesses and hook safety lanyards into the basket of a 140-foot "high reach." The free lift gave a sunny, 360 view of Salt Lake valley, the rodeo grounds far below, and a touch of vertigo.
Heavy equipment operator Jimmy Louder of West Jordan stood out from other power workers. Most days, he runs an excavation hoe, digging and repairing underground distribution lines. But on rodeo day, he is the announcer and has been for all 20 years. He strolls the grounds, a wireless mike in hand, his voice booming out now and then.
He is a large man, over 6-feet tall, and dressed—pants, shirt and cap—in the red, white and blue of the Stars and Stripes. One pant leg sports white stars on a blue field, the other, red and white stripes.
"It's patriotic," he says. "We're just proud to live in this great country."
Winners of the rodeo events qualify for this year's International Lineman's Rodeo in Saint Louis.
Story written by Ladd Brubaker with contributions from Keith McCord.
