Electric lineworkers from across the state will show off their skills March 17 at the 21st annual Lineworkers’ 
Rodeo at Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Conway.
This family-friendly event provides a chance for spectators to watch well-trained lineworkers showcase their skills in a safe and fun environment. As individuals or as three-person teams, lineworkers will compete in events that test their expertise and agility.
The rodeo builds camaraderie among lineworkers and improves their skills in safety, teamwork and productivity, says event coordinator Nick Adams, senior loss control training director for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.
Competition in the rodeo is open to qualified, practicing lineworkers from the state’s electric cooperatives and Santee Cooper.
“It’s a point of pride—pride in your work, pride in your utility and pride in competing,” Adams says. “It’s also fun and a good training tool for apprentice and veteran lineworkers.”
“We have enjoyed a rodeo partnership with the state’s cooperatives for years building a comradery among our employees that results in friendly competition,” said Santee Cooper Vice President of Retail Operations, Mike Poston. “Our respect for the integrity of HGTC’s Electrical Lineman Technician program shows in the number of graduates we have hired. They come to us prepared, trained and educated in line work skills.”
"We are pleased to be hosting and sponsoring the S.C. Lineworkers’ Rodeo again this year,” said HGTC president Marilyn Fore. “We are proud of the hard work and dedication of all of our electrical lineman technician graduates and can’t think of a better way to showcase their skills. I was so inspired by last year’s event and the number of families who gathered to watch the competition, have fun, and celebrate the success of all the linemen who serve our community.”
Rodeo activities begin at 8 a.m. on March 17 with a special flag-raising ceremony that features lineworkers from each participating utility climbing a pole to mount the American and S.C. flags at the top. Competitions will take place throughout the day and include two divisions —Apprentice, for individual competitors with less than four years’ line experience, and Journeyman, for three-person teams of two climbers and one groundman. Each division completes five events—among them, a pole-top hurt-worker rescue and an obstacle course—and winners are determined based on points earned by meeting the judges’ criteria in all events.
Food trucks and kid-friendly activities, including bucket-truck rides, will be available for spectators.
This year’s event is sponsored by The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, Santee Cooper and Horry-Georgetown Technical College. For more information, click here or call (803) 727-5205.
