Skill building: Safety takes center stage at Lineman’s Rodeo

Events, News & Announcements / 2 minutes of reading /

Climbers ascend tall wooden poles to raise flags at a festival, with a hot air balloon visible in the background.
Dur­ing the open­ing cer­e­mo­ny, linework­ers kicked off the South Car­oli­na Lineman’s Rodeo with a shared focus on the work they do each day across South Car­oli­na co-ops. Pho­to by Josh P. Crotzer

When York Elec­tric employ­ees come to work each day, the goal is for them to return home to their fam­i­lies the same way they arrived. They may be a bit tired and dirty, but their 10 fin­gers, 10 toes, two arms and two legs are intact so they can give their loved ones a hug.

That’s why the South Car­oli­na Lineman’s Rodeo mat­ters. The co-op linework­ers who par­tic­i­pate have a great time with a friend­ly com­pe­ti­tion, but this annu­al event is so much more. In a con­trolled envi­ron­ment, linework­ers can hone the skills they use each day to get pow­er back on as quick­ly and safe­ly as pos­si­ble in an out­age sit­u­a­tion. The rodeo rein­forces the impor­tance of team­work, and linework­ers are able to live out the action of being the safe keep­er of our co-op broth­ers and sis­ters.

Two utility workers wearing helmets and safety gear climb a wooden utility pole to work on electrical wires.
High above the ground, YEC linework­ers put their skills to the test in a timed event. Pho­to by Josh P. Crotzer

YEC was proud to have been part of this year’s Lineman’s Rodeo, which was host­ed by Black Riv­er Elec­tric Coop­er­a­tive and San­tee Elec­tric Coop­er­a­tive. The two-day event pro­vid­ed an oppor­tu­ni­ty for a valu­able train­ing expe­ri­ence that helps YEC crews sharp­en their skills, stay safe­ty-focused and con­tin­ue grow­ing as climbers.

The York Elec­tric Jour­ney­man teams includ­ed Ryan Put­nam, Michael Moses and Isaac West­more­land, along with Cameron Jack­son, Evan Upchurch and Will Gri­er. YEC judges includ­ed Shan­non Lit­tle­ton, Stephen Clin­ton, Daniel Adkins, James McClain and Gra­ham Hen­nessy. Amy Crock­er, Tara Crisp and Kim Black served as vol­un­teers.

The co-op appre­ci­ates every­one who rep­re­sent­ed YEC at the Lineman’s Rodeo and con­tributed to a valu­able day of learn­ing, team­work and growth.

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