CoServ linemen showcase skills at Texas Lineman’s Rodeo
Unless you’ve ever stopped to watch them work, you may not know that CoServ linemen are some of the best of the best. Their dedication to safety, training, and their expertise are showcased everyday as they work throughout our service territory.
When they aren’t responding to emergency power outages, they’re changing out equipment or installing new infrastructure to serve your community.
When disaster strikes another electric co-op, such as Hurricane Ida that hit Louisiana in 2021, CoServ linemen don’t hesitate to lend a helping hand to rebuild in the aftermath, which garnered them critical acclaim for their professionalism and work ethic.
Serving our Members is their top priority but they also enjoy a little friendly competition.
That’s why we sent three teams of linemen to compete in the Texas Linemen’s Rodeo in Seguin. Our teams of apprentice and journeymen linemen were proud to showcase their skills.
Competitions included racing up a pole with an egg, conducting a hurt man rescue with a 200-pound mannequin and two mystery events where teams of three raced against the clock to change out equipment. CoServ competed against utilities from all over Texas and we are proud of their efforts and for showing the state what CoServ is all about.
This was the Texas Linemen’s Rodeo Association's first event since 2019.
Journeyman Lineman Mitchell Bridges said he has competed as both an apprentice and a journeyman and he always looks forward to it.
“It shows how we can work fast and efficiently when we climb and we still know how to do everything that we do in a bucket when we’re on the wood [pole],” Mitchell said.
That’s especially true for the hurt man rescue because they’re practicing saving a life. Linemen must climb the pole, safely secure a rope around the 200-pound mannequin, cut the safety harness and safely lower the mannequin to the ground.
“That is how we train the hurt man rescue at CoServ when we re-certify each year” Mitchell said. “The hurt man is pretty important because we’re simulating that as another lineman that’s injured so we do take pride in that.”
And you can’t have a Texas Linemen’s Rodeo without a barbecue competition. CoServ’s Pit Crew trailer was there with defending rib champion Jeff Richardson, Power Quality Engineering Tech Supervisor, and Cramer Basham, Linemen Crew Supervisor, manning the smoker all night long.
They didn’t take home any awards for the barbecue but the flavorful meats were a hit with the CoServ linemen who had been competing all morning along with their families.
While the Rodeo is a serious competition and a fun event for families, it also represents the dedication that CoServ linemen display daily at their jobs.
