Apprentice
A person is considered an apprentice and can compete in the Apprentice Division if he or she has less than five years overall line work experience. Line work experience includes, but is not limited to, performing electrical linework for a contract utility, IOU, municipality, Public Power Authority, etc… Less than five years overall line work experience is defined as not having more than 4 years + 364 days of line work experience on the day of the rodeo. Once an individual reaches five years of line work experience on the day of the rodeo, he or she is no longer eligible to compete in the Apprentice Division.
To register for the Apprentice Division, click the following Link: Apprentice Division Entry Form
Journeyman Team
A Journeyman Team consists of three participants with the option of having an alternate participant. All three linemen must be from a South Carolina electric cooperative. Each team must designate two climbers and one groundman for each event. The team has the option to decide who will be the climbers and who will be the groundman before the start of each event. In other words, the groundman does not have to be the same person for every event. An Apprentice may compete on a Journeyman Team. If an Apprentice chooses to compete in the Journeyman Division, he or she may not also compete in the Apprentice Division.
To register for the Journeyman Team Division, click the following Link: Journeyman Team Entry Form
Ground Man
A ground man is a non-climbing participant of the team. There must be, at minimum, one groundman per event and the designated ground man must be designated before the start of each event
Alternate Team Member
The Alternate Team Member is the lineman who is a designated replacement for any individual on the Journeyman Team. Reasons for substitution include, but are not limited to: injury, illness, family emergency, etc. Although having an alternate team member is not required, it is recommended. The Alternate Team Member must register via the website. Fees do not apply to the alternate team member.
Journeyman Team and Apprentice Competitor Check-In
All Journeyman Teams and Apprentice Competitors must check-in on Friday, March 24, 2023. Each competitor will sign their waiver and receive their gift bag.
Rules for Substitution (Journeyman Team Division Only)
A team consists of three lineman, with one of the linemen being a groundman. The choice of the groundman is up to the discretion of the journeyman team, but a groundman must be designated before the start of each event (please see the groundman definition).
Teams may not substitute an alternate team member if the alternate did not register before the deadline.
- Prior to March 16, 2024 – Should a team member become injured, ill, have a family emergency, etc. prior to the day of the rodeo and cannot participate in the event, the designated alternate team member may take that team members place in the competition. Notification must be given that the alternate team member will be substituting for the original Journeyman Team Member at registration.
- On March 16, 2024 – Should a team member become injured, ill, have a family emergency, etc. on the day of the rodeo and cannot participate in the events, the designated alternate team member may take that team members place in the competition. Notification must be given that the alternate team member will be substituting for the original Journeyman Team Member to the Master Judge for this division. The Master Judge must be notified immediately that a substitution will be taking place.
- Substitution Procedure – this procedure is for Journeyman Teams only, allowing one alternate substitution per team, if the team registered an alternate.
- Alternate Team Member must fill out all necessary waivers with their team prior to the start of the rodeo.
- If a team member becomes ill, injured, has a family emergency, etc., his team is to notify the Chief Judge at the event where this occurred.
- The Chief Judge must then notify the Master Judge for the Journeyman Team Division.
- If the circumstances result in the team not completing an event, the team will receive an incomplete for that event.
- To continue participating, the team needs to make a request, to the Master Judge, that their designated alternate needs to take place of the affected team member.
- It is at the Master Judge’s discretion whether the alternate team member may substitute for the team member in question. In other words, the reason for substitution must be legitimate.
